the other half of the day

[luciab]

It’s been a weird day physically. Last night I fell as I was starting the bathwater. By sheer luck I managed to not hit my head, but I still landed hard enough that it jerked my head and I started to get a migraine. I hit the Imitrex immediately (I think I’m starting to get the hang of this, now that I’m sure I have enough to last me through the month!) and took ibuprofen to help keep the shoulder and buttal region from being so sore, since that’s where I took the brunt of the weight. I don’t like the fact that I have fallen several times in the last year and a half or so. When I mentioned it to the neurologist she sort of blew it off. I said, Well, I just think it’s weird-- adults just don’t usually fall down. How many times have YOU fallen recently? and she just looked at me like I was crazy. (okay, don’t say a word…) She obviously thought it was ridiculous that I asked if she had fallen. I mean, she’s a grown up and doesn’t just fall down. She didn’t answer me, either.

I was still sore today when I got up and went for a bone density scan. That was wonderfully painless, unlike the second appointment, which was a mammogram. I had the diagnostic version instead of the usual screening one, and of course they cranked the machine a little tighter for that kind. Oh, joy. At least the tech was going to some effort to keep the pressure on for as short a time as possible, unlike the really bad one I had when I swear the tech looked like one of those women in a Wagner opera and was determined to prove she had some serious strength to crank that machine tight. Yow. (Not to mention a serious run-on sentence!) After that they did an ultrasound. That didn’t hurt either but the tech was awfully non-verbal and kept cocking her head back and forth while looking at the monitor and making little hmmm sounds. Unnerving, I have to say. She didn’t help any by saying, “They’ll call you with the results. I’m not allowed to tell you anything else.” Which of course I already knew, but she was rather abrupt about it. Great. Now I get to wait “a couple of weeks” to hear the results. Whee.

Comments

[anonamys.livejournal.com]

I concur that most adults do not just fall. What is up with that neurologist? If I lived near you, I'd do a balance screen.

Is there anything similar about the times you've fallen? (Time of day, visual distractions, fatigue, a sense of dizziness?)

There are three basic input components to balance--visual, vestibular (think "inner ear"), and the part of your sensory system that knows where your joints are in space.(Plus there's basic muscle strength in the ankles.) If you have a disturbance in any one of these inputs, it can mess up your balance. Worse than no input at all is incorrect info (think about when you see a car moving out of the side of your eye and you think *your* car is rolling--that's incorrect visual input). Everyone weights different systems differently-I think I depend on visual more than the others. Your brain is always comparing info between the systems. But say you lose your vestibular system--if you are put in front of a big spinning disk with dots going in circles you are likely to fall because you have 1) no vestib and 2) incorrect visual input.

My point is, depending on what causes you to fall, it can be determined what the problem is. It could be input (any of the three above), central processing (your brain figuring out which input to use in any given situation), or muscular (your muscles aren't strong enough or don't react quickly enough). How you fix a problem is based on what the cause is.

[luciab.livejournal.com]

I'll take "the part of my sensory system not knowing where my body parts on in space" for $200, Alex. Because I don't feel dizzy at all. And one of the falls was out of bed, when I just couldn't tell where I was in relation to the edge of the bed. (Spectacular bruises on that one!) And this last time my feet were planted well but I just overbalanced when I went to turn on the water. I'd say "overbalanced" is the best description, typically. So what the hell does that mean, and are there any possible solutions?

[anonamys.livejournal.com]

I'm planning to ask a professor what they think your next step should be. (Clearly no one can diagnose you from a distance, but maybe she'll have a good suggestion about what you should ask for and who might be best able to give you whatever test.)

I did ask on the BMC list if anyone had any suggestions. Keeping in mind these are not medical personnel they suggested:
1) a new neurologist (or at least a second opinion on the falls)
2) could these be small black-outs? are you aware of falling, or do you just find yourself on the ground?

Back to my thoughts--my uneducated thought is that a non-invasive balance test could help to identify the problem. Basically they'd just test you doing stuff with various restrictions (eg, with your eyes closed, with a misleading visual input, on soft foam that throws off your somatosensory system, etc). But I don't know if that's appropriate for only occassional falls. I'll let you know what my prof says.

[luciab.livejournal.com]

Thanks for asking around. I don't black out; I know I'm losing my balance but just can't correct in time to stop it. The neuro did make me walk down the hall heel-to-toe, etc. Hell, even I can keep from falling over when I'm just standing straight up.

[harleenquinzell.livejournal.com]

According to my RN mother, ANYTIME, you have a doctor who you don't feel either listens to your or seems to be concerned about things you mention, it's time to get a new doctor.

As for falling frequently, judging from the two examples you cited, were they when you were tired? I.E. getting out of bed, or taking a bath (late at night?) But no, adults don't fall all the time. I've got lousy spatial sense (I have pretty regular bruises on my hips and thighs where I bump into things because I'm not paying attention.) but I don't fall down OFTEN. Maybe once a year or less? But I'm a raging klutz.

[nikulai.livejournal.com]

Ummm... time for a new nuerologist I'd say...