wheel chair / stick

[sarah-d]

sorry me again can i ask those of you who are in wheelchairs or use a stick

1. do you have any other illness

2. did you start with just pain and get worse resulting in wheelchair or stick or did you start in one /using one

[Lucyw]

I have FMS also a bowel condition and I'm thinking about wheelchair but finding it all too daunting! I use a walking stick already but finding walking so difficult and painful

[Hidden]

hi sarah-

i have m e fibro, cyst on my kidneys, disc bulg plus many other things.

but my started with fibro which got real bad i could hardly wolk and my feet felt so [painful and my calf muscle where painful too, i felt it difficult to lift my feet up when i walk,

i would drag them as i was a 90 year old women....

in the end i had to give up work and then i was told that i have m e as well...

i do use my wheelchair if me and my fella want to go out for a walk as i just can not do the distance any more just manage to doa few steps and that is me done for the rest of the day...

[Twiglet]

I have a stick but only use it on the days my pain is all in my legs. On better days I manage with out, just cant walk far . I have one of those folding sticks I keep it in my bag just in case Im ok when I go out but need it to get home.

[Twiglet]

PS. as far as I know I only have FMS and CFS. X

[Hidden]

man just seen what i have put and the spelling is crap..... sorry sarah

[sarah-d in reply to Hidden]

thats fine mine same some times

[Ebony]

I use a stick all the time and I also have a motorised scooter. I have FMS, ME, arthritis, IBS. As time goes by I am finding it much harder to walk, very tiring and painful. I can still drive my car which is a motability car.

[sarah-d]

im just trying to work out if im better with a stick or if im just going over the top i had a fall at work out of the blue the doc said it was my fibro causing it so told me to use a stick till i felt safe but i dont know when it will happen so im always feeling unsafe i do get days where me legs hurt that much i dont want to walk but need to will it get worse will i fall more?????????????

[jayjay]

Hi i have fm but also copd, which was diagnosed first and through tests that were done for that i was told 3 months later that i have fm after years of pain throughout my body,i also suffer with ibs, depression,anxiety and panic attacks,asthma, theres a long list of things i suffer with,but i started with a stick,and i have been in a wheelchair now for 3an half 4 yrs, but i had no choice,joints were giveing away and very painfull to walk xx

[Hidden]

I have Fibro, ME/CFS, no other conditions. I bought a walking stick at the beginning because i was hobbling along and my balance wasn't good. I put it away two years ago and haven't used it since. I prefer to walk unaided when i can and if i feel a bit wobbly i tend not to walk outside. Having said that it's always best to use a walking stick or a wheelchair if you feel you need it to avoid the risk of a fall and injury. We have enough health complaints without falling over when it can be avoided.

[Hidden]

Hi i have got fibro and carpal tunnel and ibs and i have got a fold up stick that i keep in my bag it was off e bay bou £5 and it is handy i do use it at times so jus get one and see how you go love to you diddle x

[retiredpharm]

I use a stick if I really have to go out when I am struggling to walk and I keep a folding stick in the car.

I also have IBS and osteoarthritis in my hips and lower spine, they are the only bits of me to be xrayed.

I have just learnt that I have had two blood tests showing high PSA so for my sins I will be off to see a friendly urologist - I really don't feel up to being poked and prodded about down there, I did all that once before some 16yrs ago

[Elsbeth]

I have FM, MS and OA.

I started off with just a stick when I felt a bit wobbly, now I use it pretty much all the time. I also have an electric wheelchair which I use when I am really bad.

[manga666]

I have used a stick/crutch of many years and being only 45 now I still get asked what I have done to myself and people don't understand its a full time partner. I started with 1 stick 15 years ago and have to use crutches now as I can't cope with just a stick. I have found it is a slow progression to the 2 stick then 2 crutches. I also suffer from osteoarthritis and osteoporosis with the addition of Menieres syndrome, which makes me permanently dizzy without my sticks/ crutches I wouldn't be able to go out anywhere.

[Butterfly54]

Hi I`m just starting to get used to having to walk with a stick.I asked my g.p if I should or would it make me lazy and she no use it for safety.

So I have a fold up stick a kind friend gave me.

Hugs xxx

[Gracie59]

I was given 2 sticks when I developed osteoarthritis in both knees. This put such a strain on my hands that I ended up with carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands - and had to have surgery. It's really annoying when you don't have a spare hand, so if I'm not going too far, I'll just use the one stick. I also have a shopping trolley which means I can sometimes do away with sticks and lean on that instead. And it frees up my hands for reaching for my purse etc on my short shopping tips. It seems daft to take it just to buy a greetings card, but my sticks have a life of their own and end up falling on the floor whenever I have to prop them up somewhere.

[Belle67]

I have FM & CFS plus i suffer with acute depression and i have problems with my kneecaps.

I started with a stick and progressed to crutches as my FM got worse. I use a zimmer in the house and a wheelchair outside of home. I never imagined this would be my life at 44 but at least this way i have some quality of life

[Sarah-Jane]

I use a wheelchair as if I did not I could not manage to shop and I love doing that! I also have osteoarthritis but which is causing the pain in my hips has not been clarified yet. I use a stick when my hips are bad and if a wheelchair is not possible.

[taff461]

i fought against using a stick then 2 sticks now i have to use them just to get around the house or on a good day from the car to a shop i park outside on bad days i use my wheelchair but im now looking into an electric one anything to maintain as much independence as poss i started with ibs then a lung infection which is now copd then the fibro kicked in along with ms me bruxism and a few others just to be kind. but my point to you is if a stick is going to give you the confidence and support to be mobile and independent then use it. pride doesn't keep you mobile it puts you on your back best wishes and soft hugs xx

[cabbage]

i use a crutch i use one coz i refuse to give in n i live alone n have to drag trolley

the one alone is huge relief

[amanda38]

i have fms,cfs,ibs,severe depression & asthma 2 yrs ago i had to start using a cruch to walk because hip & knee kept giving way legs unbalanced & wobbly ! i have found the right side has got worse using the crutch and feel i need to use a wheelchair now but how do i go about getting one ? on benefits and dont have any savings i am able to drive & have a mobility car but sometimes i cant drive i dont know if i should be in a wheelchair or carry on using 2 crutches instead of one ??? amanda xx