I've
made a decision. Somehow I've got a get another backup chair. The
experience this week has been eye-opening and alarming. The power
chair that I have now that I use the back of chair is just too
painful and actually dangerous on so many different levels. However
perhaps the most significant level is the fact that I sit so poorly
in the chair and put weight on my butt really is painful and could
dangerously exposed me to decubitus sores and for a person like me
decubitus sores and be the worst.
I
don't quite remember exactly how he got this chair except that I was
desperate. I was having issues with my other power chair (and share a
long time ago) and we got this backup chair at the program that used
to be called CREATE, the program ran by Utah State University. They
fixup donated mobility equipment for reuse, terms called
reutilization it's a buzzword in the industry. But anyway we got
this chair and it seemed to work okay at first oddly I think the same
day that we took ownership of the chair my other chair, my original
chair got repaired and returned so it was sometime before used. The
chairs too big for me, I nearly slide out of the chair when I'm in
and the cushion kind of attacks my butt and they really have no way
to get the pressure off. Because the foot pedals are so funky I
cannot tell back in the chair very easily. Also, because the foot
pedals are so funky I am really at risk and transferring from my bed
to the chair like in the mornings, remember earlier this week and the
firemen showing up get me back in bed?
Thank
goodness yesterday my brother and I got my regular chair operational
and I could return the backup chair to its place on the wall in my
bedroom. You might remember I broke the left foot box on my chair and
once again my older brother came over to my place after work and
spent an hour or so figuring out how to fix foot box. Without this
alteration I was still unable to keep my feet on the footplate
especially as I tell back to try to relieve the pressure off my butt
(very important). I have such strong tonus in my legs that when I
tell back unless I have something behind my ankles might be to pull
back under the seat of the chair not a good thing to do. Now however
I'm back to my normal chair and cushion. Now I'm having a problem
with the cushion and I'll just have to deal with that. One of its
bladders of burst and there's goo on the inside of the cushion. The
cushion still usable. I'm still getting the warning notices on my
controller box but the chair overall continues to operate. I'm slowly
building faith in the device however, it is Thursday and I did not go
to bookclub today but that was mostly because my chair was being
worked on. I might chance it next week.
The
real solution to this problem is of course a brand-new chair. My OT
and my doc seems to indicate that the possibility and we should start
actively working toward that. If I were to get the new chair I would
turn this chair am in now flashing controller and all into the back
of chair which would be much more desirable than what I have
currently. Until then I guess I will keep the back of chair and pray
that I never have to be out of this chair more than a day…okay
No comments:
Post a Comment