I have removed my flip down handles for now, and my smart drive is on the charger, but I am ready to go to the grocery store to get some Rice Krispy cereal, marshmallows, green and black and orange sprinkles and some eyeball sprinkles so my grandchild and I can make some Halloween treats. I am really happy with how everything is fitting me, the cushion is amazing!!! I have not been able to sit this comfortably since my daughter was born 30 years ago! Having the smart drive available to help me extend my range and go distances faster is going to open up my availability to go into the city for appointments, shopping, as well as I can go back to my hometown and visit my friends that I desperately miss! This chair is SO much lighter than my invacare hospital type chair, and it is really nice.

So far we have several things that are configured to be at the maximum of the available range for my chair. I am surprised by that, I am not a tall person, only 5’3”! The backrest is the highest possible point for the chair and the backrest adjustment points. I know the cushion is fairly thick, but I can’t imagine it is excessively thick. The footrest is also at the max length. Now, at this point the footrest is configured a bit too long for me, but it is what I am used to, so I am going to slowly adjust the length of the footrest until it is configured to support my leg properly, but it’s not crazy long and with shoes on it brings my hip and knee and ankle very close to the ideal positioning. They also had some difficulty with trying to get the center of gravity configured, at this point it is set that the front casters have 44.25% of the weight, I have to use my foot to be able to lift the casters. Since I am just coming from a hospital chair, I am okay with that while I am learning to use the smart drive, and deal with ramps and sidewalks and such, but it definitely is something I’m wondering about. I have the “buddy button” I think is what it is called, on a little extender, this lets me rotate is around. There was not a lot of space to place it, so we put it the only real possible place. I have to be careful to have it so it is not up high enough to be hit by the brake lever, and that it is rotated all the way down when I put my leg over so I can access a bag under my seat without my leg hitting the button!

I made a mistake and forgot to get transport fasteners configured on the chair, and they asked me if I wanted a seatbelt and I wasn’t thinking and said “no”. I wish I had gotten those, but it’s too late now. I think that the low backrest would probably not be very helpful if I were in a crash on public transportation anyway, so I will just do what I can for now and hope for the best-those were my mistake and not the store’s. I will remember for next time. The transport fasteners are also something that give some really helpful handholds for loading the chair into a vehicle, so even if not using busses and such, they would be with it for me.

Anyway, this is my first wheelchair, I am beyond excited about how much more of my world and life this chair is going to open up for me. Now th

I introduce to you my new Sunrise Medical Quickie Q700M Sedeo Pro in Candy Blue with tilt, recline, elevation, and the $650 JAY ION Cushion upgrade that I wanted and the guy surprised me with. It has voice activation, which I didn’t know it had, and they didn’t charge me for the recline functionality, so I essentially got a $37,000 chair for $33,541. I also got it in record time, in about 2 weeks from start to finish. I feel beyond blessed and happy, I’m getting freedom again!!

So I had been wanting one of those adorable inflatable T-Rex outfits ever since I saw one online. When my sweetheart said I always wanted one of those, I would wear it I decided to buy each of us one. She stands 5ft 2in tall and is able bodied. When standing I am 6ft 1in. T-Rex stands around 7ft tall. Honestly I didn't expect it to stay inflated while I was seated.

I bought 2 60mm brushless motor ball bearing blower fans to install into the nape of the T-Rex neck. This is about where the back of my head is. They assist the OEM fan in the hip back area. Just the OEM fan alone the suit inflated in about a minute or so.

With the 2 added fans the suit inflates in about 15 seconds and the head does not fall down when I move.

The image is before the addition of the 2 fans. The dual fan set came with a splitter and allows me to now run all 3 on one 10,000mah brick.

To attach the 2 fans I used VHB tape to seal them to the fabric. Then used a Xaxto knife to then cut out the inner circle for air intake and used 3M extreme strength duct tape on the inside to secure the housing better.

If you try to do this or add fans these little fans have delicate wires I taped mine as strain relief first so the wires don't break at the solder point.

I was waiting for a bus the other day and when it stopped, the driver said, "Do you want the runway?" I found it very difficult not to burst out laughing because I had never heard this before.

It just got me thinking what other strange things people say to wheelchair users that I haven't come across.

New chair day! I got the Jazzy Carbon HD. My manual chair got too hard for me to push and I needed more support. So I talked to my doctor and we decided to switch me over to a power chair. I have a tiny car and am unable to buy a new one so I had to go for a lightweight foldable power chair for now- once my car is paid off in 2028 I’ll get a WAV and go through my insurance for a custom power chair.

Any tips for a new power chair user? For the most part I can get the chair in and out of the trunk and fold and unfold it myself- but any tips on making that easier would be so so welcome.

