Falling Down

I have been in a wheelchair for over four months. During that time I have been in my chair, on the bed, in a love seat that we bought so I would have some place to sit that was not a wheelchair. We specifically raised the seat four inches to make transfers to and from the love seat. All the time I was deathly afraid of what would happen if I missed a transfer, leaned too far or otherwise messed and ended up on the floor.

I had talks with the physical therapists about what was to be done if I found myself on the floor. If it happens when I am alone, the answer is not pretty and may well involve a call to 911. With two people to help, the answer is a fireman’s carry back to the wheelchair. With only one helper, we reviewed a complex technique involving laying the back of the wheelchair in the floor. Carefully placing the body in the chair with the back down and then lifting the chair up. I was not at all sure I even remembered all the steps, let  alone had the strength and skill to do them.

Eventually it had to happen. I had just gotten on the love seat and was still on the edge when I tried to roll the wheelchair away so i could see the TV. I loosened   first the near brake and then leaned over to loosen the far brake. As I was leaning over the wheelchair slipped. Normally, with the brakes set, I would be able to catch myself on the wheelchair but with the brakes released I had no support and slipped slowly to the floor. Now I was on the floor and had to figure out how to get back up. Fortunately  a couple of weeks earlier we had bought a Hoyer lift.

Normally these lifts are not used by peoplewho have the ability to transfer themselves.They are used by people whose arms are weak enough that they are unable to transfer.I had an interesting problem I was trying to solve.I was trying to figure out a way to get from the wheelchair into the hot tub on my deck. The idea of the lift West transfer me from the chair into the top . It didn't work because in order to transfer you have to slide the legs under the hot tub. We thought that there was room but were wrong. Now the lift was sitting about 3 feet from where I fell while we tried to figure out what to do next.

The answer was very simple. Verna brought the lift over to me. She slung me in the sling, raise me up and placed me back in the wheelchair. It was that simple. However,had we not bought a piece of equipment that I really did not need, I would've been sitting in on the floor with a huge problem on my hands. Sometimes life just works out that way.