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My desk chair
Written by Ada on Saturday, November 22, 2008
My BIID is worst at work and when I’m out in the world, it is much more manageable at home. Like many, I have a bunch of little tricks and tools to help me get through the day. What follows is in part my office "routine ".
My work calls for me to be out of the office a lot, but sometimes I have office days. If I’m on the road, that could include up to 300 miles on my car in a day, and easily 5 miles on my loafers in a day depending on where I’m working :) The days out on the road are better than the days in the office, because I’m constantly on the move and I have many more distractions. These days, I am generally in my office 50 percent of the workweek. Long, quiet days in my office would be completely unmanageable without my little tricks.
On my office days, I start off by gathering as many papers and folders needed to complete my tasks and piling them on my desk. I have a large work area in front of me, which extends to the left and right, and another work surface behind me. I spread them out and attempt to categorize work by task type. If I am productive and undisturbed, I can blow through a stack of tasks in one third the time it takes my colleagues. However, there are as many days where "emergencies" come up and I leave the office having not done one thing I set out to do that morning or that week, such is the nature of my job. I put the different stacks in different locations all just out of my reach.
I sit in my desk chair, and I prop my feet on the prongs of the chair base. I tuck my feet as far back as possible, so my heels are as close to the post that runs from the bottom of the seat to the base. This limits the circulation from my knees to my toes, so when I do get up, my feet are asleep and I get the tingles in my ankles and lower calves. I try to get up as infrequently as possible, as the "feet asleep" factor is better the longer I go between breaks. I have the arms of my desk chair in the lowest possible position. They sit slightly above where the top of the tires on a wheelchair would fall. I regularly use them to prop myself up and relieve pressure on my behind.
Throughout the morning I will turn and reach for my next stack of tasks. Because I put the piles out of my reach, I have to push myself away from my desk and I can feel the wheels of my desk chair beneath me on the carpet. I then grab what I need, and pull myself back to the work area. This is the best part of the whole routine, numb feet tucked back, feeling the smooth glide of wheels under me.
Because I’m out a lot, when I am in the office people frequently come to chat. When this happens, I will push myself away from my desk with my left hand, and will use my right hand to grab the table behind me. This way I can swivel and move closer to the person without having to un-prop my feet. I’m often joking, so people don’t seem to notice what I am doing with my hands.
I love sitting in my desk chair and looking up at them. I’m about the same height I would be in a wheelchair, and I like conversing with people from this perspective. It makes me feel the most like who I am, and how I am supposed to be. Me down here, them up there. I like that feeling a lot.
Sometimes several people will gather. I like it when it is a group, while I’m seated they are all standing. The more people there are standing, the more intense my feelings.
By lunchtime, these tools can little help me, the soothing effects have worn off and I am preoccupied. By around 2 o’clock, I need to take regular swift walks around my building to get some fresh air in the lungs, and to try and focus on enjoying using my legs. It takes 6 minutes to walk around my building and lately I have had to do this at least 3 times each afternoon. Whenever I can, I schedule appointments in the afternoon so I can be out of my office
Tomorrow if I’m in the office, it will be the same all over again.
Of course, I would be most productive if I could just use a freaking wheelchair at work:)
All in good time…
Tags: perspective, Wheelchair
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4 Comments
“Since I use a crutch at work they think it is perfectly reasonable that I don’t get up when they come in.”
Haha, it’s the same thing at school. Those who have noticed that I use a mobility device usually don’t want to make me stand or move when we do group discussions. Instead, they position the chairs for the discussion circle according to my current position. I find it amusing.
I’m scooting around in my desk chair as I type!! I used to do exactly the same when I was a temp. too…. wheel as much as possible in my office chair!!
I got my wheelchair after a genuine paraplegic challenged me to spend a week in one. I would have loved too but it would have opened up far too many questions that I couldn’t have handled because I would have seen people I know. I got one and spent a day or two in it though, and kept it on the pretence that I didn’t have a desk chair so might as well keep the wheelchair for that purpose rather than sell one and buy the other. Nobody questioned it at the time but now that I don’t have a desk anyomore I’ve had to explain more to my husband about why I hate the idea of selling the wheelchair. He doesn’t understand really, and I’ve not explained fully, but he’s letting me keep the chair so far even though it’s a good one and therefore quite valuable.
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1 On 23 November, 2008, Chloe said:
I relate to a lot of things here, Ada. My office floor is linoleum tiles, so it is very easy for me to push myself away from the desk with my hands and roll in my desk chair over to bookshelves, filing cabinets, or printer. Then I push off again and roll back to the desk.
People come visit me in my office. Since I use a crutch at work they think it is perfectly reasonable that I don’t get up when they come in. I too like the feeling of being seated, especially when people are standing in a group.
Yes, I would definitely be more productive with the wheelchair at work. As with you; all in good time…