I am mainly a power chair user and am also mostly bedbound. In my country I get both a manual and electric wheelchair as a loan. Unfortunately both were badly fitted, and I can't get a new power wheelchair that would fit me better but because I gained weight my manual wheelchair is definitely too small so the wheelchair technician said I should be able to get a new one. I have severe ME with orthostatic intolerance and hypermobility.

First picture is my manual wheelchair. I have a recline accessory called Kitcool mounted on it (commercial picture in second pic) so I can kinda lie down when not moving and I couldn't use a manual wheelchair without this. I also bought some second hand adjustable angle footrests so I can also have my legs up. Third picture is an active foldable wheelchair the wheelchair technician suggested. I don't know if a fully rigid frame would be even better.

I can propel myself for short distances indoors but rely on people pushing me outdoors or any distance bigger than inside my appartment. I like doing wheelies and enjoy moving around in it but don't have the energy to use it full time. I also noticed pushing myself is not so bad as I only need a couple pushes to the bathroom, but surprisingly it's stopping that hurts my shoulders more than pushing.

I mostly use this chair when I need to be driven somewhere (I don't have my own car) and I can't get a wheelchair taxi for my big power wheelchair. I'm also planning on using it indoors when visiting family where my powerchair is too big for indoors.

If I have the opportunity to get a new chair, I really don't know which way I should be going if I should go for a more active and lightweight one that I might actually be able to use more often, or if I should get a more supportive one. Does anyone have some experience to share?

Advantages of current model:

- supportive back

- adjustable angle footrests (but difficult for me to pull up for transfers, I need someone to help)

- attendant brakes for hills (but they don't work well with the Kitcool)

Things I don't like about it:

- really heavy

- needs to be disassembled in too many parts to be transported and complicated to reassemble (I can't do it myself)

- can't hold my torso up in it (currently have a small chest strap, getting "backpack" type of straps that clip together at the front soon)

- too long and bulky, my toes get caught everywhere (the kitcool adds a long "tail" in the back which doesn't help with being too long)

Things I'm hoping a more active model could have:

- more dump so I'm not falling forward so much

- able to push myself more?

- easier to put in car for transport

- no need to pull up footrests for transfers

I’m new to all of this, I now have severe myalgia and neuropathy in my legs that came on suddenly yesterday.

I obtained my chair today and within the first hour I have already been unable to get into a restaurant that had a door that was too high off the ground for me to get into.

Any tips and tricks or advice on how to not feel so pessimistic about my future in the chair

So I want to state that this is for informational purposes only but my smart drive recently failed, and I was without its assistance for almost a month. I completely lost all power and function. It would not charge. It would not come on. It was essentially dead, even when plugging it in the charger did not recognize it, I was able to get her to replace my board after they decided that they wanted to replace the battery as well as do some other stuff besides actually checking the board go figure they never listen to the customer. They only assume they know it’s right. But anyways, if you’re smart drive is out of warranty and you have these similar symptoms which is a loss of power and no charging capability and no active lights on the outside then here is a possible fix if you open it up and remove the board and look at the back of the board. There is a resistor labeled R 21. This resistor is essentially the wake up for your motor, it’s a wake up for the computer/the brain and determines whether or not it goes into a sleep and charging mode without this resistor it will permanently stay in a sleep, low power mode and not come on. This goes on switch and itself.

No, I insisted that I get my old board back from Norco so that I could figure out why this failed in the first place so after doing my research in my testing, I was able to find out that even though this resistor looked good due to its ceramic nature, it cracked most likely due to some type of moisture getting in between the connection for the throttle buttons and the smart drive unit itself this is pretty easy to test. You simply need a multimeter and test continuity as you can see from the picture. I posted after a 20xmagnifying glass on it. I could see that it is clearly damaged.

My team has finally agreed that the smart drive is completely unsafe for me without the dial, especially as my hands have gotten worse over the past few years.

Smartdrive was the default but there are more options than ever- I want to hear about what's working for you.

I've test driven the M90 and the Power Flex, and I'm also looking at the Aber e-Fix and would love to hear about any joystick options I haven’t mentioned.

Please share:
How reliable it's been, especially past the first year
How it feels on your hands, wrists, and shoulders after a full day
How it handles hills, curb cuts, and uneven ground
How the speed and responsiveness feel in tight spaces and on longer routes
Anything you wish you'd known before you bought it
My RA is progressing, so comfort on my hands and joints matters a lot to me. Thanks in advance for anything you're willing to share, even if it's just one device and one tip.

Has anyone attempted to use an electric snow shovel or, compact electric snow blower to clear sidewalks, ramps or driveways?

I am T10 complete, manual wheelchair user for 20 years. I am looking for any tips or recommendations on which tool would be best.

