Parkinson's, Sciatica, and the Bathroom Process

        Parkinson's always comes into the bathroom with me followed by his buddy sciatica! Taking a shower and getting dressed is such a chore now.
No longer can I take a fifteen minute shower and/or be ready to go anywhere in 20 minutes.  When I worked full time, I got up at 6:30 a m and was out the door by 7 a m.  I first have to get my walker and make my bed. Then I pick out or get my clean clothes for the day and carry them in one arm while pushing my walker with the other.  Now I am in the shower at least 30 minutes! I have a shower chair and had bars installed on the shower walls!  Showering is now a long process.

  It just takes me so so long to shower/wash my hair and then so  long to dry off and then get dressed!!   It is such a tiring process.
If I need to put on make-up, that is another 30 minutes and if I have to dry my hair, that is another 30 minutes. My friend Priscilla and I hate to bother with make-up so when I go out with her, I need a little less time to get ready.  And if I have to color my gray roots, I'll be in there another 30- 60 minutes.  I am thinking about going gray and forgetting the dye job. With Parkinson's and Sciatica, EVERY part of my life is slow!!! Then I have to take my pills if I remember! Then I put on my wedding ring and the crucifix that belonged to my beloved deceased daughter Amy. She wore it when she made her First Communion and I wear it everyday. I can put it right over my head because it has a long chain.  I think I am going to buy chain extenders for all of my gold necklaces. I think I could spend most of the day in the bathroom and bedroom  just getting ready for the day!!! By the time I get ready for the day, I am ready for a nap!!
 
  Tonight I have book club! We all bring snacks to share. I had intended to make something but I decided to stop and buy something instead because this seems to be a painful sciatica day!  When it is a really painful day, I still try to do something cleaning wise and work through the pain.  Today I did the wash and the only really difficult part is carrying the clothes out to the family room to fold them or hang them up. My friend Carol gave me a walker with a cart so I can fill that but I have to fill it several times per load. I am so thankful for that walker! However, on really bad days, sciatica wins and I veg out on the couch!
We read Where the Crawdads Sing!!!  I love all the women in the book club and I love to read so I am excited about the book club meeting tonight!! The book was well written but I didn't see the ending as feasible based on what we learned about the main character during the story!

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