New and unsure of what to do next?
- Thread starter Megan Dontain
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Megan Dontain
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-Steve,
Thank you so much for your response. It was really cool to get an actual PALS perspective that does what my husband does. My husband also loves to ride, I guess I should have stated that in my original post. He grew up riding BMX and racing, so it is a passion he's had his whole life. I on the other hand don't dig it as much as him. Where we live is very hilly and my legs start hurting just looking at the bikes!
My husband also follows as similar routine as yourself. He rides in a very low gear and coasts whenever he can. If he is too weak to make it back up the hill to our house, he'll call me and I drive down and pick him and the bike up. He has taken to riding our daughters mountain bike lately because it sits lower to the ground and (I have no clue what the technical name is?) the bar that goes down the center of the bike is sloped at an angle which he can lift his leg over. It's still tricky for him to get on and off. He has a technique by learning against my Suburban and propping himself up. One day I came out the garage door and he was actually underneath the front of the Suburban because he fell trying to get on his old racing bike. We sold that one.
For him, at this moment, this seems to be the better option than walker or wheelchair. And honestly, I've never even had a broken ankle to limit my mobility, so who am I to tell him how he can or can't get to and from our sons baseball field. I'm just so confused.
Megan
Thank you so much for your response. It was really cool to get an actual PALS perspective that does what my husband does. My husband also loves to ride, I guess I should have stated that in my original post. He grew up riding BMX and racing, so it is a passion he's had his whole life. I on the other hand don't dig it as much as him. Where we live is very hilly and my legs start hurting just looking at the bikes!
My husband also follows as similar routine as yourself. He rides in a very low gear and coasts whenever he can. If he is too weak to make it back up the hill to our house, he'll call me and I drive down and pick him and the bike up. He has taken to riding our daughters mountain bike lately because it sits lower to the ground and (I have no clue what the technical name is?) the bar that goes down the center of the bike is sloped at an angle which he can lift his leg over. It's still tricky for him to get on and off. He has a technique by learning against my Suburban and propping himself up. One day I came out the garage door and he was actually underneath the front of the Suburban because he fell trying to get on his old racing bike. We sold that one.
For him, at this moment, this seems to be the better option than walker or wheelchair. And honestly, I've never even had a broken ankle to limit my mobility, so who am I to tell him how he can or can't get to and from our sons baseball field. I'm just so confused.
Megan
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Megan we are often between a rock and hard place on these things.
We see safety as a much higher priority than our PALS very often. It's so much easier for us to say, no that's too hard or not safe. Our PALS just see that they want to be able to still do something ...
You know that a wheelchair is inevitable, and it's worth starting the process early as they can take so long, and let him know that even if it arrives earlier than he is ready for it, that's better than being in a crisis.
I would worry in your shoes that he is going to hasten progression if he uses his legs too much, let alone the safety aspect. So at least if you can get the pwc process started you may have some kind of middle ground? Try to put it across to him that way - let's both compromise a bit.
We see safety as a much higher priority than our PALS very often. It's so much easier for us to say, no that's too hard or not safe. Our PALS just see that they want to be able to still do something ...
You know that a wheelchair is inevitable, and it's worth starting the process early as they can take so long, and let him know that even if it arrives earlier than he is ready for it, that's better than being in a crisis.
I would worry in your shoes that he is going to hasten progression if he uses his legs too much, let alone the safety aspect. So at least if you can get the pwc process started you may have some kind of middle ground? Try to put it across to him that way - let's both compromise a bit.
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