Is Your Balance OK When Sitting ???

[Soundy]

I got a call from the new doctor I will be seeing on Monday today... Kinda a preview for him to get to
know me and my situation before actually seeing me...

When we were talking about balance issues and discussing the way I see stuff in the distance bouncing
when I walk out in the open he asked about driving... there is a little bounce but not enough to bother me ...
walking though I walk looking down about 10-15 feet in front of me to avoid dizziness ,nausea  and headaches
due to bouncy scenery... when standing still I can look over the hills with little problem with the bounce ...

He asked me why I thought sitting was not as bad as standing ... I wanted to say you are the doctor , you
tell me but didn't... I gave him my opinion... I think that my brain has to work harder to keep me upright  when
standing and so the bounce is more pronounced and I have more headaches and dizziness from it... he said
that was good answer... kinda felt like a kid being quizzed

Anyhow ... I just wanted to know if others were OK sitting where standing was an issue... I thought it
was a no brainer and that everyone would be like this,  but he said it was a little different with no real explanation
as to what he meant by that remark... I guess I will find out Monday

[Rivergirl]

Definately have less balance and dizziness sitting down, your center of gravity is stabilized when sitting and you are right it is more work upright, walking etc.  I know what you mean about your the Dr. and you tell me, I guess AN's are different.  When I told them about my dizziness they said that my off balance was too pronounced to be caused by my AN? Come to find out after vestibular testing, I have severe vestibular nerve damage on the AN but not severe hearing loss, so they are not all the same.  But back to the balance thing, it is not a fun thing to have but it is what it is and I work with it, know my limitations and I practice my balance everyday, good luck with yours.

[Tumbleweed]

I definitely feel less dizzy when sitting compared to when walking. The irony is, however, that you must move (walk, run, or spin...) in order to keep a damaged vestibular system performing as best it can. Unless you exercise your sense of balance derived from your eyesight and propioceptors in your feet, your brain cannot compensate as well for the aberrant signals it's getting from your damaged vestibular system.

The more I walk, hike and backpack, the less dizzy I feel overall. Looking at it on the bright side, my AN is forcing me to stay healthy by exercising more (and eating a better diet). 

Best wishes,
Tumbleweed

[sher]

I definitely am less dizzy when sitting. I am thankful for that as driving has not been a problem for me... alittle at night but not from the dizziness but focusing has become harder at night. I was in a mall today and there was a display of all the WII games and so I hopped on one of the boards and did a balance game... I am going to get me a WII, I can tell that it will really help me to coordinate and work on my balance.... so I guess I am getting one for Christmas...Whoo hooooooo

[Betsy]

Same here....sitting is wobble-free except on the really bad dizzy-days.  On those days, even taking a deep breath can set me spinning.  Thankfully, those days are rare now that I'm on a program of vestibular therapy.  The bad days seem to happen when I'm over-tired or when there's a dramatic change in the weather.

I find it odd that the world is wobbly as I walk to my car, but once I'm sitting behind the wheel it's fine, even when I'm driving.  I think it's because the car and I are moving together.  If I were riding in an open convertible or a jeep, it might be different.

Thanks to the therapy the wobbles are getting better...now, if I could just learn to walk in the dark again!! 

Betsy

[wendysig]

Hi Soundy,
Count me in.  The bouncing vision thing only bothers me when I'm walking and I never feel dizzy when I'm sitting down or even when I'm driving.  My doc suggested focusing my gaze on a stationary object and shifting it to another when I approach the first -- it helps me more than looking down does.  Looking down can be disconcerting to me too depending on what the floor/ground looks like.  Patterns on the floor or lumpy grass or plants give me problems too.  My doc seems to feel this will correct itself and  the problem will eventually go away.  I guess time will tell, literally.

Wendy

[Kathleen_Mc]

Now I am less dizzy when sitting, immediately post op I was not.....
there has been times, when I am sick, and it's stirs up the vertigo, that I am just as dizzy lying down as standing and once I even fell off a chair I was sitting on because of the dizziness

[stoneaxe]

It varies, good day or bad day, what I'm doing while sitting (reading, watching a movie..etc). It seems like sometimes because I don't have the vestibular feedback from my feet things can be worse when sitting. For the most part though its better when I sit. But throw in a movie with a a lot of motion....especially 1st person fast stuff like skiing down a mountain or something like that and all bets are off...my head goes south in a big way.

