[T-Crip]

KimAndSophie, on Sep 13 2007, 09:32 PM, said:

T-Crip, on Sep 7 2007, 12:07 PM, said:

Ches, on Aug 28 2007, 04:35 AM, said:

Pressure sores would not be fun that is for sure. I am pretty good about shifting though, and since the day I woke up I could feel pressure in my ass. Sores havent been a real issue, yet. I do worry about my foot dropping though. That would be a bummer. I dont really have anywhere to go lately other than my 10 hrs of therapy a week. So no reason to wear them but maybe I'll start out small, like dinner.

As for crossing my legs.. yeah right. I didnt do that before the accident. Although I do cross them sometimes when Im on the couch just to make my friends laugh.

Ok I have another clothes related question, I'm still learning all these new paralyzed ninja skills. I'm wondering how you people get dressed after the shower. I mean I know how to get dressed, but I have to go back to my room and get on my bed. I dont always wanna have to transfer back and forth, ya know. I cant raise up enough out of my chair to get pants on while I sit. I have a Quickie GT and the armrest arent really that secure. Is there a trick to it? Should I be gettin dressed on bath bench, maybe? Is it one of those great Ninja skills I will aquire with time?

The way I understand it is if you make sure you stretch everyday you shouldn't get foot drop no matter what you wear.

And I sometimes will just sit on the toilet and get dressed. I am used to pulling my pants or shorts up there so it's familiar and easy. And if I have like jeans on I just pull them up the ret of the way when I transfer back into my chair. I kinda slouch down ya know like slide my butt down to almost the edge of the chair and lean back and pull them the rest of the way up. That's what works for me anyway. Or make the transfer to the wheelchair and then lean side to side and pull em up. But no matter what you are gonna find what works best for you and your situation.

I know what you are all saying about the clothes!! Man! It is tough knowin just the right thing to buy! I love the long shorts in style now! And the like capri or long short light weight or light sweat material ones for around the house. Soooooo comfy!! I usually buy a lot of T-Shirts but man am I getting tired of those! Io wanna look nice sometimes ya know? I like 'em a little longer and a little bigger around the waist. I TOO have the "I just ate and I look like I gained 10 pounds" problem!! Big shirts help that they look decent and are comfy!

I usually buy pants a size or two bigger than I need now. It helps when I'm getting dressed because they are easier to get on. LOL It's nice to knwo I'm not the only one to get dressed on the toilet sometimes!

Yeah I buy size 5 instead of 3 which is what I was wearing as an AB. The toilet is the first place I go in the morning ( no pun intended) and they preached to me in rehab about savin energy ya know? That'll save ya goin' back and forth. Kinda made it a part of my morning routine ya know? Oh! And the brand Rimmel polish seems to last aehile too and they have the 60 second speed dry which I love. I'm a big clutz and will mess my polish up before it dries!

[wheeliebear75]

I told my B/F about the polish that was recommended. He went out to Wall'Mart and got me 4 colors of it for me, so my B/F said he'll help me with it tomorrow. TY

[itsjustme]

Okay...I just found a shirt that I really love, love, love at Wal-Mart. It is a Riders (like the jeans) brand shirt so I don't know who else carries the Riders brand.

This shirt has a big sticker on it that says instantly slims you and it really does because it has princess seams so it's not just big and boxy and yet it kind of just skims over the dreaded belly budge and love handles.

I bought it in 4 colors, a nice basic white, pink, blue and green striped. And the best thing...these really nice shirts cost all of $16.97 each!

I also found some stretch corduroys again from the Lane Bryant Woman Within catalog that I love. I bought them in deep navy blue for a little bit of a dressier look. They have a button and zipper which makes it easier to get them on and off but they also have satin draw string around the waist. I'm just all about these funtional drawstrings on jeans and pants since I've found them rather than just elastic pull on waists.

[Ches]

I refuse to trade in all my cute little shirts for baggy T's. Instead I just wear my ab binder when I want to wear a smaller shirt. It helps with my blood pressure and it makes my belly look great. If you got one, wear it. I also used to wear corsets as shirts alot. I havent tried wearing one yet, but Im thinking they will look good, just have to be sure and put your skirt (pants, whatever) under the bottom of the corset so you dont have skin hanging out the side.
Damn, I had a question....and I forgot it. oh well, maybe later!

