Falling Down - JEEZ!

Ok, this is getting positively scary. I keep falling! I have fallen 4 times this week and when I'm laying there starring up at the sky I'm thinking..."I hope nobody saw that!" It's so embarassing...and painful. I noticed that I was slightly dizzy this morning when I got up but it seemed to pass but I fell twice today. I had a MRI on Monday on my shoulder and that has been bugging me since but I can't imagine that would cause me to be dizzy and fall.

Anybody else out there falling down? Do you know why you fall? Are you dizzy?

I am just full of questions tonight. Thanks!

Terri in MN

Hi Terri,

I fall down and also bang my poor head alot. I've been using a cane for a few weeks and it helps to steady me a litter better, especally if I'm outside or somewhere wide open like the mall and such. Also standing slowly seems to help a bit as well. I'm almost always dizzy, guess that comes with the Chiari for me. It really can be very scarey, as sometimes I just wind up down on the floor and didn't feel like I was going to loose my balance at all. Hope today finds you feeling better:)

You will be in my thoughts and prayers,

Aveet:)

Hi Terri,

I cannot look down when I walk & fall a lot & have broken bones several times & have even broke my front teeth . They had to rebuild my Cervical Spine when I had my CM surgeries. I am sorry you are falling. I wish I had some words of wisdom for you.

hi Terry, also have trouble with dizzyness and falling,mostly when i get out of the shower and walking down hallways which has caused numerous bumps an bruises even broke my nose, so ive learned to be a little more cautious while standing and walking.I can relate and feel your pain, just hang in there and take things one day at a time. Remember we are a special kinda people GOD gave us this disabillaty because he knows that we can take it and that we are stronger than normal people.Head up shoulders back and together we'll fight another day! P.S. SMILE IT WONT HURT!!



TracyZ said:

Hi Terri,

I cannot look down when I walk & fall a lot & have broken bones several times & have even broke my front teeth . They had to rebuild my Cervical Spine when I had my CM surgeries. I am sorry you are falling. I wish I had some words of wisdom for you.

Good morning -

I've been lucky so far, only fallen completely down a few times since surgery. I lose my balance alot and for no particular reason it seems. Usually happens to me when I am pivoting to turn, say from the sink to the stove, or turning around to reply to someone behind me. I also have a tendency to clip the corners of walls when entering or leaving the room. The full out falls usually happen on stairs or uneven surfaces. I've slid down the stairs to the hard wood floor below from about a third to halfway up our staircase. I have been very lucky so far and only one ended in the ER to check for a broken arm and I lucked out and it was just badly bruised. Most the time I don't feel like I am about to fall, I just....do. The worst for me (most embarrassing) is leaning over to give someone a kiss or hug if they are seated and I tip over into their lap. Yikes. Ok, also embarrassing? Trying to slip my shoes off while standing...bad idea...I look like I'm doing a high-wire act...arms out for balance, swaying back and forth. sigh. My brother came to visit twice since my surgery from out of state and I have a new nickname...Stumbelina. lol. He says he going to make me a pink bedazzled helmet that says "This end up" with an arrow. ;) Hope I made you laugh.

I get dizziness off and on and I have fallen at work 2 times and caught myself I can't remember how many times. I also trip on carpet a lot. Tests show I don't have MS and there are many things that can cause dizziness, tripping, falling so it takes awhile to get it figured out I guess. I'm so exhausted from the process. I also get brain fog more when I have the dizziness. My body feels awkward like my limbs get confused. I fail many of the simple neuro tests like putting my feet together and closing my eyes then touching my nose with my index finger. You first try with left, then right. I always overshoot. If I had to walk a straight line for a policeman, I would fail. I also have whats called clonus and hyperreflex in my knees, but again the NL or NS doesn't think its chiari related.

I wanted to add to the comment by the other Maria :) I finally purchased a cane and when I finally let my pride take the backseat to my life, I started using it. Some days are bad and I just don't want to fall. Also, I noticed sometimes at the end of the day after working or shopping, or being busy my legs feel heavy and tired. My feet will hurt, my thighs, my calves, many areas off and on during the evening, so the cane has helped especially if I have to wait in long lines. It's always in my car in case I need it. Night and shadows also scare me. It's as if depth perception is really off.

