I have been putting off getting a wheelchair for a long time. Cole fit in the stroller and it met my needs.
He uses a wheelchair at school when he is post-ictal. When we are using our stroller though, Mr. Long Legs has started to hang his giant limbs, inherited from his Dad, over the foot well. Remember-I am what they call short. We have a special needs umbrella stroller that was donated to us. It is huge, has no storage for the oxygen and you need both hands to push it. I took it out once and I couldn't shoulder the bag, the oxygen, push with both hands and handle Slugger at the same time. Plus, it does not have a sun shade. So, it looks like I am going to have to crack down and go the other route.
It wasn't so much that I would have a child who needed a wheelchair, I think that I came to terms with that a while ago. Although it doesn't mean it was easy to accept. It is the paperwork.
Oh, the special needs mom and paperwork! It. Never. Ends.
Along with the mountain of paperwork and the evals that will have to be done before we can attain an "official" chair, there is the matter of how heavy they are. Along with being vertically challenged, I don't have a lot of cartilage in my rotator cuffs, especially my right (dominant) arm. It makes lifting a challenge. Some of the "lightweight" chairs out there are 80 pounds! I also can't get a new car, lift, etc. for something that we are not going to use on a daily basis.
Every model I have been looking at over the last year have had something missing. Therefore, it just helped my procrastination.
Enter BFF. She went to the Abilities Expo in Atlanta this year and took quite a few different products for a spin. Among other things I love about her, I trust her judgment explicitly. Low and behold, she found a chair that fits all of our needs!
*Needs to be able to recline-Cole can not hold his head up post-ictal.
*Needs a sun shade for our photosensitive boy
*Needs under mount storage for the oxygen tank
*Needs handle push bar so I can use one hand if necessary
*Needs small turning radius, maneuverability and can go on dirt paths -remember our trips to Mt Vernon? Oh, and that Golden Retriever!
*Needs 5 point harness to discourage escapes
*Needs to fit into our current vehicle
*Needs to be lightweight
I think we found a winner! Be on the lookout for Cole's new ride. That is, after I can finally finish all of the paperwork and order it :)
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Awesome, you deserve something to work out from time to time :)
ReplyDeleteThere was one other wheelchair in competition, but it didn't support as much or lean back as far but it was 10 lbs lighter & collapsed a bit smaller. I'll see if I can dig up the info on it.
ReplyDeleteYeah! Loved reading about Bertrand. I have a new patient with Doose Syndrome.
ReplyDelete