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Do you have a hard time adjusting to new equipment?
I got my new wheelchair on NYE in 2019 and have basically disliked it since day one.
I’m not a fan of change. But I had had my other wheelchair for about ten years, and my physical therapist stressed the importance of getting a new one. Eventually, I caved and went through the process of getting fit for a new wheelchair.
In order to avoid too much change, we brought my old custom mold seat onto the new wheelchair since I was super comfortable in it. Yet somehow I sat totally differently in it. I don’t know why. I barely had any support, wobbled around in it, and was now extremely uncomfortable. It didn’t make any sense to me because it was the seat from my old chair.
I figured I just needed some time to get used to it, but then the pandemic hit. Life happened. New health issues arose. And I didn’t have the energy to go through the process of getting fit for a new seat until this past fall.
I just got the seat recently and am trying to get used to it. It’s better than my old seat for sure. But I’m still not sure if I love it yet. Again, I hate change so that could be the reason I feel this way. I go through this for every new piece of equipment I get.
Do you have a hard time adjusting to new equipment? Do you find it exhausting like I do?
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8 Replies
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How many chairs have you had in your lifetime so far? Did you have a favorite? Mine was my Invacare Storm Torque 3. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the features I need anymore. My Quickie was nice but needed repairs way too often. It’s so difficult transitioning to something new. Columnist Brianna Albers once compared it to breaking in a new pair of shoes. I feel more like it’s entering a parallel universe. When your world is small to begin with the slightest change can turn your world upside-down. I’ve had several chairs in my lifetime. It doesn’t take long for me to know if I’m going to love it or hate it. My current chair is in the hate it category. Although I like some of the features I won’t be getting this model next time around. I’ve got a few years to decide what to go with next.
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That’s a good question but I don’t know how many wheelchairs I’ve had. I started driving when I was 2 years old and now I’m 32. So maybe like 6 or 7? It does sort of feel like breaking in a new shoe but like… the shoe is either too big or too small and makes it really difficult to get around. I miss my permobil C5, they discontinued it. What chair do you have now? I think we have the same one if I remember correctly.
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I’m the worst.
I took 8 years to get into my “new” chair.
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Oh man. That sucks. What was it that made it take so long? I’m sorry to hear that. 🙁
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I’ve been working on my new chair for the last year. I’ve been losing arm strength slowly for the last 8 years, and I’m scared that if my new chair is even a tiny bit off, my body won’t adjust and I’ll lose my last remaining ability to feed myself. And it’s so hard to put into words what doesn’t feel right. The chair is in the shop now getting some major adjustments, so fingers crossed that does the trick. At least my old chair is still functional, so I have time to figure it out.
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Ugh yeah I feel this. I’ve definitely lost some arm strength in the past few years which makes adjusting my wheelchair to fit just right all the more difficult. It’s so exhausting to go through the process and trial and error phase. Keeping my fingers crossed for you too. Let us know how it goes.
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I finally figured out I can use the hip abductor as an armrest to prop my left arm in the correct position to aid my right arm so I can reach my mouth. Up to that point it was so frustrating because I could do it in my old chair no problem. It’s a Permobil F3. I call it the gutless wonder.
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That’s the one I have too. Great name for it. 😂
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