Tag: wheelchair

Vision, Wheelchairs and Dog Slings

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

visionMy vision is generally excellent, but I need glasses to read and I have had reading glasses for most of my life. I do not wear or use glasses other than reading or, as now, working on a computer. I recently changed my optician and was tested at the start of the year. Since then hardly a week went by and I was in for repairs to the frame. Sometimes I was holding the lens in place with bits of wire. Finally it was decided to activate my insurance and  provide new frames. I had them for about a week and they broke. No, I do not use them for digging ditches – I  generally take care of my glasses because they are essential to me. After now repairing them twice it was decided that  I should have a completely new frame – different from the one I currently have. I will go back in a week and collect the new glasses and the new frames and see what happens – however, I have already decided that I will go back to my previous optician – never had any problems with frames or lenses.

This is Oscar from New York
This is Oscar from New York

My little man is now getting on for 12 years of age  (we think he may be older) and he is starting to show some weakness in his back legs. He’s not as steady as he was and we have noticed his back legs slipping away from him  at times. I have already ordered a dog sling – like a  baby sling , but for dogs – so that when we go walking and he gets tired, I can lift him up and put him in the sling and  carry on walking and he can still see the world. I will do this for a little while then I  think I will look for a dog wheelchair. I think the wheelchair is a good option because his front legs are still strong. However the wheelchair is the final option. Oscar is different, he cannot use his back legs at all and I would only use the wheelchair for the Little Man when we go out walks, not for all the time use. We have also decided to take the Little Man to the Vet and get an examination and a talk. At the moment he is driving everyone round the twist with his constant barking. At just after 3am this morning he was standing facing a blank wall and just barking. John has suggested that it could well be that his back is causing him problems and this is possible, but, although as I said we have seen that he is not quite as steady as he was, he has no trouble  running around the place in bursts of high activity. I will  see what the vet has to say.

Wheelchairs, native plants and a virus

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs
Samsung the noo 036
Me and my Teddy Bear!

The drive to Adelaide was fine until Port Wakefield then it rained all the way in for the last 150 klms. I had written about our trip and the problems we encountered but somehow or other it just didn’t save, and I don’t know why.  However, that aside, after some delays we brought Alan home and he has now been with us since late Saturday. He is quite frail and since he is on heavy doses of Warfarin ,this means that he has to go for blood tests every few days – something we were not told.  We were also not told that he can barely walk so I have managed to get a wheelchair for a while and that, at least, will allow me to take him out and about without worrying about his stability. However, he is family and he is here and we  will look after him and  try to keep him  as active as we can. I have to take him to the hospital tomorrow and then I am going to take him on a road trip over to the Arid Lands Botanic Gardens. I want some new plants for the new area I have prepared and  we can have lunch – if we get away from the hospital in time.

The eremophila are doing well (I think – well they are still alive) and I want to look at some native bushes. I do not know much about plant names but my Native Plant book calls them – ” Correa Reflexa” – Native Fuchsia / “Pomaderris  Obcordata” /  Wedge – leaved Pomaderris and I will take the book with me. They are Arid – low rainfall plants so they should be available in the Gardens. If they are not, I am certain they will have something similar. I did not get the opportunity to find out since  it has been raining for most of the day. If I had been on my own I would have gone through to the Arid Lands Botanic Garden, but the thought of pushing a wheelchair all the way from the car park to the shop and nursery in the rain did not really appeal to me. And the oddest thing is that the temperature climbed to 40c  in other areas and sparked off several bush fires, one in South Australia and one in Victoria.  After Easter, I will try and organise the trip to the Arid Lands Botanic Garden.

Quick update : I have influenza and  quite painful – but provided I don’t sneeze or cough, or talk too much I am fairly good. It’s sort of like the old comedian joke ” It only hurts when I laugh”. I feel like (and probably look like) an idiot wandering around with one of these medical face masks on and if you should go to my doctor’s surgery, he insists that you wear one – and no, he’s not Japanese. Modern trend I guess.

PS. It’s still raining.