After talking about our falls, i was quite proud to say that i had only fallen once..oh twice...as i fell out of the shower one day...
I fell last night....over my rowing machine......now that was some fall!
I have fallen six times, the first time the day after my surgery in the hospital room washroom! Most recently I fell in Jan, took the dogs outside and slipped on the ice, new I was going down but was helpless to prevent it, very scary. My lab pup thought I was playing because I was literally floundering around like a beached whale. The other times were in the house, early days while on crutches.
When I first got home I needed help with everything but as my confidence increased I started doing things for myself. Not sure about others but the only way I could put on socks or shoes was by laying on my back with my feet in the air. Of course I had to do that with an empty bladder or I'd have a bladder leak. I gradually figured out how to put my shoes on with my feet on the floor but not without first doing a nose plant into the laundry basket. Thank goodness we can maintain a sense of humour, where would we be without it?
I fall fairly often too, usually because I trip over something my feet don't know is there. My experience was a lot like Lαrα in the beginning. The neurosurgeon and hospital staff kept saying I'd be up and around in no time, and I kept thinking, "That'll be great...just as soon as I can feel my legs!" It was so strange to stand up and "walk" and not be able to feel them. I only spent one week in the hospital and had a couple of home health physical therapy visits, then I was on my own. Maybe since I didn't have anyone telling me what I needed to do or what I shouldn't or couldn't do was a good thing because I ditched my walker for a cane within a couple of months. I set the cane aside a few months later and only use it on occasion. I still have trouble walking on uneven terrain, and I get tired and have a lot of pain if I walk too far. I get incredibly frustrated that I am not able to increase my strength and endurance, but I am thankful I can walk as well as I can, even if I look like a drunk penguin. I worry way too much about what other people think about the way I walk or the fact that I have to sit and rest frequently. Screw 'em!
I love how the neurosurgeon tells us all the same thing when in reality, they have no idea! I guess they want us to be optimistic but I thought there was something wrong with me, (other than the obvious) because I wasn't 'up and around in no time'.
Don't worry about what people think cesamyseed! I always imagine that those people who stare or worse, those people who give me a really wide berth in stores and malls have very sad lives that they have to get pleasure by making other people feel unhappy. We are champions!
I have only had one fall since my injury and that was about three weeks ago on the parallel bars, I was walking and got to the end, went to turn around to go back and my hand missed the bar and I went into a slow sit.
Wanted to revive this thread because although its great to have upright mobility, there are also problems that come along with maintaining it. How is everyone progressing with their 'walking' over time?
Post by kilg0retr0ut on Jul 5, 2015 5:43:27 GMT -8
To be honest it's kicking my butt. I'm going to have a tendon transfer surgery in Oct. to try to remain walking. I've walked on the outside edges of my feet for almost five years and the skin is getting pretty thin. No complaints, I chose this, may have been smarter to conserve.
To be honest it's kicking my butt. I'm going to have a tendon transfer surgery in Oct. to try to remain walking. I've walked on the outside edges of my feet for almost five years and the skin is getting pretty thin. No complaints, I chose this, may have been smarter to conserve.
Ah thats hard going isnt it kilg0retr0ut, its not so easy this walking business is it..especially with the complications. But yes, its a choice but you will find some balance when you feel the time is right
Hello all, I have question of anyone. My spinal cord injury happened over a period of time as a plumbing malfunction(thoracic AV fistula) in my spinal cord allowed pressure to develop on the cord throughout the Thoracic region. The AV fistula was repaired on March 2014. I was paralyzed from the waist down when I had the surgery. I regained a lot, using yoga, Lofstrand Crutches to walk a little. By the end of 2014, I was walking 1000' using the crutches. I was feeling pretty good about my progress. Since then, my legs have gotten weaker and weaker. I can now make 200 feet and that is it. This has been going on for months.