[juls]

I wear pretty much the same clothes as I did before the accident except for dresses..I love strapless/halter neck tops...they have a lot of baby doll tops out now which are really flattering...

Just a question for everyone...do you still wear dresses?
I've got a wedding coming up and my mate wants me to wear a dress but I was worried about how it would look and what shoes to wear with it as i've really only worn tight jeans and little tops since having a sci..
I'm pretty small so I want to wear a dress that's fitted up the top but flows over my legs..if you know what I mean!!

Any help would be really appreciated!

[Apparelyzed]

juls, on Sep 19 2007, 10:10 AM, said:

Just a question for everyone...do you still wear dresses?

Not anymore, they get caught in my wheels.

Oh crap, I must remember not to type what I'm thinking!

Simon

[megatrig]

Apparelyzed, on Sep 19 2007, 10:29 AM, said:

juls, on Sep 19 2007, 10:10 AM, said:

Just a question for everyone...do you still wear dresses?

Not anymore, they get caught in my wheels.

Oh crap, I must remember not to type what I'm thinking!

Simon

I have that problem to Simon .......... cough cough

Seriously Juls .. I have seen wheelchair users in dresses looking stunning ... kinda a case of getting it and .. ummm tailoring it prior to the big event!!

[Apparelyzed]

Regarding dresses,

Most women I know who don't like wearing dresses/skirts in a wheelchair, complain that they look unflattering.

This is due to the dress/skirt hanging over the edge of the cusion, and also due to posture spreading their legs apart, which isnt good news if the dress or skirt is short.

So, the simple solution is to get a lap belt, a strap of material with velcro at both ends. You can put this around both legs to tie them together, above the knees, and cover the strap up with your skirt/dress.

With your knees closer together, you'll have better posture, and you'll look slimmer from the front. You can also wear closer fitting and shorter dresses/skirts to show your legs off, and you clothes won't get caught in your wheels.

And no, I don't know this from personal experience!

Simon.

[glamisgirl]

Ches, on Aug 27 2007, 01:43 AM, said:

I know I cant be alone here, all girls love clothes and dressing pretty. I miss wear high heels the most. I have a shoe fetish like mad. How did you ladies deal with this? I mean I could wear my heels but Im thinking the heel will just fall off the back of my foot rest? So I guess wedges or flats huh? I cant stand the idea of never wearing them again.. Am I thinking too much into it here?

I too am a shoe junkie, purses and sunglasses also. I have at least 100 pairs of shoes and about 10 of them are wearable. My weakness was flip flops. Of course almost every cute shoe doesn't stay on your feet in the wheelchair. I thought about taking in a pair of my flip flops to a shoe maker and see if they can put some kind of elastic strap around the back of my heel that can be sewn on the sides. I think that would help them stay on. Since it would be around the back of my foot nobody would notice it. Now when I buy heels I just make sure I buy them that either wrap around and tie on my ankles or have a strap that buckles around my ankle. When I wear heels for more than about 2 ours my feet start to swell so its pressure wounds I worry about.

[T-Crip]

juls-----I recently went to a wedding and I wore a dress that was strapless that I had before my accident. It is pretty straight but has a slit on one side and comes down to my knees. I wore the shoes that I wore with it before my accident which were a wedge flip flop with sequins that made them look reall dressy. Worked out SUPER and I looked pretty good if I do say so myself!!

Simon----stupendous idea! I just might try that next time!

ches----also a stupendous idea hahahah!! I didn't think about wearing my binder you sligh dog you! Good thinkin'!

Izzywizzy----I wear Timberlands. They go to the toe and have some really cute ones. Last year they had pink and light baby blue!



Oh! And glamisgirl----I too considered that. I think that would be a very inexpensive way to wear what you have and love. Thye might even be able to do a clear strap? I say go for it! Let me know how that works too...maybe I'll do it too!

[gsp23]

glamisgirl, on Sep 19 2007, 03:11 PM, said:

I too am a shoe junkie, purses and sunglasses also. I have at least 100 pairs of shoes and about 10 of them are wearable. My weakness was flip flops. Of course almost every cute shoe doesn't stay on your feet in the wheelchair. I thought about taking in a pair of my flip flops to a shoe maker and see if they can put some kind of elastic strap around the back of my heel that can be sewn on the sides. I think that would help them stay on. Since it would be around the back of my foot nobody would notice it. Now when I buy heels I just make sure I buy them that either wrap around and tie on my ankles or have a strap that buckles around my ankle. When I wear heels for more than about 2 ours my feet start to swell so its pressure wounds I worry about.

