Hi all,

Well, it looks like I'm going to be in an electric wheelchair for the
foreseeable future. Both my feet have multiple fractures as well as my
spine (including a collapsed vertebra). This is beyond the
osteonecrosis. We've stopped looking for new fractures because getting
up off the MRI table after the scan of one of my feet resulted in a
further spinal fracture (we will probably have to scan one of my hands,
though). The treatment of choice isn't available due to it's
nephrotoxicity (and my kidneys are already suffering long term stress
from treatment for tha aplastic anaemia) as well as concerns about
furthering the osteonecrosis (though this can be minimised by a slower
infusion, further kidney damage could drastically reduce my transplant
survivability).

Now I have to decide which type of electric wheelchair I'll be going in.
I'll definitely need it outside the house (I can't even operate a
regular wheelchair anymore) but in the weeks since we found all these
fractures it seems I've gotten about 4 more due to shuffling around the
house on crutches, so it looks like I'll need to use it at home as well.
I can't even get into the different university buildings on my crutches
anymore (not that these buildings are disabled friendly in the first
place).

I'm looking at the different shoprider models. The first few are small
and have limited charge (~1 of constant use) and I'm not too keen on
these and having to try and charge them everywhere I go. They also have
low seat backs, and this irritates my spainal damge. However, they are
small and get into tighter spaces and turns better.

The next model I'm looking at is a mid-wheel drive one that weighs about
190 pounds. It's a big chair, but not a full size electric wheelchair.
It has a great turn radius: it turns around its axis! The charge also
lasts for several hours. However, if I ever need to go across grass,
such as when they're doing work on campus and they've dug up the
footpath for an area and students have to walk around it, I'd be worried
that the chair might get stuck. We're enquiring further about this.

The final model is wider than this one and about the same weight. It's
got inflatable wheels so it does have limited off-path capability.
However, it's not truly a mid-wheel drive model, and that combined with
it being wider has me a bit concerned as our home isn't very large, and
neither are a lot of campus areas.

If we don't get the grant money we're applying for I'll have to default
to a small portable scooter. These are not ideal: they're harder to
control as precisely as I want, harder to fit into tight spaces and turn
around, the backs are small and irritate my spinal damage, and with
probably fractures in my hands, including one thumb, I'm worried about
continuously having to press the accelerator with that cracked thumb.
However, these small little scooters have good range and are THOUSANDS
of dollars less expensive than the chairs. I simply feel like more of a
person in the chair (I can turn easilly to face people I'm talking to or
to see things), it's much easier to use, and most of them support my
spine much better.

Does anyone have any words of advice regarding small to mid size
electric wheelchairs?

What about self-deployment of these? We cannot afford a van or a full
size four wheel drive. We're looking now at a used Honda CRV as this has
a 90cm height for the rear door entry. Other SUVs aren't any better in
trunk (or boot as we say here in Australia) height than a station wagon.
90cm is the minimum height we'd need for the wheelchair and deployment
arm. A ramp is not something that I can safely use nor is it practical
for parallel parking when I attend important doctors appointments. I
need to be able to deploy the chair (or scooter) on my own. Station
wagons might suit for a scooter, but only if I use the deployment arm to
remove the seat and store that in the vehicle first followed by using
the deployment arm to lift up the scooter and put that into the vehicle.
This is quite time consuming, but there's a $10,000AUD difference in
price between the various wagons and the Honda CRV!

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Cheers,

Ari