The Joys of a Forearm Crutch

When I was diagnosed with MS 6+ years ago I was walking with a skip to my gait. Within a year my neurologist suggested I get a walker!

Now, I have always associated walkers with "older" folks who had broken a hip, had a stroke or maybe had some type of another illness that only the "elderly" get. Was I serious? You betcha! I was totally oblivious to the obvious - my own Impending Dotage or that I had a serious, Degenerative Illness.

Sooo, we went walker shopping. I liked the idea of a rollator and for a while I did fine with it. I probably used it for a two years. However, then I started to notice that I would grow weary easily and my arms were particularly susceptible to being tired. It was as if I could not hold myself up.

My neurologist then suggest that maybe I was ready for a wheelchair to be used in those occasions that I was too fatigued to walk or we would be walking for a great distance.

Since I was still walking somewhat, we got a transporter chair. That is a very lightweight chair. Mine weighs all of sixteen pounds and it has no large wheels like self propelled wheelchairs.

You are always pushed or I guess you can scoot your feet along and thereby move yourself along. I was not impressed about being pushed everywhere and scooting myself was not appealing either and very wearing.

I got myself a small scooter and my husband put a ramp on the house and golly! I could go a couple of miles and back by myself. So there!

This worked fine until last year. I started to find it difficult to walk even in familiar situations. I used a cane to get around and then this winter I finally bought a pair of forearm crutches. I had read quite a bit about these crutches before I bought them. There are many folks, of all ages and with all sorts of illnesses, who swear by them.

I only use one, on my weak left side. I drag my left foot. Wow! what a difference! I now can go to restaurants and actually walk in the door!

I have only one problem with them. My husband, always the gentleman, wants to help me by holding my right arm and helping me along... Oh! sometime I am going to have to muster all of the graciousness I can and ask him to please not help me.

By having someone trying to guide you simply does not work. For one thing, your gaits don't even come close to being in step and that causes not only anxiety but miss-steps. Besides that, most people can balance better without having one arm controlled by someone else.

I love you, sweetie, just let me learn to walk by myself as we did when our children were learning the same lessons.