Four Unexpected Problems You May Encounter in a Wheelchair

For almost every situation in life, no matter how good or bad, there are some unintended consequences. Let’s take a great situation, like winning a car. What if you won a car on the Price is Right? Drew Carey hands you the keys to an Elantra and you’re home free, right? Except that you have to pay taxes on it. Do you know how much taxes are on an $18,000 car? Enough that Uncle Sam will notice.

So there’s always unexpected problems in life. What are some of the unforeseen complications from living in a wheelchair? Here are four of the most common:

Getting through doorways unscathed

Pretty early in your wheelchair life you start to realize that doors aren’t made for you. They were made for people to walk through, so no one considers what it’s like to roll through these openings. Basically, be prepared to bust up your knuckles or pinch your hands.

Having to ask for help in unexpected situations

Anyone in a wheelchair has experienced asking for help, and although it can feel awkward or uncomfortable, it’s sometimes necessary. But you can still be surprised about when it’s necessary. Like, what if you needed to reach something from the top shelf of a grocery store aisle? All of a sudden, you need help at Safeway when you never did before.

Always needing to wait for the disabled stall

Able-bodied folks never give a second thought to using the disabled stall, especially if there’s a line. Makes no difference to them: a toilet is a toilet! Unfortunately, when that’s the only stall you’re going to even fit in, you don’t have that luxury.

Running over a pet’s tail

If you have a dog or cat, then you have a new concern to keep in mind. They’re not anymore used to the chair than you are, so they might leave their tails vulnerable. Be careful! Or your kitty is going to be furious after you run over its tail for the fifth time.