Lightweight Wheelchair Recommendation... can you help?

[Guest Cookiegirl]

My DH and I are going on an Eastern Caribbean cruise in October. He was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and is receiving chemo. The doctors are doing all they can to see that we can go on this cruise. We decided that a lightweight wheelchair would be a good puchase, not only for this cruise, but the future as well. I need help with regard to purchasing a lightweight wheelchair. I saw from other posts that a "Breezy" is mentioned... but which Breezy would be best? Can you name other brands as well? We were at the local medical supply store today and now I seem to be more confused than before. They don't even sell Breezy's. Everyone who posts here has such great knowledge about disabled cruising so I thought maybe someone could advise me. He's about 5'9" and weighs 122 lbs. Most likely he'll be able to get around the ship just fine... it's the excursions that I'm really concerned about.

 

Thank you in advance for your help and suggestions.

 

Susan

[Splinter]

Aim for something that weighs less than 35 lb. and has both removable leg rests and armrests, and also has (ideally) quick release hub wheels to make it easy to remove the wheels to get it into smaller cabs or cars. Here is a page that shows a variety...I would recommend NOT getting a "transport" chair.

 

http://www.spinlife.com/critpath/match.cfm?categoryID=7

 

Avoid getting anything wider than an 18" seat as it will often not fit on lifts or through doorways. At his weight he should be able to get by with a 16" which is lighter and easier to fit through narrow doorways.

 

I would seriously consider this one:

 

Invacare Tracer SX5 Lightweight

or

Breezy Ultra 4 Lightweight

[JPO]

Can you say why you recommend against a transport chair? My wife and I have been looking at the "wheel chair in a bag" http://www.wheelchairinabag.com/ because of the low weight (15# or 18#). She can not propell herself so the large wheels are not needed for that purpose.

[DEL67]

JPO

 

There are people who love the convenience of the transport chairs and they can be useful for someone who needs them occaisionally. However, however many of us do not recommend them for several reasons including:

 

- They are more difficult to push, especially in carpeted areas

- They have less flexibility. For example, they are more difficult to manuever up curbs or over barriers, gravel or cobblestones.

- They do not absorb the impact of rough terrain as well

- They can be less comfortable to sit in for long periods of time, especially for larger people and may not provide the support of a standard chair.

[JPO]

Thanks for the helpful and rapid reply.:)

[Guest Cookiegirl]

Splinter... Thank you so much for the info. I'm leaning toward the Breezy you suggested. Have you personally ever purchased anything from spinlife.com and, if so, can you tell me what your experience was with them?

[daju22]

Hello Cookiegirl,

 

We purchased a transport chair with larger rear wheels and handbrakes from Spinlife last year for our South American cruise.

 

They gave us tremendous service. I even found a lower price on another site on the internet and they gave us that price.

 

Our transport chair is wonderful. It's really helped in airports and in ports. They stow it in the baggage compartment in planes and busses.

 

My husband had a stroke and is a slow walker. Good luck to you and your husband. Have a super cruise!

[Guest Cookiegirl]

Judy,

 

Thank you for the thumbs-up on spinlife and your experience with them. It definitely helps since I don't have alot of knowledge about wheelchairs.

 

Susan

[Splinter]

I work as a rehabilitation nurse, and also moderate the Care forum at http://www.carecure.org. We have over 8,000 members there, most who have spinal cord injuries. Many people there use http://www.spinlife.com for wheelchair and other equipment purposes, and have found their prices and service excellent. I have not personally purchased through them but would not hesitate to do so.

 

I agree with all the info above about the disadvantages of transport chairs. In addition, the person is at the mercy of their "pusher". Whereever you park them...there they are, and cannot even turn the chair around in a different direction unless they can stand. It really makes the person more dependent. Trying to get one up 1-2 steps in a port shop is MUCH more difficult than a chair with standard large rear wheels.

[daju22]

Hello Splinter,

 

The only reason we got a transport chair is that my husband is able to stand up and walk slowly. Also he can't use his right arm due to the stroke. If he could have pushed himself along easily and could not walk or get out of the chair, we would have purchased the regular wheelchair.