Not sure if you ever watch the making of movies/tv shows on the DVD special features but I know that in several of them when there is a female lead who has action scenes they take a pretty bra strap and sew it to the back of shoes so that they stay in place for the action scenes. The bra straps are stretchy enough so that they hold the shoes in place. I also have seen where they clip the straps off shoes and replace it with a coordinated bra strap if it had a strap that didnt hold the shoes securely on the foot... Just a thought but hey if its good enough for holywood and their mulitmilion dollar budgets is probably good for us too right?

[glamisgirl]

I haven't seen that, but it sounds like a good idea. Definetly something I'm going to look into.

[gsp23]

Yeah you dont actually notice it in movies/tv shoes unless you know what you are looking for an even then sometimes you dont cause they do a good job of picking complementing straps. Anyways, I wouldnt even know it if I wasnt such a movie buff and watch not only so many movies but also the behind the scenes of so many as well... so my vast knowledg of movie info pays off on rare occasions

[juls]

A big thanks to Simon and Megatrig!!!!!!
My legs stay together so I don't have to worry about that, but it's a great idea!

T-Crip~ I've been looking at strapless dresses as the wedding is next to the beach and it will be really hot. I went shoe shopping yesterday and bought a wedge flip flop style shoe that look really nice

[Izziwhizzi]

T-Crip - thanks for the tip. I'll go and have a closer look.

A shop has them in town and I always thought they were a bit rigid and worried about pressure sores on my toes (but that was just looking at them through the window rather than trying them on).

I used to have some DM's but they were too stiff/rigid/hard leather for me - although I did love them.

L xx

[itsjustme]

Speaking of the bra straps to keep shoes on...There is a shoe repair shop at the Greenwood Mall up in Indianapolis and I stopped in there one day to talk to the guy about my clogs. I love clogs and I have a pair of dressy Nine West ones too that look like chunky heeled boots when they are on, but my feet spaz backwards and slide right out. So, I asked him if he could come up with something eleastic that had clips of some sort on either end that I could attach to my various clogs. He said that he was sure that he could. And, I figured that with jeans and dress pants the clips wouldn't show anyway. I just haven't been back up there to let him do it.

Just a note about the draw string waisted 5 pocket jeans that I mentioned earlier for size 12's and up...the ones from the Lane Bryant Woman Within catalog are much nicer and have a better fit than the ones from the Sillouhette catalog.

[Katherine]

I saw the mention of "bra" and it brought to mind a problem I have been having and wondered if anyone had any ideas out there... I want a bra that fastens in the front with some sort of back support. Nothing out there seems to work. I almost am looking at a corset but they seem to be cumbersome. Any ideas ladies???

[juls]

Hi Katherine.....what about a sports bra? There are a few, really supportive sports bras that do up in the front and they're a bit nicer looking then your typical sports bra..also very comfortable, much more comfortable then a corset!!!

[Ches]

I have a few of the sports bras that clamp up the front, they are very comfortable and supportive. Then again my boobs arent the biggest. I suppose it depends how much support you need. But I tell ya, sports bras are awesome. I think I got mine at like Target or Wal mart, no where fancy. They work, they are comfortable and you can sleep in them! Even better than that, you can just get up and throw on a shirt and go. Some prefer to shower, but not I! So yeah I'm with Juls and totally recommend the clamp up sports bra!

This post has been edited by Ches: 21 September 2007 - 08:10 AM

[gsp23]

I get my front connector ones at Victorias Secret. Yeah not as inexpensive as the Sports Bra option already mentioned but I really like the front connectors in their Body By Victoria line. I also wear the front connector Racerback bra a lot which is part of the Body by Victoria line too as it cuts in quite a bit around the shoulders and I like to wear tank tops and the like and dont have to worry about bras falling off the shoulders for any of those types of cutin an smaller tops.

[T-Crip]

I get my front connecters from Frederick's of Hollywood and they are a lot cheaper than Victoria's Secret and I also find the racer back ones to be more comfortable and supportive. Victoria's Secret doesn't have my size and on the same note it is hard for me to find sports bras that fit as well...that's why I go to Frederick's...they also have an on-line catalog.

juls---post a pic of you in the dress when you get one K? I would LOVE to see it!!

[juls]

T-Crip~ I'll post a pic as soon as I get the dress and shoes

[wheeliebear75]

You crack me up Simon.

