Wheelchairs

[EarthMother]

What I did first was RENT ONE myself for a month (a manual chair). That way I could see if it was something I wanted to pursue. After I saw the advantages of what I was able to do and the potential for even more down the line. I made an appointment with my primary physician to discuss how this could help. He readily agreed and we put in a request to my insurance. It was approved and they delivered a manual chair to me (as a long term rental ... the insurance company always owns the chair).

After a year I will make another assessment to see how things are working ... and if need be make an application for a power chair at that time.

There are also some really good prices out there for chairs -- ebay, craigslist, pennysaver. Look around for garage sales ... there are some barely used chairs for cheap.

[mkoven]

With my insurance I rented one, and after a while, they bought it. With my eds, I can't really wheel myself without shoulder issues, so use it if my spouse is there. I don't always need it, but it's like an umbrella. We take it in the van along with my seatcane. I have a much easier time going on a walk where I'm in constant motion without it. But stop and start, as in shopping or museuming, kills me. so it always comes along if we're going to do something like that. I don't think they're so expensive, but it was no problem getting it approved with a doc's rx. and my doc knows that I try to be as active as possible. it just gives me more freedom to do things that I otherwise wouldn't be able to.

[DancingLight]

Thank you to those of you who added input--mkoven and EM--reading what you and Melissa and Corina wrote about being able to do more things, etc. really, really, really helps me.

I know this is a big step towards being able to do more. I like the term 'wheelchair embarrassment' that Melissa coined. It's perfect!

So many of the feelings you have all had are the same ones I am going through.

I just got my Rx in the mail and sent it off to the place that will be doing the fitting, etc.

I was wondering how many people were able to wheel themselves manually without assistance and it sounds like it is a mix.

This is an invaluable thread...

Emily

[janiedelite]

For those of you who had questions about how to get a wheelchair, it's best to call your health insurance and ask how they would cover it under your durable medical equipment policy. I pay 20% of my medical equipment, but my health insurance rep said that they only cover wheelchairs if your doc says you need them 100% of the time. Sounds like other people have more lenient coverage.

I just got one off craigslist for $35. It's a little squeaky and pretty heavy but it allows me to go on longer shopping trips where they don't have the electric carts available.

And I'm like Mkoven, I can go for a walk where I'm constantly moving and do pretty well. But a shopping trip or anything where I'm stopping and standing makes me feel awful so I use a wheelchair or electric cart for those trips.

[flop]

I got my first wheelchair on loan about 2 years ago.

I started using a chair as a way of keeping my job (bought me an extra 18 months before I went on long-term sick). My job required me to be on my feet a lot and sitting on the floor wasn't very practical when trying to have discussions with collegues. My own chair was provided by a UK government "access to work" fund. It is an ultra-light custom built titanium chair, rigid frame with quick release wheels (looks like a sports wheelchair).

The difference that the chair made to me at work was essential, but I also benefitted from having it to use for other occassions. Living in a flat with no lift means that I don't use the chair at home. Being able to go shopping and actually look at items rather than being limited to quiet times and just grabbing a few groceries before having to lie down in the car was great. I could go clothes shopping or browse in a book shop. Having the chair also gave me more freedom as I could go on a train journey by myself without worrying about passing out.

My doctor has always been totally against me using a wheelchair and now that I am not working he told me to get rid of it. I don't use the chair at the moment (I'm sure I would bump into my doctor if I did use it!) but it lives in my car so if I need it it is there. Without the chair I have had to change the way I shop back to quick trips or online shopping and I can't do things like go to the zoo or a museum. Doctors don't seem to understand that being able to walk from A to B quickly and being able to walk slowly or stand and chat are totally different issues. If I walk quickly my leg muscles help pump blood back up my legs (so long as I don't go too quickly and get really tachy!), standing still (especially waiting in lines) is pretty much impossible for me.

It is a difficult decision to make and initially I was laughed at by my collegues at work. With a bit of guts you can stand up for yourself (ok, really bad choice of expression!!) and get people to treat you like a normal person despite being in a chair.

Flop

[EarthMother]

I can't understand doctors who are opposed to wheelchairs. Its like they believe they are addictive and should be treated as controlled substances!

Like most here, mines in the trunk of the car. I don't use it in the house.

