{"id":306,"date":"2025-05-29T13:03:30","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T13:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wickedsister.evit.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/05\/29\/new-way-to-shower-another-look-at-shower-time\/"},"modified":"2025-05-29T13:03:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T13:03:30","slug":"new-way-to-shower-another-look-at-shower-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wickedsister.evit.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/05\/29\/new-way-to-shower-another-look-at-shower-time\/","title":{"rendered":"New Way to Shower, Another Look at Shower Time"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Post foot surgery and non-weight bearing status in April, I had to get a tub bench. At first it was kind of cool. Being generally lazy, the idea of sitting down to take a shower seemed pretty lovely.<\/p>\n

But eventually it got old and now I’m eager to take my showers like a normal person. <\/p>\n

Or at least, a normal person with MS<\/strong> fatigue. Which in my MS<\/strong> world, isn’t really normal at all. To show you what I mean, I felt a new look at an old blog might take you into the shower with me- so to speak.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the plan is that the tub bench will come out of the shower this weekend and I will be taking my regular, old, hours long shower processes!<\/p>\n

Shower Time<\/h2>\n

A new multiple sclerosis skill<\/h4>\n
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People not living with multiple sclerosis<\/strong> or another chronic illness can\u2019t possibly understand the fatigue we talk about, unless they have actually spent hours trying to find the energy to take a shower.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter if my achy body slept in til 11 or I had to get up at 7 for Mass.  <\/p>\n

(What is up with 8:30 Mass? My Christian friends might disagree with me but my reading of scriptures says that worship is not appropriate until the worshiper is wide awake, usually after 10:30.)<\/p>\n

The plan for this particular day included finishing (and actually starting too) a writing project I had known about and been thinking about for months. It was due at midnight. Showering helps me think through ideas but getting into the shower has become a lot of work lately.<\/p>\n

It shouldn\u2019t be. Especially on this day. This was to be a quick shower. I wasn\u2019t going anywhere besides my desk. I didn\u2019t need to wash, condition or style my hair. I didn\u2019t need makeup. All I needed today was a quick rinse, soap, rinse again, and dry.  Easy.<\/p>\n

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I probably didn\u2019t even need a shower except that for me, my secondary illness is germaphobia so going without is out of the question.<\/p>\n

I drank my tea. <\/p>\n

I ate my breakfast.<\/p>\n

I answered my emails.<\/p>\n

I sorted through my daily meds. <\/p>\n

I made my bed.<\/p>\n

I posted a funny baby video to Facebook<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I watched a DIY video on how to make a cheap bed for my dog which was pretty silly since I don\u2019t have a dog.<\/p>\n

I thought about my writing project.<\/p>\n

I thought about why taking a shower is so exhausting.<\/p>\n

I started this blog.<\/p>\n

What makes a shower so exhausting? Is it the standing? The water temperature? The slip and fall concern?  <\/p>\n

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Is it the multiple steps even if the multiple steps are so simple we should be able to do them without even thinking about them?<\/p>\n

I really didn\u2019t know but I had to figure it out. I had things to do and they started after I finished my shower.<\/p>\n

I thought music might help through the getting clean process and so I turned on the Music Choice<\/strong> channel.\u00a0I normally go for classic rock but today the 80\u2019s felt like better shower music.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The channel was playing Too Shy<\/em> by Kajagoogoo. The music notes said that the lead singer left the band to pursue a solo career in the 80\u2019s. <\/p>\n

\u201cWell how did that work out for you Limahl?\u201d I snickered. <\/p>\n

Before I knew it, I was googling<\/strong> Limahl. <\/p>\n

Turns out his solo career went fine. But he was definitely cuter in the 80\u2019s. <\/p>\n

Then again, weren\u2019t we all?<\/p>\n

I\u00a0 v— e—r— y\u00a0 s—l—o—w—l—y headed to my bathroom.\u00a0It was shower time.\u00a0Since I had 80\u2019s music on, shower time turned into Hammer time which made me think of MC Hammer.\u00a0Thus, that was the song in my head when I finally got into the shower, over three hours after waking up initially.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Taking a shower should be automatic and NOT a big deal. It is such a minor part of my day that I don\u2019t even write it down on my \u201cto do\u201d list; and I write EVERYTHING down on my \u201cto do\u201d list. <\/p>\n

Start writing project.<\/p>\n

Finish writing project.<\/p>\n

Post a funny baby pic to Facebook<\/strong>– scratch that right off. Done and done!<\/p>\n

In the years before MS<\/strong> symptoms started rearing their ugly and obnoxious heads, taking a shower was how I kick started my day, not something I had to work up too. But multiple sclerosis<\/strong> can change many things both huge and insignificant. <\/p>\n

Still, I refuse to let MS<\/strong> completely beat me up. Whenever possible, I go for the positive. <\/p>\n

Now dressed and back at my computer and finally starting my writing project, a thought occurred to me.\u00a0Yes, it was ridiculous how long it took me to do such a routine task.\u00a0But look at all the things I accomplished in the meantime.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Those cute baby videos don\u2019t post themselves you know! <\/p>\n

Come to think of it, I was pretty impressed at the things I had done while I procrastinated the soap and water part of my day. <\/p>\n

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Back in the old days I didn\u2019t have such procrastination skills. Procrastinating meant zoning out in front of the tv while some sitcom I had seen hundreds of times broadcast canned laughter. I would literally be a useless clump of procrastination nothingness. <\/p>\n

Now look at me! <\/p>\n

It takes quite the skill to be able to procrastinate at this level. It is not for the weak or faint of heart. <\/p>\n

Neither is MS<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

I decided that this skill I\u2019ve developed since my diagnosis is nothing to disregard. I\u2019ve entered into an elite society of professional procrastinators and I couldn\u2019t be prouder. <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to pat myself on the back too much, but more MC Hammer lyrics lingered in my brain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hey you regular, amateur procrastinators- \u201cU Can\u2019t Touch This!\u201d<\/p>\n

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FYI- Shelter of the Monument<\/strong> turned 18 months old this month-so exciting!!<\/p>\n

To celebrate, I got it a little gift, it’s own book video! <\/p>\n

For fun, check it out here-Shelter Book Video<\/a>. And if you like it, please share!<\/p>\n

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Source: yvonnedesousa.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Post foot surgery and non-weight bearing status in April, I had to get a tub bench. At first it was kind of cool. Being generally lazy, the idea of sitting down to take a shower seemed pretty lovely. But eventually it got old and now I’m eager to take my showers like a normal person….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":307,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[11,15,9,8,13,14,12,10],"class_list":["post-306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-multiple-sclerosis-research","tag-brain-repair","tag-marburg-type-ms","tag-ms","tag-multiple-sclerosis","tag-myelin","tag-neuroregeneration","tag-oligodendrocyte","tag-remyelination"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wickedsister.evit.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wickedsister.evit.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wickedsister.evit.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wickedsister.evit.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wickedsister.evit.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wickedsister.evit.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wickedsister.evit.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wickedsister.evit.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wickedsister.evit.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}