The question is: Has this type of weakening occurred with any of you out there? I feel like I was doing much better for 9 months, but then it reversed. I now have and use a wheelchair part of the time. I did not get the chair until 2 months ago. I did not expect to loose stuff once I had it back for awhile. Is that typical?
Thanks a lot. I get lots of information and inspiration from this place. Good luck to all.
Hello dodahman, personally I cannot walk too far at all with crutches on one length, the power goes pretty quickly in my legs. I have worked very hard to optimize my walking ability and for a period of time I felt quite strong.
I do feel that we can over push our muscle power to a limit and this can cause other problems. We do not have 100% muscle power so something somewhere is being compromised.
If you spend some time in your chair and conserve some power/energy,are you able to walk for some time with your crutches?
dodahman I don't think it's normal for someone to get weaker like that especially within the first year. I think it's best you go visit your neurosurgeon and get your back checked out with an MRI just to be safe. Good luck!
I fall fairly often too, usually because I trip over something my feet don't know is there. My experience was a lot like Lαrα in the beginning. The neurosurgeon and hospital staff kept saying I'd be up and around in no time, and I kept thinking, "That'll be great...just as soon as I can feel my legs!" It was so strange to stand up an d "walk" and not be able to feel them. I only spent one week in the hospital and had a couple of home health physical therapy visits, then I was on my own. Maybe since I didn't have anyone telling me what I needed to do or what I shouldn't or couldn't do was a good thing because I ditched my walker for a cane within a couple of months. I set the cane aside a few months later and only use it on occasion. I still have trouble walking on uneven terrain, and I get tired and have a lot of pain if I walk too far. I get incredibly frustrated that I am not able to increase my strength and endurance, but I am thankful I can walk as well as I can, even if I look like a drunk penguin. I worry way too much about what other people think about the way I walk or the fact that I have to sit and rest frequently. Screw 'em!
Cesmyseed, I am probably most similar to you in my ability to walk. I'm so thankful to walk at all even though I trip a lot over my own feet which just don't function normally, break fingers falling, walk slower than the average person and didn't realize how strangely I walk until I saw myself in a store window. I also have diminished proprioception of the ground which makes me loose balance easily (fighting against getting a cane) and will feel muscles, especially gluts just give out completely and then kind of recover. I limit walking in general as I get severe muscle fatigue that causes spasm and more unpredictability as far as gait and pain goes. The pain is sometimes enough to keep my off my legs altogether. Especially bilateral shin over sensitivity. I still have a post laminectomy compression they don't want to touch which causes some of my problems.
I know how much maintaining upright mobility is encouraged, especially by my consultant but we need to maintain balance.
No one knows or understands then pain that YOU feel so I think that it is time that spinal units come up with maintenance plans that are discussed and reviewed between us and a multi discipline team.
So many issues arise over time and I do think that this is a very grey area still.
HI Lara, thanks for the input. I do go too hard and have long period to recover. Maybe I am just not waiting long enough for recovery some times, but then I worry about atrophy. Over tired muscles that are not completely in touch (enervated?) with the nerves that control them do not recover like normal muscles. I know that fact, but have hard time applying the knowledge in reality... I did get MRI followup in Nov to ensure the fistula was still taken care of, but what I think is increased weakness did start until several months later. I will ask lead doc about it. Thanks.
Spinal cord injuries are mysterious to me and plenty others. I hope everybody keeps trying what works best for you, or keeps trying to find something that will work for you. It may not be in a book. My next step is aqua therapy. I tried that on my own and did too much. So, now, starting in Aug, I will go to trained person for it. Baby steps and keeping optimism or hope alive is what works best for me.
And yes, Creamyseed is right, please don't give two hoots what anyone else 'thinks' because 1)you really have no idea what someone else is thinking, and b) it doesn't matter one bit. I am preaching to myself on that one....
If you have a spinal cord injury, and a extended family, there will be plenty of opinions passed around. Ignore them as much as possible.
Thanks, and good luck to all. The injury is enough bad luck for a long time.