I fall n get dizzy all the time. I think its just part of what we live with. Went to the movies n went to stand up n thought I was going back.down. The theater started swimming. Sat back down n got up after they turned the lights on n much slower. Still a little dizzy but didn’t fall.

I know what your going through I haven't fell but at times I get so dizzy that I feel like I'm going to that is what scares me. I use to always run into things, as if something wasn't in from of me and I couldn't see it. I also carry a cane at times because it does help with the balance issues, just stay strong and with support group we can Conquor Chiari.

I fall too. I even ended up in the E.R. a couple of times. I really try hard to always be aware of where my feet are because most of the time, they feel as though they belong to someone else.

I did not have dizziness until I had dental work on my lower jaw. Then, I had big problems for about 5 months.

Terri,

I fall all the time. I now use a walking stick with a rubber tip on it anytime I leave the house. It has really cut down on my falling and I feel like it's a little better than a cane for me. I fall like a tree and do not have the refllexes to put my arms out to break my fall so I end up falling flat on my face. I have broken, chiped or shattered most of my front teeth through out my life. And I have lots of dental bills because of it. : ( I have to look down constantly when I walk and concentrate really hard. It's not fun but I always try and joke about it so my kids and my husband don't freak out or feel bad for me.

Wendy

Yes, you did make me laugh! Sometimes after I fall I just lay there and laugh because I know how goofy I must look. My husband thinks I should wear a helmet too! I am sore today after taking 2 tumbles yesterday but I was able to stay vertical all day and didn't fall once so I'm a happy girl tonight. Thanks for cheering me up!

Lulu's Mom said:

Good morning -

I've been lucky so far, only fallen completely down a few times since surgery. I lose my balance alot and for no particular reason it seems. Usually happens to me when I am pivoting to turn, say from the sink to the stove, or turning around to reply to someone behind me. I also have a tendency to clip the corners of walls when entering or leaving the room. The full out falls usually happen on stairs or uneven surfaces. I've slid down the stairs to the hard wood floor below from about a third to halfway up our staircase. I have been very lucky so far and only one ended in the ER to check for a broken arm and I lucked out and it was just badly bruised. Most the time I don't feel like I am about to fall, I just....do. The worst for me (most embarrassing) is leaning over to give someone a kiss or hug if they are seated and I tip over into their lap. Yikes. Ok, also embarrassing? Trying to slip my shoes off while standing...bad idea...I look like I'm doing a high-wire act...arms out for balance, swaying back and forth. sigh. My brother came to visit twice since my surgery from out of state and I have a new nickname...Stumbelina. lol. He says he going to make me a pink bedazzled helmet that says "This end up" with an arrow. ;) Hope I made you laugh.

I have the same problem with flourescent lights too, they just throw me off balance. I also have trouble with floors that have patterns on them too. Shopping has become not so fun anymore. I seem to trip a lot so I always get a cart...but then I'm afraid that I will take out my front teeth if I fall...oh the joys of CM!

mariarich37 said:

Yes. It's depth perception a lot for me. The ground will look different...things will look further away than what they are. Also, flourescent lights, like in stores....they really bother me and get my balance off. I think I"m headed for a can in the near future. I've thought about it many times, and probably should just breakdown and get one.

Oh! I hope I never get pulled over and asked to walk the line! They will haul me in for sure! That was something that I was never able to master in physical therapy and I still can't do it. Then they might do a tox screen on me and I would be full of Oxycodone...my husband would have to come and bail me out...LOL, LOL, LOL! I'm sorry that you have balance problems too but it's comforting to know that other people have the same problems. Thanks for answering!

mbrantl said:

I get dizziness off and on and I have fallen at work 2 times and caught myself I can't remember how many times. I also trip on carpet a lot. Tests show I don't have MS and there are many things that can cause dizziness, tripping, falling so it takes awhile to get it figured out I guess. I'm so exhausted from the process. I also get brain fog more when I have the dizziness. My body feels awkward like my limbs get confused. I fail many of the simple neuro tests like putting my feet together and closing my eyes then touching my nose with my index finger. You first try with left, then right. I always overshoot. If I had to walk a straight line for a policeman, I would fail. I also have whats called clonus and hyperreflex in my knees, but again the NL or NS doesn't think its chiari related.

