u/CaptinNoodle

So I'm pretty new to using my wheelchair. I've only had it for a few weeks and only used it a few times for short periods. I would by no means consider myself used to using it.

This weekend, me and my family are going to a convention. We've loved going to them before, but they've always been really tiring and hard on my body, so this time I'm bringing my chair. I'm very excited to give it a proper test run and to be able to enjoy the con with less pain, but before we head off I wanted to ask for any advice or tips ya'll might have for a new chair user navigating something like this for the first time. Assume I know next to nothing, anything and everything would be appreciated!

Okay so I've seen push rim covers as decoration but they're honestly kinda expensive and I've already spent a bunch of money on my chair. Would it be okay if I used duct tape to decorate them instead? Or would that cause problems

So I recently got my first wheelchair which I'm thrilled about. The problem is that it's kinda... boring. It's your standard hospital type chair and it's just so impersonal. I wanna decorate it like crazy, I'm just not sure how. My default is stickers but there's really not much space for any, and the seat covers I planed to sew might not work so great the cusion I'm going to be getting. I'm going to a convention next weekend and I want my chair to feel like mine and be just as ridiculous and nerdy as I.

Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated!

So apparently I need a wheelchair cusion if I intend to sit in it for any decent length of time. I was not aware of this, nor do I know anything about what counts as a good cusion. I looked at a few options online and saw a huge range of prices which only confused me further.

So what should i be looking for in a cusion? And does anyone know where I can get a decent one for a reasonable price? I know any sort of medical device is super expensive but I don't exactly have a ton of cash to spare right now.

I'll try to keep things short. I've had chronic pain the past 5 years or so that's slowly gotten worse. It makes it hard to stand for long periods of time or walk far. Maybe around half a year or so I figured out/accepted that a wheelchair would benefit me immensely and I really should have gotten one much sooner. My issue now is the whole convincing the doctors part.

After jumping through various hoops and waiting for appointments, I'm finally meeting with a pain clinic next Tuesday which I'm quite excited about. Theyre gonna take a real good look at me and my piece of crap body and then ???. I'm not actually sure what theyre gonna do but I'm assuming something helpful? Like figuring out ways to make things suck less. Like maybe giving me a wheelchair. I really hope. I highly doubt that it's gonna be the first thing they reccomend, because why would they ever make things easy, but maybe I can convince them if I play my cards right.

My biggest fear is the whole deconditioning argument that I'm sure plenty of people here are familiar with. "If you get a chair you'll lose the strength you've built up and your body will get deconditioned and then it'll be even harder to stand". But like... I don't care? I'm okay with a bit of deconditioning if it means I'm in less pain overall. That's a trade off I would be thrilled to make. The real main argument I have against it is that I would be a part time wheelchair user, using it as a tool for the really bad days the same way I do (or rather, used to) with my cane. But I worry that they'll see that argument as a reason to not give me the chair in the first place, because if I'm fine 75% of the time then who cares that I'm bedridden the other 25% and can't even feed myself.

I dont know. I don't know what to expect or what to say to the doctors. At this point I'm doubting if a chair is even right for me, which I can't tell if it's my own thoughts or the doctors bs arguments slowly creeping in. I just want to be in less pain.

Any and all help or advice would be appreciated. I've waited months for this appointment and I'm terrified I'm gonna blow it or that they're gonna be as useless as everyone else has been.

Hi all,

I'm going to Fan Expo Boston for the first time this year! I'm very excited especially since the other main convention I would go to isn't doing so hot. One of my favorite traditions/events or whatever you'd call it from other cons I've been to is badge ribbon trading and collecting, and I was wondering if fan expo Boston did that too? I cant seem to find any solid answers online and I don't want to order custom ribbons if there's no reason to.