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It’s just not logical
Written by Sean on Thursday, August 9, 2007
It doesn’t make sense. It’s illogical. On an intelectual level, something’s wrong. But we knew that, didn’t we? I’m hurting, some of it due to using a wheelchair for so long, some of it aggravated by the wheelchair use. Yet, I still want it. Or rather, I still need it. Yeah, it doesn’t make sense, but that’s the way it is.
My right shoulder hurts. Physio tells me it’s a combination of bad posture (unavoidable when you’re sitting down all day) and of overuse (also unavoidable when you’re using your arms to move around). Both my wrists and most of my fingers are arthritic, and I’m currently dealing with a flare up in one of my fingers that is making it impossible to bend the finger without pain. I am nowhere near as strong in my hands as I used to be, despite using my hands so much for gripping the wheels of my wheelchair.
I’ve also experienced nerve pain in my leg, though it could be argued that it was nothing compared to what it would be to have an SCI.
I am well aware of what the effects of long-term wheelchair usage are. My late wife, after over 30 years as a paraplegic, was full of arthritis, had herniated disks in her neck, and near the end of her life could barely transfer herself. She had to stop using her manual wheelchair and was using a power chair, both a blessing and a curse. Yeah, I know it gets nasty.
Logically, using a wheelchair is a bad idea if you can use your legs to move around. The body was designed to stand up and walk. Muscles and bone structure are meant to move you. Using arm muscles to push a wheelchair, transfer yourself, etc is fine, except that is not how the body is supposed to function.
Despite all the intelectual understanding of what is ahead of me, I can’t help it. I still need to be paralysed. It’s a shit of a thing, but, it’s there.
[tags]Arthritis, SCI, Wheelchair, Paralysed, Logic[/tags]This entry appears in Sean's Thoughts, Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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4 Comments
2 On 10 August, 2007, Marie said:
Haha. Logic. Throw it away cos it doesn’t apply to basic human needs!
3 On 10 August, 2007, Sean said:
Rorschach, I would not use a powerwheelchair unless I *had* to. Two reasons for it: 1- they are too expensive, and 2- they actually limit your freedom. While you can move around locally more easily, to get anywhere that needs driving, you need a new vehicle. I don’t wheel enough at/near home to warrant the purchase of an expensive bit of hardware like that.
And Marie, you’re right, logic doesn’t apply to human needs. But our detractors are always pulling the “logic” string, aren’t they? “If you knew what it would be like, you wouldn’t want it”, isn’t that appealing to your logic in a way?
4 On 10 August, 2007, Marie said:
If I had first hand knowledge of what it was like it’d only depress me more, damnit.
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1 On 10 August, 2007, Rorschach said:
Well, have you considered alternating with an electric to lighten the load? It’s not perfect, but I could definitely see it helping some.