Have You Ever Thought of Using a Walker ?
I had never considered using a walker until my surgery in 2015. I was still using oxygen tanks back then, and my surgeon put me on a five-pound weight limit.
I wondered how I was supposed to carry my oxygen everywhere I went while using it. It finally came to me that a wheeled walker with a seat on it would work.
Insurance, recovery, support
I knew my insurance would not cover it unless I had a prescription, so I asked my surgeon, and he agreed that it would be a great idea and wrote one for it. I was soon fitted for a wheeled walker and was sent home the next day.
The walker served its purpose well as I healed from my surgery. It even made me feel more comfortable walking around a little more each day.
I remembered the walker after our next support group meeting. As some of you may remember from my other articles, I am a co-support group leader in my area for Alpha-1.
Being independent
Usually, for our support group meetings, I had the help of my son, Tyler, to help me carry in all the support group meeting information that we brought for everyone.
At this meeting, I didn’t have Tyler with me and wondered how I would carry everything on my own. I could have done it, but I knew how much energy it would take up going back and forth a couple of times, and I needed that energy that day.
It was also quite a walk from the car to our meeting room. I then remembered that I had the wheeled walker in my van, which reminded me of how my grandma used hers. She would carry all kinds of things on her walker or use it to sit and take breaks when needed.
Walker versatility
I never knew how handy that walker would be for me. It helped me so much that day and continues to help me nowadays. Not only did it help me carry things and showed me how much better my breathing was when I could use it to carry my oxygen in places where I had long walks.
I know I’m not alone in knowing how hard it is to walk with the weight of our tanks and our portable oxygen machines. It makes our breathing much more challenging to carry that weight. I also like knowing I have a seat on it if I am walking long distances like a mall, zoo, etc, and need to take a break.
Taking steps with confidence
If you struggle to carry your oxygen, a walker might help. I know I didn’t feel comfortable at first. Here I was, a 45-year-old woman at the time, using a walker, but who cares?
They already stared at me because of the oxygen, but who cares? I am still getting help and still getting some steps in at the same time.
Do you use a walker or anything else to help you? Please share with us in the comments below.
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