Tuesday 16 September 2014

Waiting

When H first needed a Wheelchair we tootled off to the NHS Wheelchair Services (WS) and said what do we need to do?  Now WS, being helpful said, no worries we'll give you a wheelchair.  We felt so relieved.  We told them that I had a bad hip from a car accident so I couldn't push a heavy chair.  Not a problem we were re-assured, we'll get you a light weight one.

So off we toddled feeling happy and waited for it to be delivered.  The wheelchair arrived and H sat in it and I couldn't push it - it was HEAVY.  So we took some savings and bought a really pretty (blue), light wheelchair and the heavy one sat in the way for 3 years.

Eventually H could take it no more and rang WS and asked them to take it back.  The heavy wheelchair was taken out of the house and back to WS.  They said oh, I don't think we can get you a lighter one, so they weighed them and the first one was a stone lighter - a stone!!!!!!

But I am short and they are not made for short people to push them.  Oh you'll have to buy an adapter to make it suitable for you they told us.  Oh, and none of them are really light enough for H to put in the car at the end of the day.  Eventually they offered us £205 towards buying our own chair.

(Are you still with me?)

So we went privately and got a great wheelchair in terms of possibilities - but it quite ugly to look at! and we had to pay more for the honour and have to pay to fix it but it is ours.  I do wish it wasn't so ugly.  The man who came out to demo it tried to convince me that we had chosen a great chair - it's so adaptable and we can change so many things on it as our lives change, but even he gave up on trying to convince me that functionality beat looks (I kept reminding him that Apples (not the edible ones) are both functional and pretty....)

So now, I sit here waiting for WS to pick up the blooming heavy wheelchair.  They are apparently coming at some point today - wish me luck, it is 9.15 and I am bored already!!!!

Thankfully G is coming for lunch and the Morrisons delivery has just arrived.

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