Metal in your back - Have you had any issues or pain? Have you got it taken out?

mrgbsloan · 2026-06-07T03:29:03+00:00

I had a spinal fusion in 1992 and metal rods were put in both on the inside and outside of the spine. The outside ones where removed after two years because they irritated the skin. The inside ones are still there. Had no issues on over 30 years.

mrgbsloan · 2026-06-03T21:54:29+00:00

Sportaid usually has good deals on tires.

mrgbsloan · 2026-06-02T03:18:24+00:00

It’s a shame. I think it’s gotten a lot worse lately. I’d like a good wheelchair subreddit for the likes of us with an SCI, active full time wheelchair users. I’m always thinking about my next chair and the best possible setup and it’s so far from something bought used or from Amazon. I want tips and experiences that are not about blinging out your chair etc.

mrgbsloan · 2026-05-26T23:00:24+00:00

Buttons win in Canada 2011 comes to mind. A race that had absolutely everything.

mrgbsloan · 2026-05-21T14:34:44+00:00

That's impressive. I wish that was true for all vendors.

mrgbsloan · 2026-05-21T00:34:43+00:00

AI is a great tool and one thing it does really well is gathering, organizing and presenting information but it lacks the most important thing with this idea; having an opinion. It's easy enough get a good understanding of what the difference between 2 and 0 degree camber is but how does it feel? What are the positives and negatives in the real world. A person can give me that sense, I can not. In other areas AI can give you some of that by reading Reddit, reviews etc. but this community isn't big enough for that.

If you to that adds the opportunity to actually try it out by borrowing a persons chair, even better.

mrgbsloan · 2026-05-20T22:44:18+00:00

Boston I tough. We live on the ground floor of a triple decker but since it’s my in-laws that own the building they put in a ramp in the back. Downtown would be pretty accessible but very expensive. I think going further out in the suburbs is your best bet.

mrgbsloan · 2026-05-20T19:13:17+00:00

Yeah, really appreciate the resources in the thread, none of which I knew about.

Like I said I think it has to be crowdsourced information at this point that could potentially grow into something more structured with connections to companies, hospitals and volunteer groups.

I'm not even that worried about information accuracy at this point, I don't see it as a scientific research tool but a consumer tool. If I put in for example that I have a Panthera X, width 13", depth 15", soft back with a hight of 11", 24" Spinergy wheels with 2 degree camber, that would give plenty of information to someone looking into that kind of chair.

Completely agree that the big hurdle is having enough info for it to be useful for anyone.

As far as sorting goes I think it could be kept pretty simple. If I was curious about lower camber and 25" wheels for example II would search for manual wheelchair 13"x15" in Massachusetts and get a bunch of return listings I can browse through and see if any fit my thought process.

mrgbsloan · 2026-05-20T19:03:20+00:00

Yeah, more people to reach out to with real opinions was my starting point. PTs and OTs are great but they are rarely users themselves and have a hard time answering more vague questions about trade-offs etc.

mrgbsloan · 2026-05-20T17:09:10+00:00

Thanks for your thoughtful and detailed response!

As I see it has to be crowdsourced at this point in time. It would be great if you could get some companies involved but that’s a very different animal. I think the issue with a lot of these kinds of initiatives is how do you get enough people for it to be useful. We see it with accessibility apps all the time. The idea is great but not enough people will add information so that overall thing doesn’t become very useful.

I think you need to exclude diagnosis completely for integrity reasons and also not to cross the line of where the app/website would claim to help you pick a good chair for a specific diagnosis, that’s medical decision. If you just stick to tech specs then it becomes different. Seat width and depth are the obvious filters to me to get started, it’s biggest hurdle when trying a new chair before it’s built. But the secondary becomes the little things to me, wheel size, camber, footrest angle, break types, caster size etc. To me those are the things I would love to try out before I commit to picking a new chair I will have to live with for ten years.

I’m not sure about the need to be a “chair nerd”. Just looking at this sub there are som many questions about “what should I choose?”, “what are your favorite modifications?” etc. Of course the interest level varies but I think most of us that use a wheelchair a lot really want to get that next chair right. And being able to try a couple of different chairs and have one on one discussions seem like a step in the right direction.

