Hi everyone, I've had relatively rapid decreasing mobility over 6 months and have been encountering an issue I could use guidance on when interacting with clinicians.

Since it's my body after all, I'm the first to experience a worsening of mobility (my ability fluctuates day to day and is best in the morning and decreases as the day goes on usually). Being proactive, I then bring it up early to my medical team, but I often show up differently in the doctors office. After all, they aren't there at 11pm when I don't make it to the bathroom quickly enough. It creates some real discomfort in clinician conversations especially when I bring up greater mobility support and I'm having a moderate or food day symptom wise. Now part of this could just be me being overly sensitive from other experiences, but I have in no uncertain terms been told gruffly "you don't need that!" then I get a second opinion (and weeks or months of mobility decline) and then the conversation is easy when I show up to an appointment worse off. Am I just supposed to wait until I'm worse enough or get lucky by showing up to an appt when I'm having a bad day?

I'm now at the point that a wheelchair makes sense, not all the time since I'm still ambulatory over short distances and time isn't a factor, but my life is super small right now and frankly making me miserable. I just want to be able to move at a normal speed!

I've begun taking matters into my own hands by just getting a second hand chair (a jazzy power chair) since sometimes my right arm isn't working 100% while my doctors script for a wheelchair hangs out in the aether, mainly because I'm trying to see an ATP and hopefully qualify for a power chair. So far, the second hand chair has been nothing short of life changing, albeit with a learning curve. It takes a lot of courage for me to even bring it up along with all the self image/worth issues I've had.

I'm seeking advice, what am I doing wrong? I'm also just looking for empathy, why is it so hard and such a painful process...

TLDR; my mobility keeps worsening and I have a hard time dealing with clinicians in discussions about mobility aids

I have a had an individual apply for an alt financing loan for an enclosed mobility scooter. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of these types of devices? What are your thoughts? TIA

So I'm a few months away from turning 26 and aging off my parents' insurance plan. I recently developed ME/CFS in addition to my fibromyalgia, orthostatic intolerance issues, and a whole host of random less relevant disorders and I have been damn near daydreaming about how life would be more doable with a rollator or other mobility aid. I met my out of pocket max ages ago for this year and know I have a doctor who is open to the idea of me using mobility aids.

Which brings me to the question: if I have the doctor write me a prescription for a rollator that I can theoretically purchase before I have to switch insurance plans, will that mean that the "mobility aid limit" for the new insurance (which will be state insurance since I'm in the depths of a disability case so I'm unemployed in case that affects the answer) will take that one into account or would it start over with a new insurance? Like if the new insurance will approve say one mobility aid every 5 years, would I have to wait 5 years even though this one would be on the previous insurance plan?

Obviously at a certain point I just need to call the insurance plans and ask them but since I don't have the new plan figured out entirely, I don't know who I'd even call. I can't imagine calling my existing insurance will help much for this scenario. Just hoping someone out there has possibly dealt with this before.

I switched from a cane to forearm crutches about a month ago. Like the title says.. they are great. They fixed most of the issues I was having when using a single cane. I will need them at least through the end of January.

My hands are killing me, though. They are stiff and very sore across the MCP joints (the big knuckles) and across the palm in that area. What can I do for my hands? Am I holding the crutches wrong? Gripping too hard maybe? Would gloves help? I can't afford a new pair of crutches right now, though. I can afford to replace the grips, would that matter? Any advice would be awesome.

I have no idea what I am doing.

Hiya, I’ve been a toe walker my entire life and I’m past the point where the insoles, PT, braces and even surgery can really do much to help me. I have incredible difficulty standing or walking for extended periods of time and I’ve just gotten my first job at 22. They’ve offered me “occasional 5 minute sitting breaks” when I need them but I’m confident this won’t prevent worsening of my pain and standing fatigue.

For walking places, I’ve been using a cane with a basic walking tip. It helps a bit, but not significantly enough. Plus it’s breaking over time and is on its last legs.

I really need this job and am in a pinch that prevents me from doing much else but sucking it up. Can anyone recommend a mobility aid that can help me. I don’t really have more than $40 to spend on a new cane. If I need to I have friends I can ask to help me cover a proper mobility aid but yeah I’m just in a tough spot. Can’t get an appointment in time with a physician either :(

Any help is appreciated!!!

Hi everyone, i became disabled a little over a year ago and have since been using rented wheelchairs from a local charity in order to get around. I am ambulatory but for anything more than​ walking across the room i use a wheelchair.

I am looking into getting a full time wheelchair. This has mostly come about as i am now more able to ​leave the house in order to get some exercise by going up and down the road, but my current wheelchair is very heavy and I've been struggling moving independently over long distances.

I am not sure where to start looking for wheelchairs so i figured id come here. I would like a lightweight self-propelled wheelchair that can be used easily outside (that is on pavements and such, not off road terrain) and in my day-to-day where i navigate the house. I am not sure what brands or styles would be good for me. Like ive seen ones with low backs and big wheels, is that something i should get? Or should i stick with a more "generic" Looking high back and regular wheels.

