Clubbing in a wheelchair

So on Saturday I attended a friends hen party. This was something I thought I would never be able to do. I decided I would try in some way to attend. After a month of planning, my husband and I had sat down and thought of a plan of how I was going to get to her house, then to town, into clubs and then home again, safely, cheaply and without compromising my health or wellbeing. We decided I would go out in my power chair as this would give me the most mobility and independence whilst out and that i would need a wheelchair taxi.

Next came finding a comfortable and wheelchair friendly outfit, so I had mid waisted trousers on as a skirt or a dress in a wheelchair just doesn't work for me, I had a top that consisted of several layers so I could remove layers as needed to control my temperature, it's cold outside in the UK at the minute and I overheat inside. we decided on a cross over jacket type thing as it crossed over at the waist hiding my stomach and was mildly elasticated at the bottom meaning it stayed in place around my waist instead of riding up my back. I struggle with Raynauds in my hands and feet so keeping my feet warm but stylish was a priority. I settled on my glittery black diamante high tops and thick socks. Basically the outfit below (obviously this is not me) Tops from next and jeans were mid waisted supersoft jeans by F&F at Tescos. They were so comfy even after 7 hours in my chair. My hightops (below) were from matalan.

  

I struggle with keeping my hands above my head or up for any length of time and with manual dexterity in my hands so i used clip in hair extensions and styled them in my lap to make it easier, then all i had to do was clip them in with a bit of help

The end result before i changed into my outfit.

Once i knew i was going out in my chair and what i was wearing it was settling on a plan and a back up plan to get there and to get into various bars and clubs. I did some research, every time I had to go into town i made a note to look at the entrances of bars and clubs to see if i was able to get in. I pre booked a wheelchair taxi to get from my friends house to town and back again. This was handy as the one that arrived fitted the rest of the girls in so I felt included. Once in town I hit a snag straight away, I was so sure one of the bars didn't have a step I didn't bother to look, turns out it had a step just a bit too high for my chair to climb so that one was out of the question. we went onto a pub and the main entrance wasn't accessible, my friend went in to ask if they had a ramp and it turns out they had an accessible side entrance that wasn't signposted.

After this we found a small bar with cheap drinks, good music and level access through the front, the only snag was that the women's toilets were upstairs. The staff at this tiny club were so accommodating they cleared out the men's, cleaned it and stood obstructing the door so I could use the stall. It wasn't ideal but it worked. After this we went to a larger club. This was a chain of restaurant/bars called revolution, they had level access, disabled toilets and a lift up to the disco hall.

All in all I had a great night and found the bar staff and door staff to be really helpful and accommodating. Ill be honest Ipswich is a medium sized town but I don't think they had seen many disabled women wheelchair dancing so that's a first. The point of all this is if there is something you want to do there may be a way of doing it, it might not be straightforward or easy but it may be possible.

The aftermath

So if any other spoonies are reading this you may have noticed i said 7 hours, yes i was out in my chair for 7 hours! The following day i couldn't sit up without everything spinning, low blood pressure, tachycardia and nausea. I tried to move and quickly realised my whole right side from my waist downwards had seized up, i couldn't bend my leg or move it. Sooooo i spent the whole day lying down with a heated blanket over my right side and salty snacks and fluids to calm the POTS down. I'm expecting the fatigue and right sided stiffness to continue all week but it was worth it.

As always thanks for reading, feel free to leave any questions or comments below.

Laura :)

Banham zoo accessibility review

Following my camping trip, which you can read about here I thought I would write about my experiences at the zoo next door, Banham zoo.

 

Banham zoo was founded in 1968 and became a charity in 2013. It isn't the largest zoo in the UK but I found the friendly atmosphere and their dedication to conservation made it one of my favourites.

 

Its in the tiny village of Banham in Norfolk, UK.

 

 When you arrive your given a welcome pack which includes a map and a list of the feeding and talk times. The entrance gates are wide enough for a power chair and the reception is all on one level.

As you enter the zoo there is a map and signposts to the different animals. We noticed several first aid posts and help points. You can hire a mobility scooter for the day for £10 and they will safely store your wheelchair if you are swapping it for the scooter. I can't stress how helpful the staff are.

 

 

Most of the zoo is on level ground however the giraffe enclosure is up a inclining platform so you can get up to their height. For wheelies who self propel, I recommend going into the building at the Base of the giraffe enclosure and using the small platform lift to get to the top. From the top of the building you can then get to the platform and see the giraffes.

 

Some of the ground in the zoo is uneven so those using walking aids or with balance issues will need to be careful.

 

Most of the enclosures have some way of viewing the animals from a lower position, ideal for children, those who are shorter in height and people using wheelchairs. I got some great views of the tigers and snow leopards from these areas.

 

 

It may be unsuitable for those with severe visual impairment as there are only a few enclosures or attractions where touch or sound is used, there is no braille and some of the animals like to hide quite well! For hearing impaired all the talks are done with the use of a microphone system and a single person speaking allowing for lip reading or use of hearing aids.

There are several toilet blocks which include a disabled toilet. The disabled toilet at the Parrot Pavilion, the main restaurant, was a little on the small side but I was able to get my power chair in and transfer to the toilet. Disabled toilets had the standard radar key, lowered sink, grab rails and lowering rail on the right hand side of the toilet.