My therapist who has known me for a half dozen years is also an RN and had discouraged me greatly from getting a chair. I think she really believed if I just walked around more or tried harder that my POTS would improve. A lot of professionals feel this way. Now when she sees what I can do and how I am trying so hard to build up my strength by pushing myself further and further ... she tells me she is sorry that she discouraged me from getting one before.

Here's to poppin' wheelies!

(just kidding...I have anti-tippers on mine just to keep me in place ;-)

[flop]

LOL, EM - first thing I did was take the anti-tippers off my chair! (but I had been using a loan-chair without them for about 6 months, I can do wheelies!).

I think my cardiologist truly believes that sitting in a wheelchair will cause me to decondition and get worse orthostatic intolerance. He is the same doc that wanted me to tilt-train by leaning against a wall until I fainted then get up and do it again. What he doesn't realise is that when using the chair at work I had so much more energy that I could go swimming or work in the gym with my personal trainer, so I actually got more exercise than previously!

I started a thread on wheelchairs in 2007 when I was trying to make the decision myself.

What I will say is that self-propelling a wheelchair on smooth surfaces like in my work building or in a shopping mall is very easy but pushing a chair on pavements can be much hearder, especially if the pavement is tilted (you end up pushing like crazy with one arm to stop yourself ending up in the gutter). My chair has a low back and the push-handles are too low for someone to comfortably push me for long without getting back ache, something I didn't realise when I got measured for the chair!

Flop

[DancingLight]

EM--that was funny about doctors treating wheelchairs like a controlled substance. it makes me sad, really, that they don't want people out in the world rather than sitting at home, isolated. and doubt our motivation to be healthy and be part of the world. i luckily didn't have that experience upon my first request for a chair, and if i did i might have backed down since it was so hard to ask to begin with.

now, my hope is that insurance will cover it....now that i've started sort of looking forward and taking such comfort from all of the posts here.

Flop--oeuf to your doc too. i'm glad you mentioned the arms being up high enough for someone to push...i hadn't though about that, as i foresee being pushed fairly often...and maybe progressing to being able to self-propel more.

i've been away for a long time and it's so nice to see so many familiar faces still here and so many fresh faces. and thank goodness for the archives!

[DancingLight]

flop...

do you have the link to your thread that you started? i did a search originally before i started posting and had a really difficult time finding the relevant posts i wanted...

thanks!

emily

[Rachel]

It's good to see you stop back in, Em!

I have a wheelchair that I use almost every time I leave the house. I can't stand/walk for very long, and the wheelchair has given me so much more freedom. I'm not able to propel myself around in my chair. It is even more exhausting than walking for me. My husband or a friend has to take me out.

My wheelchair has elevating leg rests, which on some days makes the difference between being able to stay sitting up in my chair or having to lie down on the ground. Elevating leg rests are so helpful. My first wheelchair had normal leg rests, and I noticed a big difference when I got my new chair. I wasn't as exhausted after being in my wheelchair.

Every once in a while I will use my walker when I go out if the walk from the car to the store/house is only 25 feet or so. My walker has wheels and a seat, so I can sit when I get tired. I keep these shopping trips under 15 minutes. If they go longer I often end up sitting on the floor for a while, which is easier than sitting on my walker with my legs hanging down.

I have an old wheelchair that I use in the house only ocassionally. We live in a tiny apartment, so I have very few steps to take indoors. I do use my wheelchair at the kitchen table every day, though. It is much easier for me to sit in my wheelchair than any kitchen table chair I've ever tried.

I'm so thankful that I have a wheelchair. It has allowed me so much more freedom than I would otherwise have. I'd love to get a scooter. Then I'd be able to drive myself around instead of always having to be "bossy" and tell people where to push me.

I like doing wheelies. One time I lost my balance and fell backward! Thankfully only my pride was hurt.

Rachel

[mkoven]

I did get a scooter several years ago--more for my joints than ans at the time. the problem is it is big, bulky, hard to disassemble. It is great to be self-propelled. It lives in my office, and I use it for crossing our very large campus. It would be such an ordeal to take it apart and bring it home, and I certainly couldn't do it alone. But I do use scooters in the grocery store if my walker isn't enough. (The odd thing is, I can actually feel woozier if I'm being pushed or if I'm scooting. Like motion sickness, almost. If I can walk, that doesn't happen).

