I honestly thought that when my wheelchair arrived I would feel sad and depressed and upset etc etc…but I feel the opposite I keep looking at it in the dining room (it’s raining here so can’t go out) and thinking I can’t wait to take you out for a spin tomorrow evening. We have an inner city wildlife sanctuary quite nearby and tomorrow evening we are going to go there and I will be able to look at the trees and look at the water and look at the clouds in the sky and the birds flying and (hopefully) feel the sun on my face…instead of the usual slow walk with crutches thinking ‘pain, pain, pain, pain, where can I sit. pain pain…’
I made the decision to get it when my husband said he wanted to book a holiday and after a lot of thought - because I was dreading admitting how bad things had got for me with pain (I have got a hyper- mobile knee replacement plus an arthritic knee and hip dysplasia too) I told him that since I can’t make it around Tesco’s there is no way will I make it around the many destinations we will be at on our cruise and there is just no way could I bear the pain anymore but also the sadness of watching him have to go so slow waiting for me to take step after painful step. So now I can barely imagine what it will be like to be able to actually see some of these places, and go out all day!!
So rather than being a signal that my life has got worse this chair is a passport to freedom - the kind of freedom I last enjoyed well over 20 years ago. I can’t wait!!!
Well done!! It took me quite a while to admit I needed wheels! I’m just waiting for access to work to get a wheelchair as my scooter is too heavy for me to lift in and out of the car. Looking forward to it though as I will be able to do more things with my kids and husband and also on my own without having to rely on my hubby to help.
I absolutely love mine , it’s a Salsa mini quickie from the nhs. I go all over the place with Frazer my assistance dog. I’ve worn out the batteries twice and have just had my 2nd set of tires replaced. At first I dreaded getting the chair but now I’m having such good adventures. I put it on full speed and often forget I’m in the chair and I feel as if I’m running. Michelle and Frazer xx
When i got my wheelchair, and add on motor, I could go places I had NEVER been and faster and further. Its an awesome feeling.
Take it slowly, takes a bit of getting used to. Handling on pavements, different to grass and gravel and bonded gravel. 2nd lesson: crossing the road and dropped kerbs which are not dropped enough. TIP - turn around and go back wards.
3rd lesson - going on a bus or train - thats a doozy!