Falling down

Oh my.....so sorry! I've taken a tumble a couple times in the past few years. I feel sometimes I don't have my balance. Once on ice and the other I fell down my stairs at home....halfway. Luckily I only bruised myself. I hope you feel better soon....please take care! 

sometimes, Meneire's disease causes falls like that.  I hope that is not the case for you.  It is a shitty disease and you have enough on your plate..

Lablover 

I have had chronic vertigo my whole life but was diagnosed with epilepsy 20+yrs ago...Been treated with great success since then...I do still get dizzy spells but this isn't that (although it can happen)...it is 'now I'm standing, now I am spread out on the pavement' sort of thing...didn't feel myself falling...just hit something (my foot usually hits an uneven paving stone or sidewalk...can't seem to lift them enough?) and then I am kissing the floor...What upsets me is the fact that it happens so often...and the potential danger to my poor aching body and pouch.

Do we have more balance problems than others? Does the colon play a role in other things than digestion? Is it an absorbtion thing? A dehydration thing? I get the 'black feeling' sometimes followed by cold sweats....usually when I have been running around too much and drinking too little (fear of no ladies room contributes to the problme)...

Hubby suggests velcro on the soles of my sneakers!

Sharon

It only took one face plant on the sidewalk to convince me that my joint stability is not reliable. I now ALWAYS use a walking stick anytime I am walking out and about. Just not worth the risk, and it makes all the difference in the world to me. my arthritis has affected my joints too much, and there is no turning back the clock.

Jan

Its a thought Jan,

My joints feel like they 'block' every now and then...Sort of like the machine suddenly rusts in mid-stride...not sure if it is joint or muscle...then I sort of shake it around a bit and it goes again. 

I may have to consider it...not the happiest thought in the world but neither is landing sunny-side-down on the pavement in front of my students 10mins before class.

Ultrasound next week...let's see what I did to myself...feels like a staple is sticking into me in one little spot over the pouch (do they staple the mesh or do they stitch it down?)

Sharon

I am sorry to read about your fall.  I hope you are feeling better.   Grace

Thanks Grace,

Ice packs seem to be my friend right now...3xs/day...plus the NSAIDs...back to work tomorrow...lots of walking...will see how I do...I'll be more careful but not sure that it will help. Pouch is still achy but better...

Life goes on

Sharon

Jan, 

Can we do any exercises or PT for joint stability or is it a fatality?

Sharon

Until it's clear why you're falling you can't really predict what might help. PT works well when the falling risk has something to do with joint stability, but it won't help a bit with a small seizure or a brief loss of consciousness from dehydration. Good luck, Sharon!

Sometimes these conditions defy diagnosis.  My older daughter and granddaughter have both experienced faintness and have sometimes fallen.  This has been present for a few years, and so far none of their doctors have found the cause.  It seems that their blood pressure drops suddenly accompanied by a significant increase in heart rate when this condition occurs.  An inadequate supply of blood to the brain can cause fainting.  Both of them now have appointments with a cardiologist to see if it is related to their heart.  I have had several episodes of fainting, each one related to dehydration.  Jan’s suggestion to use a walking stick (or cane) has definite merit, and I use one when walking or just on my feet for an extended period of time; I have a chronic back and sciatica condition.  Even though I feel like an “old fart” using a cane, I definitely appreciate the security it provides.  Take care, and I hope your doctors can find a resolution for this condition.

sharon

so sorry to hear about your fall.  i refer to them as 'free bone desity tests'.  congrats, you apparently passed this one.  

as for PT, i can say that it has great merits for both joint stability and balance--so long as you diligently do your exercises and have a good PT.  i've had both hips and one shoulder replaced and have significant spine problems and other ortho issues.  if it were not for pt and my exercising close to 2 hours a day i'd never would have gone sailing and biking this weekend.  is there a connection between UC and arthritis?  not sure--one doctor had said so, but i've not read about any connection.  i know that arthritis is genetic and my sisters also have it.

it sounds, however, and unfortunate, that you have other issues on the table.  good luck with sorting them out.  best wishes, jlh

Thanks for the input guys,

My doc gave me a script (that is how it works here) for 30 sessions of PT for balance and to re-educate my walking/gait/hips...hopefully that will help. What doesn't help at all is the darn paving stones all over the place (wanted to use a nasty word but it would have been sensored)...the ground under and around  them sinks or collapses and you get this wave of uneven stones that are just laying in wait to trip you up...hubby is using a cane and he is even more scared of putting it into a crevace or hole and not being able to pull it out (and then going flying!)...we counted yesterday while sitting in a café...1/400 pairs of real shoes agains sneakers...you just cannot walk any other way here (how in goodness name did I ever wear heals in this city?).

I do not think that I am fainting...just tripping very quickly (can you trip slowly?) and landing quicker. 

Years ago I saw a chiro for my falling down and he did a series of a dzn treatments on this machine with me for balance issues...it seemed to work at the time...I fell less often (almost never)...but he is in Fla. Don't know if they do that here.

Bill: What you are talking about is called a 'Vegal fainting' and here they treat it with low BP meds...very common in women, familys etc...it is a recognized condition...basically your BP falls into your socks...and so do you...they tell you to up your salt and caffine intake, give you vitamins etc...no cure but at least a name.

I am going back to my ethiopath next week to have things put back together...still ouching very badly. It feels like a staple pulled loose when I went flying.

Sharon

I haven't fallen since I started using my walking stick. It is a trekking pole with a cane grip and shock absorber (so my arm and shoulder joints don't hurt more). It is like this one. http://www.amazon.com/Chinook-...Hiking/dp/B00BNUGCAI

PT didn't do much for me, but maybe it will help you. It seems that you are very active, so I doubt it is deconditioning.

Jan