It's time to admit to a couple setbacks. I have been struggling with loss of balance and problems with staggering for about nine months now. I was shocked to learn in the spring that this was probably due to my Fronto Temporal Lobe Dementia. I was learning to cope with it pretty well by using a walking stick while walking outside because our yard is on a hill and bumpy in places, by holding on to my husband or my sister's arm when walking in parking lots and leaning on a cart in stores that have them.
But this past week, I fell in the bedroom hallway. Problem with this is that there is an open stairway to the basement at the end of the hall. When we moved into this house, we removed the door to the basement to make it more open since it is a nice finished room down there. I was very, very lucky when I fell. I was heading toward the stairway and would have gone down, but I twisted myself hard enough and in time so that I fell into the doorway of one of the bedrooms instead. I needed to go to the chiropractor for the twisted back, but going down the stairs would most likely have been much worse.
Now we have the door back at the top the stairway to the basement which will, hopefully, prevent falls down the stairs. I actually found out that falls down stairs, and the injuries caused by these falls, is one of the leading causes of death for FTD patients. It is inconvenient and not as pleasantly appealing to have the door there, but definitely gives me a greater sense of security.
Going right along with the falling issue, the stumbling when walking is getting noticeably worse as well. I'm sure there are a lot of people who, when they see me out and about, assume I have been drinking. When the stumbling first started with me, I actually heard people behind me comment to that effect, sounding quite disgusted with me, and blew on by me on the sidewalk. Perhaps I should wear a t-shirt with a sign on the back "I'm not drunk, my brain just doesn't work." Well, maybe not...
I have been noticing a new element to the leg problem. It seems to me that the signal is not getting from my brain to my leg, if that makes any sense at all. I have noticed it a few times when climbing stairs. My right leg just doesn't get the idea what it is supposed to be doing. It has been of some help when I kind of push down on my thigh muscle to remind it to push in order to get up the step. A couple days ago, I had it act similarly when I was walking through a store with my sister. The right leg was forgetting to move itself forward. I had to totally focus on my walking, telling my leg to move forward and, again, pushing a little on the thigh muscle to remind it. Now I'll bet I didn't look stupid at all walking like that! At least it worked and I was able to walk out of the store.
Again this week, I am so thankful to be part of the online support group for FTD patients. When these new symptoms develop, I can quickly learn that I am not alone in experiencing them. I can also pick up some helpful tips on how to deal with the problems. We are quite a tight little community and are very supportive of each other. It is a shame that we are spread so far and wide and can't easily get together. I'll bet we could help each other out a lot and have some good times together.
No comments:
Post a Comment