I'm in America and I think this site looks amazing

[Whoville]

I'm not sure where to begin. I have a really stressed view of the Reality of suddenly finding myself in a place where I am looking at moving forward in life relying heavily on a Wheelchair.

My father had Polio when he was 6 years old. My grandparents were devout Pentecostals and refused to let him participate in many of the medical experiments of the day. He struggled with whether it was the right or wrong thing for them to do and more with why God let him suffer so much. He was a severe Hunchback, one leg was much longer than the other and he was always in pain. With all these issues he somehow met and married my mother when she was only 14. It was apparently perfectly legal if everyone's parents agreed. He was 18. I was born very premature very shortly after my mother turned 15. I spent years in and out of the hospital with all sorts of issues. My dad's mom stepped in when I was 3 or 4 and demanding we come live with her and my grandfather and 4 kids they still had at home. I have to say I very much enjoyed the experience. I would likely not be alive today if not for my grandparents and my younger uncles.

I was born with a basket list of problems. My digestive track wasn't fully developed. I have pretty bad learning disabilities, A Sequencing Disorder, ADHD and I'm honestly not sure what else. I wasn't supposed to be able to do well on my own ever. My uncles didn't know that so they did so much to help me. My grandparents didn't care. They were there for me every single day. In hind sight I had a wonderful childhood. We didn't have very much money. My mother and Grandfather supported us all. He had a garden in the yard to subsidize our foods and he did additional odd jobs where he could, while also running a small church helping everyone he could, no matter race, culture or lifestyle. My grandfather taught me to love everyone while the American South boiled with Racism and Hatred.

When I was 17 we found out I had developed severe Digestive issues and Ulcers that were causing me to bleed to death. My Blood count was under 4.5 when I went into the Hospital the first time. I eventually had over half of my Stomach removed, the connection between the stomach and Intestines removed and some of my intestine. They also cut into my Vega nerve. That has caused me many issues. I have also had intense Muscle pains, perpetually in my legs and very often in my arms and shoulders as well. My skin often hurts to the touch. After many years I had doctors tell me it was FibroMyalgia. I think it was a diagnosis in part to give me an answer.

My dad couldn't walk from his bedroom to the bathroom without help a good deal of his life. I have made myself walk as much as I possibly could.

I've had other problems to. I married my high school sweetheart. She is a good person. She was a refugee from Vietnam. There have been several times in our 30 year marriage that I shutdown and just could not go outside. I didn't know why but it was like everything fell apart. I always managed to pull myself back together and get back into college, work and being productive.

about 20 years ago I was in the right place at the right time and got a job in IT. They gave me an impossible challenge and my "unique" outlook on life didn't allow me to realize they didn't expect me to do much, they just needed a person there in a seat. In a few days I fixed some issues they had spent large amounts of money trying to resolve. I eventually moved from there to a Mall Management company and spent better than a decade stepping in a dealing with issues that others couldn't. I didn't know why at the time but I've always been able to stay calm even if horrible things were going on. It made me an exception trouble shooter. I didn't do well with groups and I had days, even weeks when I had trouble functioning. My Boss valued me enough that he let me work in my office, alone and sheltered. It was a large staff and I became the go to guy when just about any chaos started.

4 or 5 years ago I started having more and more events where I couldn't function. I was having tons of Digestive issues. I blacked out and wrecked my care twice. I didn't know what happened the first time. I just knew after 30ish years of a perfect record I was having problems. I ended up bed ridden most of the time. I can walk but I'm I have horrible Digestive pain, dizziness and blackouts when I stand very long at all.

I've been diabetic for years. It is immensely hard to control because of my other issues. I also discovered that I had been diagnosed with Schizophrenia as a teenager. No one bothered to tell me, they just gave me the meds until I moved out and discontinued them. I had no idea what they were for until decades later. I have several relatives with Metal health issues. My brother and sister both have a child with problems. I'm lucky that mine doesn't cause me to be difficult to deal with. I was raised so thoroughly to care about the rights of others that maybe that has helped me. Mine has caused me to have extreme issues with communication and memory. I think at the moment my mind is clear. There are times I think I'm being clear and I'm not. I hope this isn't one of those times.

