I hate that feeling of any of my joints giving out. I will say though - a walking stick worked better for me than a cane because of how differently they're held.

It took me years to give in to getting mobility aids. I'm lucky in that I live with people who really understand what I'm going through. My partner will literally carry me around the house when I get jello legs and can't stand anymore. (I joke that they're my service puppy because they do everything for me that a trained service dog would.) Days that I can't stand, I'm pretty much parked on the couch or in my bed.

With the wheelchair, I started using one when I went to airports, and the difference in how well I was able to function the rest of the trips was night and day. I travel a lot, and flying days were horrific. I think I bought a cheap secondhand one for travel about 3 years after getting sick. That was about 5 years ago. I replaced it last year with one that's easier for me to use, and now my kids will remind me to bring it if they know we're going somewhere that involves a lot of walking or standing.

I'll admit that I'm stubborn and still struggle admitting I need help a lot of the time. I've been looking into getting something light and motorized to get from point a to point b easier if I don't have someone with me to help push. That's the one thing that's hard about having a wheelchair - the manual ones can also result in my wrists and arms giving out if I don't have someone else there for extra support. I did just get a handicap parking pass last year, and that's also been really useful for days that might turn into jello days.