Getting a Hoveround - Round 1 & 2012 Convention

It's funny; no, really, it's not; but it's funny that once I contacted Hoveround and they called me back and I made the appointment to see my PCP to get a "mobility exam" that documents why I need an electric w/c inside my house that once I get in to see my PCP, she tells me she doesn't do "mobility exams" - that the PT department handles those, and  - get this - the waiting list for one is one year long. I can barely manage to get around my small 960 s.f. house using my wheeled walker and now that I start inquiring about my next 'adaptive aid'  I have to wait ONE FUCKING YEAR to be properly assessed?  I am beyond frustrated over this development, as you might imagine.  My PCP did, however, give me a referral for a colonoscopy (oh happy, oh joy), and a tetanus/pertussis booster shot, so I guess it wasn't a  complete waste of my time.

So, having been given more time to consider my dilemma I Googled comparisons of the Hoveround with other similar chairs, and found that many people have reported being not particularly happy with their Hoveround, whereas others reported being very happy with their Jazzy. My friend has a Jazzy, and she has been happy with it. She also has been happy with the level of service she gets from her provider. The unhappy interwebs people who complained about Hoveround had issues with lack of service and quality of the product. So, I ask you, are these obstacles that I am finding "red flags" waving in my face? Am I being told by the Universe that a Hoveround is, or shouldn't be, in my future? Even though they, the HR people, had a one-week notice of my Dr. appt. when they only asked for three days, I didn't get their check list of questions to ask the doctor until six days after my appointment. Red Flag?? You tell me.


I think what I need is an in-home assessment of my mobility needs. I can show them that my manual w/c, which I keep in my car, will not work for me inside my house, and I can also show them that my scooter, which I keep in my garage, also will not work for me inside my house, this being the reason I called Hoveround in the first place. I have appointments to make as follow-up to seeing my PCP; there is the aforementioned colonoscopy, and a mammogram and a bone density test. I should probably also get a Pap test, but there is only so much a girl can handle at one time, you know?

So, I might call Hoveround about this development, or I might just wait - take care of other things, and when I go to my neuro's office on the 13th to see the sleep specialist ask  (or leave a message with the question) to see my neuro about the mobility exam.  For now that's how things stand with that.

***.....***

SO, the weekend before Memorial Day was State Convention for my Sorority (ESA), and it was in Olympia. The hotel was downtown, and I had DH dust off the scooter in the garage and put it in the trunk of the car. It was my plan B to save energy. Once I got there, I called on a few of my sisters to come out and get the thing out of my car and assemble it for me. Even though they weren't sure of what they were doing, they figured it out and soon I was on my way. I checked into my accessible room and then met with friends in the lobby. Since I had about an hour before the evening meeting, I figured I'd go out for a stroll on Percival Landing. [Hey, it was maybe the second nice day of the year, and a walk along the water in the sun was what I needed. So off I went.

Oh, the best laid plans...

I had only gone about two blocks when I stopped (right about here) to chat with a young woman who was reading a Nook. We discussed the pros and cons of the Nook vs. the Kindle, and when I started to leave the scooter was dead! Oy Veh! I asked her if she would be so kind as to try to find the reset button for the battery/motor, and she did. [It was out of my line of vision, but I think I could reach it if I knew where it was. My fingertips are numb, so feeling for it wasn't getting me anywhere!] So ... rebooted I contemplated going on with my walk around the water and he boats, but thought better of it and headed back to the hotel. Back in the lobby with my pals, I noticed that the chair wasn't turning off, even though the key was in the off position; then I took the key out altogether, and still the chair stayed on. Hmmm, this was getting interesting. It was time for the meeting, so we all left the lobby to the banquet hall. Half way there, the chair stalled out again. Reboot. Go eat.

After dinner and a short meeting, I headed back to my room.  Just as I was pushing my door open with the scooter, it stopped on me again!  I was stuck in the doorway, unable to move forward or back, or even to turn the seat so I could stand up. I simply had to wait until I could flag someone down to assist me (or I suppose I could have yelled, but so not my style!] Once I got going again, I told the scooter, "Three times and YOU'RE OUT," and I parked the damned thing and asked my room mate to go out to my car to get my wheelchair for me to use the rest of the weekend. She did, I did, and all was well. I even got Same from the front desk to put the scooter back into my trunk for me. And that's where it is to this day. Alas. You know, last May I was able to do this just using the walker. Even though this was a smaller hotel, that wasn't in the cards this year.

And that was how I got the idea into my head to call for a Hoveround in the first place!

***.....***

I know, I know. Webster doesn't type a single word, then this as all she has to say. So, sue me. You won't get much. To add insult to injury, DSHS no longer pays for my co-pays because since I got my  COLA for 2012, I now make $10 too much to qualify for that. I now have to spend $300 on medical expenses (each month) before their Spend Down program will chip in. The system has screwed me again.

So Good Night, fare readers.
TTYL
Be Well.

PS - Gosh, I really need to put up a new background, but I hate fussing in the new Blogger interface.