In response to Beeba's comment:

The falls and near falls where I lose my balance and catch myself on something or, God forbid, someone happen so often I just don't think about it much anymore. I have been considered "clumsy" and "uncoordinated" since I was old enough to walk (stumble lol). The only difference now? I scare myself because I HAVE had the surgery and am terrified of hitting my head. I NOTICE more because it has been forcibly brought to my attention. The fear of actually hurting myself, the concerned comments of family and watching them eye me like you would hover over a toddler as they are learning to walk. Wanting to let me be but ever so "casually" being within reach if I am doing something they know I find difficult. When my brother visited, he brought his boat, wanted to take us out for an evening cruise around a local lake. I watched him pull the boat up to the dock and instead of waiting for everyone to hop aboard, he tied the boat up and SAT on the dock, holding the boat close with his legs and made me use his shoulders to traverse from the dock into the boat. He knew how hard it is for me to navigate uneven let alone MOVING surfaces. He never said a word about it, just did it. I only tell you this to show that some things just ...are. THIS is how I am and have always been, it's just worse now and I notice. I did ask my NS about it, he said he had no idea. For real. No idea why I'm still having problems, referred me back to my NL who's a headache specialist. Suggested possible pain management and said he thought I might be depressed. ::dry look:: Really? That is SO helpful. Even if it's true, wouldn't anyone be? Chronic headaches(migraines), neck pain(yes, I'm in PT for it), nausea, blurry vision, tremors(found a drug to control those), equilibrium problems, memory issues, lose words, unholy fatigue, side effects from the meds, and we have unrelated joint and lower back pain. The joint issues alone are huge and I am in my mid fourties, quit telling me is "just" age related changes, my siblings don't have the same issues. My son does and he's only 20, explain that to me. Sorry, this is me collecting myself now....so. ::sigh:: You can talk yourself blue in the face and it only makes a difference if someone is actively listening. I see my NL every 3 months, we usually wait an hour past our appt time(after driving 2 hours) just to see her as she always runs behind, and when we do? She tries to listen but is just changing me from drug to drug looking for a magic combination that works and only has side effects I can live with. There is no talk of why the surgery didn't do the trick, just that the headaches and other issues are attributable to "migraines" and all of the problems I listed above will magically disappear when we find the right drug because it is ALL because of the headaches. It is literally, all in my head. lol, lol, lol.

And if I hear, one more time, but you LOOK fine! You SOUND so much better! You're not slurring your words as much...yada yada yada. I wouldn't wish this on anyone but if I could have one wish? You, me doing a Freaky Friday. Live my life for 24 hours, in my head and body. I could use a day of vacation. lol. I could finally learn to dance!! ;)

Wow your story sounds like me! It’s frustrating they just pass us back and forth and up medications and really don’t know what to do to help us!!!

Hi Terri.

Our daughter Aoife had her decompression surgery last April. Not much success. Has now started to fall down far more frequently, especially on a stairs...maybe her balance is getting worse. Last night she nearly fell down the stairs after getting into a bit of a speed wobble. Very distressing. She is in constant pain and her surgeon has told ud that the operation was to prevent further deterioration and not necessarily repair what damage was already there. Aoife had absolutley no symptoms of Chiari until she received an electrical/static shock that appears to have started a whole chain of events. She is 21 years of age ans spends all of her time either lying on the couch or in bed. No light at the end of the tunnel either. OUr own doctor very sympathic but the hospital/ surgeon just tell us it takes time!

It seems like every time I stand up I get dizzy and it takes me about 10 to 15 seconds to get steady. It is a little bit scary. This is a constant...