Kyle, I'm in my manual chair  now, and that sucks.  i'm getting shoulder
strain now from what little I'm pushing.  I'm so used to my powerchair that
i know what you mean.  Do you think a scooter could help you?  They also
have some powerchairs for the high end users, like me.  A few of them can go
10 mph or more!.

I can sympathize with you bud, but why is being in a chair a terror of
yours?.  If a powerchair can liberate you from pain and tiredness wouldn't
you take it?  After all, your feet aren't where your brain is, right?

-----Original Message-----
From: Cleveland, Kyle E. <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Downhill ride (long response)


>Hey guys.
>
>Well, I broke down this morning and borrowed a (crappy) wheelchair from the
>building folks because I'm so buggered up from the weekend's drive that I
>figured it was better than taking a chance on stumbling and falling on the
>marble.
>
>For those of you who have been in a chair for a while--or since
>birth--please don't be offended by my reaction, but this sucks.  For years
>and years my plea has been to the docs, "do what you need to, but keep me
>out of a chair."  That may sound arrogant and prideful, but it has been a
>fear--no, terror--of mine for years:  that I would have to use a chair
while
>I was still relatively young.  I know, I know, you're thinking, "Shit, I've
>been in a chair for years and this guy is whining about having to use one
>now when he's in his 40's?! I wish I had 40-some years of walking under my
>belt!"  You're absolutely right, but this has happened so quickly that
>there's a feeling a being cheated--not only in my own mind, but my wife and
>kids' minds too.
>
>You hear it in the little sighs when you tell your wife, "I'm sorry, but I
>can't do laundry right now.  I'm spazzing something awful."  You know she's
>thinking, "Great!  He expects me to do all this myself?  I feel like I'm
>gonna neeed PROCRIT just to get through the day and he wants me to pull his
>load too."  The kids don't even ask me to play with them anymore.  They
know
>I'm going to be:
>
>A) Too tired
>B) Hurt too bad
>C) Afraid to fall
>
>Take your pick.  They've heard them all day after day.  These are active
>kids.  They don't want to read books or color or play board games.  They
>want soccer and baseball and bike riding and kite flying.
>
>I just wish I'd known the what I know now, know what I mean?
>
>Sorry for boo-hooing.  It's better than throwing a chair through the
window.
>LOL