posted on October 30, 2001 06:53:58 AM
Over the weekend I was involved in a horse accident, with the result being confined to a wheelchair for a couple of weeks. How do you guys that are handicapped do it!!!! At first I thought it wouldn't be a major problem--just wheel here and there--but everything's in the way--the door frames are too narrow--stuff falls on the floor all the time or is too high to reach--etc. What used to take me 5 minutes now takes half an hour, and I have to call in the reinforcements for packaging. Any tips? My sales are finally coming back up and I hate to miss out on the Christmas season, but after I take my pain pills etc. it's a heck of a lot easier just to nod off on the couch. My husband's a great help, but he's off to work all day and when he gets home at night it's a struggle to get through dinner, let alone "honey, can you photograph these 5 items and place them just so and don't forget to photograph the backs of them and I need that figurine that's in the bottom of the third box on the left, or maybe the right, and by the way please dump in a load of laundry on your way by...." I really admire those of you who do this job from a wheelchair. It sounds like the perfect job for a handicapped individual (on paper) but real life is something else!
posted on October 30, 2001 07:27:05 AM
Joyce-I am sorry to hear about your accident, but no one knows when things like this happen. I hope you have a speedy recovery. Maybe there is an ebayer around your area that could help you, or at least someone familiar with it. Now, I don't want to offer services of someone else but if you live in S.E.Wisconsin I could give you a hand.
posted on October 30, 2001 07:40:14 AM
Hi,
I might be able to give you some advice. I spend a majority of the time in a wheelchair and I know how it can become extremly frustrating especially taking packages to the post office. One thing that really annoys me is the dirty looks I get when I park in disable parking I'm rather young and the older people just think I'm doing it to get closed to the day, but that's a whole other story, But for doing packages carry them in a bag and put them on the footpedals, or in a bag on the handles, this actually comes in handy most of the time I just bring my other half and make him carry everything! Also start keeping your items at your height this will make it alot easier then trying to reach up a grab them. Just get your husband to spend a little time arranging the stuff at your level so then you won't have to ask him anymore. Theres alot of tricks you need to learn to make it alot easier being in a wheelchair it takes time and patience because its not easy as everyone thinks it is. Your arms become your legs and it doubles the work. Just imagine you don't have to stay in it forever and that should be your motivation thats its not so bad. Also if you need some help figuring out house chores and such I can give you some handy ways that make it easier for you if you have to be confined to it for a while.
Don't you know you are supposed to stay ON the horse? Having hit the ground on more than one occasion & having had my daughter recently knocked unconscious in a fall from her horse, I can certainly understand your pain & frustration. Hope you recover fast.
In the meanwhile, beg or borrow as many card tables or long low conference style tables as you can. Have someone help set everything up for you on there & keep as much stuff as you can at chair level.
Have someone whip up some velcro attachable bags you can attach to the chair to keep stuff from falling to the ground. Even an old fashioned shoe hanging bag can be adapted & afterward it makes a handy storage cubby for ebay stuff.
Doors & stairs..well, I don't know if perhaps there might be a "slimmer" wheelchair out there you could use. Some of those hospital types are pretty bulky.
As for the exhaustion, listen to your body. It's had a bit of a shake & needs some time to regroup. Sleep & rest will give your body time to heal on its own. Set reasonable limits on how long each day you'll work & try expanding that limit by a bit each day.
Good luck and hope you'll be back in the saddle again!
posted on October 30, 2001 09:19:20 AM
I have had problems with my legs in the past. I begged to go to a wheelchair, but my doctor said no (hoping it was a temporary condition, which it was, but in the meantime I was in so much pain and could barely walk)
Ebay was my only source of income, and I didn't have insurance, so I also had to make enough to pay medical bills.
I found that sitting in front of a bed and having all my mailing supplies on the bed was the answer to packing. Worked like a charm! Of course, now I look back and see how much extra time it took and wonder how I did it, but at the time it was all I could do.
posted on October 30, 2001 12:24:08 PM
I've been eBaying from a wheelchair for over a year now, due to a fall in the shower that messed up the ligaments in my knee. I've got a knee brace and can walk a few steps at a time (using a cane) but 99% of the time, I'm in either my wheelchair or my office chair.
At first, I had a hard time getting used to it. Like you, everything was out of reach, and I had to have help doing almost everything. Hubby was great about it, and I know he didn't mind helping me, but I felt bad about having to ask for help every few minutes. It was frustrating!
So we sat down and planned my home office so that everything would be within reach. We got some inexpensive folding tables at Office Depot, and basically made a "U" shape around the whole room. Everything is low so I can reach it, and bulky things like bubble wrap and boxes are kept in the closet where I can still get to them, but they're out of the way of my chair. I try to keep my eBay stuff confined to one room -- that way I'm not having to move from room to room constantly.
You can also get a "grabber" (a pole with a "hand" on it) that you can use to reach items at a distance, and pick them up. I didn't get one, but there are times I wish I did! I find it hard to get the last few articles of clothing out of the washer and dryer -- I can't reach them! (Dang socks!) LOL!
As far as moving around in the wheelchair, I was very uncoordinated at first, and pretty much demolished the door frames in my home office and in the bedroom. Once you get used to it after a few days, you'll be a better "driver" and won't bump into things so much.
On post office trips, hubby takes care of that before he goes to work. Our front porch steps are very steep and whoever built them made the steps different sizes, and even though I can (now) get down them with assistance, it's impossible to get down to the car by myself. I mail everything I can from my mailbox, but some packages do have to go to the post office. In fact, just last night I signed up for a UPS daily pick-up account so hopefully that will cut down on some of the post office trips. The post office will also pick up packages (for a fee), but I'm not sure if they can handle insurance and international packages that way.
For laundry, it helps if you get one of those laundry bags that hang on a doorknob. Those are easier to deal with as compared to a hamper or laundry basket. A table placed near the washer & dryer helps too (good place to fold clothes!). Oh, and those plastic Walmart bags work great for toting stuff around the house -- you can only carry so much and roll yourself too!
I still get hubby to clean the toilets, though.
(edited to add: )
I found it easier to switch to my office chair when working. It's just a standard chair -- has wheels and armrests. I "park" the wheelchair in the doorway in my office, and the office chair is sitting right there. I just stand up, turn around, and sit down in the other chair. It's easier to work from a regular chair than a wheelchair. Just be sure to hang onto the armrests when you're sitting down so the chair doesn't roll out from under you!
posted on October 30, 2001 02:51:50 PM
Thanks for your suggestions! I find my frustration level is a lot worse than it used to be as the accident + the maneuverability + the medication + the fact that I've discovered that my teenage son would rather DIE than VACUUM is not helping my disposition any. Today I got 7 checks in the mail--good for my bank account, but my first reaction was "how in the world am I going to package all that up before tomorrow????" I know I need to take one thing at a time but it all seems to pile up on me so fast--didn't I just borrow my sister yesterday to wrap and mail packages(including a 12 piece tea set to England!) yesterday? I think she's going to stop answering her phone! sigh sigh sigh
Eventer: Yes, the object is to stay ON the horse, but it was a raging black stallion with hooves of steel, snorting fire as he pawed at the frosty air after being startled by a monsterous grizzly bear.....--well, at least it sounds better than "I fell off of a brown horse."
Of course, now I look back and see how much extra time it took and wonder how I did it, but at the time it was all I could do.
