Being a wheelchair user

Out of the 1.2 million wheelchair users in the UK around a third of those are ambulatory wheelchair users like myself.

An ambulatory wheelchair user will be able to mobilise without a wheelchair. So for me I can mobilise use my crutches and I have use of my legs and I’m able to move them to do my physio and I’m able to stand and transfer. For ambulatory wheelchair users their wheelchair use varies greatly from person-to-person. For me I initially just needed to use my wheelchair when I went out but now I rely on my wheelchair a lot more both outside and inside. For some people they use a wheelchair nearly all the time, like me, whereas other ambulatory wheelchair users just occasionally need a wheelchair. For example when they’re leaving the house or for a day out that may increase fatigue, or for when they’re having a bad symptom day and they’re in more pain or to reduce their risk of having a fall. Using a wheelchair might also allow that person to be able to do more than what they could manage using a different mobility aid like a walker or walking stick. It really is very individual compared to those who are full-time wheelchair users.

Wheelchair varieties

There are also a wide variety of wheelchairs used by ambulatory wheelchair users. From low-cost wheelchairs you can buy from a mobility shop (both attendant pushed and self propelled), to more clinical looking wheelchairs like my old InvaCare Action 3 that will cost a bit more through to active wheelchairs like the one I now have. Other ambulatory wheelchairs users might use an electric wheelchair such as a folding electric wheelchair.

Sometimes there is a bit of misunderstanding around ambulatory wheelchair users. For example if a younger disabled person were to park with a disabled parking permit and are seen to get out of the car and walk a few steps to sit in their wheelchair. These scenarios have happened and the public have felt that the wheelchair user is a fraud. Yet they fail to question 90 year old Doris who is also an ambulatory wheelchair and does the exact same thing. Or if they see someone stand up out of their wheelchair to reach for an item on a shelf. The public, some of them, don’t feel ambulatory wheelchair users should have disabled parking permits, they believe the person is faking their disability and doesn’t need a wheelchair if they are able to walk or stand or cross their legs and are wrongly claiming disability benefits (if they are at all). The public fail to see that walking a few steps to get into a wheelchair is completely different to having to walk around the supermarket, which if you have symptoms like pain, fatigue, muscle weakness would make walking round the store near-impossible. More awareness around ambulatory wheelchair users is needed to educate the public.

My Batec attachment

There is also the matter of safety for some ambulatory wheelchair users. For me being in a wheelchair is safer, I’m not likely to have a fall sat in my wheelchair; my heart rate and blood pressure are also more regulated so I’m less likely to feel dizzy or worst case pass out; I’m also safer should I have a seizure as well. This helps both when I’m at home and out and about.

I have M.E. which is an Energy Limiting Illness. My chair is very lightweight and now I have the correct pushing technique I find rolling in my chair helps to save me energy compared to trying to walk with crutches. I can go further for longer and not be as tired. Having the right modifications on my chair helps too such as lightweight Spinergy wheels and gekko grip on my CarboLife L push rims and the light weight of my chair helps too. My previous chair was much heavier so more exhausting to try and get around in. I also have my Batec, a power add-on so if it’s an occasion where I’ll be too tired to push myself I can connect that to my chair and zoom off!

My GTM Mustang

The wheelchair I currently have is a GTM Mustang (that’s the make and model) and I absolutely love it! The only thing I wish I’d put on my chair would be flip up and down push handles but apart from that it’s perfect. I had such a dilemma over the frame but I eventually settled on polished metal; at least that goes with everything and unlike a paint colour like I was going to go for this won’t chip and scratch in time.

I tried out quite a few chairs of various makes and models. I did lots of research as buying a wheelchair is a big commitment to say the least! I’d been wanting an active wheelchair the more I needed to use a wheelchair and then when I got my Batec I a) realised how much I was wearing my NHS out using my Batec and b) just how much my NHS wheelchair was holding me back and how I needed an active wheelchair as I was actually leading a active wheelchair lifestyle.

I’ve had my GTM wheelchair 6 months now and wow what a difference to my life has it made! I now have more independence and freedom. It’s easier to get around and I’m less restricted. I’m not so stuck in bed, I can wheel myself into my front room to the craft desk or to make a drink, or even go from my bed to the bathroom. My GTM chair is also more compatible with my Batec so it’s a lot more comfortable to ride my Batec. I also just feel more active and with how lightweight my chair is and the wheels I have it makes it possible for me to be a manual chair user. Then if I’m going somewhere tiring I’ll take my Batec with me. Maybe in the future I’ll need a Smart Drive or something like that but for now I’m managing. I try to mobile where possible and do my physio and keep moving to keep in condition as I don’t want to lose my mobility. However for me my wheelchair has brought me so much positivity and it allows me to do so much more.

I also recently did some wheelchair skills training. You canread my post here on my training with Stuart from Freedom Wheelchair Skils. Alternatively you can watch my YouTube video on my training.