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Post by pamj6115 on Apr 3, 2013 12:08:04 GMT -7
I lost my leg 10 years ago and find it hard to transition from the wheel chair to my leg. Due to major set backs and surgeries I've been in the chair so long that it became a bad habit that I can't shake. Yes its easire onthe leg but it takes somuch mentally that its exhusting and I can't just kick back and relax. I would appreciate any help out there. Thanks.....................
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Post by ann- on Apr 4, 2013 0:17:01 GMT -7
Not sure if I can help Pam, but more perhaps can identify with these feelings.
I lost both legs many years ago, and for the majority of the time I have walked, though like you have also had a few set backs and surgery, each time the transition back to the chair has been difficult, then when sometimes the weeks have passed by, sometimes months, I have kind of got comfortable with the chair, doing things round the house etc had got easier .... when the time has come when the limbs have been sorted out and I've got to get walking again, I then have often gone through a period whereby that's difficult too, probably because it takes more effort, muscles need to get stronger again etc., but also probably because I have then become used to using the chair. Though generally I find is that most things take more energy from the chair than they do walking for me, accessibility wise its much easier walking.
What has worked for me in the past is having a routine of when I put the legs on and then gradually build up on that,trying to do the everyday things with the legs on, like I probably would if I was breaking in a new prosthesis etc., once I get back into this mode things usually just fall into place, although nowadays I find I do juggle wheelchair and chair much more throughout the day, which kind of keeps me walking more. Would say though do check though that the prosthesis is fitting correctly, because if its not, everything will feel much harder work with it on. Hope things work out ok, let us know how things go.
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Post by allenuk on Apr 4, 2013 6:00:25 GMT -7
Pam: I wish there was an easy answer, but having lived with various physical 'difficulties' for some time, I know there isn't!
If I could have given MYSELF advice 10, 15 years ago - and I would probably have ignored it, that was the way I operated - I would have said "if you've got a CHOICE between a wheelchair and a prosthetic limb, then try and get out of the chair."
One day you might no longer have the choice, and we know one of the first things you'll say... "How I wish I'd tried to walk when I had the chance!"
Slick answer, not too sure how much use it is, but chuck it into the scales when you're weighing-up the options.
I hope life gets easier for you, one way or another.
Allen.
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Post by stonecutter on Apr 4, 2013 9:41:58 GMT -7
Welcome Pam,
I didn't spend a lot of time in chairs, the only time I did so was in the months immediately following my accident when I was on-and-off the prosthesis, and even then I found crutches more appropriate to what I was doing around the house. I never left the house with a chair, just kept it in the house. If I wasn't wearing the prosthesis, I would take my crutches.
So I really can't help you from that stand point, other than saying that I agree with Allen's words, even though we are all looking at the situation from the very distant outside.
Do you maybe need a little bit of Occupational or Physical Therapy to help you?
Again, welcome to the forums. We welcome your insight!
Trevor
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ann58
Female Member
Posts: 278
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Post by ann58 on Apr 4, 2013 12:42:38 GMT -7
Pam, I know its hard on U mentally & physially. I {after amputation} wasn't in a chair...mostly they had me on a walker.,{mainly hopping and therapy. Wheelchair only when I went grocery shopping. It's a difficult road we all must take. Welcome to R forum.
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Post by cherylm on Apr 5, 2013 0:00:46 GMT -7
Hi, Pam, and welcome to our little group! I've just recently been wheelchair bound due to an injury and am just starting to get back to walking after about five months. During my "chair days," I really, really wanted to be up and walking again...but once I was cleared to do so, I realized that even with a fair amount of physical therapy I'd gotten weak enough that walking was NOT an easy thing to do any more.
If you've spent all those years as a chair-user, you may very well be dealing with a similar situation: your muscles are simply more accustomed to "wheeling" than "walking." You might have to look at this as a long-term project, as walking requires a whole different set of muscles operating from a position of physical strength.
I've found that I've needed to return to a physical therapist just to get some exercises for my core muscles, which are the ones that have really gotten out of shape in the wheelchair. I can still get up and walk, but my balance is very "off" and my back knots up and becomes extremely painful after a fairly short time on my feet. I'll admit that it does make walking rather less appealing than it used to be! But as you said, there are a lot of things that are easier to do on a leg than from a chair. And so I keep doing my exercises and walking more and more...and I'm slowly getting my strength and balance back, which is making things both less painful and less of a mental/emotional challenge.
So do make sure that you have a prosthesis that is fitting well...and that you're working on strengthening your "walking muscles"...and then just continue to expand on the time you spend up and walking on your leg. Don't try to do it all at once, go back and forth from leg to chair to leg again. Just keep increasing "leg time" and decreasing "chair time," and eventually you'll get where you want to be!
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cate6
Female Member
Posts: 75
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Post by cate6 on Apr 5, 2013 7:13:37 GMT -7
Hi Pam and welcome, I have spent very little time in the wheelchair, it was crutches then leg for me, so sorry I can't offer advice but I'm sure the other members will have all the advice you need. Good luck
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