# Ultra Sized Health Improvements with Technology



## Super Fan (Aug 31, 2017)

SSBBWs are the way they are and all the attempts to change them have met with failure. Their numbers are dramatically increasing, now I am looking forward to a breakthrough in ultra sized mobility thanks to the robotic exoskeletons and better scooters that allow mobility without the damage to joints caused by lifting all that thrillingness. 
https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/innova...ns-are-changing-lives-surprising-ways-n722676

The new electric scooters are also helping the super sized people get around. The point to these mobility machines is not to try to change the nature of super sized individuals but accept them as the thrillingly breathtaking people that they are and help their health by easing their struggles with mobility.


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## RVGleason (Aug 31, 2017)

I think it's been covered in 'Dune'. 

RV :eat1: 

View attachment IMG_7805.JPG


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## DragonFly (Aug 31, 2017)

Fascinating article, I would love a soft eco- skeleton suit. I bet it would feel like walking in water. The idea of a chairless chair is great too, I would need mine made with a built in air conditioner.


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## Tracyarts (Sep 1, 2017)

Cool idea, but most supersized people I know can't afford to purchase the mobility technology we already have. Or are denied it through private insurance and medicaid/care because they can walk at least a little. 

Even people in my stroke support group are denied coverage for mobility aids if they can walk just a little. I'm officially deemed to be "completely mobile" because I could walk to the nurse's station and back at the hospital without a walker. But there's no way I can manage a trip to the mall, any large store, a museum, an outdoor festival, a convention, the boardwalk, etc... without a wheelchair or being able to sit every 10 minutes to let my affected leg rest a while.

A scooter and vehicle lift/carrier that will work for me, would run around $5,000. I'm trying to figure out how to hustle up that kind of money so I can be more independent and less limited.


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## DragonFly (Sep 1, 2017)

Tracyarts said:


> Cool idea, but most supersized people I know can't afford to purchase the mobility technology we already have. Or are denied it through private insurance and medicaid/care because they can walk at least a little.
> 
> Even people in my stroke support group are denied coverage for mobility aids if they can walk just a little. I'm officially deemed to be "completely mobile" because I could walk to the nurse's station and back at the hospital without a walker. But there's no way I can manage a trip to the mall, any large store, a museum, an outdoor festival, a convention, the boardwalk, etc... without a wheelchair or being able to sit every 10 minutes to let my affected leg rest a while.
> 
> A scooter and vehicle lift/carrier that will work for me, would run around $5,000. I'm trying to figure out how to hustle up that kind of money so I can be more independent and less limited.



I hear what you are saying!!!! I am limited as well, it makes life difficult, and being independent is so hard.


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## Super Fan (Sep 1, 2017)

Tracyarts;

"A scooter and vehicle lift/carrier that will work for me, would run around $5,000. I'm trying to figure out how to hustle up that kind of money so I can be more independent and less limited."

I have an ultra sized girlfriend who can only walk about 50 feet on her own, she bought a used large scooter. We go to the Universal, Disney theme parks, we spend the day there and I can't keep up with her on that scooter without jogging. Her supersized friends all have scooters and I was slowing them down when we all went to theme parks, boardwalks and shopping.

I bought a Go-Go scooter used for $300 it is about 75 pounds and I can lift it into my car easily. If I couldn't lift it, I can break it down into three light parts. Now it is a pleasure to scoot around +six miles in the theme parks with her and her scooter riding SSBBW friends. In the old days, the SSBBWs would slow me down. The point is you can buy cheap used scooters on e bay and they are great and so relaxing to ride all around malls, flea markets, boardwalks and theme parks. You should check the used scooters to see if you can get a good deal.

Go-Go scooters like mine are good for about 300 pounds I guess you're more thrilling that that, so you might need to pay about $500 to $700 and hopefully trade your car in for a used car already equipped with a scooter lift. I live in Florida the retirement capital, so there are plenty of used cars with scooter lifts down here. It takes time but there are many good deals in used mobility equipment. Good luck-


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## Super Fan (Sep 1, 2017)

RVGleason;

"I think it's been covered in 'Dune'

See in the future according to Dune only normal weight people need to deal with gravity - the fattest people float around


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## Tracyarts (Sep 2, 2017)

I've been looking for a used one that meets my needs. no luck so far. 