[Sunfish]

heya em-

sorry for the belated reply. to answer your question, though, i would most definitely recommend the book at that low of a price. it's probably not all that helpful if someone is just planning on getting the absolute cheapest thing available in the classifieds; for a more thorough/ detailed endeavor though i think it's still a helpful resource. i know that i used it myself again when i got my second chair - a power chair that reclines (& has footrests that elevate) - and it was just as helpful that time around (if not more so). in fact i'd offer you mine except for the fact that it's a resource i should probably keep on hand...especially after hearing how cheaply you can get your own! but anyhoo...

without going into extensive detail i did want to mention a few things related to extra features that some have referred to as helpful (i.e. elevated legrests) as well as the issue of being able to push one's own chair or not. for me i can push myself sometimes and other times not, depending on how far, how i'm doing that day, the surface, etc. i would NEVER be able to do so though if i had a chair that was not as light as the one i have. i mention this only b/c several folks have mentioned renting chairs, buying them quite cheaply from various classified listings, having them delivered without any sort of personalized fitting, etc....all scenarios which definitely mean the chair is a much heavier & bulkier - & cheaper - variety. for those who use the chair only very rarely or for whom finances don't leave any other option this can still be better than nothing but it is quite honestly not at ALL comparable to having an ultra lightweight custom-fitted manual chair. the difference between pushing one's own ultra-lightweight chair that has been custom fitted & pushing anything else (much heavier, not fitted to one's own body, etc) is immense and could easily make a difference in whether one could push one's own chair. not to mention that for heavier use & longer distances pushing a chair that isn't custom fitted to some degree can actually cause major ortho issues. bottom line is that i just want to stress that the "do you push your own chair" question isn't one whose answers can be judged fairly side by side as it sounds like few people have ultra-lightweights. while i certainly can't push myself many times regardless and am sure the same is the case for others at times, i would almost guarantee that those who haven't tried a custom fitted ultra lightweight model would be able to push themselves more in that than in what they have currently.

along the same lines, the issue of a chair's weight & size - and the HUGE impact this has on potential independent use of the chair, if only at times - comes into play in relation to various features that initially sound appealing as well. for instance i definitely thought that i wanted elevated leg rests but then learned that they are not an option on ANY ultralightweight chairs; as such, after much deliberation i scrapped that option in order to go with a chair that was more than 10 pounds lighter than the next lightest option as i knew that the lighter chair would increase my potential to push/ use/ transport the chair myself (at times) GREATLY and knew (from in-store & in-hospital use in the years preceding getting my own chair) that i could always "elevate" my feet/ legs simply by crossing them in my lap ("indian style" in non-politically correct terminology). i do have elevating legrests on my since-acquired power chair but in all honesty have taken them off in favor of crossing my legs with that chair just as often as i have used them (b/c of the fact that they make the chair so much wider/longer, even when not elevated, & thus harder to maneuver & fit in small places).

another feature that is theoretically appealing to me (& likely to many who might be reading her) - a reclining back - is another that simply isn't an option for any of the lightweight/ ultra-lightweight chairs. during a period wherein i literally couldn't sit up for more than a few minutes (aka under 10 or so) i had a manual reclining chair that i was lucky enough to be able to borrow from a local agency; it was great for what it was but it was VERY bulky & awkward & not something that i could move even a few inches on my best day (even if my life depended on it!).

conversely, while my chair could have been even a tad bit lighter still my having a lower back & no handles that would have never been an option for me b/c i need to be able to be pushed when i'm not well enough to do so myself, not to mention that the bit of extra back support is probably better for me when i'm not doing as well.

so....bottom line - more so than any mention of a particular feature or item - is that it's important to take ALL things into consideration in relation to what will be most likely to make one's chair the most user-friendly day-to-day, something that may require a bit of prioritizing (and perhaps deviation from one's original plans/ thoughts). there's simply no such thing as a chair that has all the features AND is lightweight & easy to transport; if one were a millionaire (anyone?! do tell!) i suppose i might suggest multiple chairs with difference features/ utilities but in the real world it's important to really consider what's MOST important & go from there. b/c all features in the world won't be all that helpful if you (& your family & friends) can't get the chair anywhere you want or need to go. (trust me on this one; while my manual chair is ultra-portable my power chair has been horribly not-so-good in this realm meaning i can hardly use it even if/ when i need or want to )

good luck to any & all going through the process. (and feel free to track me down with any other questions. i think i'm one of the few folks on the board who - for better or for worse - has (or has had in the past) as many types of chairs as i've had (ultra-lightweight manual, reclining manual w/ elevated legrests, power chair w/ reclining back & elevating legrests, etc.).

