........And Now I Have Cateracts.

[Griffin NoName]

Bl**dy eye tests. Not best pleased. Except that it feels like the first real ailment of old age (my others striking any age) so I shall now admit to being old. Today is therefore my first being old birthday.

I know this should be in "health" but it seems ro warrant a public announcement and is therefore aa current event.

Any Guardian has my permission to move it.

[Bluenose]

Having cataracts out is amazing. You just don't teahouse what you're missing out on. Have you been given a likely timeframe on when they might do the op?

[Griffin NoName]

No, they are in the very early stages. He showed me on his screen. I don't think they are having much effect at present, yet.

In the UK they generally wait until you are almost blind before they will do anything about them.

They develop at different speeds for different people, so no forecast.

The main problem for me is being housebound, the more reasons I have to make hospital visits, or any other kind, are getting more and  more problematic. I now will have to have eyes tested every year instead of every two years.

Each trip out somewhere currently destroys the next 2-3 days to a fortnight or even three weeks. Also, going out at all, is becoming very hard. I do have a manual wheelchair when needed but getting in and out of taxis has become almost impossible. I can't manage the wheelchair for any real distance, as my arms get too tired. I've been thinking about an electric one for a while but no good if I can't put it in car etc (hoists exist but cost a bomb and take up most of the boot).

[Aggie]

Are your errands generally close enough to tackle entirely by electric wheelchair / mobility scooter? Perhaps you can get something that would replace the car for short-distance outing.  It'd probably take a little longer, but would save the hassle of getting in and out of chair / car, loading, parking etc...

[Griffin NoName]

Are your errands generally close enough to tackle entirely by electric wheelchair / mobility scooter?

Short answer, no. Possibly a mobility scooter would do in terms of speed/distance but they are not a solution as holding my arms out to hold the steering would be much too tiring. I need a wheelchair that is cushioned and ideally tilts backwards so not completely upright, resting position, and they have the steering as a little joystick on the arm rest. Wheelchairs can be made much more comfy which is much needed.

However, in a wheelchaor, even electric, I couldn't really go as far as most of my outings. I'd still need to drive there. I could have a hoist fitted to the boot (for £4,000 ish) to get the chair (another £1,000 to £2,000) in or out, or I could dismantle it into 4 pieces which would fit in the boot, if I could lift the heaviest part, which I probably couldn't. All so complex and costly I'd need to sure it was worth the money. Which is unlikely.

Today, I drove to a coffee meeting, and really struggled getting in and out of the car. And walked just from the car park to the venue, a distance of about 15 metres, and nearly fell over a couple of times, felt my legs about to give out  from under me another couple of times, and got very breathless (which I do from doing anything remotely physical). Also bad pain in back and hips.

I don't think I will be able to drive for much longer.

I may become dependent on having a carer to help me on outings. Not that I am really up to outings, and soon may not be at all. It is very hard to work it all out.