17/10/2026
Writing
Good morning. This isn't an update on me, I'm sure you're pretty bored of that by now, but a review. 🤣 I've never broken a bone in my life, so this is a new experience. When it's your arm, I guess you can just about cope. When it's your leg, hip or ankle, it's much more complicated, as that balance you've always relied on has suddenly been whipped away from you. If you've followed me for a while, you'll know my balance isn't great anyway, thanks to my spinal stenosis. My left leg is affected more, which is why I have the occasional fall. So losing the use of my right ankle has posed a whole new set of problems. Forget the pain for a moment. How do you cope on your own? Mum had a few things around the house that I could use. We did have her rollator, but I've no idea where that went. I think we've lent it to someone, but I'm not sure. 🤔 So, how was I going to get about? The peeing in a bucket wasn't ideal, and I needed my independence back. I live on my own in this part of the world, so I needed to be able to manage some things myself. Forget standing around or cleaning. I'm talking about the bathroom, showering, washing my hair and all those everyday things you take for granted. So, I started looking at ways to get around. My initial thought was to use a rollator, rest my knee on it or sit down and push myself along. Not bad in a large area, but manoeuvrability was an issue. Then a customer and a friend both mentioned knee scooters. They're slim, a bit like a scooter, and actually quite light and easy to move. Yes, you might have to do a 50-point turn in a small space, but they work! So I ordered one, now called Neil. 🤣 I wasn't keen on spending a lot of money, especially as I didn't have much money to speak of, so I did some investigating and found one on Amazon. I'll add the pictures below. The knee pad, which also acts as a seat, was perhaps set a little too high for my first adventure. The handlebar height was lower, but I felt more stable with everything low down. Now I'm using it more, I could probably raise the handlebars. Neil has a shopping-type bag at the front, which is very useful for carrying my phone, just in case anything happens. My bedroom has carpet, but the rest of the place has wooden or tiled flooring. In my case, the brakes aren't something I'd rely on completely. Perhaps they need adjusting. On carpet, you don't seem to move as much, but I've actually found the hard flooring better because I can swing the back end around quite easily. He fits into my small bathroom with ease. I can reverse out or, if I'm feeling particularly ambitious, turn him around. Not quite a 50-point turn, but my hands can move him around without too much difficulty. Neil has two wider wheels at the front, a footrest, which I currently have on the wrong side, and two wheels at the back that are much closer together. I haven't quite worked out what to do with the footrest yet. 🤔 There were more expensive versions, although I'm not quite sure what the extra benefits would have been. Neil has definitely been worth purchasing. I only found one second-hand one, but obviously I couldn't get there. To be honest, it was £70. Neil cost me £104 all told. I'm not averse to spending that sort of money. I'm a carer and, of course, a volunteer, but I'm so glad I bit the bullet. Highly recommended! Next, it was the loo. Neil got me there safely, but the drop onto the toilet seat is just so low when you're unsteady, let alone when you can't put weight on one leg. I'd seen toilet seat additions, most around four inches high. I wasn't keen on having one, but it was another necessity if I was going to keep my independence. I ordered one with its own seat, six inches high. So much better! I'm only 5ft 3, but this height was perfect. No more sliding down and struggling to get back up. The marble walls have probably heard enough of my adventures already! 🤣 It cost £44, but with the lid on top and the extra height, I felt it was worth it. I didn't want to buy that second-hand. If you can manage a higher seat, I'd recommend it. After all, those extra two inches made all the difference. 😇🤣 Next came shower day. I can't get the cast wet, so I ordered a shower cover for my leg. This was essential. There was no way I was going back to A&E to get the cast changed because I'd managed to soak it! Again, I shopped around, read the reviews, weighed up the pros and cons and looked at the prices. For £8.45, with a good discount from Amazon, I bought a shower boot. It was a bit of a struggle to get on at first because the rubbery material around the top is quite tight. This one was guaranteed not to rip and could be used over and over again. I didn't want to keep throwing them away and buying new ones. The bin bag idea was good, but not perfect. Besides, my affiliation with bin bags isn't a good one if you read yesterday's post! 🤣 For something reusable, I didn't think the price was bad. Once it was on, the material was good, and it kept my leg completely dry. It was a little tight around my thigh, although it didn't let any water in. Perhaps if I'd pulled it down to the top of my cast, just over it, it might not have been so tight. No circulation problems, just a tight fit. It did its job, dried well and wasn't flimsy. A bargain! I already had a shower chair, which is a must if, like me, you have a weak leg or bad hips. I've seen them second-hand. Mine isn't perfect, but it was Mum's, so it's staying. The legs could do with a bit of paint, but I don't have the time or inclination to do that. It would need waterproof paint, something like Hammerite. That's another job for another day, and we all know how those go! 😂 And finally, my last expense was SlimGuy. I've seen these sorts of things in Tesco. I think they're around £15, but SlimGuy was more expensive at £33. However, he offered more stability, was made from a memory-foam-type filling and was washable. Well, the outside was! He has arms that wrap around your sides, pockets in the arms and an attached head pillow if you want it. He's pretty stable, too. Usually, after an hour or so propped up on pillows, I slide down and end up almost horizontal again. Having only one foot to push myself back up isn't ideal, especially when it's the weaker leg. For a last thought, although I'm not going to do anything about it because I'm happy enough, the bed is a little low. Not by much, but getting myself off it and onto Neil takes a bit of effort. I did look around at other online shops, but went back to Amazon. Being a Prime member made the items cheaper, including postage. Now I'm on the hunt for a mobility scooter or electric chair. This will have to be second-hand, depending on what works best with my leg and the rough ground I need to travel over. The tearoom entrance isn't a problem. The ramps we have are spot on, and many of our customers in wheelchairs or scooters manoeuvre around inside perfectly well. It's the stability on grass that I'm concerned about. Hopefully, it won't be too muddy, but who knows what the weather will do between now and December! 🌧️ One of the problems with buying second-hand is the batteries. I do have one of those folding scooters, but I remember that even after we had its folding mechanism fixed, it still played up. Getting that sorted is another option, but I don't know how much it would cost. It was expensive when we bought it for Mum, so I'll have to investigate. So, I'm no specialist by any means, but I've had to think outside the box to stay independent. I've probably done too much, and I know it because my ankle is aching. But now I've mastered so much, there's not quite the same urgency to get everything done at once. One step at a time, or in Neil's case, one wheel at a time! 🤣 Now, if I can just master getting the tearoom open without wearing myself out in the process, we'll be getting somewhere.
See you later. 😊
