Where can I find wheelchairs, blood pressure monitors, MRIs and patient gowns for large-size people?

WHEELCHAIRS

Standard wheelchairs are 22 inches wide. It's not easy to find a wider one. Here are some suggestions:

• Call your local hospital and asking for the home care division. The nurses there should know local sources for larger-sized chair rentals.
• Call the Occupational Therapy/Physical Therapy departments of large nursing homes.
• Several wheelchair catalogs carry large-sized chairs. In the U.S., SIZEwise Rentals rents wheelchairs. Their parent company, Wheelchairs of Kansas, sells custom-made wheelchairs. PDG Inc. sells wheelchairs for big and supersize people. In the U.S., contact their distributor at 888-433-6818. In Canada, contact their distributor at 800-387-9113 or contact them directly at 604-323-9220 (Vancouver area).

HOME BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORS

The standard size blood pressure cuff should not be used on a person with an arm bigger around than 14" or so. It will give a falsely high reading.

Options are to use a large size cuff (most doctor's offices have them) or thigh cuff on the upper arm, use the standard size cuff on the forearm, or use a wrist cuff.

The most economical monitor is a cuff and stethoscope, available at medical supply companies. Some home models come with D-ring cuffs that are easy to put on with one hand, and have the stethescope diaphragm screwed into the cuff so you don't need a hand to hold the stethescope. You can buy these with a regular or large cuff. Learning to take your own blood pressure by stethoscope takes some practice, but once you learn, you can better gauge the accuracy than with an automatic model.

Wrist monitors are simple and easy to use. They fit wrists up to 8" around. Omron offers several kinds. They pump and give you a reading automatically.

A nurse wrote: "Healthcare professionals will offer varying opinions on their accuracy....but at least it gives a supersized individual ease and comfort of keeping tabs on their pressure at home....I would suggest to anyone using a wrist blood pressure machine to take it when having their pressure checked at their physician's office, health fair, drug store, etc., to see if there is any difference in readings."

OPEN MRI MACHINES

MRI machines are tubes and some big people can't fit into them. Some "open" MRI machines are available and may be able to accommodate big folks (as well as folks with claustrophobia). Call 1-800-OPEN-MRI, Kaiser and Open Advanced MRI (415) 956-2525 for locations.

PATIENT GOWNS

In the doctor's office or the hospital you can request a maternity patient gown. They are larger across the shoulders and the tummy area. Consider buying your own gown for extra convenience (and to avoid the teddy bears and duckies that often show up on maternity gowns!). They are available from several retailers including www.healthgearweb.com.

Copyright by Stef Jones (stef@bayarea.net). Permission is granted to copy and redistribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial, educational use only, provided that this copyright notice is not removed or altered. No portion of this work may be sold, either by itself or as part of a larger work, without the express written permission of the author. This restriction covers all publication media, including electronic media.

Editor's Note: Information added or updated by GrandStyle where noted.

For More Help and Tips

• Plus Size Maternity and Nursing Resources and Tips
• Top Ten Reasons to Give Up Dieting
• Guidelines for Health Care Professionals
• NAAFA-Declaration of Health Rights
• NAAFA-Before You Start Your Diet
• NAAFA-Dispelling Common Myths About Fat Persons
• NAAFA-Do You Have An Eating Disorder?
• Medical Products for Large Size People