Titanium Wheelchair

I have spina bifida and severe scoliosis and I am confined to a wheelchair. I have titanium rods that are fused to my spine. So I was wondering how I can work on my abs and chest?
I have spina bifida and severe scoliosis and I am confined to a wheelchair. I have titanium rods that are fused to my spine. So I was wondering how I can work on my abs and chest? I really would appreciate it if someone helped me out with this question!

Can you get to a gym with weights machines? especially at low-tech gyms you might be able to remove the seat from in your way and sit in your chair and reach the weights.

Try the kind of weights that are on pulleys and you can hold your arm out straight and lift the weight by pressing down in front of you. Do it again with the arm out to the side and lift by pulling forward so your arm stays parallell to the floor.

That kind of weight machine, especially with no seat attached, shouldn't cost much so maybe have a look at local or internet sports equip stores if you want to be able to do it at home.

You could also do similar exercises with free weights. Start with a kg or 2 and use them how you like, work out where you're feeling the burn and decide if that is a muscle you want to work on. They will work your arms more than your chest though.

Exercises for your abs will depend on what functional ability you have there and you'd be best off talking to a physiotherapist who is familiar with you and how your conditions affect you.

Hope that helps

2009-06-06 16:56:44 by Dan

custom wheelchair

the doctor put me on crutches after I broke my femur in half and it was so bad it broke the skin. Should I be on crutches or a wheelchair? I can sort of walk on crutches (thats what he gave me) but it hurts and I can't go far. I also thought I would throw in I now have a titanium prosthesis rod. Ok thanks ahead!

Broke your FEMUR?! Wow! Thats pretty uncommon due to its being the strongest and largest bone in the body! I dont even wanna ask how you did this.
But- yes, crutches are right, and better for you. The more you use the extremity, the faster it will heal. The bone does need to be set, but it also has to have the tissues around it laid down along the lines of stress. The bone itself has to become used to weight bearing.

Best of Luck!

2007-04-12 19:14:24 by Dee

Portable and Practical The lightweight Excel Deluxe Aluminum Transport Wheelchair is easy to move in and out of vehicles because of its trim design. The quick release handles and an easy-to-fold back simplify storage and transport. This transport wheelchair comes equipped with 12 inch rear wheels providing a stable smooth ride.
Convenient Find a new level of convenience with the Excel Deluxe Aluminum Transport Wheelchair when you utilize the roomy side storage bag. The storage bag features multiple pockets perfect for holding cell phones, wallets, purses, and any other personal items that you take with you when you are on the move. Remain mobile, safe and stylish. Enhance the quality of life for yourself or a loved one when you choose an Excel Deluxe Aluminum Transport Wheelchair by Medline.
Excel Deluxe Aluminum Transport Wheelchair by Medline Details Features: Tig welding for an ultra strong chair Loop-lock hand brakes Passenger-operated wheel locks Detachable, swing-away foot rests Secure seatbelt Dual-sealed precision bearings for extra stability and water resistance Stylish titanium-colored frame wtih two tone gray seat Minimal assembly required (easy-to-follow instructions included)