 

For us, the transport has been ok. Now, I'm trying to talk him into an electric wheelchair so that he can keep up and I don't have to push. He says maybe some day. Oh well.....

 

Thanks for all your help over the past year!

[daju22]

Can you say why you recommend against a transport chair? My wife and I have been looking at the "wheel chair in a bag" http://www.wheelchairinabag.com/ because of the low weight (15# or 18#). She can not propell herself so the large wheels are not needed for that purpose.

 

Hello JPO,

 

I'm sure the full size wheelchairs are much better for pushing and comfort, but this is the chair we purchased from Spinlife since my husband can't push, but can stand up by himself :

 

http://www.spinlife.com/critpath/spec.cfm?productID=70685

 

It has handbrakes for the pusher (He is alot bigger than I am) which is super for ramps. It folds easily and the footrests come off(I keep them in the overhead on planes) when it's put in the baggage compartment. Also great for shore excursions as it goes under the bus.

 

As I said before, I used the 110% price guarantee and bought it for a lower price from them after searching other sites. They were great to work with and I spoke with them on the phone before I ordered online.

 

Don't know anything about the wheelchair in a bag, but it doesn't have brakes,the rear wheels are small and it's more expensive than the Comet.

 

Just my opinion. Good luck to you.

[JPO]

I'm sure the full size wheelchairs are much better for pushing and comfort, but this is the chair we purchased from Spinlife since my husband can't push, but can stand up by himself :

http://www.spinlife.com/critpath/spec.cfm?productID=70685

It has handbrakes for the pusher (He is alot bigger than I am) which is super for ramps. It folds easily and the footrests come off(I keep them in the overhead on planes) when it's put in the baggage compartment. Also great for shore excursions as it goes under the bus.

As I said before, I used the 110% price guarantee and bought it for a lower price from them after searching other sites. They were great to work with and I spoke with them on the phone before I ordered online.

Don't know anything about the wheelchair in a bag, but it doesn't have brakes,the rear wheels are small and it's more expensive than the Comet.

Just my opinion. Good luck to you.

Can you get this up/down curbs OK? It weighs about 10# more than the WC in a Bag but if the larger rear wheels help with curbs etc. its probably a better choice.

(Allegro has it for $225 instead of $239)

I found this review http://*****.com/8pk5x

[daju22]

John & Barbara,

 

I haven't tried curbs with the comet, just curb cutouts. If you need to go over curbs, you should probably buy a large wheeled chair like the Breezy. I don't know if the Breezy will go over curbs.

If you find a chair that is less than on the Spinlife site, call Spinlife and tell them and they will give you the same price less 10%. The 110% guarantee is on the home page.

http://www.spinlife.com/

 

I'm not affiliated with the company, just bought a chair from them for the best price I could find.

[Guest Cookiegirl]

Splinter and Others... Thank you so much for the helpful answers to my post. After discouraging visits to various medical supply stores, I decided to order from spinlife.com. I learned more about wheelchairs in my 15 minute conversation with their Customer Service than I did at the medical stores. The C/S Rep I spoke with suggested 2 Invacare and the Breezy Ultra IV. I went with the Breezy and it arrived on Monday. The box was so damaged that I was certain we'd be returning it. Not so -- it was in excellent condition. It's also extremely light. I'm not quite 5' and I have no problem handling it.

 

Thank you wholeheartedly for all of your help.

[daju22]

Hi Cookiegirl,

 

So glad you got the wheelchair. You will love it. It made our lives much easier on the South America cruise. Now we are getting a scooter for our upcoming Hawaii cruise. I was tired of pushing my husband. He will be able to drive himself around and I'm sure he'll be happier moving on his own more quickly! The travel scooter is so small, it will fit in a trunk.

We are from WilkesBarre, PA and used to fly out of ABE in Lehigh Valley alot when Southeast Airlines still flew. Now we have to drive to Philly for better airfares. Our airport is extremely expensive.

Glad that SpinLife worked out. Good luck with your chair.:) Just go to the gate with it and they will check it there (right at the plane door). Once they put it upstairs with us. Rest of the time it went in the baggage.

