"Can you take a shower???"

When I start to see a pattern in the questions that are emailed to me via friends and family, I figured it might be something that needs to be addressed for others...

So... how long do you think it takes for you to take a shower?

Before all of this, I could probably be in and out in about 6-7 minutes. Now... well... let's just say it's a MUCH longer process.

I'm fortunate to have a good friend who knew I would face this particular difficulty. Mel bought me a shower seat (pictured) and brought it to me the night of the surgery. I was thankful for it then, but now I'm totally indebted to her - I had no idea how something so simple could be so beneficial!

To begin with, my Dr. advised taking a shower every other day. That might sound a little "long" to some of you, but it actually makes sense. For one, it's a long process to go through. Also, I'm not really doing anything... just lying on this couch and getting up about 8-10 times a day to try and keep moving.

Real quick: Do you want to know why it's important I "get up" so often instead of resting the leg? I've been told by the "at home" Physical Therapist that it helps to prevent blood clots, pneumonia, and bed sores. So, because I don't want any of that, I try and do little "laps" like going to the kitchen, walking out to the mailbox, etc.

OK, so here is everything you could ever want to know about showering with a straight-braced leg...

The "setting" is my house - specifically my master bath. We travel from my parent's house to mine because I have a 1-story house and my parent's bathrooms are upstairs. Since I can't make it up stairs (yet), it just makes sense. Besides, it beats the alternative - my mom wanted me to go to her neighbor's house! Are you kidding me???

First, you've got to have a walk-in shower. Bathtubs won't work. Additionally, the shower needs to have a hose. One thing that would be extremely helpful are hand rails inside the shower. Unfortunately, mine doesn't have any. We're looking at getting some...

Next, "prep the area." All of your towels and washcloths need to be placed strategically, along with the soap and shampoo. You don't want to get in there and have those outside of your arm-reach. This also includes your post-shower clothes. Because my bathroom isn't carpeted, I lay out extra towels on the ground so that I won't slip.

Before I can get wet, I have to wrap the leg. This calls for two 38-gallon yard trash bags. Why 2? Because you don't want to get that brace wet or we will be mayor of "Itch City." The Dr. told me that double-bagging just provides an extra barrier.

After I wrap the first bag around the leg, I secure it with duct tape. Is that a guy thing??? It's surprisingly durable... though it's applied directly to my hairy drumstick. I then wrap the other leg with the final trash bag, and tape it up just the same.

The entire time I'm wrapping the leg, I'm sitting on the shower stool... outside the shower. There's not enough room in the box to do all of this, so I have to put the stool back in the shower before starting. Remember, I'm not walking around on 2 legs... I'm using the walker and carrying this stool while hauling around a double-wrapped garbage-bagged leg. Ha! Oh the imagery...

Before closing the shower door, I make sure the walker is right outside within reach and the towel is hanging on that walker. Are you getting the picture that this walker is very integral to my life???

So, here we go. Basically, I shower like I normally would... I just don't stand up. I wash the hair, condition it, soap up everything, and rinse... lather... rinse... repeat... It just takes a lot longer. And, having that shower head on the hose is extremely helpful because it allows me to direct it away from the bum leg.

Once I'm finished, I then open the door and grab the towel from the walker. Once I feel confident enough to stand, I start to grab things outside the shower that can help lift me up... usually the walker and a short wall.

Now, I've learned that removing duct-taped trash bags from your person isn't very easy. I now immediately grab scissors and start cutting it off of me. Then comes the ripping... ah, there's nothing like the feeling of hair being torn from your leg!

After that "wax job," I then proceed to finish drying off and getting dressed. Looking around, the place is a wreck. I have wet towels everywhere, water everywhere, and 2 soggy trash bags. The time that has passed is about 40-45 minutes.

However, it's totally worth it! I feel incredible afterwards, and start looking forward to coming back "home" in 2 days to repeat the process...

Given I'm supposed to have this brace on until September 1... you now can see what I'll be dealing with when it comes to bathing.

Lather... Rinse... REPEAT...