I need an extra heavy duty scooter that's designed primarily for "offroad" use. 20 mile battery capacity (or close), bigger wheels for use mostly on packed dirt, gravel. and uneven pavement. Motor that can handle extended use on inclines, 4 wheels instead of 3. 2 or 4 point seat attachment instead of a post seat attachment. 400 lb rider capacity (me plus 40-50 lbs of cargo). 

I'd mostly use it for huge outdoor flea markets and trade days, outdoor festivals, giant farmer's markets and farm fairs, walking tours, nature trails, to and from the community lake in the neighborhood we're moving to, and other places where a manual wheelchair can't easily go, or I can't easily find plenty of places to sit every 10 minutes if I need to.

And I'll need a car carrier and lift for sure. I don't have the ability to lift pieces of a large scooter in and out of a vehicle and assemble them. I need to be able to drop it and go. There are a lot of retirees near the big lake town close to where we're moving to. when we start looking for a used car this coming spring, maybe we can find one with a heavy duty lift/carrier.

I've rented basic scooters for events, and they just weren't powerful/sturdy enough for what I'd regularly use it for.


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## Super Fan (Sep 2, 2017)

Tracyarts;

"I need an extra heavy duty scooter that's designed primarily for "offroad" use. 20 mile battery capacity (or close), bigger wheels for use mostly on packed dirt, gravel." 

OMG you are near Houston, are you ok? You might need a boat to get around in that disaster. Yea "offroad" scooters are a problem, none of the scooters that I am familiar with would fit that bill. We have huge indoor flea markets with paved / wooden floors down here. We also have a lots of boardwalk and paved paths in nature parks where we can take our scooters for picnics. When I go "offroad" or rough dirt paths, I go with my brother or thinner friends.

Things are getting better for super sized people but going "offroad" is still a big problem.


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## cinnamitch (Sep 2, 2017)

Its stupid the hoops you have to jump through with insurance companies to get a scooter. I had to prove i needed it in my apartment, and my place is not accessible in a lot of areas. Plus my car wont handle a lift thing, so i get stuck with a w/c to go anywhere. Dont even get me started on the steep ramp i have to go up to get into my building. Such a joke


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## Tracyarts (Sep 2, 2017)

Yeah, where I live, we damn near needed a boat last weekend... 

They do make off-road or rough terrain capable mobility scooters. But they tend to run between $2500-7500 depending on how many features they have. I could get by with one on the lower end of the range, but damn, the top of the line models are cool. One step below a side by side. 




Super Fan said:


> Tracyarts;
> 
> "I need an extra heavy duty scooter that's designed primarily for "offroad" use. 20 mile battery capacity (or close), bigger wheels for use mostly on packed dirt, gravel."
> 
> ...


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## Tracyarts (Sep 2, 2017)

Yeah, many people in my stroke group have been deemed "mobile" and ineligible for scooter/powerchair coverage because they can hobble from room to room inside their home. Housebound? Oh well...not their problem. 



cinnamitch said:


> Its stupid the hoops you have to jump through with insurance companies to get a scooter. I had to prove i needed it in my apartment, and my place is not accessible in a lot of areas. Plus my car wont handle a lift thing, so i get stuck with a w/c to go anywhere. Dont even get me started on the steep ramp i have to go up to get into my building. Such a joke


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## HereticFA (Sep 5, 2017)

Tracyarts said:


> Yeah, where I live, we damn near needed a boat last weekend...
> 
> They do make off-road or rough terrain capable mobility scooters. But they tend to run between $2500-7500 depending on how many features they have. I could get by with one on the lower end of the range, but damn, the top of the line models are cool. One step below a side by side.


Glad you seem to have stayed dry. A friend in Sour Lake wasn't as lucky.

I'm surprised at how few used scooters are available for sale in the Houston Craigs List. (Maybe it's due to the flood or maybe Houston has fewer bariatric surgeons than Dallas?) There are several with four wheels in the Dallas listings for $500 to $850 and seem to be bariatric rated like this one: https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/hab/d/bariatric-jazzy-power-chair/6291836545.html.

The problem is with a larger chair and a larger lift, you need a larger vehicle so it doesn't sag down and become unsafe to drive due to lifting the front wheels.


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## squeezablysoft (Sep 5, 2017)

I feel y'all, I've got a power wheelchair and am saving up for a good used lift van or at least a minivan I can drive my chair up into with a set of ramps. Hoping to have enough saved up to get one before next summer, cause my mom and I are wanting to visit prospective transfer colleges for me.


