Upgrade for Wheelchair

Better but unrelated news on the wheelchair front this time.

After dozens of emails between myself, my nephew and his brother-in-law Raphaël in Quebec we came up with a plan to replace the standard lead acid batteries with lithium ion batteries. Yesterday, my nephew, with the assistance of his wife Gabie spent twelve hours wiring up and installing the new system consisting of 16 72ah cells.

Although expensive, approximately $4000 Canadian, it should be worth it. Most importantly, I will get a minimum of 3.6 times the range or 40-50 km (30 miles) which means I can wheel around the city all day if I like and not have to worry about draining the batteries.   Secondly, I will get a minimum of 15 years out of them.  I expect they will outlive me in fact so I'll never have to buy batteries again. Finally, they are virtually carefree and give better results in cold temperatures and are environmentally friendly.

I put 8 km (5 miles) on them today and the battery gauge is still showing a full charge - there is a possibility that the gauge may not be accurate with this system but only time will tell.

Life is good.

Update:
Based on the first two days of use results are better than expected. I should easily get 64 km/40 miles per charge. Pretty amazing. That means charging will be necessary only one or two times per week, even less in the winter so these things will definitely outlast me. The manufacturer suggests that they are good for 2000 cycles so at once a week they'll last in excess of thirty years. Wow.
The only negative is that the battery guaage is definitely not working. I have ordered on to wire in at a cost of $13 so it's not a big deal. In the mean time I'll use the odometer to estimate battery charge.
 July 26 update:

Three weeks yesterday since battery installation and I've put 121 miles (193km) on the chair. Have charged the chair 4 times, the moat mileage on one charge being 38 miles. All's well and no complaints.

Wheelchair Problems

Pictured above is my 2 1/2 year old Permobil C300 wheelchair.

A week and a half ago I was wheeling along one of London's busier streets when, bam, out of the blue, I found myself lying on my back on a small pedestrian island in the middle of the street. There I was, completely helpless, dazed, confused and at a total loss as to what had just happened. Fortunately, I had my phone in my pocket and as I was struggling to extract it a woman approached to ask if she could pick me up.  I should explain that I was still seated on the actual seat part of the chair, it's just that my head was just a couple of inches from the ground and my feet were up in the air.  As I was explaining to the lady that I didn't think she would be able to pick me up, a gentleman on a bicycle stopped and, between the two of them they got me and the seat in a semi upright position.

I balanced the seat on the post where it broke off at the base (see picture) and told my good samaritans I would be fine, thanked them and sent them on their way. But I wasn't fine, I was a wreck. I was shaken, felt weak over my entire body as well as nauseous. In short, I was a mess. Fortunately, I had the number of the dealer where I bought the chair on my cell so I called them. At this point it was 4:55 and much to my horror, I got an answering machine. I left a frantic message, giving the wrong address, I realized later, and hung up. In a state of panic, it was now 4:57, I decided to call again and my heart leapt for joy when someone picked up at the other end. I explained my situation and was put through to the service department.  Not surprisingly, I could tell from the service person's voice that he wasn't exactly overjoyed to hear my voice. I was told that he could pick up my chair but not me. I asked if he couldn't bring a loner along so he said he'd see what he could do.

Jumping ahead, at 5:30 the service guy arrived with a loner and I made my way home. I had a meeting scheduled at my apartment for six and was concerned that I wouldn't make it on time. To make matters worse, the loner chair was painfully slow, probably about half the speed of my own chair.

I just made it home on time but was not exactly 'there' for the meeting. After everyone left, my nurse and a woman from the dog rescue place arrived and again,  my mind was still on the incident. I was still shaky and emotionally upset. The nurse asked if I was okay physically at which point I realized my neck was sore. After they left I took an extra pain killer and finally, being alone, found myself crying and thinking about the last couple of hours. All the scenarios went through my mind. What if the post had snapped in the middle of the busy intersection, what if I'd taken the river trail home, what if my head had hit the pavement...?

Sleep didn't come easy and it took a couple more days before my emotional roller coaster ride levelled off a bit. My shoulders and neck were sore for a couple of days but seem okay now. I still find myself a little short tempered and although I tell everyone I'm fine, I'm not so sure. This incident really shook me up. I guess it made me feel just how vulnerable I am. I am also incensed that something as crucial as a wheelchair should break down like it did. I don't know if I'll ever feel totally confident in my chair again. After all, what's to stop the same thing from happening in a couple of years from now.

I got my chair back in a week along with a $165 bill - emergency service call and two hours labour. I refused to pay so the service person said he would have someone call me. That was 2 1/2 business days ago and I haven't heard anything yet.

In my mind, this never should have happened. Permobil the manufacturer, should take full responsibility for a faulty part and there's no way on earth it should cost me a single penny.

Update: Yet another week later and I got the bill for
$165 in the mail.  I have composed a letter which I plan to send off the first of the week. Not happy.

UPDATE:
My physiotherapist from the arthritis society called Motion special tie where I bought the chair and the manager said the bill should never have gone out and that there would be no charge.
Two weeks later I got another bill stamped in red "OVERDUE". I called and, again was told that it was an error and to ignore the bill.
I decided to send my letter* to the Canadian rep for Permobil with a cc to Motion Specialties. Heard nothing from Permobil but the owner of Motion Specialties called and old me that after discussing the matter with head office, they wanted my chair for a day to rectify the problem and hopefully prevent it from happening again.
That's been done and I am happy with the solution.

*

August 7, 2014

Re: Permobil C300 chair problem

Alan Boyd

Permobil

I am writing out of concern for an incident which happened to me several weeks ago.

