There's No Denying It...

Ordering your child's first wheelchair is a kick in the pants!

I researched wheelchairs till I thought I was going to become one. Barbara had an excellent primer on wheelchairs awhile back and her series was my guide book. I approached Little Man's PT and said that I was ready to order his wheelchair, what do I do next?  I was secretly planning to get a high end stroller & deal with the wheelchair later. My own special form of denial, LOL.

I really wanted a Kimba Spring or a Kids-Up Bingo. I loved the fact that they looked like a stroller yet "sent a message" with its design that let people know that the little one sitting in it had special needs with out screaming "my kid is disabled!". I downloaded both manuals, looked them over, thought this is what I was looking for but since I really didn't know what I was looking for (except for a flat seat) I was going to let the PT and the DME rep give their sales pitches as well.

The one thing that was holding me back from going all gung-ho on either the Kimba Spring or Bingo was that most insurances will only let you get a chair once every 5 years. If I had the money, I would just get an adaptive stroller and call it a day & worry about the wheelchair later. Alas, like most people I know, I don't have unlimited money- bummer. So I had to make a decision based on the potential developement (or more frightening, no developement) Little Man would under go over the next 5 years. No Pressure there!

So we meet the DME rep who from here on out is now "Uncle Shane". What a nice guy. Greeted me, and more importantly, greeted Little Man & spent some time holding & talking to him. I appreciated that gesture. He listened to my needs and concerns for support. We needed something that was sturdy, we are HARD on our equipment, we do not have pavement within 300 yards of the house except in the barn. I want to be able to take Little Man everywhere and the chair has to be user friendly & be able to go to on a school (gulp) bus.

He said we could get a Kimba, (or a Bingo) they do all the above but don't do all that great on school buses or farms. Then he said that there are 2 kickers- 1.) Most insurances won't cover 2 bases and a Kimba has a stroller base and a high/low base (I would want both of course) and its hard to come up with funding to get both since most insurances don't want to cover both bases. I really don't want to fight with the insurance company over something like that. I would rather save my engery for getting more coverage for therapy. One other thing to keep in mind is that with an adaptive stroller its harder to customize it. With a chair, the lateral supports can be moved all around, if we don't like the head support we can simply change it out. Same for the foot supports. Also, Little Man is so very tiny- all the way around. So in the end, if I was not sure where we would be 5 years down the road and options/adjustability were going to be a major factor, I really needed to be looking at wheelchairs- the kind that scream "disabled kid on board". No more denying Little Man's disability now! 
Uncle Shane had pulled up a type of pedi wheelchair on line for me to look at (great, more tiny pics!) Here is where I gulped and asked about a Quickie Zippie. It was really the only wheelchair I looked into and only because I think Charlie has one. Since I  stalk follow him, I know Katy has done a ton of research on wheelchairs, saving me time and alot of grief. 
After the measurements were done, I jokingly asked if it was going to be the world's smallest wheelchair- He is barely 10" from hip to hip! Uncle Shane looked at me & said that there was one other wheelchair out there that was smaller. Sheesh!
So Monday I get to make my first status update phone call. They are expecting the chair to be ready in Sept. Here's hoping:)
So lots of decisions being made around here. I have one more hurdle to jump before I think we are clear of the drama around here!