I mentioned in my blog post yesterday that I've now got a wheelchair, and it's not just any wheelchair but a Panthera S2 wheelchair which is light, very easy to propel, easy to pop a wheelie with and the S2 wheelchair I have is customized just for me according to my measurements and needs. I've had my wheelchair for over a week now and it's already feeling like a part of me!
I know a lot of people who aren't paralyzed see a wheelchair as a failure, and they do all they can to avoid one, and I can from my own experience now say that getting a wheelchair is not a failure and absolutely nothing to be afraid of!
If you live with a debilitating condition such as EDS, that affects your ability to walk and stand, a wheelchair can really change your life to the better the same moment you sit in the chair for the first time.
For several months now, getting out has been far from easy, many weeks I only managed to get out maybe 2-3 times in a whole week due to being in too much pain to begin with, or being in too much pain after coming back home. All my excursions outside had to be planned ahead of time and things I should have been looking forwards to often became something to worry about and hoping that my body would behave on the day of the event.
I wanted to go out more, I felt like a prisoner at home but the icy roads and aching body kept me indoors more than I'd like.
Last Monday I got my Panthera S2 wheelchair, and all of a sudden, I got my life back! I sit well in the wheelchair so I can sit for a longer period of time than I can manage on a regular chair, not needing to stand up as much has lessened the pain in my lower back and SI joints and letting my legs rest outdoors makes me walk better and with less pain when I'm at home. Using the wheelchair when I'm out of town has also improved my physical ability to drive a car thanks to being in less pain when I get into the drivers seat.
I also find that self propelling the wheelchair puts less strain on my shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands than walking with a cane or crutches does, and that's just an added bonus. I can now get outside whenever I feel like it and cover a greater distance than I can walk, much faster than I can walk and feeling a lot less achy and fatigued than after walking. I no longer need to take the car to go to places within my town, I take the wheelchair which means I both get exercise and save gas.
I'm active again, more so than I've managed to be in several months. I'm outside every day now, either for an errand, or just take a roll around in town for the fresh air and exercise. My arms are getting stronger, something that will hopefully help my shoulders stay in place better in the long run and the wheelchair also helps me with my balance when practicing wheelies or handling curbs outside. I'm already feeling the anti tip wheels are in the way, but will use them for a while longer until I know exactly what movements I can do without tipping backwards, it hardly ever happens but better safe than sorry!
I went to a travel and tourism fair in Gothenburg this past Saturday and I drove both ways, I couldn't have done that without having my wheelchair to get around at the fair. In the evening I went to a concert in another town, and thanks to having the wheelchair at the fair I managed both the fair and the concert and all the driving it involved to go there and back.
Some says getting a wheelchair makes you lazy. I'd say that's not true! For me at least, using the wheelchair outside is saving my back and legs for indoor things such as cooking and housework and it is enabling me to be more active, social and take part in more activities and I'm even going to look into if there's any handicap sports in my area where I can meet others living with a disability and maybe try some light sports like sitting table tennis, all to be more social and active in ways that I am able to. I can not keep up with fully able bodied people all the time, they're too fast paced and high intensity and they don't always understand what it's like to live with a disability, be it a disability from an injury or a condition.
Now I'm looking forwards to another fair in Gothenburg which is in April, a fair for people living with a disability and people who work with the various equipment used for making life easier. Live and function is the name of the fair if directly translating it to English and I'm literally bouncing with excitement to go there!
The decision to request a wheelchair wasn't easy to make, but it is by far the best decision I've made this far in the management of my EDS. A wheelchair isn't a cure, but it has taken away some of the dis out of disability, leaving me with more ability!
My wheelchair has really changed my life, and my experience as a part time wheelchair user is only positive!
I feel Chronically Awesome!
If you live with a chronic condition or know someone who does, check out www.chronicallyawesome.org
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