This morning I drove my mother to the grocery store. Due to the pain from SFN I usually end up sitting in the parking lot in the car while she shops. But today I went to the courtesy desk and told them I have special needs and wanted a motorized cart. It made me feel more alive to ride around in the cart than to sit outside. The cart was fun to drive. Also, I think it was an important step in adapting to the new me. I'm sure it'll be more challenges in the future and hope you don't mind my sharing this with you.

Thanks for listening,
Cliffman up IP

Cliffman,

I spent a year on scooter and crutches and remember what a blast I had going to Target for the first time on a store scooter. I hadn't been anywhere but the grocery store in months and that alone had already felt like a huge burst of independence. but adding in Target? Oh my!

You will find scooters many places for free and often for rent at museums or even amusement parks and zoos. I was able to accompany my son and husband to Six Flags on one we rented at the park and it was such a joy just watching them and being part of it all. I even went on the big rotating swings.

Don't sell yourself short. There is a lot out there you can do with accommodation. So yes I had more pain after scooting all over Six Flags, but boy was it worth it!

Keep up the good work!

I'd like to encourage everyone to extend this line of thinking to even bigger adventures beyond the grocery store.

I couldn't be on my feet much last year on a tourist trip to Rome (city of cobblestones, no smooth sidewalks, lots of long stairs, city set up for lots of walking and standing). Once we looked into it we were amazed at how much we could do, pretty much everything we wanted, with a little pre planning. Most sites and museums had special access and elevators. There were inexpensive little golf cart sightseeing tours etc.

You'd be surprised how much you can do when you start to explore.

Also in daily life, you'd be surprised how much people are willing to help when asked. So many times I've had to confess to a shopkeeper that I can't stand anymore and people have instantly gone out of their way to bring me a chair or thought of solutions I would have never considered.

These findings will vary by region I am sure but I have found the carts at Wal-Mart to be the fastest, but also the most problematic.(having to rock them or standup and sit again to restart). The carts at Home Depot garner my lowest ranking as they all are goverened down to a snails pace. Obviously in response to a lawsuit sometime in the past.haha. As your symptoms change and or strength returns Cliffman, it may be a boost to your ego to see how much you can walk now compared to six months ago or a year ago. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.