Will Our Condo Survive?

I know I know summer is here yet I'm wishing we were turning the page to October not August.

My reasoning is fairly simple, while I am fortunate to have the use of a loaner chair as I await the arrival of my new one I'm not certain our condo will stand up to the abuse. 

You see my previous chair and its replacement are mid-wheel chairs, my loaner is not.

For those of you who have not experienced the difference between a mid-wheel versus a regular power wheelchair let me assure you at least in my opinion the differences are substantial, my personal choice is a mid-wheel.  While the regular power chair may prove best if you spend a lot of time outdoors, travel great distances however in tight spaces the mid-wheel wins hands down.

Initially the mid-wheels were probably not as comfortable as the regular power chairs yet in my opinion their maneuverability made up for this shortfall. The mid-wheel chairs turn on a dime requiring little space

Years ago when I first went from a manual chair to a power one I had the opportunity of trying one of each type for an entire weekend.  The first thing I did was go to a shopping mall and try to use the facilities at various locations.  We went to different restaurants and basically utilized the chair as I would normally during the course of my normal daily activities.

 
All doors within our condo are 36 inches wide yet a few walls are suffering due to the longer turning radius required by the loaner chair.  It is also outfitted with what I call  "Destructive Foot Plates"  I mean these things are unforgiving why in the world they were not made of plastic I'll never know yet with these things whatever you bang will be immediately dented, scratched, destroyed. I have not found them very comfortable either perhaps it's because the chair is not new, I will make due.  Repairing the nick's caused a while I play the waiting game.  I've also identified what's known as a Water Dam used to prevent water from getting onto the floor.  This was necessary as I would frequently flood the bathroom floor when taking a shower in my wheelchair accessible shower stall.  Since the condominium was constructed with poured concrete flooring it was impossible to install the shower without a threshold mine is approximately 1 inch high which for me is not a problem yet due to its installation the Water Dam made of collapsible rubber material ensures the floor stays dry. If you search on Google for a water dam for use in wheelchair accessible showers I am certain you will find a distributor close by.

Which one?

We returned safely from our trip to see the grandkids. It was great but tiring personally I find the drive takes a lot out of me even though I'm not doing any actual driving. Possibly just a fact of being confined makes the six hours seem like much longer yet we did it and I'm pleased to say everyone is doing fine.

Had my first appointment with the ergo therapist on Tuesday my second appointment is this coming Tuesday where everything will be finalized for my new chair. There is one problem however I have the choice of two models a Quantum 6000 or a Sunrise 323 I have no idea which to select. Of course I've tried posting my request for information on what I felt was a popular website however so far I've only received one response. It is impossible for me to imagine that I am the only one in a wheelchair? Are people simply afraid to share their opinion. It seems strange especially when quantum is manufactured by Pride when the largest manufacturers of wheelchairs around. It's understandable with the Sunrise as they are manufactured in Canada and are not as well known at least not yet.

If you have an opinion please send me a note ppms@hotmail.ca

If you are using a power wheelchair I could really use your input.

Thanks

At least I came away with options For My Chariot

Another visit but at least I cannot say I walked out of there empty-handed. I left with a script for my new wheelchair so it has the tilt option as well is the recline option. My feet have a tendency to swell during the day and by the end of the day the swelling is pretty bad. These modifications will allow me to raise my feet during the day so my feet don't hurt as much during the day.

　

　

　

This picture has nothing to do with MS but it's pretty cool. Can you imagine towing the line for so many little ones?