Hello!

It is a weird first post maybe.
My doctor says in 10, 15 years i will be in a wheel chair.
Maybe some users here have one. Or you have a good imagination maybe.
If you have such a news, what do you do?
Have a family? Not have a family? Travel? Spend all money? Create debt? Save money? Try to fight? Give up?
Maybe you have good ideas.

I would do everything I could to safeguard my health in the meantime to push that 10-15 years out as far as possible.

Otherwise, continue to live as normal and certainly don’t spend up. Save money to make any period of disability as financially secure as you can.

15 years ago after 18 months in bed my wife was told she would never walk again, she ignored their prognosis, recovered & leads a normal life. 3 weeks ago she went ski touring & did 900m vertical in 3 hours not bad for someone of 58 on their second day ski touring.

Whatever you do, never give up.

I'm sorry to hear of the challenges you might face. You are wise to plan and think ahead. But in doing so, as others have said - don't dwell on the future at the expense of the present, and certainly, don't give up!

Take time now to research and understand accessibility - what is available, and what legislation might impact you, especially wrt building regs.

If you see yourself staying in your current housing, assess your living space for accessibility, make plans for accessibility renovations down the road. Importantly, keep updating that assessment as your condition progresses and new needs become apparent.

An example: we wanted to build a wheelchair ramp to our house entrance, and of course we needed building permission. However, our Quartier Gestaltungsplan forbids changes to the exterior of our homes. I was shocked to learn that disability protection is fairly weak here, this particular Gestaltungsplan trumped accessibility needs.

This is local and/or cantonal regulation, so of course YMMV. It may well turn out that you have no such problems - I hope that turns out to be the case. And I hope that by the time you might be affected, more local authorities and institutions will have come farther along the road to accessibility legislation.

Also keep accessibility in the workplace and transportation in mind.

Take time now to learn all you can. Also get to know what resources are available and which organisations might be of support. Toward that end, two groups helping folks with challenges navigate the 'systems', help find or access information and resources:
https://www.proinfirmis.ch
https://www.procap.ch

Get involved in advocacy groups whose goals interest you. Ultimately, you will learn not only what you need, but also what you want. You will be your own best advocate.

All that said, live life to it's fullest.

Wishing you all the best.

When I was around 30 ( 40 years ago ) a doctor measured my blood pressure. Said it was a little high and that I would probably die of a heart attack. When I think of it, what a stupid ignorant thing for a doctor to say. Such ignorant statements can accompany one a whole lifetime!

Nice first post. I have a nasty feeling the way this thread is going.

This is all pointless not knowing how old you are. If you are 80+ this prognosis is normal...

A couple of years ago I met someone who had to use a wheelchair at a relatively young age. He bought some sort of GT wheelchair; sorry do not know the maker.

Amazing thing, he could spin the wheels from a standing start and disappear in a cloud of smoke!!
Great toy if you are that way inclined.

If you can, try and find a place that is accessible for wheelchairs. I live in an apartment block that has wide doors, a shower that can be accessed by wheelchair etc

And as others said, what the future brings is still open, enjoy life now

Thank you to the people who answered.

@AbFab Why nasty feeling?
I am 31. Leg nerves are breaking. Maybe in 10 year they can grow new nerves. Who knows?

@omtatstat high blood pressure also! I like good food haha

Obviously the equipment was faulty....

Body-building could help, good muscles never go to waste.

Or the usual quack doctor

Oh, sorry you have to go through that!

Find out whether this condition is known to commonly come in multi-pack with others.

Make sure you learn which factors could worsen the primary (or commonly associated secondary) condition(s) or accelerate its progress. These may be dietary, or in terms of physical movement or certain types of stimuli or triggers. Determine which of these, if any, are in your control, and where possible, try to eliminate those.

It’s not clear from your description of ‘nerves breaking’ what the condition is. Can you be more specific (obviously only if you want to share the info, though!)

It is not about my medical condition, it is about the rest of life.
What thing can you do with legs? What thing can you do without legs?

A friend has a good outlook on how her disability affects how she lives her life, often saying: "I still do many of the things I used to, I just do them differently now."

A resource that might be of interest to you is the site My Handicap, My Chance:
https://www.myhandicap.ch/startseite/

In addition to lots of info, the site runs a forum discussing many of the day-to-day issues you are thinking about. (In German.) Take a read through the forum; it looks like this could be a supportive community for you.
https://www.myhandicap.ch/community/forum/



Again, all the best.

Mine told me almost the same thing, other than the dying from a heart attack bit.

Tom

You've received some good advice already, particularly from meloncollie and doropfiz. Do everything within your power now to keep yourself strong and healthy.

I know two people who went from active, sporty adults to wheelchair-bound para and quadriplegic overnight due to accidents. Talk about making changes to your lifestyle. Life doesn't come with guarantees. On the "upside" you've been given some notice that things might change.

10-15 years is quite a long way out. Technology and medicine can change a lot in that time.

Still, you asked about ways your life could change. It depends on whether you completely lose the ability to use your legs or if it's "only" limited in some way. As I know those with complete loss of use, I'll share briefly.

With complete loss of use, the changes can be quite an adjustment. You have to re-learn how to do basic things like get out of bed, use the toilet, take a shower, get dressed etc. without injuring yourself. You need assistance or re-learning to do things that you currently do without thinking, like reaching items in the pantry/cupboards, cooking, doing laundry, carrying plates of food/hot pans to the table, bending over to pick up something dropped on the floor, getting to the train, doctor's office, etc. etc.

Also be aware of the atrophy that can occur in the limbs that are no longer used, while also being aware of the additional wear-and-tear that happens to the limbs that still function.

Honestly, it can be so life-altering that it's hard to describe in one post. It's also very individual when you're talking about nerve damage as opposed to spinal cord injury, stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, etc.

That's a good list, 3Wishes.
I'd like to add a list of activities you, OP, might now enjoy and which you should grab the chance of doing while you still can. This, however, only once you've gained the knowledge about whether they might exacerbate your condition or postpone the deterioration.
Dance, hike, ski, skate, play drums, make love, run, swim, drive, travel and explore, climb the stairs of a tower.
Some of these are still available to you in a wheelchair just "differently", as meloncollie's friend said.