101 ways to lose your balance ?

[luv2teachsped]

Hello Everyone-  I ditto on Captain Deb's response  And I thought I was so....unique!!!thanks for the laugh Deb!
Brenda

[jacobs]

 I was beginning to think that I was back to my childhood "klutzy" ways.I have now crashed three times in the last month and a half and am pretty bruised and sore.Today I got my feet tangled up at work and fell right in front of my boss.Luckily I got a hug as I started to cry out of one eye.Couldn't help the tears bit, it is getting frustrating and I'm starting to feel like an old lady afraid of falling and breaking a hip.(no offense intended to anyone older than me) Does this get better or will I always feel the need to be "careful"?
                                             
                                                             Jacobs

 

[Boppie]

Falling and breaking a major bone is the bane of existence for an AN patient.  Two months before we discovered my AN I stumbled out of a tall SUV and tore up my shin bone.  At my age a fall could lay me up for a long time.  Since my recovery began I have stumbled on speed bumps in parking lots, on door sills.  I learned to look straight out and chin up.  This is the easiest way to keep balance, but then what about not looking down at speed bumps and doors sills?  What to do?  Be more careful, slow down.  Maybe in ten years I'll end up with a cane to slow me down.

I have a dear friend who has MS.  She uses a cane from time to time with wonderful grace and attitude.  I hope I to do as well.

Maybe someone will invent sneakers with early warning beepers. 

[tony]

Reply to Jacobs - sounds like a nasty fall
Your OP was quite recent, so things may just improve
of their own accord, balance-wise. However I would suggest
a bit of time spent exercising the balance will give much quicker
returns and maybe save you additional pain or embarassment.
Just 25mins per day usually shows early improvements
- there are some web sites that show how/why etc
perhaps someone in the group has the links ?
best regards
tony

[Boppie]

google this for balance exercises that help   >>>>>    Cawthorne-Cooksey Exercises

[jacobs]

 Thanks for the advice guys! Officially back at work next week so I will give the balance exercises more attention.I think I have just been"getting by" so far and managing to fool myself that my balance was ok.

                                                                                     Jacobs

[pattibobatti]

Hi All,
       I remember 6 months ago when I came home from re-hab, I had a terrible time with my balance. I was also stubborn and would not use my walker much..... I fell and I fell.  For some reason I kept thinking I would soon get better.  But I did have bruises all
over.. I  really wanted to have a massage.  I made an appointment and when the lady looked at me on the table, she whispered,  " Mam, do you realize you have bruises all over your body".  I had to convince her not to call the POLICE because my husband was NOT beating me!!     HOw's  that??
                                                                 

                                              Pattibobatti



     

[Obita]

Yikes.  We should be given a card when we have or have had an AN.  I have one for when I go through metal detectors because I have titanium hips.  Maybe it should read:

"_______ _______ has/had a brain tumor which severely affects her/his balance mechanism.  Bruising from walking into walls or falling is completely normal.  If you have pulled this person over and suspect he/she is drunk he/she would never in a million years pass the field sobriety tests."

[HeadCase2]

Kathy,
  I like the idea for the card.  One of our forum members was actually arrested for suspected DUI shortly before diagnosis (see http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=1231.0).  I wonder what the police would think of this.  Some of them would probably ask why you're trying to drive if you know you can't walk straight.
Regards,
 Rob

[tony]

More or less, it happened...
Someone on the old list was stopped by the fuzz
- looking for a drink/drive offence etc
She explained about the surgery etc etc
...and was fined $120
...land of the free...
best regards
tony

[Obita]

Kathy,
  I like the idea for the card.  One of our forum members was actually arrested for suspected DUI shortly before diagnosis (see http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=1231.0).  I wonder what the police would think of this.  Some of them would probably ask why you're trying to drive if you know you can't walk straight.
Regards,
 Rob

I just read the DUI post. What a story. 

My balance is just fine when I am sitting on my butt and holding the steering wheel with both hands.  I take that back, washboard dirt roads are my enemy now so I avoid them if possible.  I guess I could just tell any officer that pulls me over: if you don't believe me feel the hole in my head cuz they don't give out ID cards for ANs.

Kathy

[KatyB]

Hi everyone - First time to post but feel like I know you all as I've been trolling here for 3 years now.  Decided to finally join this merry group and get to know you and vice versa.  There was a thread here a while back about losing your balance and funny things that happen to those of us who are blessed with single-sided hearing.  My husband also has hearing on only one side from a viral infection so we're quite a pair.  Not too long ago, one of  the smoke detectors was making that unbearably horrible noise indicating low battery.  If you could have seen us trying to figure out which one was beeping - only you folks could appreciate it - we would each stand by one of them (fortunately only 2 involved) and wait for the beeping.  He'd say it was his and I'd say, no, it was mine.  After several attempts at this, we had that moment of awakening - unplug one of them and stick it under the couch cushion and 'voila! we found the one that was beeping.

As for regaining balance, just walk, walk, walk and walk some more.  We do a lot of fishing which before surgery, I just about couldn't do.  Between the natural action of the waves and any movement within the boat, I'd be loopy and came close to going overboard more times than I could count.  Then, it got so bad, I'd get sick (and this was just on a LAKE for goodness sake) and had to give it up.  Now, I fish almost every evening and only have the occasional drunken sailor look.

Well, I could get very detailed here and explain why I've only lurked for 3 years but who needs to hear all that mush.  Suffice it to say, I'm sorry I haven't been of any encouragement to you who may have needed but I'm here now and can relate to all of you and hope to get acquainted with each and every one of you now. 

[Obita]

Howdy KatyB:

Nice to meet you!!

I too had one of the "can't figure out where the noise is comming froms" last summer. 

Bad storm, storm sirens in the neighborhood blaring, 7:00 am and its just me and the doggie home.  The power went out and something was screetching like a smoke alarm.  I was running trying to figure out what was making all the racket.  Doggie is running too as she hates that noise as much as I do.  Well, after yanking all the batteries out of the detectors even though I know they are not hooked up to electricity, checking the microwave and everything else in the house that makes noise when the power goes out I was going crazy as the noise would not quit.  The weather was terrible which added to my anxiety - 65 mph winds that blew down one of my huge trees (not onto the house).  I was so afraid because it was so loud in my little house and the local weather channel said to get in the basement.  Finally after 5 min. of running, bouncing off door jams, tripping on the dog I found the culprit - the carbon monoxide detector plugged into the outlet in my den.  I yanked it out of the wall and went to the basement with my dog and coffee and enjoyed the quiet.

Life is good unless something is screetching.  Kathy

ps:  My neighbor ran over to see if I was ok.  She couldn't figure out why I didn't unplug the thing right away!!  Now she knows.

 

[KatyB]

Oh Kathy - that's just way too funny.  Doesn't it just drive you batty trying to figure out where noise is coming from!  And wind!  Now, that's not too funny.  I'm glad you made it out of the basement and are here to tell your story!  Yes, life is good if something's not screeching.

[tony]

Yes, Ive found a new way to lose your balance, you need
1) a flight of stairs
2) two cups of hot tea and a tray (coffee will do)
3) one or more missing balance nerves
and 4) a small black kitten with a desire to capture
any exposed legs or feet on offer
- all four together and you just might lose your balance....
...or at least I did...
Tony