hope this helps,

melissa

[DancingLight]

heya me,

that is not a belated reply! good grief! so far i have just mailed my Rx to the store! i'm so scared about the MA part of things more than anything.

what you wrote and what others have written in this thread is invaluable. really.

i did already buy the book the other day. i figured surely for $4 total (with the shipping) it had to have something useful in it!

i really wondered about the people who push themselves and who do not. and the ultra-lightweight issue, as i know that is the kind of chair you have. that was also the type my doctor recommended for me....but just a different brand than yours. the higher back and having someone else be able to push=important to me too. the elevated leg rests would be great, but if you can actually get yourself seated indian style in your chair (which is what i was wondering) than i'd rather do that anyways.

we had our first big outing today using a wheelchair, oh wait, second. but this was bigger. went to the mall. and okay, that wasn't the greatest first choice as the overstimulation has my ans going crazy. but i did get to pick out my own clothes.

i tried to 'drive' myself in that thing and thought omg i'm heavy to push! but now that i read your post, it helps me to know that might not be so much the case in a lighter chair. my mom is a speedy driver and i also felt like i was still moving afterwards, as michelle mentioned.

it will take my ans some getting used to. the outing was okay emotionally actually after getting the support i've gotten.

the tips here are so helpful and i feel so much more armed with info. and so ready to do this.

thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!

em

[persephone]

I have one but I rarely use it these days. I could have done with it the other day, though.

[Tammy]

I have a feeling I'll get car sick feeling in one as I've had fun trying out my brothers (with celebral palsy) and I right away feel motion sickness, but would love to be able to get out more than just planning very short trips in stores to pick up things close to the front of the store... and of course, only 1 store makes up the entire trip, but there's been many trips to the store where I'm too weak to even get out of the car, so wish there'd be something that would work for me.

[Sunfish]

tammy -

is your brothers a motorized chair or manual? if motorized the car sick issue is one that i dealt with a bit until i got used to the controls so that my driving, so to speak, was smoother. and the issue isn't one that's as likely - and not something i've ever experienced - in a manual chair....unless of course someone is pushing you wildly.

cheers,

melissa

[mae]

Hi all this is my 1st post here, I am in the process of DX with some form of dysautonomia. I use the motorized scooter in the stores that have them, I rarely go out because of the rapid heart rate from standing and overstimulation. I thank god for those scooters I'm hoping to get one prescribed, its seems to defeat the purpose if you have to wheel yourself that still increases your heart rate. It makes me more comfortable when I use the scooter I let my 2 year old ride with me on my lap and I just look at it like AT Least I get to share memories with my family besides being stuck in the house . I missed 1 whole year of doing any type of activities untill I seen those scooters at a trip to walmart and now its a trip to look forward to.

Mae

[EarthMother]

My insurance changed this week ... and I lost the manual chair that went along with my HMO.

But I just ordered a new chair for myself!

http://www.spinlife.com/Invacare-9000-XT-C...m?productID=115

In purple! With elevating leg rests. I'll be able to apply the cost to my new insurance high deductable.

I'll let everyone know how it rolls when it arrives in about a week!

~EM

[Amber]

I used a wheelchair for about 10 years....half of that time I even used it in the house but eventually just when I went out. Now I just use my cane but many days I sure think of digging out the chair again. I have CFS and Fibromyalgia too so I can't say for sure if the wheelchair use is wholly attributable to POTS.

[DancingLight]

EM,

What a bummer about your insurance. That is really, really frustrating. I'm glad you were able to get something for yourself to use, as I know it has given you more freedom. Did you get the Electric purple or the Deep purple?!

I am meeting with a person who is certified to help people choose wheelchairs next week. He works for the store, but all he does is wheelchair stuff, so I hope he will know what he is doing. I've been told he's excellent.

I assume that it means I got approved by MA for the custom lightweight or else they wouldn't have met with me...as they wait until the insurance goes through. I was so caught off gaurd that he called so quickly to schedule I forgot to ask about the insurance, but I'm assuming since it wouldn't be worth their time otherwise! And that is what they had told me previously as to how things work.

It happened so much faster than I thought it would.

They are going to bring one for me to use in the meantime while I wait for the custom one.

It just doesn't make sense to me and it frustrates me that some of us have trouble getting one covered and some of us don't. It's such a tool for living life.

