My Quickie Wheelchair
This is not a Quickie wheelchair but I like it
I bought a lightweight Quickie manual wheelchair in 2009 ‘cos of MS and foot drop. Me and Barby were going to St Petersburg for a week’s holiday and I knew that there was going to be too much walking for me. We were also aware that I would probably need to use one sometime in the future. We just did not know if or when that day was going to arrive. So that’s the background of how and why I bought a wheelchair.
St Petersburg was a lovely holiday
It was autumn and the sun shone every day and the city, in the tourist area, was beautiful. The chair was invaluable although Barby did get fed-up pushing me around outside. In the museums, churches and galleries access was good. Even in the hotel it surpassed expectations. After the holiday we put the wheelchair into long-term hibernation.
Inevitably my walking deteriorated
In 2012 I needed a cane and that was soon followed by a walker. My foot drop deteriorated and by 2020 leg drop was making life difficult. Now I cannot stand unaided and I am labelled as a frequent faller. Stairs and steps are impossible but quite often there is a lift to solve that problem.
We moved to Faversham in 2024
Walking with the rollator was now becoming a significant issue. Progress was slow and the surface had to be smooth, even so staying upright was a big problem. MS seriously affects my left leg, foot drop and leg drop are to blame By the autumn of 2025 I could not walk more than about 50 metres without a rest and I was a liability to myself. I was falling too often especially when tired or walking round a corner, luckily I have never hurt myself. More worrying was that I could not get back onto my feet without the help of Barby or my son in law. I was now using the wheelchair very occasionally but there was a determination to walk whenever possible.
The Quickie wheelchair
From late November 2025 until the second week of January 2026, I had a succession of colds. Sometimes I had to stay in bed for a day or two. Almost every day I felt rotten, I coughed and spluttered but on the odd day I kidded myself that the lurgy had left the house. I took so many Paracetamols that I positively rattled and I became a full-time wheelchair user. I just knew that if I tried to use my walker I would fall over. Were my days of walking safely over?. Would this be a point of no return?
2nd week of January
Eventually I felt well enough to get out of bed, dress myself and eat breakfast. I rode my wheelchair into the conservatory and gave my rollator a hard look. Yes I was strong enough to walk a few yards without falling over but it was exhausting and tiring. Slowly I am felt myself getting stronger and more confident but fatigue forces me to use the wheelchair in the evening. I finally ventured outside on the 17th and smelt the air. 2 weeks later normal walking service had been resumed and regular trips into town with my mobility scooter are back on the menu.
MS is a one-way disease.
I am aware that advanced MS never gives back any ability it has taken away. My secret is to constantly strive to retain existing capabilities. I do not want to become a full-time wheelchair user whilst I can still walk. This personal stubbornness drives me from the moment I get up until I go to bed. Yes, it can end in tears and a feeling of failure but there are fantastic moments of success. I have learnt to live with MS but I am not an MS Warrior. So the wheelchair is used in the evenings when I am tired and my sense of balance is at its worst. I am being a realist.
Meanwhile
The wheelchair is now a permanent item of furniture in the annexe. Slowly I am becoming a more confident user but the walker will continue to be used even though it is slower. While I have the energy and ability I will always walk but its comforting to know the wheelchair is available.
January 2026
Photo by Cas Holmes on Unsplash
We are all WIPs. Works In Progress. We take heart in what we can do and can still do. We work towards our futures in the best way we can. You have found ways to aid your condition and enable your life. I do and have done the same. Some days [years even] are the ups; others are the downs. But we persevere! Thank you for paving the way for others to do the same as we all learn from each other!
Hello Socal,
Thanks for the kind words. Wish I could find more people to read my thoughts and blogs.
Talk soon,
Patrick
Good to hear from you. I am a step or two behind you – not using the wheelchair in the house yet, but that could change any day.
Hello Sian,
There comes a time when I have bitterly accepted that I do need help so that I can survive safely. The wheelchair was one but very pleased to have made that decision. To be honest it was a real no-brainer but circumstances had to be right for me to make that decision.
Talk soon,
Patrick
It’s great to have an update on your progress Patrick. There is one phrase which is etched into mind from this as a truism…”…MS never gives back any ability it has taken away.”
Keep on rocking and rolling as long as you can!
Hello Chris,
I intend to keep going for as long as possible even though MS is turning into a career.
Talk soon,
Patrick
I find that even a cold makes my walking get much worse .
I am now in much the same situation as you but still just use rollator in house and wonderful very well priced electric wheel chair outside ., brilliant company half the price of most .
Hi Tessa,
I really hate the winter, the cold stops me bending my left knee. Hopefully the worst of the cold is finished in Kent.
I do not own an electric wheelchair. When I go into town it is a mobility scooter. Changed from a Travelscoot to an Atto. Pavements in the area are awful and the Atto is more stable but not so much fun
Talk soon.