GETTING MOBILE WITH PENELOPE. PITSTOP.

I have named my mobility scooter Penelope Pitstop, because she is rockin' an unconventional mode of transport,

and so am I!

It can be very hard to accept the usefulness of a disability or mobility aid - let's face it, we would rather not have to use the adaption. I can remember feeling that I stood out like a sore thumb the first time I tentatively took the seat in my mobility scooter.
 
The first time I used my walker, I felt guilty: I was not ancient or dying...why the heck was I using such this contraption?! Surely I could just keep feeling as if I was going to pass out, as I tried to cling to the walls....because...er...that worked...NOT!

I was on a respite stay, when I first took my new walker a couple of tentative, slow, meters. A group of folk chatting turned and looked at me. It was probably for only a few seconds, and they were just being friendly, but I felt as if I had dressed in clown make up and stuck a unicorn horn on my head.

My painful self-consciousness was like going back to my teenage years - NOT a time I would choose to repeat!!!! Was everyone judging me, and thinking I was some kind of faker? Shouldn't I battle on without these crutches ( Not literal crutches...you know what I mean :-)

Do not attempt this whilst moving- lippy on BEFORE leaving the house..

 

 

 

Two reasons for using mobility aids:

• To get around more easily/ frequently, or both.
• To enable you to budget your energy better.

Anything that brings you a better quality of life is worth investigating.
 
Do try before you buy, and ease yourself slowly into using a stick/walker/mobility scooter etc. It can really feel counter-intuitive, ( we live in a society that prizes 'independence' i.e. not needing any help, above practically everything else) but having mobility aids that enable you will give you more agency.


There are many excellent Blogs written by people with chronic health problems, and on occasion, I have written guest-blogs for a couple. The link at the bottom,  is to an article I wrote for Pajama Daze, (which is a fun and informative chronic illness blog site), about the pros and cons of getting a mobility scooter.
 
So, if you are stuck at home and have limited mobility read my Blog about
 Choosing and buying a scooter.
and
Using a mobility scooter.


Here is the Pajama daze Blog:

http://www.pajamadaze.com/blog/chariots-of-fire-selecting-and-using-a-mobility-scooter


THANK YOU FOR READING AND SHARING THE CHRONIC ELEPHANT- I HOPE SOME OF YOU HAVE FOUND THIS HELPFUL.