My Mobility And Balance
MS does affect my mobility. I cannot run. hop, skip or jump. Even walking is a challenge.
My left leg is very weak. I have drop foot, drop leg and a hyper extending knee. Going up and down stairs is a challenge. Another problem is my balance. My balance is totally visual, so if I close my eyes I fall over.
To put it in a nutshell I am a very wobbly walker
I’m a frequent faller, its a fact of life
I’m a frequent faller, its all because I have multiple sclerosis. My left leg is the culprit, I have drop foot and drop leg. It must have started sometime in the 1990’s, my diagnosis was in 1996. What started as an occasional trivial event now has a major impact on my life. At first the […]
Poor balance and mobility makes walking difficult
I have poor balance and mobility so I use a mobility scooter. I remember in 2012 when medical retirement arrived I could easily lift my mobility scooter onto a train and I did not need a walking stick either. Those were carefree days, now long gone. Nobody told me how my life would change in […]
Just another little fall
In the kitchen I must use a stool on wheels. The Wife and I were cooking supper last Sunday and everything was getting a bit fraught. Not enough pairs of hands to prepare everything. I moved forward on my stool but a wheel got stuck in the grouting between two floor tiles. The stool stopped […]
Nobody mentioned grab rails
I guess a few of you who are reading this have got that irritating little disease, multiple sclerosis. It’s the way it advances. Step by step it creeps up on you. It’s funny how something that wasn’t a problem changes and becomes a problem. Even worse, suddenly its an ‘in your face’ problem. We had […]
Stumble fall crunch and wallop
Monday evening We had finished watching episode 5 of Line of Duty. No spoilers I promise. Program finished and we were done. All that was left was to clear up the room and toddle off to bed. The Wife had taken the glasses through to the kitchen. All I had to do was switch off […]
What would I like returned to me by Multiple Sclerosis?
What would I like returned to me by Multiple Sclerosis? I’m talking about basic abilities, ones I have lost for ever. The list is far too long to bore you. In my dreams there is only I would like back. I’m sure it’s something lots of people take for granted. Right now I am really […]
Going back to Pilates
I have missed my last four Pilates’ sessions. They are on a Friday morning but I have been away. Going back to Pilates was a bit like going back to school after the Easter or Christmas break. Going back to Pilates Don’t get me wrong I enjoy Pilates. It helps me with the biggest problems […]
Its when the unexpected happens
Its when the unexpected accident happens. Inevitably I get stressed and this feeling lasts for a couple of hours. When I am feeling fragile it does not take much to tip me over the edge. Most of the time I’m as tough as old boots. Its when the unexpected happens The problem is the MS. My memory and sense […]
Do my morning exercises
As little as ten years ago I would wake up and get out of bed without a thought. Such bliss, such joy. Now when I wake up I always feel horribly stiff. It’s a huge effort to turn over onto my back so I can swing my legs out of bed and sit on the […]
Falls, what can I do?
Falls are a surprisingly common event for people suffering from a progressive illness. I have extremely bad balance foot drop in my left leg. The question is quite simple, ‘What can I do to reduce the chances of having a fall?’ I’m constantly improving my strategy in an attempt to stay on my feet and […]
A sense of balance
Many MSers who have SPMS do not have very good sense of balance. Now imagine this, you are momentarily distracted, you lose your sense of balance and fall over. As you fall over you put out a hand to protect yourself and you dislocate a shoulder. I’m guilty as charged. Do you see what I […]
Falling Over Again, 25th February
It’s something we, I mean those who have balance issues, are always frightened of; falling over and then a visit to hospital to repair the injury. Well I did it again. How did I do it this time? You must have seen the famous Only Fools and Horses episode where Delboy leans against a bar […]
City University and my Travelscoot
I had been asked to give a talk at London City University on Tuesday 4th Feb at 1 pm. I was talking to 2nd year nursing students. The theme of my talk ‘Experiences of living with a long term medical condition’ in my case multiple sclerosis. The train braked I caught the train up to […]
My orthosis, 10 weeks later
The first fitting for my ankle-foot orthosis was in late September 2014, here is the post. Now its mid December. As we all know receiving something is one thing but only too often further work is necessary. This proved to be no exception. I was so pleased when I first started using it, walking was so […]
My New Orthosis
I recently visited Amersham hospital and had a new orthosis fitted, it stops foot drop. Strictly speaking its called an orthotic. By preventing foot drop my knee hyperextension will also stop. That is the theory. and even more interesting, the theory works. Better balance Yes, it makes walking easier and I am sure it does […]
Update on my Foot Drop
Sixteen months ago I wrote about the Musmate, it helps me to walk so much further because it lifts my foot off the ground. I still have MS and inevitably my walking ability has deteriorated albeit very slowly. At least the problem remains in my left leg, my right leg is still very reliable, phew! […]
