We are
preparing for The Chair to arrive on Monday. After months of talking, planning,
consulting, waiting, and waiting, it has been approved by Medicare, customized
by Nu Motion, and will be delivered in two days.
We’re still
dealing with some logistics – the front door threshold needs a small ramp, as
does the cottage door. We’d been planning on having our handy man Tom build
something for us, but he’s not available this week. Then I found some
ready-made ramps in a catalog; I called around town and located just what we
need, and I can get them by Monday. We also had to find out if the chair was
compatible with the power lift in the car and arrange to have a piece attached
to the new chair so the lift can, well, lift it.
And then
there’s the emotional component. I am nervous. I’m feeling a little defeated. I’m
sad that it’s come to this. AND I’m grateful I have this option available to me
and that Medicare is picking up the tab for most of it. I’m sure I’ll be
dealing with a lot of emotions over the next few months. But as my yoga
therapist reminded me, it will allow me to conserve my energy for the things I
love to do and the people I love to be with.
I’ve had a
sore knee all week, the result of arthritis and possibly a strained ligament. I
thought at first it was a torn meniscus, but since it’s improved somewhat, I
doubt that it is. For a couple of days, though, walking was darn near impossible
and I wished I’d had the chair right then.
One issue
that is of concern having this chair is making sure I still get enough exercise
to maintain muscle mass in my legs. I’ll still be walking some; I’ll still have
my weekly sessions with my awesome body coach, Shawn, and with my yoga therapist, Leigh; I have an order for some PT sessions for my knee. The key, as in most
things, is to find the right balance.
A lot of leg movement causes the burning nerve pain that is so unpleasant; too
little movement makes for weakened muscles and strain on my joints. It’s an
ongoing challenge.
I remember
when my dad was getting so crippled up and had a difficult time walking very
far. His doctor refused to sign off on a scooter because he thought Dad wouldn’t
get enough exercise if he relied on a scooter. I was furious. From my
perspective, having a scooter opened up my world so much; without it, I would
be housebound. It’s possible to find that balance.
Leigh
suggested I do a ritual or ceremony before the scooter comes. I used to do a
lot of that sort of thing around transitions; I was very much into the power of
woo-woo. So I will be giving that some thought today and tomorrow. Wish me luck.
