h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

OK it's been quite an eventful weekend and now that my cold is abating I'd better remember to update my journal rather than blurting out off topic waffle in some poor unfortunate thread

Main news is hubby's shiney new wheels...our house now contains 3 wheelchairs, all Quickies (hubby is a brand whore).

Latest is a Quickie Titanium Ti (http://www.epc-wheelchairs.co.uk/wheel/quick_ti.htm this is from the website of the wonderful company that he bought it from...if you are in the UK and looking for a wheelchair I can't recommend them enough) complete with spinergy wheels(http://www.spinergy.com/openingpage.htm ) and some gorgeous looking easigrip handrims (can't find a website for these) and fold down handles to stop "helpful" people from pushing without asking.

It weighs next to nothing and glides like a dream (what you expect me not to have a go?).

Thanks to the NHS who paid up £1200 for part of the price (although no thanks to the NHS for the lack of help paying with the last 2 chairs and who wont pay up again within 5 yrs) and because that still left £1500 to pay our driveway will remain untarmaced...but then I'd rather hubby had a chair he can use and which helps his posture instead of ruining it than a shiney driveway that smells nice in the rain.

Anyhoo - we are putting the old chair in for a service (it's a Quickie Revolution so it folds down...unfortunately that means it also starts to fall apart after too much folding) and once the bank balance is looking a bit healthier we're going to get a powertrike fitted to the oldest chair (a Quickie GPV)...although we're waiting until EPC (the wheelchair shop handily located 2 hours drive away) have finished testing their new and improved powertrike (a powertrike is a powered, removable front wheel that fits onto a normal wheelchair and turns it into a cool 3 wheeler).

So I'm a bit wheelchair obsessed atm I'm sure it will wear off eventually.

I have not heard of the "powertrike"!
OOooo Interesting optionI wonder if I could try that out?
Do they have a website by that name?

I have not heard of the "powertrike"!
OOooo Interesting optionI wonder if I could try that out?
Do they have a website by that name?

Ooops double!

That sounds pretty good. Do you think they would go up incredibly steep tracks?

This is the site for the people who came up with it originally http://www.pdqmobility.com/

However the pdq (the first model) has a few problems - the battery is in a daft place, and the price has doubled (from £1000 to £2000) since it's release because of problems replacing duff parts.

The redesigned version that EPC are working on has the battery stored under the seat so it can use a much bigger battery. It's also a much more stable attachement to the chair, the front wheel is a bit bigger which makes it seem more stable too...plus once they've finished finalising the design it's looking to cost £1000-15000

So far as hills go I think it's probably not bad, I think it might be a case of trial and error though for some hills and starting from stationary on any hill is a bit of a nono...with a bit of momentum I'm sure it could cope with quite a lot.

I think they're a great idea - somewhere between a wheelchair and a mobility scooter which can fit in the boot of a car (which most scooters cant)...plus they look a bit er than the shoprider things. They're legal on the road and the pavement (although obviously the speed should be kept reasonable on the pavement) because they're classed as wheelchairs and bikes. Can't wait till hubby gets one cos then we can go out on bikerides and go to shows/fairs and stuff on less than perfect ground without him having to depend on me to get anywhere.

Wow this invention sounds great to me!
Yippee! I gotta look into this!
Thanks PQ

The house we're moving to has a track down to it that is too steep (at one point) for the camper, so it will have to saty at the top and I will have to zimmer up and down
Summat that will take me up there on bad days, and yet fold up and fit inside, would be a boon! Ta muchly.

hi there.this all sounds very interesting!!!!i am fairly new to the wheelchair thing,and only use it when i go out,but it gives me problems moving myself around as i have neck and arm problems.my lifesaver is a red national health one,but i am soooo pleased to have it,i means i can go out when i feel up to it.i am a bit scared of even thinking about electric one,i arent safe to be let loose amongst the public with anything motorised!chat soon.love salx

hello sal...is that right ur after an electric chair...thats a bit over the top to perm ur hair aint it he,he,he jim xxx

Wheelchairs are fantastic things (I'm turning into a bit of a wheelchair ) there are so many different types and features it's an endless subject.

