The kitchen sink is fine, but the bathroom sink is too low for tall people like me to be able to wash hands/wash face/brush teeth without bending at just the wrong angle to potentially do a lot of damage. Has anyone found a solution?

Physical therapy gave me instructions to open the cabinet door and put my foot on the bottom of the cabinet and bend my knee to help support my back. However, my legs are too long that it just doesn't work. I find when using sinks in public restrooms, sometimes I put my hand on the counter and support my body weight while washing one hand, then switch to the other hand. Not exactly a good solution either for more reasons than one.

If you've got an idea, it would sure help me.

That is so funny you brought this up I am having the same problem I am 5'10 and since my fusion have really noticed this.

We have our advantages to, don't need a chair to reach anything, but now I can't reach the low stuff go figure :)

Hi

I have the same problem at home but i use quite a high stool to rest my knees on.

I have more trouble with my oven.
I have to bend real low for that.

I hope you find a solution. Best wishes

I never found this as a problem before, but just out of fusion with the no blt.

We installed a new vanity that was taller.

I just drop to my knee's because it still hurts to bend..You would laugh at my knee's becaue they are ruff from useing them all the time. Get some knee pads at your local Lowes or samsclub.

I'm 5'11" Now I'm 5' 10 1/2" shrunk due to fusion.:)

I used to be 5' 11 1/2", then lost 3 inches. I think my doctor got me back about an inch. I'm still tall, but not as tall as I used to be.

One of my doctors showed me years ago a little trick that's ridiculously simple. Stand with your feet way apart, like 3 feet or more, and let your body lean against the front of the sink cabinet. It gets you lower down and supports your weight. I don't know why we don't think of these easy little solutions. I never did til he showed me, and it really helps! (Looks silly, but who cares in your own house.)

Blessings,
Emily :wave:

We re-did our baths upstairs the summer before my surgery. We installed higher toliets and sinks. it has made all the difference. I like the sink in the master bath and the toliet in the hall bath best....

I'm 5'10". Had lost two insches, my surgeron got it back for me...at a price though. LOL

I'm only 5'8, but it still killed me to bend over and frankly, after one failed fusion, I wasn't willing to push it. I kept 2 cups at the sink - one for spit and one for rinse. Washed my face and hands with disposable cloths or took a shower. Kept my gripper handy if needed. I tried sitting with a chair but I still had to lean too far forward.

BlueAtlas, your idea is the most workable right now and I'll think of you everytime I use that sink. I tried it - looks kind of funny, but I do sense that I am closer to the sink without having to bend. I'd love to raise the vanity, but what a huge project that would be and might be difficult if we ever need to sell the house.

We did look at getting a taller toilet after my bad pain episode in October but we can't see that the high profile toilets are that much higher than standard. Would a couple of inches make that big of a difference?

I am 5' 11" and it is so nice to hear that there are other tall friends out there! Years ago my doctor told me that it was pretty normal for tall people to have back problems. I thought he was crazy then, but perhaps there's some truth to it.

On HOld,

You don't have to take my word, but yes, the couple of extra inches makes a big difference for me as far as toilet height goes. My hubby said he was sorry we hadn't put them in earlier. The only one who doesn't like them is our sweet DIL. She is only 5' tall and her feet swing when she is on the highest one.:D But, seeing they don't live with us any longer it's ok.....

The toilet in the family room level is still a "low" one. I will go upstairs before I use that one because it is so much easier for mme to get off of the high ones...

As an added bonus, the highest one is "guaranteed to flush 22 golf balls without clogging." I looked at the sales man and told him that I didn't think that anyone in my family pooed golf balls...(but since the surgery I am beginning to wonder...)

Holy cow Jill,
your talking big bucks with raised toilet seats ,remember like me there is middle class (lower class) people here that can't afford a pot to pee in :D I like that ! Flushing gulf balls . Who in there right mind would put them into a toilet...My next toilet will be them french toilets that squirt up and clean your butt , I'm sure you would save money in the long run on less toilet paper .;) Plus you could probably stand up and get clean..

I'm just playing with you..It's all GOOD !!!!!:p

I was told ,by one of several pt's, that my biggest problem is I'm 6'1" in a 5'7" world. Unfortunately another common problem with "normal" sized people is bad knees. Some days my knees are so sore just walking is a challenge. I don't think spreading my feet out at the sink will fly. I just support myself with one hand while brushing teeth etc.

Art,
I know how tuff that is , I just drop to my knee's because i still can't lean forward and to spread my legs like that I still can't reach the floor..I hope my knee's don't give out..What would I do then ?? :eek:

Shawley, I suggest a grabber. Or maybe a well trained dog! Hey guys! I just got upgraded to "member"!!!!

