The past month has been a whirlwind of activity at our home. The end of the school year performances and parties, my wonderful family members purchasing paint & actually doing the labor of painting various areas of our house as an early birthday gift, and preparing for HeroesCon have all combined to keep me from overthinking things too much. While I haven’t necessarily accepted that my legs do not function like they should, I have realized that it is quite ridiculous to be unprepared for the times I can’t ignore the issues. Less than two years after being diagnosed with MS, I took the advice of my adaptive tech rep & my boss and agreed to discuss getting a power chair with my neurologist.
I’m still stubbornly disagreeing with my neurologist about what qualifies as a true fall, but I do admit to a few people that I stumble a lot. I don’t consider it to be a fall if I catch myself with the wall or a piece of furniture, but my doctors disagree and the conversation quickly changed from discussing a power chair as an option to a conversation about it no longer being a choice. An appointment was made with physical therapy and a rep from Numotion I had met previously through my adaptive tech rep and, even though I surprised them with my muscle strength, my short walk through the hallway must not have been nearly as impressive because there was no hesitation in their decision that I qualified.
The next few months were spent fretting over how to finance the chair because what the insurance didn’t cover was still quite a bit of money for our household. Vocational rehab said they would likely pay for some, but not all. Fast forward to the last week of school and, as we’re pulling into the parking lot to watch Turtle Mae perform in the talent show, I get a phone call from my caseworker saying they are paying everything that my insurance would not. Woohoo!
Although there have been a few hiccups along the way, my power chair has arrived. There are so many mixed emotions that come with the realization that I will be using one of these machines to make my way around in the world. I am glad that my hubby’s back will no longer suffer from hours of pushing my butt around when we go places. I’m embarrassed to openly admit that I am not as fine as I tell everyone I am and try to pretend to be (and yes, I know that’s silly). I’m both saddened and angered when I think about how much MS has taken from me in such a short time. I’m happy that I will be able to safely wander off on my own while shopping or at a comicon. I’m worried about what others will think about the healthy looking mom lazily using an electric wheelchair (even though it’s none of their business). I am incredibly nervous that I will knock over displays while working. I’m excited about the possibilities that come with this newfound mobility.
My sister is taking me out and about for a practice run before I take it to work and while I have several reservations about using the darn thing, I am sure I will be incredibly grateful that I have it on days when I am exhausted or my legs refuse to work. It will also be nice to have during those times when my legs are only a bit wobbly, but my hands are unable to use the rollator to keep me safe from falls. Be warned though, I was not the best driver in the world, so I’m sure I can’t be trusted with an electric chair either! If you see an upside down turtle riding around during these first few weeks, be sure to keep a safe distance!
