Hi! 💗 here’s a tracker of how requesting a wheelchair from my 🇧🇪 goverment is going!! Will try to update lol.
For refrence: for diagnosis FND (non-epileptic seizures) so I can save energy and not have seizures consistently outside the house.
- long trips (bigger stores, shopping days, flea markets, conventions, theme parks, etc)
- to move me to a safe place during seizure
1. Have GP fill in wheelchair perscription
— get rejected because though he agrees I should use one, I shouldn’t have one for free bcs I only use it for a % of time.
2. Ask Neurologist to fill in wheelchair perscripton
— (respectfully) fight w/ her for 30 minutes because I shouldn’t ‘give up’ mobility, and try treatment (in form of therapy; after 4 psych wards and currently consistent visits to psychologist & psychiatrist)
3. get wheelchair perscription from neurologist!!!!!! 🎉
4. Go to bandagist (mobility aid specialist) and go to wheelchair manufacturer to put in order
5. Get reeeeeejected! By the goverment!
— score of document was too low because it was filled in incorrectly
?. Give up for like a year and start using a secondhand wheelchair, notice how much freedom you have.
6. Email neurologist to refill in the document, adding the explanation of how to fill in the scores.
— (scores based on how you are during/post seizure, not just on a random tuesday)
7. Give document to a new bandagist
8. Bandagist asks for revision.
— though it was filled in, not every box was also crossed in lol
9. Ask for revision from Neurologist
10. Bandagist that document was filled in on the 2023 edition instead of 2024
— which!! You can only download the 2023 edition from the ✨official goverment website!!✨ it was never updated!!
11. Push back and ask them to take it up with the friggin goverment BRO
12. Say I’ll hear about making an appointment, but don’t hear anything.
13. Get called one morning asking if they can visit me in my house in an hOuR
14. Have consultation! Find out I need 1 more revision to the document to qualify for a possible power supply in the future.
— Find out I qualify for a ‘basic wheelchair’ that cannot be requested changes on, have to get revision to qualify and buy ‘modular wheelchair’ (means can have changes, but different from active wheelchair) only get 980 in goverment assistance for it (will have to pay 2200 euro extra) and then apply for power supply and hope I’ll get accepted after doctors consultation at a ‘specialized wheelchair team’.
15. Decide to go back to GP because asking Neurologist for a 4th time seems insane for that revision.
16. Get revision from GP! 🎉🎉
17. Find out I can’t just pay extra on top of goverment funding to afterwards request power supply!
18. Bandagist offers to change tactics and go all in; try to request a full active wheelchair (100% paid back; 100% harder to get)
19. Make appointment with ‘specialized wheelchair team’ (doctors I do not know) hoping a visit to them will get me the correct referral for this kind of wheelchair.
That’s where I am now; appointment is next week. I am terrified. We’ll see what happens! 💗
