[Lucydog]

Recently I had a flat tyre on the A69 at 10.30 at night. I called the breakdown people who were with me within half an hour, he got the spare out only to find it was flat as well!! Anyway he drove back to Carlisle to pump it up and then back again to me. We got it on the car and it held enough for me to get the further 4 miles home.

This is the first time its happened to me since Ive been using a chair. I couldnt get out the car so had to sit there hoping a lorry didnt plough into the back of me. Anyway I was wondering if there are any procedures I should have gone through? Also does anyone else have any breakdown stories they want to share good or bad? Im interested how everyone deals with what is inevitable at times.

Cheers
L

[mttb14]

Hi Lucy,

John and I had just been to the doctors because he was experiencing really bad problems with excrutiating pain in his elbows and knees, his tendons were sitting proud and would not relax enough to straighten his arms or legs. It was causing major problems as it was stopping him being able to walk and the pain was unbearable.

Anyway, the doctor prescribed diazapam and baclofen, and we left the surgery. When we got outside, we noticed the tyre on the car was flat. Well John couldn't change it and I was really struggling to crack the nuts, to undo them. The wheel brace was slipping so I was trying to hold it onto the nuts, whilst John was trying to push down with his better foot to break the tight seal, anyway this went on for about 15 to 20 minutes, the doctor who had seen John came out of the surgery, walked straight passed us, ignored us, got into his car and drove away. (No he wasn't on call it was the end of surgery).

I was so annoyed, he could see how much we were struggling, he knew how bad John was, but he couldn't even be bothered to offer any help whatsoever, and they call it the caring profession.

Anyway, half an hour later and with great difficulty, I changed the tyre. Believe me tyres on a 4x4 weigh a ton.

A few weeks later whilst out and about, we had another puncture. We were on a busy dual carriageway, so John, his sister and I got out of the car, John was still unable to help and had to stand and watch, whilst his sister who was next to useless, tried to help me. John finds these occasions very embarressing, especially as he still has power, but cannot use it due to excrutiating chronic pain, spasticity, etc etc. Men and women were driving past, looking at him in total disbelief, because he was having to stand by and watch two women changing a tyre. He was really upset by it, because you could see the look on peoples faces, thinking look at that strapping man who is too lazy to change his own tyre, not one of them stopped or asked if we were ok, they just glared at him.

After that I said I would always call the RAC, but then the RAC man looks at you stuppid for calling them out with a man in the car who looks quite capable of changing a tyre. Do you then not explain and think to hell with it, or do you say, sorry, but my husband might look strong and capable, but he has an incomplete SCI which means he cannot do it.

If I wasn't there to stop him from doing it and causing himself more pain, and the next few days unable to move and stuck in bed from the pain and spasticity, he would attempt to do it himself. I think that must be the most frustrating part of his injury to him, he still has power, but if he tries to use it, he is left in so much pain. He is in pain all of the time, but if he attempts to do anything using the power, he is very often reduced to tears because of the pain, and he doesn't cry easily. I wish they could find a way of dealing with increased tone, spasticity and release pnenonema. His signals are so messed up that his muscles do not know to release the tendons and this is what causes him so much pain, Baclofen and pain killers help day to day, but not if he tries to use the power he has, he just has to rest and hardly move for days.

So Lucy, I don't know if there is something else you should have done, but I know how much of a pain a flat tyre is.

Maria.

[LadyPilot]

Hi, What a sad story, I'm sure John must have been hurting inside too and the Doctors heartlessness was unbelievable.

Personally I've never had problems with breakdown callouts. I'm with the RAC and when I call they know I am a woman on my own who is a wheelchair user. I've never waited more than 40mins for help to arrive.


However On the point of people ignoring someone in obvious trouble........ It was a very windy day and I was trying to get my folding chair in the car. The car door slammed into the chair, causing it to fall over and slide a distance from the car. As hard as tried I could not pick the chair up. A number of people walked by without stopping. Christ, it must have been obvious I was struggling. After what seemed like an eternity (I was bordering on tears!) someone finally stopped and helped me.

Why is it that people are always stopping to check if I need help when I don't and when I needed help no-one bothered?

[mttb14]

Hi,

People are definately a strange breed.

When I was a child, before my dad has his accident we were going to London, before the M4 was all the way from South Wales to London. Our car was over heating so my dad stopped to repair it. There was another car in the layby also broken down. The man in the other car came up to my dad, said thanks for stopping to give me a hand, I can't find what is wrong. My dad took the tool box out of the boot of our car, while our engine was cooling down, he went to help the other man.

An hour later and my dad had repaired his car, told him to get in to check it was running ok. At this point the man started the car, indicated to pull back into the traffic and then drove away. My dad was less than amused. No thank you, and no offer of help to mend our car. So we had another hour in the layby whilst my dad fixed our car. My dad was less than amused.

Ours was terminal and needed a new head gasket, so our weekend trip to London was not looking good. My dad found a garage willing to do the work on the Sunday, phoned his employers to tell them of his problems and they told him they could not manage the Sunday, night or Monday, night without him, he was the depot nights manager, and he had to leave us and the car in London, and travel back to South Wales by train to go straight to work on the Sunday night.

Then travel back up to London by train on the following Saturday, to bring us and the car back.

He never learnt his lesson though, he still stopped and helped anyone in distress, even though he was 75% disabled, and usually did not receive much of a thanks.

Maria