Thank you for reading, and any help would be very much appreciated <3

To celebrate my new chair, here is my first ever seated fit check!

I have a wedding in 10 days and I can’t believe I didn’t think of any of this. I’m terrified of how this wedding is going to go - dealing with the layout, wearing heels in the chair, I know the parking lot is already a nightmare because it’s gravel so I have to walk my chair in which is bad enough

Would it be wrong of me to call the venue? I’m worried about certain parts of the layout. I’ve been there before for a wedding so I know the reception hall/cocktail hour is fine. To the ceremony space there’s a pathway that’s next to the water/ possibly over it? And I can’t for the life of me remember what it’s made of. It’s very possibly like stone and gravel which would be hell

Then also like the ceremony space I don’t want to be fucking things up with my chair but I imagine imma have to just sit in the back which sucks this person is someone I’m very close to and it would just really suck to be set to the side kinda thing. Same with the reception hall at the chair.

This is a formal event and I’m really worried about how this is going to go. Is it inappropriate for me to call the venue? Just to get info? If anyone’s got any suggestions or experience I’d really appreciate it. I’m just so worried about all of it

Hi everyone! I'm writing this while excited and being excited worsens my symptoms so excuse me if I say some random shit

Today I got my first cane yayyy!!!!!!

My girlfriend was incredibly supportive and was the only person that didn't make me feel like I'm pretending to need it. She was also the one that made most decorations on this cane

My girlfriend probably won't read it but thank you, you're incredible, I wouldn't be able to be myself without you

Anyways, sharing hope in here! share any good news you got!

Currently celebrating that my first ever chair finally arrived!

Is it a quasi-shitty Amazon chair? Yes.

Does it have issues? Yes.

Do I understand that long-term this chair can cause me injury? Yes.

Would I recommend it to anyone? No.

Do I still love it anyways? Yes, with all of my heart.

This chair, for me, was never going to be used long-term. This is everything about finding something that works just good enough to tide me over until insurance stops being a pain in the arse and funds a proper chair.

Regardless, however, I have never felt more free in my entire life. Just rolling around my apartment has left me giddy and bubbling with joy, because for the first time in a long, long time I am able to MOVE and it DOESN'T HURT.

For so long I put off getting a wheelchair because technically I *could* still get around using my forearm crutches, and felt that a wheelchair would be overkill anyways, and soooooo not worth the effort to navigate the world in a chair. I have never been more wrong. Being able to move without pain, dizziness, severe fatigue... I never realized how small I had been making my world until just now, now that I'm realizing all of the possibilities that are open to me again.

Anyways, thanks for listening. I'm gonna go roll around my apartment some more :)

So this is the rollator I have. And dont get me wrong I love it. I get to go on the trails and enjoy things like music festivals and rennaissance fair. BUT every time during the fair my darn skirts get stuck in the back wheels.

I already use skirt hikes and tuck them. But the wind sometimes pulls the backs of them forward and I get stuck that way.

Anybody crafty enough here to give me ideas on how to make or add clothing guards to the back wheels without affecting the breaks?

I really want to be able to wear my long skirts again. Especially with winter coming 🥶

Hello, I have been looking at wheelchairs online for a while and think I found the best one for my budget. I'm curious if anyone has used this particular wheelchair before. It looks good to me but I'm curious about other people's experience

Hey everyone! :-)

I’m a forearm crutch user and recently I’ve found one that I like quite a bit! It’s listed on Amazon as the HEALTHBAZAAR Forearm Crutch.

I’ve been meaning to buy replacement tips for it, but I can’t seem to find them anywhere at all.

Does anybody maybe have an idea on where I might find them? Many thanks in advance! :-D

Greetings everyone,
My spouse is an ambulatory wheelchair user and is because of lasting effects of a past injury basically required to use a chair anytime they leave the house. Insurance won't pay for a proper wheelchair because they can technically still walk. They also because of either Fibromyalgia or a yet to be diagnosed autoimmune issue they get musculoskeletal issues from time to time usually dependent on weather. With us currently living a small town in Illinois and moving to Chicago next year were we will be mostly relying on public transportation I want to make sure they get something that is usable for them now and will still aid them in living in the city.

So to get to my questions,

1. What would you recommend manual or powered?

2. Are there any brands you would recommend or that I should stay away from?

3. Is there anything I might be overlooking that I need to keep in mind?

Hi Yall - I am using Mobilegs Ultra crutches and wondering if anyone has experience using them on stairs? I like the stair technique where both crutches go under one arm and the other hand holds the railing. My issue: Mobilegs crutches do not fit under one arm the way more traditional crutches do.

Limitations: < 20lbs on my injured leg

Appreciate any guidance!