BTW, how many of you also worked with a PT or OT to choose your wheelchair and/or learn to use it??? I am wondering if I need to do that in addition to working with the guy from the store? Or will his knowledge of the custom chairs be enough to choose the right one based on my needs?

Thanks!

Emily

[Sunfish]

E. M. - a real bummer that you "lost" your chair. gggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. glad to hear that you were able to figure out an alternative though. spinlife is a great resource & good prices too for out-of-pocket. glad you found them & hope that your new chair is all that you hope it will be & more!

mae - re: the idea that pushing one's own chair would "defeat the purpose" i certainly see where you're coming from re: the fact that it can increase one's heart rate. and it's definitely true that not all of us can push our own chair &/or push it all of the time. but for some of us pushing - at least some - can actually be a way to keep up a bit of conditioning. and while it may wear us out or make us feel cruddy at times it doesn't necessarily "defeat the purpose" b/c the MAIN purpose of using a chair - at least for me - is to keep me from ending up on the ground, aka fainting. and/or to a lesser degree, for many it's main purpose is simply to avoid having to be entirely upright, often the most stressful/ strenuous position/ situation for our bodies. obviously we're all different but hope this helps/ explain/ clarify how/ why some of us may push ourselves...at least some of the times (b/c i certainly cannot always do so; i have used scooters as well, sometimes need to be pushed, & also have a power chair).

a few additional thoughts/ comments related to em's (emily's vs. earth mother's) questions & other related issues:

without wanting to be a broken record i did again want to reiterate the difference between the types/ categorizations/ weights of manual chairs. while most people do realize that there is a difference between hospital-grade/ standard chairs that are super heavy/ bulky and lighter-weight options, not everyone realizes that there is also a difference - a significant one - between "lightweight" chairs & "ultralightweight" chairs; rather than simply a manner of semantics it's a difference that can be 10 pounds or more, a difference that for some (definitely for me) makes the difference between being able to mobilize a chair independently on at least some occasions. i'm not by any means trying to say that everyone needs an ultra-lightweight or would choose to have one as the options are different, i.e. generally speaking ultralightweights won't have prop-up leg rests but along with being lighter will often be slimmer/ smaller. amongst other things. most of all i just want people to realize that there IS a difference b/c i think i've noticed some using "ultralightweight" and "lightweight" interchangeably, which is simply not the case. but moving on.....

emily glad to hear you have someone scheduled to come out for a fitting AND that you'll be getting a loaner while waiting for your permanant chair. re: whether your chair has already been approved, in all likelihood it has NOT. having gotten two chairs i'm 99% sure that - unless MA is vastly different than just about any/ every other set-up around the country - technically your chair cannot be approved until AFTE the exact request/ order is made, aka until after the guy comes out, you're measured for & you choose your exact chair & its specifications, etc. and while i definitely understand & appreciate your logic - it may seem a bit nuts that he would bother to come out & spend lots of time without without it already being approved - in reality it's simply the way they are set up to work and b/c it's the way the approval system is they do it just that way almost all of the time. that said, they wouldn't be setting up an appointment with you if they didn't have sufficient info from your doctor so that - based on their plethora of experience with getting approvals - they are pretty confident that they won't have any trouble getting the approval and are in fact prepared & willing to go to bat for you to get that approval. so while on one hand i'm telling you that you haven't yet gotten the approval, on the other hand you can largely rest assured that - eventually - it will happen. from what you've shared it does sound like you're working with a good place b/c the way the process is going is how it should ideally go with the higher level dealers. it sounds like you're in good hands:-). which is obviously only backed up by the fact that you have a friend who is a full-time wheelchair user who gives them a thumbs up. but on to your other questions......

