Just saying "hi"

[jimpma]

I am 60yo, and had my right leg amputated below the knee back in January.  It has been very slow to heal completely enough to begin fitting a prosthetic.  I am hopeful that once I have the new foot, I will be able to resume life.  Any suggestions on how to get a wheelchair into and out of a car with just one foot?  Until I can do that, I can't go anywhere without assistance.  Any advise would be greatly appreciated!  Jim

[ann-]

Hi Jim, welcome to the forum, sorry to hear that your leg has been slow to heal and hope you are able to get walking on a prosthetic very soon.

Regards suggestions on how to get a wheelchair into and out of a car with just one foot, I do it now and again with no feet, so it is do-able, but a lot will depend on your wheelchair and car.

What I do is sit in the drivers seat, swivel round so am facing the door space, pop off each wheel of the wheelchair and put them behind the front seats, I then, take of side bits, foot plates etc. and put them either behind me or in front seat, fold the chair and lift it across myself put it in the footwell/seat of the front passenger seat. When I arrive at my destination first get the chair out of the car, tilt it a bit on the door frame or whatever and put on the wheels etc.

Got to warn you, it is a bit of a work-out, it also helps to have the lightest wheelchair you can afford. My own chair is fairly light-ish, but I couldn't manage this with a regular NHS chair.
There are also various wheelchair hoists, most go in the boot of the car, which isn't much help if you can't hop round, I think its also possible to get hoists that fit in the back seat area, plus of course automatic roof top boxes, though these are quite costly.
Hopefully though, once you are fitted with your prosthesis you will be walking and have no need of the wheelchair.

Wish you lots of luck and hope the leg heals soon.

[jimpma]

Thanks for the response Ann. I assumed it 'could' be done and was just wondering if there were any tips to make it easier. I have a small SUV, so the chair would fit easily without disassembly. Just a matter of sitting in the back to fold it up and lift it in, then hopping around to the drivers door. I have the mechanism that will allow me to place the accelerator pedal on the left side of the brake in any vehicle I want to drive, but haven't tried it out yet.

I spent most of the spring in a rehab facility just waiting for the leg to heal, and doing the same now that insurance ran out at home. So far I have had enough support from family and friends that I have not needed to transport myself anywhere alone, but I know I have to get out and about again soon. Been too long between paychecks.

I'm guessing it will be best to have two chairs, one in the car, and one at home. Then use the walker to go between. As you mentioned, no doubt the lightest I can find (so far about 19 lbs) would make things easier. I suppose I'm a bit skeptical after waiting so long just to be fitted for a prosthesis, to expect that once I get it I will be up and around, even with cane or crutch without too much trouble. My balance is not good since I have had all but the small toe amputated on my left foot as well. So I'm resigning myself to the probability that I will be using a chair in some capacity for the rest of my life. Like most everything it'll be trial and error until I find a method that works.

Thanks again for chatting.

[ann-]

Sounds like it has been a bit of a long haul for you Jim, but also sounds like things are beginning to change for you too and you too are thinking of ways of getting back to doing regular things again and I am glad you are working out ways of getting out and about in your car. Being able to drive, for me, has always been my key to independence.

Two chairs sounds a brilliant idea, though you might be surprised once you are fitted with your prosthesis that you might not need to be so reliant on a wheelchair. Such a lot will depend on your overall health and fitness etc., maybe you can get some help with the walking and balance, it will probably take time and practice but don't give up on the idea of walking, I have both legs amputated below the knee and for most of the time, I walk, although I know its not the same for everyone and its difficult when you have had a long spell of having to wait around for wounds to heal, prosthetic fitting etc. etc., try and keep positive thoughts going, that things will improve.

[cherylm]

Hi, Jim, and welcome...I also had a fairly long wait after my initial amputation (five months for me), and while it did take me a fairly log time after getting my first prosthesis to be able to get around comfortably again, I did eventually make it back to a normal, active life. Hang in there, you'll get it back!

You know, when I first looked at getting out with a wheelchair, I actually went out and looked for a car that would be easy to load a chair into. I didn't have much luck on that front...lots of cars I load the chair into the back (trunk, "boot," hatch, etc...) but nothing that was good for pulling my chair in after me (unless I were to do Ann's disassemble/assemble routine). My brother in law (an "old car" enthusiast) remarked that "it's too bad they don't make cars with suicide doors any more," and that one made sense to me. Having no supporting beam between front and back doors and having those doors open in opposite directions leaves you with a LOT of room to haul a wheelchair up into the car behind the driver's seat back. I actually DID finally locate a car with that styling, but it was larger than I wanted and more than I could afford. However, it WAS absolute HEAVEN to load and unload my chair!

What I've found that works well for me most of the time is taking varying mobility aids with me, depending on what I'm planning to do on that particular day. Most of the time, I just carry a cane. If I'm going to be really active for a really long time, I'll take my walker instead...it has a pull-down seat, so if I get tired during my travels, I have a "resting place" with me. If the activity level is going to be horrible, but I'm able to wear my prosthesis at least temporarily, I'll heave the chair into my little hatchback, then take off the leg once I'm in the car...and put the leg back on, pull the chair out, and store the leg in the hatch and go about my business until it's time to reverse the whole procedure and go home. That will cover 99% of my mobility needs...for the 1% that's left, I bum a ride with someone who can load and unload the chair.

You'll find all sorts of ways to adapt to this new life...adaptability is the greatest virtue an amputee can have!

[jimpma]

Thank you ladies for your help and support. I goes a long way towards overall morale. In saw the NP again yesterday and it will be at least another two weeks before we can think of a fitting. Still not 'completely' healed, so they can't do anything until they feel it's ready. At least we are trying a different type of dressing to hopefully speed up the process. I wish I could have stayed longer at the rehab to be able to continue the CPI treatments I was getting there, those seemed to be the most beneficial. Isn't medicare a wonderful thing!!? 100 days and "see ya later!"

Cheryl, they do still make vehicles with the suicide doors, but they're mostly trucks. I had a toyota Tundra that I loved - until my son rolled it over and totalled it for me. That would have been ideal for this situation. Seat was the perfect height for me to just slide straight in, and there was plenty of room in the back for the chair. A hop or two and I'd be on the road. Oh well, it's gone now. So the little SUV will have to do. At least it has roof rails that I can hold onto as I hop from the back to the front.

Yeah, I know that for now it's all speculation about how much mobility I will regain once the prosthesis is in place. And I expect that a great deal will be up to me and how much I practice and practice until I get comfortable with it. Right now it's all just a thousand questions that will only be answered by the passage of time. For now, being idled, I have too much time to dwell on the possibilities and "what if's" instead of just getting things done. I did order a second chair (ultralight) because I don't think I can manage moving even that weight up and down the steps to the house. Another advantage is that it's a very narrow chair so it will fit more easily through doorways, etc. Besides, it looks so hi-tech that I couldn't resist!

And since that whole situation isn't challenging enough, I'll be downsizing and moving next week. That ought to keep me busy enough for a while.

Thanks again for chatting, take care.