Morbid Obesity and Transportation

Getting places is always a challenge.

If the walk is short, there are places to sit and/or a bariatric wheelchair available, I can take my car. It's a 1993 Buick Century with 130,000-ish miles on it. I call it my little rust bucket. The seat is broken and the back gives no support (to other people) because it is bent back so far. However, I can fit in it and am in no pain while driving even if I am in the car for hours such as when I sit by the lake, reading. However, it is old and as I said very rusty. I can't imagine trying to find another car that has bucket seats and no hump where I can fit behind the wheel. It's a good car, we spend only about $500 a year on it. Not bad really. But eventually, we are going to need to start looking and I dread it.

If I need my wheelchair, we need to take hubby's truck. I can't drive it as it's a stick-shift (can't maneuver to get to the clutch) plus I can't fit behind the steering wheel. After 20 or so minutes in the truck as a passenger, my back and knees start to hurt. After 30 - 45 minutes they are screaming at me. There isn't much room for me to move and the seat doesn't totally support me. As it is, I'm constantly fidgeting to get comfortable. Let's not even talk about the seat belt. Even with the extender, I'm confined so much, I can't even fidget and the belt cuts against my neck.

For when my husband isn't available, the walk is long and there is no seating for someone my size, I've researched transportation for the disabled such as Metro Mobility . They won't take anyone where the weight of the chair plus the rider is over 600 pounds. You do the math...