Anxiety

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Doglvr

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Joined
Aug 21, 2014
Messages
40
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
05/2014
Country
US
State
Mt
City
Colstrip
I have anxiety about leaving my house/drs are working with my meds/we have a handicap Van with a ramp/ have no problem with getting up the ramp but going down is another thing/ I have ran off the ramp twice/hopefully I will get better
 
Practice makes perfect.....spend some time working toward learning your machine.
 
Hey, if you don't have some mishaps, dented walls, etc. you aren't using it enough! You'll be fine!
 
Practice all you can. Remember you can turn the maximum speed down for tight areas.
 
Our Permobil C300 had two sets of speeds. There was a high speed 1,2 and 3, 4,5,6, 7 and a low speed 1,2, and 3,4,5,6,7.

Make sure your on the lowest speed set.
 
Sweetheart,
If they actually let me drive a car you can learn to drive you chair. I'm probally the only person in the world who managed to back into two cars in a two week period. Let's say my insurance went up a little bit. Keep practicing you will get the hang of it. Reminds me of the time when one of my kids were really little and climbed into one of those little battery cars in Toys R US and took off really fast in it. They were too little to realize how to apply the brakes. They knocked quite a bit of stuff off the shelf. But, I understand how you feel. My dad is nervous as well about driving his chair out in the public. Take care, Kim
 
I will jump in and say I agree that you need to practice more in your chair. Start by practicing stuff on flat ground, may have someone draw chalk lines and you have to follow the lines along. All to help you get good at steering and control. They are NOT as easy to 'drive' as one might think, but with practice you will gain confidence.

Make the chalk paths harder as you get better, then start practicing on your ramps at home. Go up and down several times concentrating on what may help - usually you work out something to line up with your eyes to centre yourself. Did you have an OT involved in all of this?

Our OT came and taught Chris how to use his chair and how to get up and down the house ramps (very small compared to a car ramp but the same principle) and she had so many practical tips.
 
Great ideas Tillie.
 
Thank you for your help
 
If you don't have racing strip on the sides of your arm rest you're not using it enough.
 
Do you have an attendant controller on your chair? When my husband's hands started to get quite weak, he found that a slight bump, or even the sleeve of his coat would throw of his grip on the controller. He is now completely paralyzed so I operate his chair with an attendant control. I didn't how difficult it had been for him until I started doing it, and realized that I could get him in, in less than half the time, with less bumping into things. He was very good initially but I did find him nearly going off the ramp near the time that I took over. We did try a head controller but he started to lose the muscle control on the left side of his neck, so unless he only wanted to go in circles it was better for me to drive him. They suggested a sip and puff controller, but he said he was done trying to keep control, and was perfectly happy to let me drive him around.
I know it has been so difficult to have to give up each and every individual independent activity, and God only knows how I would respond to such a challenge. I remain in awe of my husband and his amazing spirit and lust for life, even in the state he is in. We laugh daily, and it is he who helps me see the positives in live. God bless you.
Paulette
 
Ditto on the practice advice! I've moved my husband's chair often enough to realize how tricky driving it can be, so I greatly admire you PALS. I can also attest to the benefit of slower speed :) The van is too wonderful to give up on mastering that ramp.

Racing stripes---LOL---thank you, Patrick. Now I know what to call them. It didn't take 24 hours for those to appear on hubby's C300. That darn dining room table just keeps jumping out at him!
 
1 got my chair up to 1.9 already. that's in the house. done took out a table or two. but my kitty he loves it.
 
I am practicing / I can go up the ramp. But I almost wiped out going down the ramp yesterday/ if I had not had my seat belt on i would have fallen out
 
I have a friend who's husband has some health issues and can't walk for long distances. He went to a sporting event in which they were throwing out t-shirts to the crowd. Some crazy guy lunged for one and knocked her husband completely out of his wheelchair. Thank God her husband wasn't hurt and is somewhat ambulatory still. The guy didn't even apologize or ask if he was ok. If I were there I would have slugged the guy. I can't believe some people!
 
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