Plus once you've got past the initial resistance that some people have they're incredibly empowering (Hubby ran over *both* of one man's feet in London one time and the man apologised to him)...instead of being a *normal* person who doesn't walk right suddenly you're this being to be feared (knives on wheels add to this effect).

I'm glad your chair is improving your life Sal but I have to admit I read "red national health one" and shuddered...have you had a go in a lightweigth (and I mean proper lightweight not the "super deluxe lightweight" ones they sell in the back of catalogues - I can lift hubby's new chair with one hand). The weight of a chair can make a huge difference to the maneuverability - hubby's used to struggling to open some doors and move himself and the chair through - suddenly the chair weighs nothing and he's flying through doors.

It might be worth having a nag at your GP/physio/consultant etc etc to get a referral to your local wheelchair clinic, they are supposed to provide you either with a suitable chair (including an electric one if that is what you need) or with a voucher equivalent to the monitary cost of the chair. Thats why hubby had £1200 paid for by the NHS (he was classed as needing a lightweight manual chair - £1000 + £200 for maintenance for 5 yrs) and even the chair he could have got through the clinic beats those clunky old aluminium things that the NHS dole out (and that are available at supermarkets & garden centres). They are supposed to meet your *needs* not just fob you off with something that does half the job, if you have arm problems then they should seriously consider an electric chair or an adapted pushing mechanism.

Sorry - turned into a bit of a rant - it just annoys me that it's taken hubby 10 years to get the NHS to contribute towards his wheelchair costs...noone mentioned the wheelchair clinic when he was first diagnosed, we had to find out for ourselves and then nag and moan until he got a referral (and even then they where trying to refuse to deal with EPC (who know their wheelchairs) and make us use a local company (who hadn't even *heard* of Quickie (the largest whelchair manufacturers)))

*grumble grumble moan moan*

sorry about the rant...I just can't resist

I really need to get round to replacing A206452 with something more informative

thanks for the info.i never thought past been able to get around.it can be a problem sometimes,we arent getting any younger,and my hubby has to push me around,even up slopes,which can be a problem.i am going to lookinto it i think,and see if i can get more info about electric chairs.love salx

HIYA JIM.hope youre all okay love.what a thing to say.....especially today!!(only joking).the hairdresser came yesterday,and my haor wanted trimming.....it isnt long enough to perm,even by electric chair method...i'm almost bloomin bald!!!!!nice to see you on here jim,havent e-mailed you,my main addy is down,and it has all my addresses on,so i'm today!!is the footie doing well??hope so.take care,lookforward to chatting soon.love sal

Asda are !

They have those awful green wheelchairs that all the others have, but they also have electric scooters with big baskets on the front. They're marvellous - you can actually manage to get round the whole store and do lashings of shopping without collapsing in a little heap.
I'll not hear another word against Asda. Not that I LIKE shopping, or anything like that, but you know what it's like when you send your husband unsupervised

hi sal were all fine here..bet u still look lovely even though ur allmost bald...only 2 more games & then thats an end to the footie season..dont know what i`ll do with myself for the next 3mths...hope u get ur email sorted soon
love Jim xxx

I want an electric one!
Mostly for the independance of movement. I cannot wheel myself. My hubby is a bit lacking in hearing and it is impossible to talk and walk at the same time. We have always been independant and not clingy & not always wanting to go look in the same direction. He forgets to secure me and I go free wheeling far too often So far no damages

A lightweight electric model sounds wonderful. If I wanted to go with friends I need a lighter one they can handle

Hey you ever thought about selling chairs?
I keep checking back here rather than going to a commercial site yet. I appreciate the education

hin smudger,i have briught this thread back up fr you,i hope it gives you some badly needed info.i know there is lot to read,but pencil queen will be able to give you information that you want,she is very good aboutthis subject .salxxx

Thank you. You brought it up for me too

Must make a note of that website for my district nurse (she's looking into the possibility of getting me a wheelchair or a scooter )

hehehe my husband's a bit lacking in hearing too abbi. AND very tall. Doesn't work does it? "I SAID LET'S GET OUT OF HERE QUICKLY BEFORE THEY NOTICE US"...

Asda have some marvellous new scooters that are much faster than the old ones but you still can't get anywhere very fast unless you're willing to bowl people over, or ram their trolleys. Hmmm....

http://www.epc-wheelchairs.co.uk/cycle/epc.htm