Get Around, Get Around

I Don't Get Around

At least not much anymore. Old age, diabetic neuropathy, and myofascial pain have made getting around so awkward that I've limited the places I try to go. (Herewith begins a whine about health conditions, so you might want to stop reading now.)

After a year or so of having temporary handicapped hang-tags because I kept thinking things would get better, I now have a 5-year handicapped hang-tag. Things aren't going to get better. The leg pains are here to stay, along with occasional leg-swelling. Plus the weakness and fatigue.

I have to use a handicapped cart when I shop, but a lot of stores aren't handicapped friendly. Here are some pictures I took several weeks at a Kroger where I shop each "Senior Citizens" day. I took all the pictures while sitting in the handicapped cart.

Some aisles are blocked so I can't maneuver through them. While I can get past the two shopping carts below, those two big carts at the end of the aisle are a challenge.

In the picture below, you can see the edge of my cart as I tried unsuccessfully to make a too-narrow turn.

I barely squeezed through the space below.

Not all stores offer handicapped carts. I rarely shop at those stores unless they're small and offer a place to sit.

At home I keep a walker handy. Fortunately, I only use it a few times a week—mainly to help me steady myself when I get out of bed. One in a while, I'll use it to get me down the long hall from bedroom to kitchen.

I use the rollator every day, though. A rollator is kind of a souped-up walker with a seat. It's higher than a chair, so it's handy to sit in when I cook. Every morning, I scramble the eggs while sitting in the rollator. It's also handy for getting laundry from the dryer to the basket. 

I've taken the rollator out in public a few times when I thought I might have to stand for too long. Luckily it's lightweight and folds up to fit in the backseat. I can't stand up for more than a few minutes, which isn't a problem at home because I have plenty of places inside and out where I can sit. But it's a big problem out in the world where I'm afraid of falling and breaking a hip. (Both my mother and grandmother were victims of broken hips, so I come by this fear honest).

For going out in the yard, I couldn't do without my golf cart, which I keep in the garage close to the kitchen door. I blogged about getting it here. I've even taken it to the farm for a ride around.

I use the golf cart to feed the barn cats and horse twice a day. But for serious outdoor mobility, I use the Polaris 500 ATV, which we've owned for several years. The Polaris is the way I get around fast outdoors. I've blogged about taking it to the farm here and, a few years ago when I didn't depend on it so much, my border collie blogged about it here.

So,  I guess I still get around—just not as far or as fast or for as long as I used to be able to do. I just need a little help from several devices.

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