Freedom is spelled Wheelchair

by Lady Lee 28 Replies latest jw friends

  • forsharry
    forsharry

    Wow this is fantastic news, Lady Lee!

    My grandmother uses one of those Rascal chairs because she just can't walk very far without wanting to fall over and croak...the chair gives her the freedom she needs as well, to go grocery shopping and the mall, etc. However, she won't listen to the speed limits...she always would crank that cart up to 10. She was dangerous! Well...she went with myself and husband on our honeymoon (there were 43 people total sailing on our cruise.) and she went tooling around Nassau with her cart up to 10. Well, she lost control, careened across the street (narrowly missing becoming a pancake on front of a van) and smashed into the curb, destroying the thing. She has been wheelie-less ever since and is really down too.

    I just want to say, you have the right attitude. Living in agony is not living. If you can live a meaningful, 'normal' life while using the chair versus walking around in agony and having to be drugged up and basically invalid...well I don't see what the big decision is here. Enjoy your new wheels! Congratulations!

  • prophecor
    prophecor

    Nice to know you got your freedom back. Lady Lee.

    I can imagine how complicated your life has been over time, with no reliable means of getting around, as well as having to rely on transport services that don't afford enough time to get you back and forth from place to place. I'm glad you found a way out!!!

    Congratulations.

  • wannaexit
    wannaexit
    wow Lee, you are such an inspiring woman to me. I am so happy for you and your new freedom! I wish I lived near you, I'd take you to the store every week for groceries

    my sentiments exactly

    love

    wanna

  • confused_101
    confused_101

    Congrats! I, too don't see how walking around in pain is better than being in a chair and not in pain. Sure you are still semi-mobile hobbling along, but at the end of the day you are exhausted and in pain, yeah good trade off….NOT. You have a great perception of things and you are a very positive thinker. Enjoy your freedom!

  • Lady Lee
    Lady Lee

    forsharry

    I hope it was the chair that was damaged rather than her. Those Rascals are pretty awesome looking.

    I think I will go very slow on mine at least until I get the feel of this one. It rides very differently than the old one I had. Mind you I've already booted it up to the second speed full blast. And that was just in the halls of the building.

    Wait til I get out on the street or bike paths!!!

    Thanks Prophecor. When I went to Montreal last month I had them take me to my doctor's office and drop me there. I had scheduled them to pick me up from there and take me to the bus depot. Well I was still in with the doctor when they came and he left me there. Being the resourceful person that I am and not one to sit and cry I rolled over to the bus stop and took the bus to the depot. A pain in the butt. But at least I got where I needed to go, especially since I had my backpack and another bag with me..

    Thanks wannaexit.

  • Lady Lee
    Lady Lee

    confused101

    semi-mobile hobbling along

    Oh no by then I would be crawling - except that the arthritis in my knees won't let me crawl so I guess I would be dragging my body through the snow.

    That doctor just doesn't get it.

    Last year I went out with Scully. I left my wheelchair with the front desk at the Y. When she dropped me off I had to walk from the curb to the front desk to get the chair. Scully offered to get it for me but I thought I would be OK. Well I wasn't By the time I got to the front desk I had to lean on the counter until they brought the chair around for me. it just wasn't worth it.

    I try. I still want to believe it isn't that bad. The pain proves me wrong every single time. I'm slowly learning.

  • MsMcDucket
    MsMcDucket

    Just curious, Lady Lee, why do you feel that it's wrong to take the pain meds? I don't think that you should be in pain. Many people have misconceptions about pain meds. If you need them, take them. I think that you should have both (the wheelchair and good pain control). IMHO

  • Lady Lee
    Lady Lee
    Just curious, Lady Lee, why do you feel that it's wrong to take the pain meds? I don't think that you should be in pain. Many people have misconceptions about pain meds. If you need them, take them. I think that you should have both (the wheelchair and good pain control). IMHO

    No I don't think it is wrong to take them I have them and I do take them. I just don't want to be on such strong medication that I can't think or take care of myself. I need the balance. I want the least I can take and keep the pain under control. If I am up and walking around then the meds need to be increased. The meds I am on have been slowly increased over the last year. I am now taking 15 times (10 mg to 150 mg) a stronger dose than I took a year ago. I'm not sure if it is my body adjusting to the stronger doses or whether the problem is getting worse. And quite frankly I don't want to experiment to find out. I am afraid though that soon I will be at the max for this drug (I can go up to 250 mg) and then they will have to start something stronger. I'm also the kind of person who has surgery and hates the morphine because of what it does to my head. After the first day I have to fight with them to give me Tylenol 3 and get me off the morphine.

  • Lady Lee
    Lady Lee

    Oh BTW I could not resist. As hard as I tried I could not stop myself.

    I went out for a joy ride. OMG can this thing move. The speeds are 1 - 5. I went up to 3 and they chair was flying down the road. I have to be very careful on sloes though. I stopped at one store and they have a steep ramp. The front wheels came off the floor and I was doing wheelies.

    Remember me?. I was the one who posted the thread on control! I do not like doing wheelies in my wheelchair!

  • ozziepost
    ozziepost

    Well done, Lee! It's so good to 'hear' you with such a positive outlook - it puts us to shame as we think of how we let much smaller things get us down.

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