re: working with a PT/ OT, it's something that is much more important for those who, for instance, active para/ quadra-palegics. they have to learn to transfer, balance properly, avoid pressure sores & use their chair to the maximum degree possible within the extent of their health situation. since we are able to shift/ move/ mobilize much more flexibly it's not needed nearly to the same degree. that's not to say that it might not be helpful to have a PT/ OT offer a few helpful pointers on a short-term basis. and/or for anyone strong/ healthy enough to learn "advanced wheeling" (i.e. wheelies, jumping curbs, etc.), a PT/ OT could help in that regard; i know i'm definitely not physically in that condition & would guess many/most others here that have need for a chair wouldn't be either. also - for what it's worth - you might be interested in knowing that many of the fitters who work for dealers/ distributers are in fact PTs or OTs themselves; i know that the one who fitted me for my first (manual) chair was a PT assistant & the one who fitted me for my other (power) chair was (is) a PT. so essentially my vote is that - for our purposes - an additional PT/ OT isn't necessarily needed. there's a big difference between someone using a chair part-time & someone who needs a chair 24/7...even if the difference is minute so that the part-time merely means that we're able to take one step to get into the chair versus someone who can't do that at all. it's that sort of differences that - at least based on what i know & am familiar with - is generally what dictates a PT/OT needing/ not needing to be involved. of course if you really want to work with a PT/ OT & have the means to do so it certainly wouldn't hurt anything; there were times that i did consider doing so but in the midst of everything else it never was a top priority. bottom line though - to answer your question - is that the guy from the chair will likely be VERY capable & more well-versed in chairs & the options than most PTs/ OTs. of course if at any time you're not comfortable with him or with the company itself then it's entirely your call to stop the process (until you sign on the dotted line that is ).

oh - and re: things happening "faster than you expected", you might still get to do your fair share of waiting:-). perhaps not, but in my experience you'll have the waiting AFTER you actually meet with the guy & get fitted. the good thing is that you'll have a loaner chair, but since that's the period during which the actual approval has to happen it's generally the longest / most drawn out. perhaps you (& i) will be pleasantly surprised but it's highly likely that there will be some back & forth that will take some time somewhere along the way.

hope this helps,

melissa

[EarthMother]

Sunfish picked up an interested thread by mae ....

re: the idea that pushing one's own chair would "defeat the purpose"

I found this to be one of the most interesting observations regarding my own experience with the manual chair these last few months.

When I first got the chair, I was able to push myself maybe 10 yards down the sidewalk (mind you, pushing yourself on uneven pavement is much different than in on a flat smooth service like the inside of a store which should be much easier, I'll let you know if it is once I get my nervous system calmed down enough to GO INSIDE of a store ) After those few yards, I was winded and tired so my husband would take over and push. Little by little, I would go a bit further each day, before hubby would take the reigns.

I discovered that I LOVED the feeling of "exercise" when I was propelling myself in the chair. I could see that my HR monitor might go up to 105-110, but it felt SOOO DIFFERENT than if it was like that and I was standing. When I am using my arm muscles I feel like I am doing weight training (because I guess I AM!) and even though that can have a bit of a cardio kick, it isn't like walking up the stairs where I feel winded, exhausted, nauseus and sick. It just feels like I am using my muscles. And for me that feels GREAT! The aftermath is much different as well. If I was trying to stand or walk, I feel like crap when it is over. If I push myself in the wheelchair, I feel a bit of muscle fatigue, but my overall body sensations still feel good. I don't have the same "crash" from the sustained pulse rate that I would if I was upright.

I can now push myself all the way down the block (maybe five house or so) -- my husband pushes me up the hill after that, and I can take over again once we get to "flat surfaces". Oh, and I do every now and then make it out to a store with my therapist. Last week I was able to tool all over the garden section of our local Target. Not more than 5-10 minutes (because my nervous system just goes on full alert with so much stimulus to enjoy) but I didn't need her to take over at all. It was a blast.

~EM

p.s. Oh and I got the DEEP PURPLE Dancing Light. Can't wait until it arrives.

[DancingLight]

me,

totally my bad!!!! i meant to type custom ULTRA lightweight. the letter was written specifically for that.

the store said the letter from my doc was fantastic (although it was a bit exaggerated i think!). i'm just going to see how the meeting goes on thursday and go from there to see how things go. but, from what you write, these folks can know a LOT about this stuff. probably more than i am going to find for a pt locally. but we'll see. i'm leaving my doors open. and your tips were super helpful (as always) to help me know what i'm doing.

EM,

i guessed it would be the deep purple...a bit more zen than the electric purple!

[tinkerbella]

my script is in the mail any suggestions on what I should get? my cardio had said he never wrote one for any cardio pts, before but fully agreeded I needed one.

Thanks.

BellaMia~

[rredbuell1203]

I am on my way in the next few weeks to get fitted for a wheelchair. My symptoms have become disabling at times. I still work and able to walk short distances. I am just hesitant to use it but still really believe that my freedom of taking my dogs for walks, shopping with my wonderful wife, and going out to my favorite trails to hunt are going to be extended.