I am extremely frustrated and don't want to vent to my family so I am doing it here. Gotta be cheerful and optimistic around the family. I am afraid this constant dizziness and vertigo will be permanent and I will end up sitting on my constantly growing rear end and watching soap operas for the rest of my life. I have always kept the one acre lot we live on in tip top shape and have done nothing this year.
As part of the 'therapy' for my ongoing inner ear problems I was instructed to walk two miles a day "rain or shine". Before all this started I could make it in forty minutes. Takes me fifty minutes now. Yesterday while going up a slight incline the ground suddenly tilted down to the left and I staggered to the right and nearly took out a neighbor's mailbox, while on foot. The 4x4 it was mounted on must have been weak anyway and I made it weaker. I will fix it for her when I get a little better. Yep you read that right I collided with a mailbox while walking and nearly took it down. If it hadn't been there I would have been face down in the side ditch. I hung on to that mailbox for a while and the ground suddenly snapped back level and I made it back to the house.
We couldn't take our fall vacation this year because I am not allowed to drive. Wife, daughter, and granddaughter wouldn't let me get on the roof and clean out the gutters. They had to be cleaned out because the screens over them were piled up with leaves and a crew is coming to paint the house next week. So the daughter called a teacher friend in the neighborhood that she used to work with and he came and cleaned them. It was embarrassing to me. Cannot help son it law clear a thicket because they won't let me run a chainsaw. I am allowed to drive my little Kioti and the Bad Boy. Granddaughter took me to Lowes and wouldn't let me get out of arms reach because she was afraid I would fall. Can't walk thru the house without bouncing off walls and door facings.
I am frustrated!!
RSKY
RSKY
Sorry to hear of this. I Pray that it is only short term and you will regain your balance. As we age we loose some balance, but this is more than normal balance loss from aging due to vertigo.
Often the body over time will compensate and you can see gradual improvement. Example that I saw unfold years ago with my Mother then in her mid 60's. She had a brain tumor on the main nerve leading from the inner ear to the brain. In addition to hearing loss in that ear she had significant loss of balance and vertigo. She was no longer able to walk, drive, complete household cooking and cleaning. She was always a very self sufficient (widow at an early age).
Over 3 to 4 months she regained much of her balance and by 6 months was back to driving and even using the small lawn tractor for mowing. Over time her balance improved and she went back into a close to normal balance range for her age. Now at 90, she is cooking, cleaning, and getting around well for her age. Still sweeping the leave off her walkways/drive and elps with raking the yard. Walks the sidewalk/street each day for exercise for 40 minutes. Her body seemed to gradually compensate for the loss in one area.
My thought for increasing your mobility walking is based on my Mother and MIL as they lost balance over the years. When shopping they started using a shopping cart to add stability and later progressed to a 4 wheel walker with hand brakes. The walkers also had a seat they could use to seat between the handlebars if needed. With a walker if you start to fall you can use engage the brakes, use the seat or at least soften a fall. A few years ago we got her a larger diameter wheel walker recently enabling walk on pathways and in the rough yard. If she is holding her broom, rake, cane, or staff, no walker needed.
I will pray that you start to regain your balance and ability to complete the tasks you enjoy.
PS.
I am glad you are able to still run the Kioti and Bad Boy. Makes me smile thinking of you riding those around. (Not everybody needs to use a chain saw and climb a ladder. I am no longer using the higher ladders myself.)
Best regards
