AIBU to want to buy a mobility scooter?

[mrshess]

Long story short i have very painful psorisis arthiritis in my feet making it very hard to walk. I am very, very overweight but this isnt the cause of my arthiritis (although it doesnt help i know)
I find it very hard to walk short distances and was considering getting a scooter but husband says people will give me grief as im so overweight and presume im using because im lazy.
I must admit i would dread going to the school gates picking up my son on one (although he would love it) as people would be staring but im running out of options as i cant stand for long

I have a disability and sometimes if im in a big shopping centre or on a day out to the zoo or something i will Hire one , but i do walk most of the time I know it can be painful but i do think its best to try and stay as mobile as possible ,but YANBU if you are finding walking and standing really difficult , I know it cant be easy if you cant loose weight , I would go to your Dr and ask for advice on a scooter ,

Mrs Hess, I feel for you, and I can see the temptation. It's horrible feeling housebound - so very demoralising. It's a viscious circle too - the less you do the more miserable and unsociable you get, so you go out even less and lose that bit more fitness, and so on and so on.

I've recently been through a patch of giving up on walking anywhere, but got headed off at the pass by a surgeon who very kindly told me to do pilates seriously and properly for three months before looking at the problem again. It took me a few days to come to terms with the notion that it might be in my own power to fix things, but I made a choice to do as I was told!

Long story short, I got a well qualified pilates teacher to come to my home - no more excuse of not being able to get to class, and the cost alone means I have to take it seriously. A friend then set me up a reward chart for doing my exercises - I get smiley face stickers, and my reward when I've done enough sessions is a G&T in the afternoon at a posh hotel. Motivation!

Things are improving dramatically for me now. I accept now that there was a significant psychological component to how much pain I was feeling - I had become very very low about not being able to walk, and found it awfully hard to suspend my disbelief and actually do the excercises. Now that I'm in the habit I realise that I do feel better on the days when I have stretched and so on.

Can you find some way of figuring out what will motivate you enough to rally your resources one more time? For me it was the one-to-one help with the excercise, and a G&T with a mate. I hope you figure something out to make it easier to get there. Good luck.

I think there is nothing wrong with using one if you know you are going to be committed to exercising/doing physio to keep mobile and lose weight.

But as someone who uses one I would say the comments and looks you get are hard. (I'm 30) I sometimes find it unbearable and I can only imagine if you feel self-conscious about people thinking you are using it because of your weight is going to make it harder. That shouldn't stop you, after all what matters is that right now you are in pain, but you do need to come up with things to say in advance. To other people but to yourself too, when for the millionth time someone has laughed or stopped you to ask what's wrong or stared rudely or just whispered really loudly in front of you as if you're deaf.

Please don't feel you can't lose weight if you're not exercising. It does help but initially diet will absolutely be the best thing to get weight off until you are at a level where you can start to take exercise with less pain.

It's sad you are so young and think you need a mobility scooter. It sounds like you aren't getting all the support you need for your condition.

If it gives you independence then go for it. I used mine to enable me to stay at work (I have hip and pelvic problems) I first used it at 30 and it was such a psychological issue to admit I couldn't get by without it.

Yes people stare but they stare at me when I use my sticks. We used to have a crowd of gawpers wherever we went. Me using the mobility scooter with DD1 on my knee in her hip spica and DS with both legs in below the knee walking casts. DH used to say he got looks as if he'd been beating us all up. The best bit was parking in a blue badge space DH putting the badge on and jumping all sprightly out of the car to dirty looks all round and then the rest of us all being assisted out of our seats and the dirty looks melting away. [Smile]

Would you be able to use it for longer outings, in order to conserve your strength somewhat so that you could focus on doing some gentle exercising at home as well? That way you're not INCREASING your pain or problem, however, it's aiding you in getting beneficial exercise rather than painful exercise, which would aid in losing weight as well as building up muscle.

Just a thought.

Trying to lose weight when you have mobility problems is hard but not impossible.

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and I found myself overweight thanks to massive doses of steroids and being bed bound for several months. I'm on Slimming World and have lost half a stone since mid January despite very limited mobility. It's a tricky one because it is important to keep moving your joints moving but what can you do when you're in so much pain, you have to go down the stairs on your bottom because your feet hurt so much?

I've had people say to me that using mobility aids sometimes will mean I'm less likely to use my joints and they'll stiffen up too much. However, my opinion is that aids such as scooters can give you independence. It's easy to look on the outside in and say what you know is the right thing but it's a lot harder when you're the one physically struggling. If the scooter will make your life more bearable, go for it but don't forget the weight loss will help. Every pound off is a pound less for your poor arthritic feet to carry.

I have a mobility scooter (severe spd) and it's wonderful. Why not use one to get yourself to a swimming pool each day? That way you have the freedom and the exercise!

The best exercise is swimming. No weight on the joints and, yes, you can sweat it. :)

If you haven't tried steroid injections, I would highly recommend them. No, they aren't pleasant, but I had a course last year for my back (after an operation) and the reduction in discomfort has been remarkable. I also have MS and am not that mobile myself, so I know how you feel, being frustrated not being able to walk like you used to and so on. We recently had a holiday abroad and did much more walking than I usually do and although I managed it, it wore me out and made me very uncomfortable and I wished I had rented a scooter - it would have made things so much easier. If it makes you feel better and eases your discomfort, then go and buy a scooter. It's nobody else's business and you shouldn't feel uncomfortable about going to the school in it. If anyone says anything, just tell them to mind their own business - you know your condition, you know your own body and it's what suits you that matters. Good luck!

I understand your dilemma. Maybe you can find a balance? One option would be to get a mobility scooter for day to day activities and only stand once a day when your child needs to be picked up from school. That way you can be more comfortable and not feel embarrassed when you are in front of others.

Sposh was that necessary? really?

how about getting a trike instead?

sposh tell you what - you get dropped kerbs put in all roads and I'll stop riding my mobility scooter down your road
wurzels ignorant gits! Tell them to grow up and get some manners

A friend of mine has has psorisis arthiritis since 14 or so... I really feel for you, OP. Would it be possible to rent one durring your flare-ups, so you aren't tempted to use it when you're doing better? Othewise, I seccond the idea of a trike (if you can afford it), or bikes for your and your son :-)

Rosemary Conley Ultimate Whole Body Workout DVD includes a routine carried out whilst seated, it's not bad and would allow you to exercise without causing pain in your feet.

I'd discuss the idea with your physio, they can devise an exercise programme for weight loss that accommodates your limitations, and how to prevent using the scooter causing secondary problems for your health.