[Soundy]

It varies, good day or bad day, what I'm doing while sitting (reading, watching a movie..etc). It seems like sometimes because I don't have the vestibular feedback from my feet things can be worse when sitting. For the most part though its better when I sit. But throw in a movie with a a lot of motion....especially 1st person fast stuff like skiing down a mountain or something like that and all bets are off...my head goes south in a big way.

hadn't thought about this til the other day looking at big screen TVs ... We are finishing up our living room... the last room
in our house to finish off ( note to all ...living in a partially completed house and finishing it at same times is not overly smart...
we have no mortgage cause we built it out of pocket over 7 years and did all the work ... but dumb all the same ) ... anyway...

one thing that was to be installed as soon as completely done was a big flat screen wall mounted TV... when we were looking
the other day and there were skiers going 90 to nothing down hill and I had to look away or I was going to throw up and fall over
... I thought it was because there was a row of about a dozen screens in my field of vision... now wonder if the big screen would
be a bad idea... we are looking at 37  to 42 inch screens  ...at the moment there is just a little 20 inch in there

input anyone ?

[wcrimi]

I am defintely better sitting and lying down than when walking.  Sometimes I actually feel 100% perfect when sitting down, but usually there's some very small level of dizziness that accompanies my head motion even when sitting.

[JudyT]

Hi all, I too have difficulty sometimes when sitting watching TV and there's a lot movement on the screen. When driving a real bump in the road causes it too. Patterns will create the same visual sensation. I was once able to coordinate complimentary patterns in a room.......Not now! Wallpaper is a no no.....florral/stripes noooo. I have changed every room in my home to solid patterns......with the exception of throw pillows etc. that can be easily changed. I find my paintings have changed also.....when I paint, my pallet is more subtle and less pattern layed down. It becomes a mess if I use to much pattern. The same occurs with clothes. The visual picture of myself in the mirror is confusing and dizzying to me......so wardrobe has changed also. When friends wear strong colored ......multi patterned clothing I find myself  looking away because of the dizzying affect it has on me. I don't comment on this as to be offensive but fear they think I am disinterested in their conversation......it's just to much for me and I must look away at times to clear my visual field. Does anybody else have this issue???                     Judy

[wcrimi]

Judy,

I haven't noticed anything like your experiences, but I would say I am a little disoriented at times and my perception of some things has diminished a little.

How long ago was your surgery?

Wayne 

[JudyT]

Hi Wayne.....My CK was 4 years ago.......I had a really good start after the treatment....relatively no problems until 6 months out.......then very slowly a variety of symptoms began to appear.....fatigue...increased hearing loss.....balance issues.....numbness on left side,left eye dry then intermitent tearing....sinus pressure....progressive intensity of tinnitus...trigeminal pain (teeth ache....they are implants there and no nerves present???).....headaches (growing in intensity)....instabilty in the dark even semi darkness (I now keep small lights on 24/7) memory/confusion at times.....notice spelling errors....neck/joint pain.....I have implemented online banking/bill payments,memory games each day, Wii sports/fit,yoga/meditation,journalling to increase memory of events/what I am grateful for,use of a Kindle to increase font for easier,less eye strain reading,use of a headset to help with TV watching,hiring a "helper" to do tasks I am no longer able to perform ( carrying things seems to increase head pressure and cause "off balance" issues and other small issues. Overall, I have a blessed,happy life......able to laugh,love,enjoy my grandchildren and two incredible sons,wonderful,supportive friends.......so much for an elogated post.            Judy

[Dog Lover]

I don't have too many balance problems, but still - defiantely better when sitting, especially when I'm tired.

As far as the TV question...I don't notice any problems when I'm over at my son's watching his big tv, but I did notice something over the past week. Zuma is my all time favorite computer game. It consists of a bunch of colors balls going around in some sort of a circular fashion, each level getting faster and faster as I have the frog in the middle spin around to "shoot" at the same colored ball that is in the frogs mouth.

I'm 6 months post op...oh wow...today! Anyway - I finally got brave enough to install it and play last weekend. I did notice afterwards that my head felt a bit wonky the next day. This is the same feeling that I experienced when I first started doing anything new that challenged my impared vestibular system. So, I decided to play it, but just for a few min every few days, hoping to work my way back up to where I used to be.

Long story short, maybe this is what you might need to do with a big tv? How often do you watch competitive sports that zoom down a hill at lightening speed? Maybe that's just one more thing you have to work your way up to?

Just a thought.

Cathy

[salamander]

I am better sitting than standing, but if I move my head quickly, I will have to take a few seconds to recalibrate, even when sitting.

TV is an issue for me if too big or too close.  I am ok with "normal movement" on a tv show, but have trouble with a lot of motion on the screen.  On a related screen/motion issue, I took my nephew to a movie and arcade, but couldn't handle even standing by the games with all the motion on the screens.  I was fine in the movie theatre though (sigh of relief).

Samantha