[NOTE:  SENDING THIS ONE AGAIN, BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE SENT IT TO THE GROUP – HAD A “HICCUP” IN MAIL AND WANT TO MAKE SURE THE GROUP GETS THIS ONE ~Buddy]

Miriam:

(lets try this again:  message I sent was not actually the same I received ~Brian)   

Buddy-hope you get the kinks all worked out--I am looking forward to hearing what you think about the assistive wheels--we too are having chair issues over a new chair Krys took delivery of in the fall--it just absolutely fits through or under anything!!!She is a slight young lady of under 100LBS-but she has very long legs, so those have to be accomodiated for--the durable med person ordered this kid a 17" frame!!! That would fit most large men!-the chair is 4 inches taller than her other--

Thanks for the support and for the well wishes on my new unit – I did NOT get the Xtenders from Sunrise because of what the results would be – I want my chair as close to the other as possible, with the obvious adjustments for what the PT ordered and the Doctor approved.  In Fact, the doctor has been great through this thing, and I went in to tell him that my shoulder has been hurting me, and continues to do so even though I had 2 months of PT and Ultrasound treatments – He says “We are NOT foolin’ round anymore:  I am sending you back to the Orthopedist for him to reevaluate you”  I told him that I was sick of the pain of my shoulder, and that I did NOT want to lose range, or my ability to walk, and it makes me MAD that I can’t get to the problem in my shoulder – I want the ortho to X-Ray and MRI this thing, so I can see what the devil is going on – I don’t want to lose the ability to walk, or do what I want or like to do.  This is why the power assist wheels were requested, and the doctor approved it – and on April 11, I got the whole shooting match approved!!

I CANNOT BELIEVE that the Durable Medical Equipment (DME) person is ordering her a wheelchair in the first place.  The way Vermont works is that there is a PT that works with the state that will do ALL Wheelchair Evals.  She will come to your home and evaluate you for your chair.  She looks at what you do everyday, what your home is like, how you would use the equipment, etc.  Then, she measures the chair, the seat height, etc, and evaluates the chair itself.  If she finds deficiencies in the chair, she will make note of them.  Then, she measures the PERSON, takes the height, weight, build, etc into account, and she writes the script for what she believes works best for the user.  Her recommendations are made part of the record, and the doctor will get a copy of the script.  He will approve it, THEN: it would go to Medicaid/Medicare for approval.  The only way the DME people get involved is to verify that the chair will meet the needs of the user, and to make sure that things are the way that they are supposed to be – There is One person at my Vendor that knows the rules and regs for medicaire/Medicaid and an equipment specialist that knows that end of it.  NO chair is ordered that does NOT meet the person’s needs:  that is because the person is involved from the first eval, to the first time they sit in the new chair – The PT is there, and will VERIFY everything the day that you take delivery of the chair.  The Medicaid Clinical Unit has a PT that will approve/deny claims, and let me tell you, they can be TOUGH – I tried for repairs on my 9 year old chair, and they kept D (nying) Me, and that is because I was going for the new chair, but I was still using the current chair daily – I finally told my vendor that I needed what I asked for, and they found some spare parts (Tubes, Tires and bearings) and put them on for me, so I would be able to safely navigate the bumpy sidewalks – and I was about to go over the reviewer’s head, and state that the reason I needed the repair, because I was getting I (nformation Requested) every time they would submit the claim – but the good thing is that I had a SCRIPT and a PT that knew what the heck was up – I think we checked the script 6 times before we even were able to get to the ordering stage ;)

That being said, even the person who orders the chair should have a general idea of the size of the person.  Krys is 100 pounds, and has long legs – If she is sliding around, or her chair is too high, or too LOW that could affect her posture which, when you are in a chair, is important, because you want the person seated properly, and in order for the proper body mechanics to be used, the chair should FIT the user and not be so wide that the user is flopping around in the seat – I would DEMAND that a current copy of the script be given to you, and that a PT reevaluate Krys – Have her evaluate the chair as it is, then evaluate Krys – a 17” frame is BIG for a 100 LB long legged person, and that is reminiscent of someone that has a 36” waist trying on a pair of pants that have a 40” waist – The person would be SWIMMING in them – what the heck do they think they are doing?  Have the whole chair process restarted and have her reevaluated – No reason for a 17” frame for a person it does not fit – Q2’s are adjustable, but if they get it right the first time, it would be better for all involved ;)

FYI:  I am 180 lbs, 6’1” Tall – I think that my frame is a 14-16” or so – I can check that ;)

-the chair is 4 inches taller than her other--just this week she went to the movie, sat in her chair in a handicapped seating area next to her moms seat(which she towered over her mom by about a foot!) and actually had another person from behind to fuss loudly, that her child could not see over that big old tall chair!!!!GRRRRRRRR!So--that was the last straw--he will remake this chair!!!This is just another thing--and frankly, with so many things in life, this one should not even come up--they should get it right the first time!!

Right Miriam – That is ridiculous – Have them redo this whole thing – I seriously doubt that consideration was given for who the heck was gonna use the chair – why would Krys be a FOOT taller then her mom when she is sitting next to her?  The chair is supposed to be USEABLE, comfortable and PRACTICAL for Krys – that is why the PT comes down the day that the chair is delivered – I will have her, the Equipment specialist and the technician checking EVERYTHING before I roll out fir the first time – They KNOW what chairs I have, and what parts work with the equipment ordered and can make adjustments on the spot  - I don’t hesitate to contact them when I have a problem – Go after them ;)

Let me know how it works out--and I love the toxic green-tried to get Krys to go that way, but being a huge Georgia Bulldog fan, she went with the red and black this time-have a great day!Miriam

No problem Miriam – I will also post pics of my new ride when I get her ;)

Brian