Do I really need a wheelchair on vacation?
Hi, my mom has dementia and her dream has always been to go to Hawaii. So, she is taking my sister, brother, and myself to Hawaii next month while she still can. My sister is renting a wheelchair for my mom and myself and I don't feel so great about that. She said we could see twice as much if I used a wheelchair because of my MS and arthritis in my feet. I need help coming to terms with this. Please help.
Hi KCDavis and thank you for your reaching out to the MultipleSclerosis.net community. This sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime trip for your family and I sincerely hope it is a time of smooth travels, laughs, and great memory-making. I think your sister was smart to plan ahead for you and your mother. While it may be frustrating to think about using a wheelchair, it may be good to have one on hand, should you decide you need it. Some of the sites in Hawaii can be a challenge to reach and you may appreciate having access to a wheelchair on those days. That said, I don't blame you one bit for feeling hesitant about the whole thing. I think it's pretty normal to fight against the brain-body struggle many people living with MS face. By that, I mean that your mind may really not want to deal with the fact that on any given day, a certain part of your body may just not be working so great. If mind over matter worked all of the time, I have no doubt most MS individuals could fly! It's hard to face the fact that we can't always tough our way through every situation. If it were me, I would say have the wheelchair on hand and use it when you need to. And, if you feel so good that you never need it, well, that's awesome! Again, I hope you and your family have a wonderful, stress-free trip! Best, Erin, MultipleSclerosis.net Team Member.
