Anyone comfortable in their car?

[puffsplus]

I find the worst irritation of my PN comes from sitting in traffic in my car. I have a TheraSeat in my driver's seat, but I'm not sure how much it really helps. Sometimes I drive with it, sometimes without. But regardless, sitting in traffic a long time really causes pain.

Does anyone with PN have a car they feel is comfortable and with a driver's seat that doesn't irritate the bejeezus out of their PN? My car is approaching 11 years old and in another year or two I'll need to replace it. It's a subcompact hatchback and I'll be looking for another compact or subcompact.

Any suggestions?

[BritBurque]

I use a baby boppy and a thin back support cushion in my car, I have tried several pillows, so far this is the most comfortable and has worked the best for me.

[LauraG]

I have a cushion I made myself that works well in the car (and anywhere else). I cut out a 13 x 13" square of sturdy plywood, then cut an 8 deep X 4" wide rectangular slot in the middle of one side. This forms a square "U" that becomes the core. I then bought 2 garden kneeling mats, 1" thick, made from dense foam rubber. These cost me about $10 each. You can cut 3 pieces out of each one that can cover each side of the core. Glue them on and reinforce with duct tape. I have also used 2" thick rigid insulation cut to the same square "U" shape; it's lightweight and never feels cold. This is best used on hard surfaces. Opening goes toward the rear for me, but a man without anal pain might like this reversed.

[kathyd]

Thanks LauraG.
Your invention sounds interesting.
My husband made something similar for me, but he used a piece of wood about 4" thick cut in the exact shape of a toilet seat .
Then he attached a padded toilet seat to it; unfortunately the thick wood made underneath made it too hard to tolerate. Plywood sounds more comfortable.
That was a couple years ago. I switched to a combo of a "car cush" ( a wedge like shape with opening in back and a blow up rectangular bubble -type cushion underneath so that my butt won't sink into the seat. It's better, but not great as it's hard to keep my pain spot (anal opening and surrounding areas )centered over the opening. I use it mostly in restaurants, but need something for driving which I find the most painful. (Which should not the be the case as the places I would drive to are close and short rides .. while sitting in a restaurant takes an hour at least!

I am very sensitive to anything touching the pain spot.... my nervous system is overstimulated form years of pain..
The brain has to change in my case. I think it's the culprit of my pain at this point

Any other cushions that work well?

Thanks everyone! And good luck with your cushions.

Kathy

[stephanies]

Kathy,

I find driving to be the most painful activity as well. For me, it is due to the way you have to sit to drive and the design of the seat vs. being able to shift my weight and find the most “comfortable” way to sit in a restaurant. When I need to sit, I mostly shift to my better side and perch on the edge of the seat.

Stephanies

[Suedean]

Hi , my name is Susan Dean, I have had PN for 7 years now & I to have had difficulty find a comfortable seat for the car or traveling . So I brought a cheap toilet seat , 1pool noodle & a couple of toilet seat covers from Daiso, the whole thing cost me about $20. I also used a foam neck support & used the foam out of it for a second cushion but any foam especially memory foam is good. This cushion keeps you fully supported with everything being able to just hang through. When you go to dinner you can always get a nice bag to put it in I glue the noodle or foam inside the toilet seat & stitch the covers once I have stretched them one on the bottom & 0ne on the top. I stitch the middle top to the bottom so there is a complete hole. I sometimes get two seats & hang in the middle, I don’t care what other people think anymore, anything that helps. Hope this can help somebody, it has helped me. Good luck everybody.

[onmynerves]

I can't advise anything specific, sorry. But - Oh my days! Being in an idle car or on a very soft chair/bed always makes my pain far worse. Many years ago a dr rec'd a memory foam mattress, it was without a doubt the worst purchase of my life.

Currently, even a toilet seat causes me issue. But, here's the thing that I've noticed over the years: The vibrations from the engine makes the pain worse.

If I figure out a way to help you or others, I'll update.

[donstore]

Wheelchair cushion is $100 from Roho. Air pockets are great

[sedona]

Sue Dean - your car seat cushion that you put together sounds interesting. I have a couple of questions: how do you glue the noodle to the toilet seat? Doesn't the toilet seat have to be thick enough so the noodle can fit inside firmly enough to glue it? Also, what are the toilet seat covers from Diaso made of? Are they adhesive? I'm not sure which ones you are talking about. Thanks for your idea and I'm glad it's working for you.
Dorothy

[sedona]

Hi Sue Dean:

I'm still interested in the cushion you made for yourself that described how you used a cheap toilet seat, one pool noodle, toilet seat covers by Diaso and memory foam. How do you hold it all together. I wrote a previous post on Nov. 17th inquiring about this.
Thank you,'
Dorothy