Ambulatory Wheelchair

I am an ambulatory wheelchair user. 

This means that I can only walk short distances, my body tires easily and can give out, and I often need a reliable place to sit everywhere I go. 

I am lucky enough to have decent days when I can walk with a cane, rare days when I do not need a cane at all (though I still limp), and days when I require something in between, like a walker. 

I have required these walking aids since the first year of being diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis. 

I am lucky because I have options. These chronically painful illnesses can be volatile, so I never really know what kind of day I am going to wake up to, but I have a pretty good idea of what aid I might need when I leave the house. 

It can be confusing. It can appear odd. It is not consistent; even though the pain itself is always there, some days are better than others. 

Just think of me as an elderly person with a limited amount of energy and a constant source of joint pain (among other serious illnesses and a long list of medications). That is, essentially, how my body behaves. Sometimes I just need to be wheeled around and have a comfortable place to sit in order to prevent severe flare-ups, as well as allow me to get out and do more. 

An ambulatory wheelchair means a bit of freedom for me.