Mobility Aids - Farther, Faster

Many people with chronic illnesses and disabilities use mobility aids such as walking sticks, crutches, rollators, or wheelchairs. A lot of us use multiple types. The most simple comparison I can think of is shoes. You can get by with one pair of shoes, but you probably want a different pair for the beach vs the snow, or attending a wedding vs hiking. I'm an ambulatory wheelchair user, meaning I can walk but most of the time a wheelchair is a better option for me. I can walk short distances around my home just fine, but if I go in the yard or from the car to someone else's house I use my walking stick. Any farther than that I use a wheelchair. It's the difference between going out from time to time or being mostly housebound. It allows me to go farther, faster.

After developing M.E. I dealt with dizziness and unsteadiness. Since 2020 was early on in COVID, there were fewer things I could touch to lean on. Therefore, I got my first walking stick and with it I started getting comments. I don't want anyone to think that they can't ask questions, especially when they come from a place of concern. But I had strangers asking me if I really needed it and why.

I was also challenged by my doctor because I wasn't diagnosed yet and no one knew what was wrong. She suggested that I didn't need it, so I stopped using it for a while. The dizziness and unsteadiness persisted so I went back to using it.

For Christmas that year I got an acrylic light-up walking stick from neo-walk.com that I call my walking tiara. I love it because I get compliments on it instead of questions. I don't mind using mobility aids, as long as they look good. Luckily the market for stylish mobility aids is growing and people don't need to decide between form and function.

In April of 2022 I hired a wheelchair so I could go to a Medieval festival. It was so liberating. Without it I would have been exhausted getting from the car to the entrance. Now I was able to be out for 2 hours and enjoy myself with my husband. After that we agreed that I should buy one. I decided on the Rollz Performance from https://www.rollzmobility.co.uk/ that we purchased from an Australian retailer. I love that I can use it as a rollator/walker or wheelchair depending on how I'm feeling, I call it my chariot. I also got the most important accessory to go with it, a cup holder for my coffee.

I may still get a traditional wheelchair. I need someone to push me because I don't have the energy to propel myself, but I've noticed a lot of moments when I want to be able to better position myself to face something or someone. Then again, Rollz is coming out with an attachment to make my chariot into a power chair so I may wait for that. It's nice to have options.

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All products mentioned were purchased by myself, I am not affiliated with any brands and do not make any profit from mentioning them.