Back To Normal

After all the drama of the last week and a half, I’m slowly getting back to normal. After the shower incident, I’m still dealing with some leftover anxiety issues. I now have a secure safety bar installed just outside the tub. So, that is definitely good. My anxiety still flares up when I go to get in and out of the tub. The bar’s not going anywhere, but my mind keeps playing nasty games with me. Onward and upward though. The kinks will get worked out in time. Baby steps.

Today, I did one mile on the elliptical, after having done nothing for 10 days. It felt good to get back on. I felt a little uncomfortable for the first fifteen minutes (just like several weeks ago), but then it worked itself out, and I was more stable. I’ve done no strength training for the last several weeks, but will get back into that on Monday. I really wanted to focus on my elliptical today, and I didn’t want to be sore or tired when I did.

It’s so strange how a small fix can increase your confidence level. The new safety bar is making me feel a lot more confident and self assured. I did need to wear my shower shoes (pool shoes, whatever you want to call them) today, but the relief has been huge. I was worried constantly after what happened, worried that the new permanent bar wasn’t going to work right, worried about this, that and the other thing. Things are now situated the correct way, and I can relax. I need to get over this last bit of anxiety that is lingering, and I’m taking those steps (thus the shower shoes).

Now I can get back to my working out again, and keep racking up those miles. Here’s the picture from my mile today on the virtual walk site.

Mile 267.6



 

Copyright 2006 Lawrence Berkeley Lab

It pays to keep fighting. A few weeks back, I was down and out, and now I’m back to my old self. Keep moving, that’s the key!

Safety Bar Update

I will not be using my suction cup safety bar at all anymore. My anxiety levels go through the roof as soon as I even think about getting into the shower. Yesterday, I was so nervous about it, I had a panic attack even before I got ready for my shower. My husband came into the bathroom with me (in the middle of my panic and crying attack), and again we tested the bars out. Sometimes they stuck on really tight and were fine. I got in and out of the tub several times. Other times it would pop off with little or no pulling. It was really random. And when it would pop off, I would panic more.

We scrubbed the wall clean, and it didn’t help any. Still not sure what is going on, but I will not be using them anymore. Later that day (once I had calmed down…I’ll explain that later), I had my husband help me in and out of the shower. We attempted to use the bar again, and it popped off.

Earlier in the day, my husband talked with his dad about what happened, and asked again about a safety bar that drills into the wall. Apparently, a few years ago, when we first asked about it, there was some confusion. He thought we were talking about drilling a hole into the tub itself, not the shower wall. I wasn’t around for that conversation, but apparently that’s what the misunderstanding was about. Tub wall/shower wall. So, yes, a shower bar that drills into the shower wall is a go.

My main concern now (yes, I worry a lot) is finding a stud in the wall. If there’s no solid stud, I’ll be stuck. I know the towel racks in the bathroom have fallen off because the studs in that room are in strange places. But inside the shower might be another story. Only time will tell. We’ve got a shower bar ordered and on the way from Amazon. It’s supposed to get here sometime Wednesday. Until then, I’m holding off on exercise and if I absolutely need a shower, I’ll have help. Not planning on going anywhere in the next few days, so I can survive with no shower until then.

So that’s the update for now. I’ll keep you all updated as it happens. But, no, there’s no way I’ll using the suction cups anymore. My anxiety is just too much when I think about it. I still think it’s strange that they worked for several years, and are now giving me problems. No idea.