On the reverse of the “Whee factor”

In response to my previous entry Margo wrote as follows: “You are the [g]ung ho person who coined the term “whee factor” to describe the sensation of the wind in one’s hair when cycling at speed. Maybe you should shout “wheeeee!” while you’re being lifted and swung into your wheelchair?”

There is fair bit of stuff to unpack there. The first of which is that I had thought that it had been Margo who coined the term “whee factor”. Maybe it was a joint effort, I expressed the idea and Margo came up with the name.

The second thing is that the “whee factor” is when you are comfortable, in control and there is nothing to worry about. You go “whee!” when you are going down a long straight hill with a clear run out and a good surface. You don’t use the expression going down a twisty trail, strewn with rock and roots and no idea where or how the hill is going to end and whether your brakes will last. That is the flip side of the “whee factor”, which I am going to dub the “aiee factor”, as in “Aiee! I am going to die!” Or even just “Aiee! I really don’t like this!”

I am not comfortable in the sling: the position is awkward and cramped. Neither do I feel in control even when I have the crane control as my legs have to be held by one person as another person guides me in or out of the chair. Between major damage and atrophied muscles my legs are both rather heavy (to me) and intolerant of being mishandled. I doubt I will be using the sling long enough to feel truly comfortable with it.

In other news, during my physio session with Victoria this afternoon, it was a good thing the ortho doctor wasn’t there as she was very annoyed at the virtually complete lack of information about last Friday’s events conveyed by the General to her. Until I mentioned it, she hadn’t known that they had taken X-rays of my pelvis and left leg. She really wants to know if the pelvis is now able to bear weight as that will mean a change in my physio regime. It may also mean a change in local as I might be transferred to a more intense rehab place which it seems may be keeping a place open for me. Had the ortho doctor been there, there may have been bloodshed. ;-)