Sitting Pretty

Yes, I try to do that often. Sitting all day in a wheelchair is not easy. It’s taken years of practice for me to be really good at it. LOL — just a little gimp girl humor.

When you must sit for 14 to 16 hours a day you have to be careful that you don’t get pressure sores. I use a wheelchair seating cushion made by Roho Inc. that is filled with air. It does a great job of keeping me comfortable and I have never had a pressure sore. The problem is that these cushions are made out of rubber, and with time and wear, the rubber gets leaks. They supply a patch kit so you can catch any holes that develop. I always keep 2 backup cushions in case of an unexpected leak.

Unfortunately, all three of my cushions developed multiple leaks! By Thursday I was unable to find any cushion that we could keep air in for more than an hour. I can send them back to the manufacturer for repair or warranty replacement, but that takes a minimum of three weeks. I called a dozen places around town and not one of them had any of the particular cushion I use in stock. I use the Quattro select model because it has four chambers of air that you can close off so you can keep the air stable and have more air in one section and less air in another section. It makes it much more comfortable for someone like me who has a body that is shall we say unique.

With none of my cushions able to hold air for more than a few minutes, I was sitting in a lot of pain. My bottom cannot sit on a flat surface without extreme pain, and a regular foam cushion does not provide enough support to keep me pain-free. What a dilemma!

I was able to find one local provider who had a Roho cushion in stock, but not the model that I normally use. It was the old-style and he wanted full retail price for it. We’re talking in excess of $400. I told Norm about it and he said that we needed to go get it because he did not want me to be in pain and it’s only money.

So we purchased the cushion and sent my other ones off for repair/replacement. The new cushion is working okay, but it’s not very stable because the air moves around. Imagine sitting on a water bed and leaning over. Your weight distributes the water and it feel like you’re going to fall over. I haven’t fallen out of my chair yet, but I’m being extra careful just the same. At least I am no longer in pain! So now I am sitting pretty again.