I've spent lots of time in doctors offices and in and out of Hospitals, not for mental things, other than having two sources of blackouts. I resisted applying for Disability but with pressure from several doctors I finally did apply and I was accepted very quickly. I suppose there truly is an upside to just about everything. I have had issues for so long they are pretty well documented.

I've gotten to where I become immensely lightheaded when I walk or stand for very long. I regularly can not make it to the bathroom. I've broken tons of teeth and gone back and forth from Emergency rooms because I smashed face first into a wall or the floor. Oh yeh, I think I failed to say one of the big issues is something called Rapid Transit. I have severe Gastroperisis, lots of cramping, nausea, bloating and so forth. It sucks. But when things finally decide to move they take an express lane if I am up and about. The Rapid Transit causes me to dehydrate very rapidly. If I can keep my head level I can avoid passing out but with the pain and dizziness that is hard to do. If I bend forward or back my temporary Blood Pressure imbalance puts me out like a light. I've had many many horrible experiences passing out while on the toilet.

I apologize for the length of my post. I'm trying to be complete but not gross.

So now I'm stuck unable to leave the house other than on rare occasions and those are happening less and less. I took a walk last week and ended up waking up in the Emergency room. I went and got some groceries, not sure what happened to them, but I blacked out and laid in a parking lot until someone noticed me in 90+ degree heat. I have a car but I refuse to drive. If I black out behind the wheel someone, or more than one could easily die.

The Disability process has made me switch out all of my doctors to doctors that are on the State Medical Plan. While I was meeting with a new doctor 2 weeks ago he suggested that I consider a Wheelchair as it would allow me to keep my body in a position less aggravating to my issues and less likely to cause a Blackout. It of course would also prevent me from face planting myself if I did. I came home and looked at the chairs available and the assistance programs available and I have to say I'm kind of disappointed. They all seem slow. They all seem to limit how far you can go or whether you can take stuff along with you as you go. I like going to the grocery. I can be near people in a way that is satisfying but that doesn't cause me to melt down.

I just saw the BM2 chair. That is like the coolest thing anyone has ever done. I am still a very technical person at heart and I find that thing amazing. My dream is to eventually go back and take college classes. Our local campus is very hilly, spread out allot and getting from place to place quickly is important. I know I can not build something like that, at my best I didn't have the machining skills or tools it requires, or the funds these days but I had to join this site and see what the people here are doing. If a guy can do something like that, I just have to see more. I don't know what I'll end up with but I'm happy just knowing something as Badass as the BM2 is out there for someone.

I apologize if I overshared. I'm sure I left lots of stuff out and probably let things confusing. I hope not. It's kind of nice to find a place I can share and not feel like I will be judged too harshly. In real life it is usually a bad thing to admit flaws like constant Diarrhea or Schizophrenia. I'm kind of thinking people who have to live life from a chair are more understanding than regular people. I've been afraid of this day most of my life. I have to admit though, the BM2 makes it look like life could be fun again.

[Burgerman]

Ah thats a long post! Dont know what to say.
Other than read a lot here, and get any chair at all to start with to see what you need/want.

One small thing.
That BM2 chair is many years old, dismantled and is now being rebuilt! Its green, and has about 55 to 60 miles range. Here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5380&start=260

And there's a BM3 chair here: http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/BM-MK3- ... rchair.htm much faster and about 45 mile range.

[Whoville]

That is just amazing. You are a seriously seriously talented person. I can only imagine the money and time a project like that takes.

[Burgerman]

Money? Not so much, cheaper than buying a ready built chair. Time? Years...

[SteveO]

That is just amazing. You are a seriously seriously talented person. I can only imagine the money and time a project like that takes.

Hey "whoville" I read your story with a heavy heart but I'm glad you have shared it with us. We all have our different obsticles in our lives, some more than others but yours has touched me quite deeply. I agree with John "Burgerman" and think you should check the thread "http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5624" it's list of chairs that people think are worthy of giving some thought when choosing one for yourself. Everyone's different so read through and find some within your budget then try and find somewhere to try them. Once you've found something that suits you ask on here for people's opinion on it, explaining your needs and the environment in which you'll use it. If you find the right chair for you, you'll soon discover its flaws and you can then look to improve it or find something else more suitable to improve that to suit your needs. Anyway, good luck in your search. I hope you find what you need to help with your independence.

Best wishes

SteveO in the UK