[agypsyfree]

Sitting on a bathchair/commode with the bucket on the floor, I can just barely reach my anus with a doigital stimulator. Problem is that I don't know when I'm near or 'in' and it's difficult for an aide to crouch down and guide me. Can't see how a mirror on the floor would help since the bucket would cover it; sure don't want to hit the wrong hole for repeated stims. Thanks for any advice. (I use a hoyer lift from bed to commode, so doing stim in bed would probably result in a dump en route...bummer for wall-to-wall carpeting.)

[Brokeback Brenda]

I'm wondering why you use a hoyer lift instead of transfering? I am also a T6 para. I transfer from my chair to the toilet, get my pants down off my butt, then I put my legs up onto the seat of my chair and finish getting my pants down--when your legs are up on the chair crossed at the ankles, they can fall open to better expose your bum to be able to approach things direct on from the front, not sure exactly how you are doing it now (you could also put your feet up on a step stool I suppose). You should also be using a gloved, well lubricated finger not a stimulator--then you can feel exactly what hole you are in and what is going on in there. That's my routine and it works quite well for me--good luck to you.

[Mikerowaved]

I'm also a T6 and I bought a shower chair similar to THIS after I got home from rehab. In hind sight, I feel it was a very good investment, even though the stupid insurance company wouldn't cover it. They didn't see it as a "necessity". (Obviously, they don't have SCI employees there.)

Anyway, it rolls into my remodeled shower and (more important) I can roll back over most standard toilet seats eliminating the need for a bucket and the associated hassle. I also use a lubed-up gloved hand with very little problems. I prefer to reach from the side, but this allows frontal reach as well. Best wishes.

[sbrown955]

My teenage daughter is a complete T9, and the girl really does have short arms. We've checked. She has difficulty reaching her anus from behind, but can reach it from the front. I admit, more often than not, I do her bowel care because we have fit it more easily into our schedule that way, but when she does it, she just goes from the front. She uses a gloved and lubricated finger, so she can tell the difference between her vagina and anus. (When she does her bowel care, she is sitting up in a shower chair that fits over the toilet.)