Chair and electric blanket

I spent about 3 hours today on sorting out the order for my new wheelchair. Yesterday Mobility Solutions sent me an email with a form to sign saying I’d pay anything over $5000, and a copy of the paper that went to insurance listing all the items that had a specific cost.

First thing this morning I looked it over carefully, and there were several items that didn’t look right, so I called to see if I could look at the Dr’s letter of Medical Necessity, and the order forms for the chair itself. The girl was surprised, but not nasty about it, and the easiest thing was for her to make copies and me to go up there and look them over. Seemed easier for me to look it over and try to figure out if the errors were in the doctor’s prescription, or how that got translated into the order form, or how that got translated into the insurance form or then how it got sent to me! After all, I’m the one who knows this chair the best, and who cares the most!

Good thing I did too!

The doctor’s letter was fine – it was basically my draft letter, with 2 extra paragraphs about items I had forgotten to list.

But there were 3 mistakes on the order form and 2 known ones on the itemized insurance list. I suspect there are 2 more errors, but the way the list is typed up the descriptions and prices don’t match the order form, so it’ll have to be checked.

Mistakes on the order form:
1 - Wrong arm rests- didn’t have it listed as ones with transfer loops.
2 - Missing measurement from seat to foot for the footrests
3 - I changed the color of my spokes to yellow from black – very minor detail.

Known mistakes in transferring order to insurance list:
1 again - Wrong arms of course from above
4 - Missing request for Frogs legs

Two very likely mistakes too:
5 - I wanted back tires that cost $95, but ones costing $85 were listed, small amount of money, but could mean wrong tires are ordered.
6 - Bigger problem is I wanted front tires that cost $195, but ones costing $86 were on order, so I bet anything the wrong ones were put in the system.

A couple of other things that were confusing to me were actually ok.

The woman I talked to was nice enough about it, but the woman who does the insurance stuff isn’t there till Tuesday, so we wait for her to clean this up.

Next Wednesday, I think I’ll go back there again, and see their new pages. Not signing anything saying I’ll pay the difference till I’m satisfied things are right. Hey, if the chair comes back and something is wrong with it, I want it to be my own fault!

************* NEW TOPIC******************

Two nights ago my electric blanket died. Instead of heating the blanket, it was super-heating the spot where the plug enters the blanket – not a good thing. It’s a low voltage blanket, so there wasn’t a huge fire risk, but still not good. The plastic was turning brown.

I use my electric blanket year round. In the summer, even when it’s hot outside, if the air conditioner is on, it’s likely I’ll turn the blanket on for half an hour before I go to bed. I’ve been known to take it on vacations with me. I’ve used an electric blanket since I was in college, over 30 years now, and I’ve lost count how many I’ve had.

This one lasted 2 years. Supposedly it had a 5 year warranty, but I’ve never had one last much longer than 2 years anyway. In fact, this one was possibly the best I’ve had in 15 years! When I first started using them in the late 70s, the blankets got very hot, and sometime in the 90s some safety standards were set, so that they didn’t seem to work very well, even though they were better than nothing. This new one, used a low voltage technology, for safety reasons, but somehow could then have more and smaller wires – so you don’t really feel them, but you can put another blanket on top, and it is really warm. I’ve already ordered another one exactly like it.

Most blankets say that you shouldn’t use them with people who have limited sensation, which means me. I can’t feel my skin any lower than my nipples. But honestly, these blankets improve my quality of life SO much, that I can’t give them up. When I go to bed at night, even in summer unless I’ve been out in 85 degree heat, my feet are like ice. My circulation is so bad. This is not unique to me! For paras and quads, our circulation is bad, the blood pools and cools and is slow getting back up to the heart. Our feet tend to swell as well. I wear support socks in the daytime which helps, but isn’t enough. For most people, the action of walking around helps pump the blood back up again. For us, putting our feet up helps. By morning my feet as toasty warm, just from the easier blood flow, even without an electric blanket.

I have days when my upper body feels fine and comfortable, and I’ll start shivering because my legs are cold. It’s a strange sensation. And when I first lie down I especially feel cold, though I’ve never understood why. Perhaps it’s taking off clothes and those support socks, perhaps the cold sheets make it worse, maybe there’s something about a blood pressure change. For whatever reason, if my bed is cold, I’m pretty uncomfortable, and it doesn’t help me fall asleep.

For almost as long as I can remember, and at least since my grad school days, I have had enough trouble falling asleep as it is. Aches and pains keep me up sometimes. Jim’s snoring did for a while, but that’s much better now that he has a c-pap. The cats will occasionally keep me up too, when one of them is up next to me and I can’t get into a good position without disturbing them, but I know that’s my own fault- I just need to move them, but they look so sweet when asleep! And there is always my “brain chatter” (to borrow Jill Bolte Taylor’s words). I think about activities coming up the next day, wording of letters I need to write or want to say to someone, sort out stories I’m reading, and worry about people. I much prefer it when the only thing that is keeping me up is my brain chatter! That alone is enough.

But till 2 days ago, I had been taking my blanket for granted and had forgotten how much feeling cold keeps me up. Even with an electric blanket I used to have problems with the cold. In fact, electric blankets were part of the reason I have so much brain chatter! I would turn on the blanket before going to bed, then stay in the warm bed for an hour or so before going to sleep. The trick was to be awake enough to turn off the blanket, but sleepy enough to not mind when the chill crept back in with the blanket off. Sometimes I’d fall asleep too fast and not turn off the blanket, and then I’d wake up 4 hours later totally boiling and covered with sweat. I suspect it was dysreflexia sweat, but it didn’t matter – my feet would be red and splotchy, and I felt like I was cooking. Other times, I’d turn off the blanket too soon and 20 minutes later I’d be awake and cold and turn it on again, to start over.

Blankets have an automatic turn off feature, but usually that’s after 8 or 10 hours, and most people would be ok with that when the blanket is on low. I like my blanket on high, of course.

About 5 years ago, Jim pushed me to find some other timer gadget, because he was sure there had to be something out there. And he was right, I found something that is mainly meant to be a light timer, but it has a count down feature. So, if you turn it on, whatever is plugged in will automatically turn off after an hour (or whatever time you set). It was an amazing thing for me! I could then allow myself to fall asleep and not worry about getting too hot! And I’ve used it every day ever since. If I’m still awake after one hour I might restart it, but rarely do I restart it twice, so rarely is it on more than 2 hours.

Duvets work really well, but Jim gets too hot. If he peels it back off him, then I get it doubled, and even I get too hot. The electric blanket works for both of us. It’s thin enough for him, and not too hot if it’s not on on his side. He doesn’t even have the wiring hooked up for his side.

I’m glad it’s not winter, when I want the blanket most. But even so, for the next few days till the new blanket arrives, I’m going to read in bed for an hour before trying to sleep. Lying down helps to start the blood flow and I’m not quite as cold when I turn the lights out. Perhaps I should write a letter to the blanket manufacturers, suggesting a timer feature that the sleeper can set themselves?