[Guest Cookiegirl]

Hi Judy,

 

Since you mentioned the travel scooter, now I'm curious. What does it weigh and are YOU able to lift it into the trunk? Sounds like it's perfect for you and DH. I wish you smooth sailings on your upcoming Hawaii cruise. Wish we could go too. Hawaii is a place I've only been dreaming about since around the 1980's. Someday I may just get there!

 

Re airports... I don't know where the destinations are that you fly to, but have you looked into Hooter's Air? They fly direct into Ft. Lauderdale from ABE, if you'd ever have a cruise out of that port. Back in June, I needed to fly from ABE to Clearwater, FL to visit my sister on short notice. Hooter's was the least expensive and had me there non-stop in 2 1/2 hours AND I got real food... breakfast on the way down and lunch on the way home. Any other airline would have cost me well over $500 and taken at least 6 hrs each way (peanuts or pretzels complimentary and no direct flight!). I paid around $200 and I booked only 5 days before leaving. Thought I'd mention this because it's really a time-saver if they fly into any of your destinations out of ABE.

 

Susan

[daju22]

Hi Susan,

We bought the Pride Go-Go scooter. I can lift it up myself. It breaks apart into 4 pieces. If we only take the seat off, I think he can help me put it in the car. If he can't help, then I'll just flag someone down to help:eek:, or take the battery, seat, front, and rear pieces apart. Can't wait to get it. Dave actually smiled while he drove it around! Should be here next week. Your husband probably can push himself around, but I'm sure you and he would love it too!

Here's info about it.

 

http://www.pridemobility.com/products/GoGoTravelMobilityProducts/GoGoUltra/gogoultra.html

 

There's a thread about scooters not too far down the page. I learn so much from all of the people on this board. So ask alot of questions and they will help!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=141323

We are flying Hooters out of WilkesBarre-Scranton Airport to visit my mom in February. They fly into Clearwater-St. Pete Airport. I really like that airport better than Tampa. Good to hear that they even give you food! Got a great deal on the tickets as they were running a special because they were just starting the route.

 

Hope this helps.

[Guest Cookiegirl]

Judy... Thank you for the info on the scooter. We don't know what lies ahead of us and my husband may need one later on. He's not able to push himself in a wheelchair. He mainly needs it because he's weak and short of breath from the chemo he's getting for his cancer and can't walk distances. His first three treatments were pretty wicked. We'll mostly use it on excursions. There's a thread on the Celebrity board now regarding H/C cabins and wheelchairs. We don't have a handicapped cabin on our upcoming cruise on the Constellation, nor do we need one at this point. But after reading that thread, I can't believe the preconceived notions people have in their heads about handicaps. I just hope we don't have to face some of the humiliation they're suggesting on that board, because my DH feels bad enough that he needs the wheelchair. I'm just hoping for the best.

 

I agree that Clearwater/St Pete airport is much nicer than Tampa. You'll enjoy Hooters Air... it was pretty entertaining and everyone was extremely nice. I was pleasantly surprised that both my flights were full so I'm hoping they'll keep flying that route.

 

Best of luck with the scooter.

 

Susan

[daju22]

Susan,

 

Since your husband is so weak, maybe he would love the scooter too. It's so much better to be able to go where you want and not have to wait for your pusher to get you there. I know it's going to make a world of difference for us.

I suggest that you look into a handicapped cabin if your husband is so weak. At least he will have grab bars in the bathroom! Just ask your TA.

We have never had a bad experience with our wheelchair yet. Everyone has been so super helpful. People were expecially nice in South America. I was amazed. They would push the wheelchair all over. Of course we would tip them, but they were so nice, even with the language barrier. Maybe people looked at us, but I think they were just curious.

You will have a great time on your cruise!

Hope Hooters keeps flying from WilkesBarre, too.

[SHINEMAN]

There are lots of travel chairs for sale on EBay. They are new, shipped from dealers within 24 hrs. Had great experience with a Rllator. Way less expensive than identical product from local store.