It's here!

Our lives have changed a little: Neal has a new chair.  The base is the same as his old power chair, but this one has an upgrade - the entire seat and back TILT!

The chair won't move anywhere in that position but since Neal has to be off his wound so often (that's why there had been a rule about bedrest 23 of every 24 hours), this chair allows him to be up moving around and just "assume the position" for a minimum of 3 minutes every 15 minutes. 

It was delivered on Friday night and since then Neal has been on a neighborhood exploration to take photos of flowers, has gone down the street to get the mail, and, best of all, could go to church on Sunday.  He hasn't been able to attend all three meetings since December 6, 2009.  Attending together this week was such a wonderful experience!  I can't even describe how it made us feel but both of us were aware of the spiritual boost it gave us.

There's one little problem that needs adjusting.  I'm not sure it's really visible in the photo, but under the headrest is a bar that extends back from Neal's head, then curves before attaching to the seatback. (Black bar against the hedge wasn't much contrast - sorry)  When the chair is upright, that bar extends beyond the back wheels and creates a hazard - I have two deep bruises on my arm from trying to reach Neal after he was in bed and the chair was parked where he needs it.  Plus doorways and corners are vulnerable with that much extension, so Chad is coming back today to see what he can do to modify it.  This man has been so helpful - came to our house to measure counters, table heights, doorways, etc, then met us at the Rehab center to help with a computerized wheelchair evaluation. He has gone out of his way to (his words) "make a great chair a perfect chair."  Name one other wheelchair provider that comes to the house to deliver and adjust and modify a chair, then return to solve the little annoyances.  Talk about customer service!  If you ever need a wheelchair, we recommend American Seating and Mobility.

Now we can go places together without being so concerned about pressure on his wound.  I have a list that starts with paperwork signing at the bank, then to Sam's, and even out to dinner!  I'm not sure about trips but we have a list of those too.  I might take the passenger seat out of the van so he can roll forward and sit beside me, especially while he's not able to drive.

One other event this week: I have an old TV in the bedroom that quit last week.  Well, it still had audio and closed captioning on all channels, but there was no picture.  I did some research and selected a 22" TV/DVD combo which would be so nice in the bedroom.  The best price was local, and I was ready to go buy it, but decided to call Comcast first to find out if I would need that little HD box if I upgraded. (My plan was to take pictures of the back with all the plugs before disconnecting everything.)  The person on the phone wanted to try a couple of things to determine why it still had a partial signal.  She tried sending the signal again and now it works.  I told her I was planning to buy a new one with a dvd player, and she laughed and offered to verify that the old one wouldn't work anymore if I still wanted to do that.  But I hate spending money if I don't have to, so I'll keep this one for the time being.