5 replies to this topic

[weedave82]

Thanks for reading......
So my friend has now been discharged from the glasgow SCI unit, and i now have a few worries about his ongoing therapys. There is a great phsyo unit in aberdeen but he has been put on a waiting list that will take six weeks, surely he could have been put on this list while in the hospital. Six weeks seems a very long time and i wory all the good work he did in hospital will be for nothing as is muscles will waste away while the long wait, another worry is his wheelchair is too small for him, he is 6ft 9, we went to the shop about 300 yards from his new flat and he nearly came out his chair numerous times again he is waiting for his own specific chair to arrive, till then he cant leave his house, is there any execsise equipment i can get for him. Am i right to be angry at the logistics of his discharge i cant imagine someone who broke there leg being released without proper crutches, never mind someone with a SCI.

Thanks again for reading and all responses are appretiated

[Tetracyclone]

you are right to be outraged.

[wheeliebear75]

I'm guessing the wheelchair that was ordered for your friend was custom fitted for HIS measurements & it is quite a bit different from ordering a pair of crutches. Yes these things should have been started while he was still in hospital & if it wasn't then you both have every right to be outraged.....if the hospital did everything they should (not sure how things work where you live) then I don't know what to tell ya. Being that he is so tall it makes it so that the "one size fits all" is more of a "one size fits most" & that is probably why is falling out. The progress he made while in hospital doesn't have to be lost....if he keeps up his daily PT routine then he shouldn't loose too much if any ground.

Even living in the U.S. & having full medical coverage, I still had to wait almost 2 months after I came home about 6wks or so & it was just the paperwork going back & forth that made it take so long....& it's not all that uncommon of an occurrence unfortunately.

[Rune Rider]

Hi There,

Thanks for the post. I'm sorry to here about your mates problems, but I wonder how the SIU let him away with a chair that is too small for him. Did they need to discharge him early? What makes you think his chair is too small? Could be that he hasn't honed his wheelchair skills yet, after all wheeling around in the unit or Braehead shopping centre isn't the same as in everyday life in the Granite City.

As for the physio six weeks won't do any harm and he'll find that just getting around and getting to grips with life outside the unit will keep him fit. I had some physio when I left but apart from some stretching I didn't find it beneficial at all. Your friend won't be put on any lists until he actually leaves the SIU after that it's up to the NHS in your area so he'll need to get hold of his GP, District Nurse etc.

To be honest in most places this is what it's like, it isn't necessarily bad but that's life in a wheelchair. In the SIU everything is there for us, I have a friend who's still in there and believe me it's much better than it was when I was there in 2002. Sorry if this isn't much help but please give me a shout on PM me if you have any questions.

Rune Rider

[weedave82]

Thanks again for the response...

His legs dont fit flush in che chair, the two front wheels are tiny, its more like he is in an office desk chair . Will the social work help to sort him with a local gp etc or is it best he does it himself you are right about braehead its a diffirent ballgame for sure. If he had more of his legs inside the chair i dont think he would come out so easy only the smallest pothote is enough right now

[Rune Rider]

weedave82, on 23 February 2011 - 03:18 PM, said:

Thanks again for the response...

His legs dont fit flush in che chair, the two front wheels are tiny, its more like he is in an office desk chair . Will the social work help to sort him with a local gp etc or is it best he does it himself you are right about braehead its a diffirent ballgame for sure. If he had more of his legs inside the chair i dont think he would come out so easy only the smallest pothote is enough right now

Weedave82 sounds like the casters "the small wheels at the front" are the more maneuverable type. Generally the smaller they are the tighter you chair can turn, but there is no or little give in them and potholes and holes of any type should be avoided as you'll be out of the chair before you know it. Is he still waiting for his NHS chair? Usually you get given a basic NHS chair a few weeks before you leave the unit. This chair is given to you free and if you want a better one you'll need to buy a better one. Now that is another ball game!

If it is his NHS chair then he would have been measured for it and I'm sure the staff at the unit ie head OT Michelle wouldn't have let him leave in an unsuitable chair. As for his GP goes mate all this should have been done before he left the unit. He would have had a care package of some sorts done for him by his Social Worker and Team Leader. But he'll need to contact them to say that he has arrived and needs to been seen by them. Same goes for his supplies etc.

Any problems get him to call the SIU, but first contact his District Nurse and get the ball rolling. The very best of luck and let me know how you all get on.

Rune Rider