I'm turning 24 this month but had my 1st surgery @ 13. We found it when I was 12 but my parents were JW's & didn't want me to recieve blood transfusions. It's idiopathic scoliosis, 86dg upper lumbar C-curve. If I didn't have surgery, my spine would've started rotating and I'd end up wheelchair bound. Oddly though, I'd been in gymnastics, doingbackflips-and was able to do a backbend and hold on to my ankles(VERY flexible even w/the curve!) We found it when I got sick and the DR was listening chking my back.
We finally found an Orthopedic Dr. who'd perform bloodless surgery,using some kind of blood expanders and that would take place of blood....not sure on the technicalities. At 16 it felt like my rods were poking almost through my back. I had severe pain, a sharp jabbing-I knew they were broken. My parents told me they weren't since they were made of Titanium. I went to chiropractors etc, not much helped. At 19 I went to a 2nd Dr-took xrays and found a broken rod.
*I wasn't done w/my Q, had to restart my comp*
So they found the broken rod, & set an op. date. When the Dr. went in, they discovered BOTH rods had broken. My surgery time doubled to over 12 hrs. I used both bags of blood and my vitals were very weak. They didn't think I'd make it thru & prepped my sis for the worst (she was the only one @ the hosp). But luckily I made it. My 1st surg I stayed 2 days-this one was a wk.
So it's been 5 yrs; I have extreme pain in comb w/scar tissue(inevitably from surg) and arthritis. My lower back is SO stiff/achy esp in the morn. I try to stretch always, but it doesn't really work. I don't trust chiro's w/my back-it scares me since their not specialists when it comes to this. Also, I still have alot of nerve damage, and w/my 1st surgery it took years for me to get sensation back,esp in my breasts. I know that's alot of info there, but it's the truth & if your a women I'm sure you understand.2 yrs ago it grad came back, not fully, but I'm thkful!
But my question was if anyone else can relate and what do you do for relief of pain? I'm scared about getting older since I feel like I'm 50 already trying to make it out of bed.
Also, I have self esteem/image issues, b/c truthfully I'm a pretty girl and have had jobs like vip cocktail waitressing in clubs and being asked to work as a dancer or other clubs or to be a promo girl for beer companies...etc...so I know others think I'm attractive, but I DON'T. I hate my body can't stand to see my back ESP when trying on clothes. I can always see one shoulder blade sticking out more than the other and if I bend down I have that hump. I know things could be alot worse & I don't want to sound vain, but this really bothers me! I make a big deal about it & feel like no guy would want to be w/me. But everytime I AM w/a guy they always say they don't care. So I guess it's all in my head, but I can't seem to come to terms? Hope some1 else feels the same way....

Um, sorry if you are in pain, but I don't see the question.

2007-09-16 21:09:55 by Princess

Price: $228.00 $176.47

Ok this is going to be a nice long story.
My friend, I, and this girl, went on a youth group mission trip to Cranks Creek Survival Center in kentucky and spent a week living together. (this place has volunteers stay at it, and work on people's houses who can't afford contractors. an example of a project would be a wheelchair ramp, or painting a bedroom.) My friend and I got put into seperate groups, to work on different projects, and this girl (to continue unnamed) was placed in my group. we had a great time together sanding and painting drywall and removing wallpaper. she smiled at me (and I to her) occasionally, and had many great conversations. I told her about the time I broke my leg on a double black diamond hill (skiing) in northern michigan, and had to have leg surgury to imbed a titanium rod in the bone to hold it in place while it healed. I ran cross country about 4 months after this surgury, and I would have had to be in a cast up to my crotch for a year normally.(continued)
it hurt like heck but I did it. She seemed impressed (in an 'amazed' way). I also told her that I would be starting work at a local theater, so she could get into free movies with me. she was very excited about that idea as well.

when we would be done working for the day, we headed for the lake, to cool off and hang out. we did lots of chicken fights (she won many on my shoulders), and she mentioned that I was a great partner for it. I was also successful at making a stack of 3 people on top of my shoulders which consisted of me, another guy, the girl's sister, and then her. even though I could only hold it for 5 seconds though-- it was still a new record.

One of the problems I perceive that I have is that I am somewhat shy, normally around attractive girls. She was extremely attractive, but yet I did not feel shy-- it was a first for me. The thing is, that many other guys also liked her, and persisted in horseplay in the water with her, and I felt as though they were stealing her.
Ok I suppose I'll cut to more of the chase. my friend started talking with her in the van rides around as we did home visits, and she really enjoyed him. I sat in the front passenger seat, because I was the only one who had memorized the roads at that point. from that point on though, I wasn't sure, but I think that she didn't talk to me as much as she used to. when we returned from the trip, we went to see the new harry potter together (whole group), and when we were reunited (after 1 day), I smiled at her as she walked up, she smiled back but said nothing. When my friend arrived, she ran out and hugged him. also during the movie, they sat with 1 person between them, but my friend persistently tried to talk to her.

I started to feel a bit let down during the movie when all of this started to hit me.

so, thats the skinny of it. BTW I can't stop thinking about her and looking at the photos. I am considering sending her an email telling her that I like her, and asking her if I did any
thing wrong. She will be gone for a week starting today at a dance camp, so I will have time to think it over, and maybe I will have time to tell my friend how I am feeling
oh yeah, and I would respect her decision if she likes him, but I want to see if she still likes me at all before I give up and go into depression.