Art,
Yup got my grabber ,its wonderful :)

OK ENOUGH>>>

PICTURE ART AND SHAWLEY BENT OVER THE SINK. NO, I'm sorry I just can't go on...:D :D :D

The question is are they using shawley's shorts? assorted colors? I can only imagine.

Oh dear, shawley I am glad you have art for support-ah-help-friendship-ummmm oh dear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:jester: :bouncing: ;) 1

Oh Jill your to funny..:rolleyes: I forgot to tell you I can't bend over anyway , so lay off my panties :mad: can't we just forget I mentioned them ? Besides I can't even get my wife to bend over the sink let alone
Art :dizzy:

Sto attacking me I have feeling to :p

LOL!! you are too much![/LIST]

I'd better get this thread back on track before it gets any scarier. . .

Arthr Itis is right about it being a world made for shorter people. Just think if you never had to bend over a sink, all cars and chairs fit you perfectly, toilet height was ideal, they only made ovens & washers & dryers that were waist high, and nothing was ever placed on the grocery shelves at the very bottom. We'd probably all be healthy people (and our currently healthy friends would be suffering from shoulder and upper back strain from reaching up all the time)!

I used to house-sit for a tall couple who had their own house built. They had all counters and sinks raised, so I could rest my elbows on the edge of the sink when washing dishes WITHOUT BENDING! I have never been so comfortable in all my life. You who have done that are very lucky. It's tough to raise your counters and sinks after the house is built.

So I'm guessin this should be obvious, but are ya'll sayin you can't squat at the knees after a fusion even witha brace?

Be easy... I'm still "green" to all of this operation stuff (not the pain though...)

Take care... Dave!

PS: Ya'll know each other "way" too much in here! (kidden)

I always have squated at the knees to get pots and pans, etc. from the lower cabinets, but I can't do it now, with or without the brace. My legs just don't want to bend that far. I can carefully get down on one knee and then the other, but it's rather hard to get back up. When I naively tried to squat, I lost all muscle strength once I got to a certain "depth" and landed on my knees with a big "ooomph!" At the same time, I can no longer straighten my legs if I'm sitting. If I'm standing or lying down, I can have them completely straight, but if I'm sitting, they just reach a point where they're stuck. My therapist told me it's nerve damage and has me doing an exercise that we hope will get me some improvement, but she's said she doubts I'll get back to where I was before the surgery. She's hoping for 80%. I'm seeing very small, very slow improvement, but it's a small price to pay for less back pain.

And Dave, it's true that we know way too much about each other! :)

Blessings,
Emily :wave:

CrookedBack, I'm great about squatting at the knees, but to do that in front of a sink means I have to back up from the sink to allow room - then I'm too far away from the faucet. Unless you have a pedestal sink - hey, maybe that's the solution!

If i had a rebuilt a house to help with tall people..I'd have to do half half. One sink for short people..the hubby one for me etc. :)

I made the mistake of trying to pick something up from the floor at work (i know i know). I got "stuck" and couldn't get up or down. My daughter(inlaw) was with me, but she is only 5' and was VERY pregnant at the time and couldn't help either. Had to call to one of the guys down the hall to come and "lend an arm." That really irritates me.

I squatted-or tried to-down in a store recently, and wondered if I would ever get back up. I almost ended up buying the shoes just because the stack of boxes helped me up-albeit-extremely slowly.

And of course we added the kitcken on before we considered surgery issues. Our counters are slightly higher than norm-and i love it. But I didn't consider that I would have trouble getting into the very deep corner cabinet. I love my pots and pans and would like to cook with some of them again, but they are hiding in the recesses of that cabinet....

But I do love my higher bathroom cabinets and toliets. It wasn't high enough after surgery, but it did help me not having to "bend" quite so far

Hey Onhold... I didn't mean to squat to use the sink... I just didn't realize you couldn't squat after a fusion... I wonder if thats nerve related or presurgery/surgery muscle atrophy that would come with PT...

Take care... Dave!

I thought it was a muscle problem initially, but when I started PT it became clear that it was actually a nerve problem. In addition to that, though, when your fusion includes the sacrum you'll have trouble squatting because as you go down you'll reach a point where your lower back just doesn't have the little bit of movement needed to go that last 6-12 inches. My therapist wants me to learn to support myself and go down to both knees and back up instead of squatting.

Bit of a bummer, because I was used to squatting with a straight back all the time. It's was better on my back than leaning over for things. Lots of things to relearn now and new habits to form. Glad I have a good therapist! She's doing a lot of customizing for me!

I'm still better off than I was!

Emily :wave:

Hey Emily... that's exactly what I was wonderin!... dang that will stink cuz after all my years with back problems n bein 6' 2", squattin was a great way to not strain it... thanks for the info!

Take care... Dave!