3 equipment topics

Wheelchair update, transfer board and a driving challenge

All 3 of these topics are equipment related, and short, so I thought I’d do an odd clumping of notes today.

Update on my new wheelchair order – the letter of medial necessity (an edited version of the one I wrote 10 days ago), a detailed prescription and another document related to my medical condition were all faxed to my physiatrist’s (rehab doctor’s) office one week ago, for his signature. I called the medical supply place today for an update. The physical therapist had signed off on her part of the paperwork, but the doctor had not. The employee I talked to has a usual policy to follow up every Friday on unfinished business. Call on Friday, wait a week, call on Friday…. So much waiting! Since I called today though, she’ll try an email to the doctor’s medical assistant to find out what’s up today.

I am quite fond of this doctor, but something in the way the office works isn’t smooth. This isn’t the first time getting attention has been slow. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that the documents were signed last week, and are sitting on his desk.

And his office isn’t the worst doctor’s office I deal with either. My GP’s office is impossible when it comes to getting paperwork done. When I have bloodwork done, they automatically send me a copy of the results, which is good, because if I called to ask for it later, I’d never see it. I know this because other doctors have sent him reports (the rheumatologist for example) and I’ve wanted copies of those reports, but a phone call doesn’t get them to me. Instead, I now make an appointment with my doc, and ask for copies of the reports when I’m there. Costs me the copay, but usually I can get more feedback as well.

My GP in Maryland was a one doctor/ one receptionist/ one nurse assistant office, and it worked very smoothly. I miss those days! They seem to be few and far between here.

But back to the wheelchair story – still waiting, on hold a little more. I volunteered to personally take the letters down to the doctor’s office and sit and wait for him to sign them. We’ll see if I get a call back tomorrow. If the signatures aren’t done today, I AM taking matters into my own hands.

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Transfer board – About a week ago I started using a short transfer board to get off my bed and into my wheelchair. The reason is that I’m tired of getting bruises on my right thigh. We have a tempurpedic bed (which I love by the way), and it’s really a bit low relative to my chair. And it’s squishy, which effectively makes it even lower. So, as I transfer from bed to chair, my leg hits the wheel lock (or brake) in a way that gives me a bruise. I used to transfer by backing my butt up into the chair, but my PT pointed out that this is harder on my wrist and shoulders. So now, I put my feet down onto the footpedals and pull myself over holding onto the far armrest and push handle. It’s an easier transfer in general, but not great for my leg.

I had thought using a transfer board off the bed would be difficult, because the distance is so short, but it really isn’t. Getting into a car there’s a lot of space to get over, open air to “jump”, so the board is only on the chair and the car seat about 6 inches on each side. With the bed, the chair actually touches the edge of the mattress, so technically a board isn’t necessary. Even the short board is 8 – 10 inches over on either side, but they don’t make them any shorter. Hopefully with the new chair, and different brakes, I won’t feel I need the board again. For now though, it’s nice that I’m down to only 2 bruises, and these are fading to red.

Using the transfer board is not without it’s problems though. If I have clothes on, it’s easier. If I’m not taking a shower that day, I put on my pants on the bed before doing anything else, so I’m dressed as I cross the board. But if all I’ve got on is my nightshirt, then skin will touch the board and sometimes stick to it, which carries the board too far onto the chair. Then getting it out from under me is sometimes difficult. My weight pins the board down, plus it’s sort of stuck to my skin as well. But overall, I do think in the balance, I’m coming out ahead using the board for now.

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Lastly a driving challenge. My car is in the shop today, having my brakes checked. When I am going down a particularly steep hill in my neighborhood, braking hard, I hear a ‘wha, wha, wha” noise, sort of a fan noise sound. And lately it seems I am putting more pressure on the brakes as well, especially at the bottom when I have to turn left. I’ve heard the noise before, it has come and gone, but it’s there all the time now and seems to be getting worse. My mechanic called, said the brake pads still had a lot of life in them. So, he went out to test drive my car on that exact hill. His assessment is that with all that pressure I’m putting on the brakes – a lot of heat is created which causes a glazing on the brake pads, which in turn makes them more slick, and makes that noise. Nothing is really wrong with the brakes. But to spare the brakes wear and tear, and to make it easier on myself, he suggests putting the car into first gear as I go down that hill.

Hmmm, perhaps easier said than done. I only have 2 hands and they are typically on duty on that windy, steep hill. One hand is steering the car, with a “suicide” knob. The other hand is on the accelerator/brake. I’ll need a 3rd hand to down shift! Well, I think I can take my hand off the steering wheel briefly to down shift, especially if I do it at the top of the hill. There’s a reason why cars that have hand controls are required to have an automatic transmission.

I like my mechanic. If any of you in the neighborhood are looking for someone, try Dave’s Lamont St Auto Repair, 858-273-2277. His work is good, his prices decent. He won’t do work that should be done by a dealer or that’s under warranty. Cost of the repair work I had today? Zero. Even though he spent a lot of time looking over my car, test driving it, he didn’t really do any “work” (his words), so he didn’t charge me anything. And I offered to pay; he refused my money. He knows I’ll be back. I’m a good customer, or perhaps I should say Jim is! His Audi needs a lot my work than my Toyota.