 

It's free to listen to the talks, see the amazing animals show and watch them feeding the animals. Also interactive events like meet a reptile and the amazing animals show are also included.

 

                        

They only things not included in the ticket price are the Skytrek high wire course and zorbing. The food is good but quite pricey so I recommend bringing your own food and drink. There are plenty of picnic areas.

 

It is possible to see the zoo in one day but for those low on spoons who can camp, glamp or caravan, I recommend staying at the Applewood countryside campsite next door and seeing the zoo over two or more days. If your staying at the campsite you can pay an extra £3 on the price of your ticket and revisit the zoo all week.

 

Ticket prices

(can include optional donation to their conservation charity. )

 

Disabled adult/child/carer

£11.45 (with donation) £10.40 (without)

Adult
£22.95 with donation £20.85 without

Children 3-15yrs
£16.95 with donation £15.40 without

 

Children under 3

Free

 

We really enjoyed it, even my grumpy husband loved getting close to the tigers and seeing them been fed. It is somewhere which taught me a lot about different animals, their endangerment and why conservation is so important, I would definitely revisit.

 

As always thanks for reading, any questions or suggestions leave a comment below.

 

Laura :)

Unplanned trip anxiety!

I'm been brave this September.  I normally don't go anywhere without my trusty rucksack armed with all kinds of things to help me with heat intolerance, cold intolerance, pain, dislocations, asthma and more. Even with all that I Then have to know where I'm going and know where toilets, disabled accessible facilities are and have a plan B for everything.

I think this is typical for most with a chronic illness. Either that or I'm just an anxious control freak! It now comes naturally to me to go out prepared for almost anything my body can throw at me. This enables me to enjoy myself, relax and know that if anything happen I wont have to go running home or ruin the day.

All this goes out the window when I have to go somewhere I don't know. My dad has planned a suprise trip for me. It's a lovely exciting idea BUT it's left me quite anxious. I don't know where we're going. I've to turn up at my Dads house on a specified date and time and he will hand me information about where I'm going, a postcode for my satnav and booking information. All I know is its camping and its for 4 days.

I don't know how far a drive it is, if there's blue badge parking, how accessible places I may need or want to visit are. I don't know if there's pharmacys or doctor's nearby. I don't even know where I'm staying.

Will it be big enough for my power chair?

Will it have accessible bathrooms?
Will there even be somewhere to charge my power chair!?

Will I be able to make myself comfortable and give myself some self care if I have a flare up?

What activities will I be able to participate in?

Will attractions I want to visit be accessible?

I have to be brave and put trust in my dad that he knows my needs well enough to have thought of all this. But then there's the other issue its CAMPING- I'm extremely sensitive to temperatures, too hot my POTS doesn't like it, too cold my Raynaud's and Fibromyalgia doesn't like it. I cant exactly have air conditioning or heating in a tent. My air bed is not that comfy and I wont have a sofa to lay on if I'm having a bad fatigue day.

To tackle this I'm taking lots of pillows and blankets so I can make my own nest of comfy to crash in, this will also help if it gets cold. I hope the campsite has a pool so I can cool down if its too hot. Once I know where I'm going I can do some research and find some places to visit or activities I can do. Whatever happens its my holiday and I'm determined to enjoy it.

It made me wonder how many other spoonies out there have anxiety around unplanned / unexpected trips? Am I the only one?

Of course once I get back I will post about how I got on and how I survived!

As always thanks for reading,

Laura :)

Accessible sailing

 

 

On Wednesday I went sailing! I'm such a water baby I love rivers, oceans, swimming, sailing, anything to do with been in or close to water.
 

I contacted a local organisation called EAST (east anglian sailing trust) and asked to come along for one of their sailing sessions.
 

I arrived quite anxious not knowing what to expect apart from that there would be boats and other disabled adults. There is disabled parking in front of the building which is like a community centre. There was a social club kind of air to the gathering and there were adults mostly older than myself but all with some kind of disability. The building has a small ramp at the front and two large accessible toilets inside.
 

Once we were all there and had all been given life jackets we travelled down to the ramps onto a pontoon where there were several small sailing boats and a hoist. Slings were provided to those that needed hoisting but the organisers were also open to allowing people *cough* me *cough* to be stubbornly independent and find a safe way onto the boat without been hoisted.

 

The boats also had stable seats with a harness for those that cannot sit up themselves and extended rudders so everyone can have a go steering.
 

The weather looked a bit ominous and dark clouds were overhead but I spent two amazing hours out on the river and caught some amazing photos. I steered for some of the time and just sat back and enjoyed the experience the rest of the time.

Once back there was a cafe in the centre selling teas, coffees, hot chocolates and cakes or toasties. This was a good chance to chat to the other sailors and warm up with a hot chocolate.

 

The sailing is run by volunteers who are trained and have experience in keelboat sailing and first aid. There is also an option to have a carer accompany you.
 

EAST Sailing sessions are run from Levington marina in ipswich, UK on Wednesdays and Tuesday afternoons and evenings. You can contact them via phone on 01473 655509 or email at keelboatsec@e-a-s-t.org.uk

 

That's it for this week, check back next week for my post on Orthotics for EDS.
 

As always thanks for reading,

 

Laura :)