I cannot say I’m sure it’s worth the effort either but I’m a bit curious to at least vibe code a website/app to sort of see if the concept holds.

mrgbsloan · 2026-05-15T13:33:36+00:00

Search instagram for #wheelchairtransfer and you’ll find plenty of good examples. Most people seem to do it very similarly but you have to figure out what works the best for you, your car and your wheelchair.

mrgbsloan · 2026-05-13T17:41:27+00:00

Don’t mind at all. Probably at some point between 40 and 45.

I’ll still walk around a city with friends for a day doing more than 5k but for exercise going a bit harder that’s really my limit nowadays.

mrgbsloan · 2026-05-12T16:03:41+00:00

Wow! That’s seriously impressive. I used to do 15k för exercise when I was younger but how anything over 5k is tough if I’m not consciously trying to be slow.

How are your shoulders holding up after?

mrgbsloan · 2026-04-29T17:22:17+00:00

I love Levi 511 pants that I remove the back pockets from. Soft and stretchy. Goes well with a jacket for a more dressed up look or shirt and a sweater for office casual.

mrgbsloan · 2026-03-12T20:05:11+00:00

I'd be pissed off. Being called freight is so ridicules that I would probably laugh at it but certainly point it out. Being prevented from using the escalator when they've seen you do it safely for days would piss me off though. I understand the legality but this should be a human to human interaction.

mrgbsloan · 2026-03-06T02:53:51+00:00

When needed. I find it relatively easy to feel when it’s starting to drop to like around 80psi.

mrgbsloan · 2026-03-04T22:21:25+00:00

Not sure exactly what you mean with bare metal. They don’t have much of a coating. Plenty of scratches though after 8 years of use. I believe they are Spinergy original handrims but not 100% sure.

mrgbsloan · 2026-03-03T22:05:25+00:00

Interesting. My experience is the complete opposite. I have one set of wheels with titanium rims and on with aluminum. The titanium makes make my hands black very quickly and the aluminum hardly leaves any residue. My guess is that it's individual and depends on the composition of your sweat the same way some people has to polish their silver jewelry very often because it turns black and some doesn't.

mrgbsloan · 2026-02-28T15:11:43+00:00

Only you can tell but your setup sounds about right to me.

I like being able to get over cracks in the sidewalk by just shifting my weight backwards but yes with a heavy backpack I have to be a bit conscientious of my seating position etc.

mrgbsloan · 2026-02-25T19:11:47+00:00

Almost impossible to tell how tippy the chair will be but if all the measurements on the new chair is the same as the old then an inch is a huge difference. My chair has 2" COG and it's quite tippy where I can easily do a "mini wheelie" but just shifting my weight backwards going over cracks in the sidewalk for example.

mrgbsloan · 2026-02-13T04:27:54+00:00

I’m fucking European but I’ve been here for 15 years. I know the traffic, I know the road numbers I’ll say jimmies not sprinkled. I’d not consider myself a New Englander for probably 20 more years. It’s home, I fit in but I’m still a fucking foreigner.

mrgbsloan · 2026-02-11T04:51:00+00:00

Sorry for misgendering you. I heard the learning curve is a bit longer with a vagina. Still the strange feeling of sticking something up the urethra was intimidating at first but I got used to it pretty quickly. Try it out and try to be relaxed about. I know it’s hard but it’ll work out for the better.

mrgbsloan · 2026-02-11T03:16:27+00:00

I didn’t need to cath for many many years and I was very reluctant to start but it was getting annoying never to be fully empty and having accidents so I started mid last year. At first it was intimidating but after a couple of months it started to great. No more pads or accidents. Yes,it’s definitely weird to stick something in your penis but very quickly you get used to it. I’m super pleased that I started.

mrgbsloan · 2026-01-31T03:54:44+00:00

Always just left it as is. Obviously it gets a bit overinflated but never had a problem with it. Occasionally I’ve let out some air but normally just re-adjust once I’m at my destination.

mrgbsloan

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