• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

my van with an ambulance cot

FernRhizome

Senior Member
Messages
412
Invention! How to get around with CFS

Dear Folks:
I wanted to share one of my best inventions for dealing with CFS and orthostatic intolerance. I bought an old Honda Van (1995)it's smaller than the new ones, and I had an ambulance cot installed in the back with a harness seatbelt and so when I go on long trips I can lie in the back with a seatbelt device and be horizontal. This set up has been fantastic and has gotten me to appointments that are far far away, and that I otherwise could never have gone to. It can be hard to find someone to do the installation because of liability. But if you call around you might luck out as I did. The ambulance cot was even free because it was an old one which an ambulance outfitter was replacing. It is bolted right through the floor of my car. It's actually quite cozy. Sometimes I feel like a presidential candidate being driven around while I can sleep! And when I am able to do local errands as well, it lets me lie down in between errands. Sometimes just to be somewhere else I'll drive it a mile to a park and then rest and read in the van. Before this set up I had be across a backseat, with no seat belt, and it was hard on the spine as back seats can be bumpy. ~FernRhizome
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0917.jpg
    IMG_0917.jpg
    89.2 KB · Views: 36
  • IMG_0905.jpg
    IMG_0905.jpg
    97.6 KB · Views: 24
Messages
2,565
Location
US
Thanks for sharing the pics and the details. I love this idea, and I'm glad it's going well for you. Getting it free, wow. And you did it right - very safe.
 

FernRhizome

Senior Member
Messages
412
Thanks for responding and checking out the photos! I think more folks might be interested in this and I tried to retitle the thread to that purpose but the new title wouldn't stick! Best, Fern