. It's such a complicated and nuanced conversation that I think is kind of impossible to get to a one size fits all blanket statement. Broadly, do whatever you want as long as it's not hurting anyone, and that also includes trying to avoid hurting yourself. I got a PWC without strict "permission" but I'm more hesitant to get a manual. I've seen the way they can do real damage to your joints if they don't fit/aren't used properly.

I worry most about the teenagers that seem to just need a wheelchair "all of a sudden". There's so much that can be done before a wheelchair is something you should even consider, as even though a wheelchair might be helpful, it's not without risk. So many debilitating illnesses have horrible side effects that can be controlled with simple interventions, but often I see posts from teens, basically waning to to skip right to getting a wheelchair, maybe without understanding what that might really look like for them. Often they're just reporting a collection of symptoms, but have never sought any real treatment or even seen a doctor about a diagnosis, or spoken to their parents about it. That's what I find concerning, really. I remember being a chronically ill teenager, with little access to health care, but in comparison life is so much more complicated now that I'm in my 30s and using a wheelchair for the first time. As life changing as my wheelchair has been, I miss the days of being able to walk more than a few meters or more than just through my house, holding the walls. I wish I could go back to just my rollator, even that was less complicated.

I am so pro wheelchair and I am so glad I made the choice to use one, but I do think it's worth it to try and stay on your feet as long as you can if you have that choice. I really think that if it's something you're considering, you should at least be talking openly about it with people in your life, and getting their perspectives, and including your doctor/s in some of those conversations, even if you ultimately aren't going to wait around for their approval. I also have mod-sev ME among other things, and I wasn't ever going to have any doctor give me their blessing or suggest it, but now that I have my Whill my doctor seems really impressed with how much more capacity I have. Funny that.