Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Flying

So, I've been thinking lately about flying because I love to travel and would like to see other places. I'm not sure if I want to be stuck in Minnesota the rest of my life. Don't get me wrong, I love it here with all that snow and below zero weather. But there are things out there for me to see. I know that Christopher Reeve flew places, but he probably had his own plane. I heard it's really difficult for someone in my situation to fly. I would need to buy two seats, one for me and one for my vent. At least two nurses would have to come with, one for the day and one for the night shift. I wouldn't be able to sit in my wheelchair on the plane, so they'd have to carry me to my seat. Then they store the wheelchair down below but I was told they have to disable all of the electrical portions so it doesn't interfere with the plane.

I'll have to make arrangements for staying somewhere wherever I go. It's not like I can just book any old hotel because I need a decent bed so I don't get sores and a way to get in and out of bed so someone doesn't have to lift me. Oh yeah, I forgot about all the equipment I'll have to bring; emergency backup equipment, suction machine, my vent with tubing and extra just in case, batteries and cords, enough supplies for cathing, medicines etc. Sounds like a lot of work and time when you lay it all out like that. I know it's doable, but is it practical. Any suggestions? (Buying my own plane is not an option right now, unless I win the lottery or something.)

Jenni

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

weee i also would love to be able to fly one day so i can fly over to meet you and hang out... :) hope will be possible one day for both of us...no suggestion from me because both of us are in the same situation... jialiang

Elizabeth said...

I did it, so it's possible :) I got a lot of help from the Make-a-Wish Foundation though. If you haven't already had a wish granted by them, there are other programs for adults that you could probably use.

I was on my vent in the plane, and they just had it on the floor in front of my nurse's seat, so she could monitor it. I think we have the same vent, so you could probably do that instead of buying a whole seat for it.

When I got onto the plane, I sat in this skinny chair that they rolled me down the aisle in (which was a little uncomfortable and scary), and I needed to be lifted into my seat by my parents, but once I was all settled in the plane it was fine.

Somehow, I got a hospital bed in my hotel room, which was nice.

I'm sure you could travel somewhere if you asked wish programs for help with it. Getting there is kind of a project, but once you get where you want to go, it's worth it.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a lot of work but sometimes that makes it even more enjoyable. Nothing good comes easy. Good luck.

karly said...

We have an idea!! Karly would also love to travel, but flying for many reasons is not a good option for her. We would love to have an rv equipped with a lift, designed for wheelchair use. It would be more affordable if 3 or 4 families went in on it and did a time share sort of arrangement. How does that sound?? With the gas prices, it wouldn't be real cheap, but we could go far enough to have an awful lot of fun seeing new scenery.:)