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## squeezablysoft (Sep 5, 2017)

Super Fan: Greetings, fellow Floridian! Hope you're fattening down your hatches for Irma, we already bought our storm supplies today, lucky thing since stores are running out of water and such already.


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## squeezablysoft (Sep 5, 2017)

*BATTENING down lol. Although I like the way my autocorrect thinks.


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## Tracyarts (Sep 5, 2017)

It's difficult to get them funded to begin with nowadays, so there aren't as many out there. There was a time when mobility aids were more heavily subsidised and better covered by insurance, and a lot easier to get funded. But crooked people exploited it, so the system was tightened down and the determination of "need" changed. From what people in my local stroke support group are saying, the current criteria seems to be "cannot walk from room to room inside your home". 

Well, most people who would benefit from a scooter or power chair can still get around at home. It's the ability to function outside of the home that's the issue. But the determination of need doesn't take that into consideration. 

I lucked out and found a used manual bariatric wheelchair at a pawn shop. But I haven't had luck with finding a used heavy duty scooter anywhere. At least not at a good price. For what the couple I've seen are selling for, I'd rather buy new or refurbished from a dealer with a service/repair department and have a warranty. Than buy some piece of equipment that's been sitting in a garage for who knows how long without maintainence and the heat and humidity getting to it. Both "offroad" capable used scooters I've found had the same history. 
It was used it to get around on rural property, but the user passed away or needed to go into a nursing home, the scooter was parked in a garage or outbuilding and left to sit for an extended period of time. But it was so expensive, that the family still want over a thousand dollars for it. That's just too much for something that may or may not crap out on me right away. 

And our next vehicle will be something bigger. We're moving away from the city and a sedan won't handle the back roads well, so by the time I've hustled the money up for a heavy duty scooter, we'll have a vehicle that can carry it safely. 



HereticFA said:


> Glad you seem to have stayed dry. A friend in Sour Lake wasn't as lucky.
> 
> I'm surprised at how few used scooters are available for sale in the Houston Craigs List. (Maybe it's due to the flood or maybe Houston has fewer bariatric surgeons than Dallas?) There are several with four wheels in the Dallas listings for $500 to $850 and seem to be bariatric rated like this one: https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/hab/d/bariatric-jazzy-power-chair/6291836545.html.
> 
> The problem is with a larger chair and a larger lift, you need a larger vehicle so it doesn't sag down and become unsafe to drive due to lifting the front wheels.


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## Super Fan (Sep 6, 2017)

SqueezablySoft: Greetings, fellow Floridian! Hope you're fattening down your hatches for Irma, we already bought our storm supplies today. 

OMG this is nerve racking, I live in Deland (20 miles south west of Daytona Beach). I got clobbered by last years hurricane and now it's Irma. The good thing is that the storm should be weaking as it hits north central FL - Accuweather's wind projections for Monday are 58 mph with gusts of 89 mph and rain of 3 inches - I think they are way under what we should get. They are calling for Key Largo (ground zerro) to get 60mph wind with gusts of 79 mph and rain of 5 inches , that sounds way too low. What part of FL are you in?


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## squeezablysoft (Sep 6, 2017)

I'm in Ocala, just about the center of the state, slightly to the west coast side.
We're still debating whether we should evacuate, not so worried about flooding since we're high up where we are but I'm worried about what will happen if we lose power for weeks like is happening down in the islands rn. Mom has multiple sclerosis and can't tolerate heat without getting ill, we lost power for 5 days back in 2004 and it was pretty bad.


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## Super Fan (Sep 7, 2017)

squeezablysoft I am evacuating - Hi, I like Ocala with the college and their big park. I am getting out of town probably on Friday depending on the forecast, riding up to the Pocono mountains with some friends in Pa. I'm staying up there for a week or so till the storm ends & the power comes back on. It is very cool up in the mountains. Yea, your Mom is right without air-conditioning and power things are miserable.


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## squeezablysoft (Sep 7, 2017)

We called the senior and disabled services in our county and they are going to pick us up around 5:00 tomorrow evening to take us to a special needs shelter.


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## fat hiker (Sep 4, 2019)

Super Fan said:


> RVGleason;
> 
> "I think it's been covered in 'Dune'
> 
> See in the future according to Dune only normal weight people need to deal with gravity - the fattest people float around


In Dune the books, as opposed to the movie, the Baron didn't float - the suspensors implanted in his flesh lifted him enough that his feet felt only a normal person's weight, so he walked around like everyone else.

Almost a more alluring idea than floating... walking around, comfortably, at SS weights.


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