The serum creatinine for March 18 is 279 u/mol as compared to 288 u/mol in August 2, 2010. This is not a significant drop but I am not complaining. It has come down from a peak of 299 u/mol in June 2, 2008. As long as it maintains at current levels, I am a happy camper.

Renal profile and liver profile for March 2011.

At the Disability Equality Training (DET) workshop last year, two foreign participants had problems with the wheels of their wheelchairs. One had a puncture while the other was running on under-inflated tyres. We had a difficult time looking for a replacement for the punctured tube.

Wheelchair shops in the Klang Valley that I called up to enquire did not stock 24″ x 1″ inner tubes. Fortunately, the organiser found one and averted a crisis. The spare wheelchair that he was using was a very poor fit. His independence and mobility would have been severely restricted if he had to use that wheelchair for the entire two weeks at the training.

My Tilite ZRA Series 2 wheelchair also runs on 24″ x 1″ tyres and tubes. Bicycle shops do not usually carry these sizes. It would take at least two weeks for replacement parts to arrive from the USA. With the problems the two participants faced in mind, I ordered extra tyres, inner tubes and spokes when I ordered the wheelchair just to be sure I would not be caught without spares.

Although the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Evolution tyres are puncture resistant, I carry a spare inner tube together with a set of Allen Keys whenever I go out for those just-in-case moments. One of the other few things missing from this kit is a pump that is small enough to fit into my wheelchair pouch. I looked around in online bicycle stores and Ebay and found one that I liked.

Lezyne Pressure Drive.

The Lezyne Pressure Drive M is a sleek looking hand pump that is not only tiny but can inflate up to 120 psi. That is just the pressure I need for the tyres. Before ReallyBites came back from the United Kingdom, I got her to buy one for me from Rotec Cycles, an Ebay shop based there. She passed the pump to me when we met up last Friday. I have not had the opportunity to put it through its paces yet but I like that it felt solid in my hand.

It has been a while since I wheeled to the Pandan Perdana wet market with Wuan. Most of the time we just drive there although it is just a short walk from where we live due to the various barriers we encounter on the pavements along the way. Last Sunday, we decided to take a leisurely walk to the market for breakfast. What I encountered that morning reminded me of why I had seldom gone on such strolls.

Wheelchair user on the road to avoid the broken pavement at Pandan Perdana.

A damaged section of the pavement forced me to go on the road. This broken pavement at Jalan Perdana 3/1 of Pandan Perdana has gone unrepaired for the past few months. A heavy crane truck that parked on it broke the concrete and gouged a big hole in the turfing. Many residents use this route to go to the wet market and also to the bus stop situated just down the road. Pedestrians, especially senior citizens, may trip on the broken slabs of concrete. Wheelchair users like me have no choice but go on the road and risk getting run over by passing vehicles.

It is very common to see vehicles parked on it causing pedestrians to go on the road as well. Such inconsiderate drivers should be heavily penalised for illegal parking, causing obstruction and endangering pedestrians. The Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya should step up its enforcement against these law breakers. Another alternative is to put up bollards or rails to prevent vehicles from parking on the pavements. However, the pavements needs to be widened to 1200 mm to conform to the MS 1184 and MS 1331. It is a tight fit for wheelchair in its current form at 900 mm.