Hey I can't remember who it was that recommended the "Diamond Tough"........but thanks. I've had some on for about 8 days now. It is pretty good. I'd had some that was supposedly "strong" nope. Thanks for the great tip. BIG HUGS

[Becca82]

Hi girls, dont know if this is any use to any of you or not, but heard about a new company desining clothes for the wheelchair using female, check out the site at
http://www.wheeliechix-chic.com/
thik its all designed by a wheelchair user who understands the needs of someone who is in a chair and what requirements they have with things like buttons and zips and the like!
hope its of some use to someone!

becca

[Ches]

Those designer clothes were pretty cute, I never got around to mentioning that before so I thought I would now. The prices werent so great though.

I got a hoodie from apparelyzed.."Sex on Wheels" It rocks.

So... Random Question here; How do you girls shave your legs? Is there a trick to it all? Besides hair removal creams. I take forever to shave my legs, I run out of hot water all the freaking time. Also, I cant get to certain areas so easy, ya know.. My balance isnt the best. My dumb feet dont even touch flat on the bathtub floor. So leaning down is OUT! Any tips here?

[gsp23]

Usually I just lean over and shave my legs, I tried waxes but they dont seem to work for some reason and you have to let your hair grow long between them too. I just use a razor and depending where I am it can vary on how I do it but at home just lean forward and shave.

If I am traveling though then it depends on circumstances. I use a bag chair for showering if they dont have a bench in hotel rooms or if I visit someone and You kinda just fall into those chairs so I have pulled my legs up onto the chair to do below the knee. In other cirumstances depending on how much ledge is around the tub (if I am in a tub) I have just moved the bench or chair, forward far enough and put my feet up on the ledge of the tub to shave. Or when I go on vacation, the resort we go to every year only has a small shower like 4x4 feet shower so I wait till I am out of the shower and use an electric razor. Electric razors are nice, use them on the bed or chair, etc. It actually works out well that I do my Bowel routines right after I shower so on vacation I will shave my legs while on the toilet

[kewlcatkez]

Hi,

Have you tried placing one of those HUGE beach towels/bath sheets on the bed?..and then shaving? My hair grows very fast, so I find that I have to shave my legs and underarms very frequently. I know that some drs and the like do advise that if you have reduced/no sensation or circulation, that you try and avoid shaving. However, I still do.

Laying on the bed on top of the large towel should be easier than leaning forwards. Position pillows behind you (covered with the towel) & perhaps under your knees to reach lower legs.

You can have a wash bowl with a little water in to wet the razor, or use a battery lady shave etc. As I am sure you are well aware, just be careful of 'nicks' and grazes.

Hope this is of some use!

Take care,

K

[sjean423]

Ches,

As far as your feet touching ....

My shower bench is set up for a level transfer, so my feet weren;t touching the floor either. It made my balance off, so my husband made a small platform to rest my feet on. With them firmly planted, it made bending down to shave and wash my tootsies much easier.

[smokymtn memories]

I've gotta figure out another way to "shave" my legs. I can do it alright with putting the seat down on the toilet and sitting there. Towels under me and the floor, the sink is in reaching distance, but, I'm getting a lot of nicks and cuts. I don't feel them at the time, but afterwards it seems like there are a lot of them. Makes me dread it and I end up waiting until I can't stand it any more.

Anyone have any better ways to get the job done? I've never tried those creams or lotions.

[gsp23]

smokymtn memories, on Jan 7 2008, 03:25 PM, said:

I've gotta figure out another way to "shave" my legs. I can do it alright with putting the seat down on the toilet and sitting there. Towels under me and the floor, the sink is in reaching distance, but, I'm getting a lot of nicks and cuts. I don't feel them at the time, but afterwards it seems like there are a lot of them. Makes me dread it and I end up waiting until I can't stand it any more.

Anyone have any better ways to get the job done? I've never tried those creams or lotions.

I've never had much luck with the creams/lotions before myself. If you shave from the toilet seet then I would recommend an electric razor. I bought one for when I went on vacation last year and I knew I wouldnt be able to shave in the tiny shower stall they have. It works great and you can get them pretty cheap these days too. No water necessary so dry shaving doesnt knick you up. I have a model that works in the shower or dry so that if I wanted it in the shower it wouldnt damage it getting the entire unit wet, but I never use it in the shower just dry.