kirby Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Hi Everybody, Do any of you have bad balance days? Some days I'm fine and other days it's all I can do to say standing. Today I wiped out in front of everybody at work. They were all nice about helping me up but I was soooo embarassed. My left foot does most of my balancing the right one has sensation but doesn't work. I fell and fractured my ankle last dec. Three screws later I can be diligent about being careful to walk slowly and safely but sometimes it just happens anyway. How do others deal with it? Thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Melton Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 Hey Maggie, yes, I still have problems with balance and falling- mostly at home due to too much stuff to trip on in my little house...for real- housekeeping suffers on my working days. Do you feel wiped out when you get home????I hate being so freaking tired. but I get "off balance"-for some reason- if people stand close to me. Don't know why, but it throws my equilibrium off. I try to stand just a little space apart from people that I'm talking to. Guess we have to go a little slower sometimes to prevent falls. I can't go up and down steps like I use to. I have to plant both feet on a step before taking the next one. I tried to go down the stairs at my mom's house recently one foot at a time and stepped right into the air on the third step from bottom and messed up my foot. No broken bones though like you have had. Be careful girl! Dianne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smarshall Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 Maggie, Balance has been a problem of mine ever since the stroke. I'm sure it's worse for some survivors than others. For me, the greater the fatigue - the worse the balance. It's been over 10 years for me know; I do a lot of treadmill walking, (Holding on!) and that seems to help. No more cane, but I still have my moments! I use a 'Rollator' when I walk outside. (A Rollator is kind of a walker on wheels.) I need some kind of light at night to see where I'm going; if it's dark - I freeze up! Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilione Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 Like previously mentioned, my balance is worse when I'm tired. I have found though, if I review some of the exercises they had me do for balance, it helps. That and my thermostat being off is the most annoying symptoms for me, although things could be a lot worse. Blessings to all, Lili Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstockman Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 I too have some days when balance is off and other days pretty good, again it is worse if I am tired. I also still have problems (get dizzy) if I look up. I am short..lol so I have 2 step stools i keep handy. My thermostat is off too.. dr said it took out part of your temperature control... i thought great.. already went thru hot flashes... I find going up stairs is much easier than going down, but i have some peripheral vision loss so that may be part of the problem too. We all learn ways to adjust and adapt and going slower is better than landing on your nose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirby Posted June 16, 2006 Author Share Posted June 16, 2006 Thanks Everybody, You all are right. Being tired makes it alot worse. Espicially on work days, just getting up and going makes me bushed. I've noticed too when I'm tired my stroked right foot turns in so I walk on the edge of my foot. So I'm sure that dosen't help much. There is alot more stuff to think of now, I guess I'm still getting used to it. Thanks Everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :0) Maggie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phyllis4732 Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 LOL :roflmao: There are days when I feel as though I'm the Captain of the drunken sailor brigade. True. not a laughing matter, but humor is and has been the way I accept it. The truth is, I never drank much pre stroke- like a whisky sour once or twice a year.....If you let it get to you without humor, you could be a mess. My bleed in the cerebellum is the place that controls this - and clumsiness. So I could also be a bull in a china shop. Fortunately, I work in mass merchandising stores - the ones that have shopping carts which I really need to put my stuff in etv. and with a cart, as with a rollator, I'm no different from the person wh has never had a stroke. I keep my rollator and "take it for a walk" with the dog when I am tired. Yes, that definitely makes it worse. And let's not forget Fridays when working. In fact today I was sitting and talking with my sister and when I got up my balance wasn't too great. She asked me if I was drinking -(she usually says nothing) and of course it was a joke because she knows I don't drink. Actually though, at work, no mention is ever made of it. Falling- yes sure, every now and then when I try to walk in a small space or I put something out of place and loose my balance, but mostly, nicks and bruises from walking into something. It kind of makes us special - not everyone can appear drunk when they haven't even had a smell. :happydance: :roflmao: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappier Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 I've stumbled upon Flax seed oil capsules. I take 6 caps (2 caps. after each meal about an hour or so) and I have finally slept for the first time deeply and restfully in 4 years. I think because of the sleep or the caps, I've found my balance has improved and mood too. I'm feeling much closer to normal. Omega3's is a short lived nutrient, so I can see the effects either way if I'm late taking it I can get a little more tipsy I can see it that quickly(like if I haven't taken my morning and afternoon ones... But the nutrients in a diet sufficient with Omega 3 can be looked into for yourself on the web. Its really made a difference for me. The bags under my eyes are gone now. I do not dread going to bed anymore because will not be plagued with the half asleep sleep...You can either take fish oil caps or flax seed oil..I'm 5'5" and weigh 130 so that one can ratio out how much might help.. :cheer: oh yeah those caps are a 1000 mgs per capsule....sorry.... :big_grin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwatrous Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 First, I am sorry for your fall - Every once in awhile, if I'm not focusing, my balance goes awry, but I find myself holding on for dear life when takng turns in the car - For me, since 1985, when I stroked, affecting my left side, to prevent myself from falling or tipping over :blush: , I really concentrate on every step I take, which you know really slows us down, but life goes on, and Good luck to you P.S. You have nothing to be embarrased about :2cents: , although its not your fault, I understand your pain June :friends: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlen Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 I FIND MY BALANCE HAS REALLY SUFFERED WHEN I TRY TO WALK A TIGHTROPE BETWEEN THE ROOFS OF THE APARTMENT COMPLEX. THE SWAYING MAKES ME DIZZY. IN REALITY, FATIGUE DOES HAVE AN EFFECT ON BALANCE. SO DOES CONCENTRATION. REMEMBERING WHICH FOOT GOES UP AND DOWN STAIRS FIRST HAS PREVENTED MUCH OF MY EARLIER TUMBLES. SLOW BUT SURE IS THE KEY. I MAY BE SLOWER, BUT I'VE REMAINED VERTICLE OVER 18 MONTHS AFTER A YEAR OF PICKING MYSELF UP. MARTY :big_grin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Hello Everyone! I experienced a brainstem stroke in May of 1999. I have gone from total paralysis (able only to blink) to nearly total recovery. I work fulltime. I play bass guitar. I even ride a harley again. For quite some time after the stroke I had quite a challenge with my balance. I carefully forced myself to walk through the unlevel ground of the woods to make the brain fight for stability in that challenging environment. I rode a snowmobile when I was able. I"ve heard in England, they have stroke people horeback ride to challenge the brain to relarn balance. I had a tremendous issue with foot drop. I worked hard to overcome that by placing a treadmill next to a mirror and "watching" how the foot felt whne it was moving correctly. Then I would take away the visual feedback of the miror and concentrate on what I was feeling and seeing in my mind. I've gone from a wheelchair to a quad cane and braces to a cane to nothing. My balance is just a tad shy of normal now. My story is at www.astrokeofhope.com and hope the info there can help someone. I have continued to improve for many years past the stroke.. and keep pushing my mind/body to achieve more. Don't give up. Heal and grow. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pprovost Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Being paralysed on one side causes much of my balance problems and so does fatigue. My first fall was such a surprise because I had not been accustomed to how heavy my spastyic left arm felt as a dead weight that swung when I stood up. I find that I need to listen to my intuition much more than when I was able-bodied. Sometimes I attempt things ignoring the little voice in my head that warns me I am in over my head. Then in a second a bad move does me in. I have a bad habit of getting over tired and losing patience for people to give me help so I venture on my own My fatigue does not put luck on my side of course and if I fall I get a blast from my husband who cannot drop everything on the spot just because i have a type A tendency. Know yourself and you will learn a great deal about balance good luck and take care, Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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