Got my power chair!
First, I'd like to thank everyone who responded to my request for help in my last update. I feel like I've been over-using the word "appreciate" lately, but I can't think of a better word to describe your generosity.
Anyway, I got my new chair today, and it's really cool. It can tilt back enough for me to take a nap if I want to, which is great for weight shifting (the temporary cushion they provided isn't really better than the one I had; the custom cushion I get next week will be better). It has four speeds: speed 1 is good for inside; speed 3 is just the right speed for keeping pace with someone who's walking. It goes through the front door as if it was nothing (I can't go forward out the front door on the manual wheelchair). I was able to go over the speed bumps in the parking lot reasonably well on speed 1. It can go up to 15 miles on the battery, although tilting also drains the battery a bit. I've been warned to go no further than 5 miles from home before heading back, just to be safe.
It will take some getting used to. For one thing, I can't turn, stop, and then go. I have to turn and go in one fluid motion. Otherwise, the chair turns but the casters don't, so when I try to go after turning and stopping, I end up going back the way I was facing before. Also, turning while reversing is tricky because I have to move the joystick, not the way I want to go, but the way I want my feet to point; it's not intuitive. (I realized that I had to do the same thing with the manual wheelchair, but somehow I could do that without thinking about it. I think it's the joystick that makes it harder.)
Another nice thing about the chair is that it raises me up higher than the old chair. So now I can reach things in the kitchen (like the controls at the back of the stove) more easily. Also, the arms swing back rather than having to be removed like on the old chair (removing and replacing the arms on that chair was a hassle).
In other news, I got my leg braces on Monday. They're not like the old-fashioned bulky metal things. These are plastic and molded to my feet and legs. They fit around the back of my foot and calf and close with Velcro straps in the front. The left one has a space to allow my ankle to bend, but we decided on Monday that it needed an adjustable strap to adjust how much leeway I have. Currently, my left knee tends to bend too much, making me feel unstable. By limiting how much the ankle can bend, the brace keeps my knee from giving out when I'm trying to walk. The right one was made so that it can be cut like the left one when it gets stronger. So, I brought the right brace home with me on Monday, and I'll get the left one tomorrow (Thursday).
So it turns out that I only have 8 therapy sessions left, between OT and PT, and they have to be used by the end of July. After that, Medicaid will approve 2 more sessions to be used by the end of the year. We've decided that most of the remaining sessions will be in PT, but it's still not much. My therapists are going to try to get into an inpatient rehab program at the hospital where I go for therapy. It's called RIO (Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon) and it's an intensive 2-week program. I'll probably be meeting someone from the program tomorrow.
Anyway, I got my new chair today, and it's really cool. It can tilt back enough for me to take a nap if I want to, which is great for weight shifting (the temporary cushion they provided isn't really better than the one I had; the custom cushion I get next week will be better). It has four speeds: speed 1 is good for inside; speed 3 is just the right speed for keeping pace with someone who's walking. It goes through the front door as if it was nothing (I can't go forward out the front door on the manual wheelchair). I was able to go over the speed bumps in the parking lot reasonably well on speed 1. It can go up to 15 miles on the battery, although tilting also drains the battery a bit. I've been warned to go no further than 5 miles from home before heading back, just to be safe.
It will take some getting used to. For one thing, I can't turn, stop, and then go. I have to turn and go in one fluid motion. Otherwise, the chair turns but the casters don't, so when I try to go after turning and stopping, I end up going back the way I was facing before. Also, turning while reversing is tricky because I have to move the joystick, not the way I want to go, but the way I want my feet to point; it's not intuitive. (I realized that I had to do the same thing with the manual wheelchair, but somehow I could do that without thinking about it. I think it's the joystick that makes it harder.)
Another nice thing about the chair is that it raises me up higher than the old chair. So now I can reach things in the kitchen (like the controls at the back of the stove) more easily. Also, the arms swing back rather than having to be removed like on the old chair (removing and replacing the arms on that chair was a hassle).
In other news, I got my leg braces on Monday. They're not like the old-fashioned bulky metal things. These are plastic and molded to my feet and legs. They fit around the back of my foot and calf and close with Velcro straps in the front. The left one has a space to allow my ankle to bend, but we decided on Monday that it needed an adjustable strap to adjust how much leeway I have. Currently, my left knee tends to bend too much, making me feel unstable. By limiting how much the ankle can bend, the brace keeps my knee from giving out when I'm trying to walk. The right one was made so that it can be cut like the left one when it gets stronger. So, I brought the right brace home with me on Monday, and I'll get the left one tomorrow (Thursday).
So it turns out that I only have 8 therapy sessions left, between OT and PT, and they have to be used by the end of July. After that, Medicaid will approve 2 more sessions to be used by the end of the year. We've decided that most of the remaining sessions will be in PT, but it's still not much. My therapists are going to try to get into an inpatient rehab program at the hospital where I go for therapy. It's called RIO (Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon) and it's an intensive 2-week program. I'll probably be meeting someone from the program tomorrow.