Few people truly understand the joy, anticipation, concern, and anxiety that results from ordering, w*a*i*t*i*n*g* for, and receiving a brand new wheelchair, but I knew several people here would understand so here I am with the big announcement!
I'm the proud new owner of this beauty.
A Top End Terminator Titanium, rigid tapered frame and Spinergy wheels!
While I'm falling in love with my new beautiful brushed metal companion, I must say that it hasn't been a completely smooth ride. I won my last chair at a swim meet, so there was no insurance hassles to go through-just worked with the great representative that donated the chair with measurements and I had it within a couple months. I definitely remember the days that chairs took months just to construct, so I'm oddly impressed by the speed of the actual chair ordering process these days but I can't say the same for rest of the whole experience. Just a few complaints before I continue with my rejoicing:
1. It's extremely frustrating that insurance companies refuse to pay for upgrades that make a chair more lightweight. Research clearly shows the strain and damage done on joints that use heavy wheelchairs over the course of many many years. Just as insurance companies require that I use evidenced-based practices to treat my patients, they should do the same with their coverage.
2. The markup for working with a medical supplier is outrageous! Perhaps it's just my particular quote, but my chair would have been less than HALF the cost had I had the confidence to order it outright from the company. Even though I handled almost every aspect of my customization line by line, I was still worried that I needed someone to oversee my spec's and get everything just right. What I didn't realize is that the vast majority of manual chair users know much more about our chairs than many of the representatives. Medical suppliers seem to specialize in scooters and maybe power chairs (not sure?!) but I should have trusted my instincts, elicited more help from peers, and purchased from one of my favorite companies (SportAid).
3. Even after all this meticulous "oversight", my chair had a few..how shall I put it.....surprises! First, the sideguards are removable. You'll note they are not featured in the picture. The invisible person in that chair will have a very dirty shirt should it rain but at least they won't sound like a rattling jalopy. Second, my back folds down! I had requested an adjustable back (meaning height up and down) but also have the additional worry of the whole contraption someday folding me up like a wallet! This is actually not irrational because my chair-before-last did this daily.
What bothers me the most is the creepy feeling of ablism even within what should be an experience very safe within our culture. I feel the guilt of still needing assistance to pay for my chair since my income is restricted. I'm burdened by the "as-is" approach that is taken in delivering wheelchairs. Although we pay prices comparable to some cars, we're not treated like a consumer that just ordered a high-priced customizable item. I find myself drowning in "what if's" when I consider asking for alterations (a.k.a. a new frame) because I obviously can't go without my chair, but I won't have insurance assistance to buy another one for at least 5 years. I even feel guilty complaining about somewhat minor parts of a chair because so many have no chair-no vehicle to freedom.
So you see-a new wheelchair isn't all fun and games, although you can't tell from my super-happy cheesy smile in this picture above. It brought about more ambivalence for me than I even realized. I do think my chair and I are bonding though-haven't quite picked out a name for her yet (any suggestions?). I have already enjoyed quite a few flying laps around my parking lot pulled by my engine o' bulldogs...We take the speed bumps at (almost) top speed. Nothing beats the roll of all new bearings!