As I was wheeling down one of London’s busier streets during the evening rush hour, I suddenly found myself lying on my back, on the ground in the middle of a busy intersection. Fortunately this occurred on one of those little islands in the middle of the street – a couple of seconds earlier or later and I would have been in real danger of being run over. After a couple of minutes a couple of pedestrians managed to pick me up and I was able to half stand half sit while I balanced the seat on the middle support post which had just snapped off at the base.

I was pretty shaken up by the event but fortunately was able to contact Motion Specialties who came out and picked up the chair and provided me with a loaner so I was able to get home.

Furthermore, I was an emotional wreck for several days after the incident. My nurse arrived shortly after I arrived home and he was quite concerned about my state. Imagine, if you will, me, lying there in the middle of a busy intersection at rush hour unable to move or help myself. I was totally at the mercy of passersby. I was shaking uncontrollably and could barely think straight imagining what my fate might have been had the post snapped in the direct line of traffic.

My concern now is twofold. First of all, if this happened to me, there is a very real possibility of it happening to someone else if it hasn’t already. And perhaps the next person may not be so fortunate, either hitting their head on the pavement or being struck by a vehicle. Secondly, is this going to happen to me again after another two and a half years? I have to admit that this is a real concern and even now when I go over a bump I can’t help but see myself falling again.

And so, my hope in writing this letter is that Permobil will look into this and take the necessary steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

Thank you for hearing me out.

Sincerely,

Bill Birtch

Cc: Dave Farr, Motion Specialties

       Margaret Vaz, Physiotherapist, Arthritis Society

Today, June 29, is World Scleroderma Day, whatever that means. So, my quandary, how to mark this auspicious occasion? Well, my stomach appears to be fairly settled today and coming from someone who has gone weeks without eating, that is no small matter, so I said to myself, I said "Self, why not try a new recipe, something to take advantage of all those beautifully scented herbs in the garden?" And since I have an abundance of sage, and a nice organic chicken breast on hand I googled "sage chicken" and the result was the picture you see before you. The best part was the sage leaves which ended up nice and crispy which, along with the perfectly fried chicken, made for one delicious lunch. Life is good. Happy World Scleroderma Day mes amis.

Mudras

Saw this on facebook the other day. Take a close look at the ALOKE  mudra. Look familiar? It sure did to me. In fact my hands could have been the model for the image - except for the fact that I've had a finger amputated Ü. And so, I now have a new perspective from which to view my hands which are permanently frozen in the ALOKE or LIGHT mudra because I can take comfort in the fact that they symbolize light or a lamp. Taking this one step further, by being locked in this position my hands are sending forth healing light to everyone I meet and even those I don't meet.  From now on, every imd I shake hands with someone I will imagine that I am giving them the gift of healing light.  

Beats my previous association of something dinosaur like - sclerodactyly (almost) rhymes with pterodactyl.

Just call me grandpa

Born June 2, 2014 @ 12:41 pm. William Charles Michael Birtch, 9 lbs. 3 oz., 22". Everyone is doing great.

Happy to say, I was present (in another room) for the birth of my first grandchild. This picture was taken about an hour and a half after he was born. What an amazing experience. Right up there with the birth of my own children. I am one very happy grandfather.

Balcony Garden Update

Click on image for larger version.

Picture taken a week ago. I now have two more 'bag' pots and a couple of regular pots added to the mix. I really am amazed at how well my garden is flourishing. Had enough basil to make a batch of pesto and a head lettuce which I harvested along with some oak leaf lettuce and herbs for my first garden salad. So glad I took this project on as it is giving me so much satisfaction and pleasure. I really had no idea how much I missed gardening.

My herb garden

And the apple tree is thriving, covered in blossoms and leafing out really well.

Update: July first and I harvested my first carrot today. Have also been eating peas for a couple of weeks now.

Update, July 26:

The garden continues to flourish. Have had carrots, beet greens, tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, a pepper, lettuce and plenty of herbs. Yesterday's lunch consisted of a tomato, a cuc, a pepper and some basil - delicious. Added a few crackers and a very mild blue cheese

GI Doctor visit

Just realized that I failed to talk about my most recent GI Doctor visit  of a couple of weeks ago. My major concern going in was my persistent diarrhea. Although it's been better since my experience earlier this year, it still continues to interfere with my ability to get out and with the arrival of spring I really needed to address this problem.

So, the long and the short of it is, since the immodium is not working, I now have a prescription for codeine - 30mg to be taken as needed and repeat after 6 hours if necessary. Of course the down side is that if I overdo it, I'll end up with the opposite problem, constipation. So far it seems to be working. I still get diarrhea,often in the morning but if I take the codeine, it's been working although sometimes requiring the follow up after 6 hours. And because of its pain suppressing capabilities, I have been skipping my NSAID when I take the codeine.

Life is good.

July 26 update:

Still have diarrhea most mornings but after an hour or so of repeated trips to the bathroom, I'm good for the rest of the day. This morning was the first time in months that I haven't had diarrhea. Yesterday I took three 30 mg pills just to see how that would work out. With the prescription, I only have enough for 2/day but there were a couple of days when I only took one so had the extras. sen though I was ok this morning, I took a pill anyway. It's now 10:00 am ad no bm. Wondering how long this will last. Maybe the answer is to take 3 or 4 pills one day and then go wight for a day. Worth a try anyway.
No nausea or vomiting for maybe 3 weeks now. Although I have been eating, I skip a day if I feel the least bit bloated and that seems to help.