One concern I had was when a light layer of snow falls, say btwn 1-2” and, it’s wet snow, would a snow blower pick that up?

I would like to avoid rolling through a 1-2” layer of wet snow, making tires tracks that sound then freeze into the slush over night. And then becomes a nightmare to chip away off a wooden ramp/deck.

Any experience that could be shared by anyone who has had experience with this sort of thing would be really appreciated.

Thank you 🙏🏽

I managed to get the rims on, plus inner tube and tyres etc only to realise I had fitted directional tyres on the wheel two different ways.

Should the more recessed side of the axel (left) be on the outer or the shallower side (right) be facing outward?

🎉🎉🎉NOW SOLVED🎉🎉🎉

thank you for your inputs, it was hard to photograph the axel/ detail of the difference. The deeper recess on the axel is the side to attach the push rims on, which means the QRP sits inside the recess, not slightly proud.

My doctor is freshly out of school and isn’t sure where to order a wheelchair. We unfortunately we used a a local medical supply store, but they do not have the custom wheelchairs.
They only order from Drive which only carries the hospital style chairs. She isn’t sure where to direct me to find a custom chair.
I am in the US and out of Virginia, but I can travel to get measured, but I don’t even know where to direct her.

Please help

Have contacted my wheelchair technician waiting on an appointment

but is this a normal amount of play?

Hi all! I'm taking a college tour soon, and have opted in to use of the wheelchair accessible shuttle. Does that refer to anything specific, or do places get to self-describe their vehicles that way? Will I need to know my tie-down points? (I have a vocic u32 off the shelf wheelchair). Basically, if "accessible shuttle" has a standardized definition, what can I expect?

I was thinking about asking my doctor for a hospital bed that Medicare/Medicaid would help with.

I am a power wheelchair user. I use a regular bed with a free standing trapeze rn. I have a history of GERD, fibromyalgia, osteophytes on every disc and joint, messed up neck ...I need to find a solution to waking up every night profusely sweating and feeling like I'm gonna spontaneously combust(it's aggravated with stress and I believe it has to do with bile acid reflux) I think it has to do with the permeability of my gut lining and the resulting acid leakage into the surrounding tissues aggravates the nerves that sends painful signals to my arms, legs, with extensive pain to my neck and shoulder blades! I had to figure this out for myself after years of research and being passed around by the medical community with nothing accomplished except another referral. I was told that I have some "extra" protein floating around but since it's not multiple myeloma, I'm good!!! Uhhh, no I'm not, but hey, we all have mysteries to discover about ourselves, right?

Anyway, I was looking for suggestions about beds that would be cost effective and safe for me, and what do you use for yourselves? Did you get it by way of the medical community or did you find something affordable? What were your needs and how do you get comfortable enough to sleep thru the night?

I want to improve my health, not get worse! I have had home hospital beds in the past but OMG!!! I would not trust my dog to sleep in it! The bed was so high that I needed a step ladder to get into it! The flimsy upper bedrails were useless, and the mattress was like quicksand, lol

The mattress was like sinking deep in mud, no turning, no moving around and God help you if you have to use the bathroom!!!!

Remembering that part gave me anxiety giggling, this is October with all the horror movies that invoke fear and helplessness only there is no blood and violence in this case, just the "sinking" feeling, kinda claustrophobic?

Tell me about your experience with past beds if you like too! What was the last straw that sent you hunting for a better bed?

I’m using a drive sport 2, and even laying flat in bed my hips and lower back are killing me, I can’t breathe. I have FND and I was denied physio therapy. I also have fibromyalgia that isn’t being treated. Anyone else?

I am needing a new seat upholstery for my TiLIte Aero Z. I measured the one I currently have and it is 16.5 in Wide by 14 inches deep. I have been unsuccessful finding anything in half sizes. Does anyone have any advice? I have been trying to do this on my own as the supply companies just want me to order a whole new chair which I do not need currently. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

Hello everyone,

My name is Ramón González. I am a wheelchair user living in Venezuela. As many of you might know, the infrastructure and economic situation here make mobility and public transportation an extreme challenge for disabled individuals.

I refuse to give up. I want to keep working and be productive, but to do so, I urgently need a vehicle that can serve as my primary mobility tool. It will allow me to transport myself safely and carry out my work independently.

A childhood friend of mine who currently lives in Spain is helping me manage a GoFundMe campaign on my behalf, since GoFundMe does not operate directly with Venezuelan banks. The goal is set in Euros because of this.

Since my Reddit account is brand new, I want to respect this community's rules and I am not posting the direct link here. However, if anyone is touched by my story and wishes to see the campaign or help me share it, please let me know in the comments or send me a DM, and I will gladly share it with you.

Thank you so much for reading my story, for your advice, and for any support you can provide. Wishing you all the best.