Trike for sale…

A few months after purchasing a hand-cycle, I’ve decided that it is not for me. If I’m being truthful, I should’ve realised this before I brought the trike. The transfers should have been a wake up call as I’d nearly break body parts just to get in/out of the contraption. However, I ignored the concerns of my parents (I thought they were just nagging for the sake of it) and didn’t appreciate my own body limits. Just because I know someone with Friedreich’s Ataxia who uses one regularly, doesn’t automatically mean I can use one. Everyone has different symptoms but I neglected that little fact.

I think I got caught up in the whole Paralympics hysteria when I vowed to do the London Marathon in 2015 (later changed to a bike race this May). When I see athletes such as David Weir on the T.V., pushing a wheelchair looks so easy but that’s because these athletes are usually only affected from the waist down. Unfortunately, the Ataxia that I’ve got isn’t satisfied with simply removing my ability to walk. Other parts of my body are not normal which makes everything I do that extra bit difficult.

These symptoms have left me with no choice but to stop hand cycling. I realised that my arms aren’t that strong and eventhough I’ve been going down the gym for almost a year, my muscles don’t develop. Another problem I had when using the trike is the poor dexterity in my fingers and slow reactions to brake. Also, an increasing problem I’ve got as a result of Friedreich’s is my heart. I easily get out of breath and fatigue is a side effect of my tablets so strenuous exercise isn’t good. I don’t want to end up in hospital with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) again.

Now, to think of something else that I’ll try for a few months before realising my body can’t cope and I’ll have to stop. Remind you of anything else?

Bye for now!