I think that you should clear things out. you can get the topic out causually with your friend abt his feelings.

2007-07-15 07:01:37 by Andrew C

An Orleans Parish judge today sentenced a 25-year-old Algiers man to a century in prison for trying to murder New Orleans police officer Andres Gonzalez nine months after Hurricane Katrina

A jury found Eddie Harrison III guilty of attempting to murder Gonzalez, who was left a quadriplegic from the run-in.

Prosecutors Greg Thompson and Rhonda Goode-Douglas asked Criminal Court Judge Julian Parker to give Harrison the maximum penalty as a repeat offender in Louisiana: 50 to 100 years.

After delivering a searing lecture to Harrison, Parker handed down the sentence, calling it an even trade for the fate Harrison sentenced Gonzalez to that fateful day.

"He was willing to fight you hand-to-hand like a man," Parker told Harrison, who appeared in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. "But you chose to try to kill him. You have sentenced him to a life sentence in a wheelchair. He can't give his parents grandchildren....He's going to be sentenced to life at home watching television with his mother and father, who will help him use the bathroom. All because of you. All because of you."

Parker said that all Gonzalez ever wanted to be was a cop, and that all Harrison wanted to be was a robber, landing in court at age 15 on charges of armed robbery. He was tried as an adult and pleaded guilty, receiving a minimal sentence, Parker noted.

For that crime, a Jefferson Parish judge on May 10, 1999, gave Harrison five years -- a second chance, Parker surmised. But instead of changing his ways, Harrison only learned "how to be a better criminal."

Gonzalez, dressed in his black NOPD uniform, delivered a brief yet succinct victim's impact statement to the court before the sentencing.

"The defendant has no remorse and he is not sorry for his actions," Gonzalez read, seated in his motorized wheelchair. His black leather NOPD jacket hung from the back of the chair. He listed the surgeries he has had - for facial reconstruction, his bladder, and his teeth. Most of the right side of his face is now made of titanium. He has been going to physical therapy three times a week since June 2006.

"How many other people have to get hurt or who are hurt that we don't know about?" Gonzalez asked. "This is the career I always wanted and now it's gone. I'll never walk again. I'll never work again. You should never walk free again."

First-degree murder carries either mandatory life in prison or death by lethal injection upon conviction, Gonzalez noted.

"Do not reward him with a lesser sentence for not being successful," Gonzalez said. "Since he didn't finish the job off. Why should he be free if he just didn't finish the job he started? That's all I have."

Attempted murder carries 10 to 50 years in prison for a first offender. But Harrison has a prior armed robbery conviction -- which doubled the possible punishment.

After a four-day trial that included 23 state witnesses and 123 exhibits, a jury found Harrison guilty of the attempted first-degree murder of a police officer.

The verdict was unanimous, although only ten of the 12 jurors needed to agree in order to render a legal verdict.

On the afternoon of May 22, 2006, Harrison surprised officer Andres Gonzalez during a foot chase in Algiers Point when he stuck a .40-caliber gun in the young officer's face, according to testimony. What began with a routine traffic stop when Gonzalez and his partner noticed a car with illegally tinted black windows ended with a police officer trying not to choke on his own blood as he lay on the pavement.

"In all likelihood, he saved someone else," Police Superintendent Warren Riley said after the verdict.

Harrison shot Gonzalez four times with the gun that he ditched before his arrest the same day, prosecutors said. The first bullet severed Gonzalez's spinal cord, instantly paralyzing him. Another went into his face and exited the back of his skull. A third shot struck the bullet-proof vest that covered the officer's abdomen.

The fourth was yet another attempt to end his life, Assistant District Attorney Rhonda Goode-Douglas said.

"Eddie Harrison wanted to make sure that Officer Gonzalez couldn't radio for help," Goode-Douglas said. "He shot into his police radio. That is specific intent to kill

Well, I do believe in the death penalty. For many reasons, some very personal! In this case if I were the judge( this guy better thank his lucky stars that I'm not) I would have to say that an eye for and eye.

Bless You Tom

2008-03-21 01:12:20 by psdiver