Instability when walking

I'd love to join a class - but I doubt I could keep up even with beginners here! You see loads of older people out for a walk even in the middle of town using a pair of walking poles - so much less "old" than a walking stick!

The other day I passd a woman walking with poles and I stopped to ask her "Is that Nordic walking" - which of course it was.  She explained that she used them because she has a balance problem!  I thought I could use them the way she does, because she didn't look silly.  A project for next spring, perhaps.

You get 2 different sorts of walking poles - ordinary ones are really like ski poles with just a loop around your wrist and you hold the hand grip all the time. For Nordic Walking they have a glove-like bit that velcros round your hand to stop you losing them as you aren't actually gripping the hand piece firmly all the time. NW poles are - logically enough - more expensive! But either sort will help you feel less wobbly.

That's interesting - I felt as if I was walking on sharp pebbles or broken glass for a long time but even once that faded after months of 15mg pred or near to, I still found I disliked walking on an uneven surface, I just didn't feel safe. But thinking about it, it must be a similar sensation.

It is a lot better now though.

I had the feeling of walking on pebbles and unnerving balance problems when walking. Both went fairly quickly after starting steroids. I didn't realise they were connected in any way. This is a very strange condition!

Isn't it just! I collect all these things at the back of my mind - every so often I get the chance to put this into the research field. They have no idea what things PMR can do! They have, however, discovered that you can have PMR in feet and hands. And when I said that many patients have bladder problems one rheumy started asking her patients. Guess what?

 

Thanks to all for your response and affirmation.

The idea of going back to exercise, as a regular routine sounds like a good start.

I have played sports, all my life, and the lack of good balance concerns me.

First things first!!

Interesting, Eileen, that you mention bladder problems. I just saw rheumatologist, this afternoon and he claims bladder problems and balance problems are 'probably not related to PMR but did admit hair loss could be connected.

I will slow down on pred reduction and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Thanks to all

I do have very frequent urgency since I've been on pred, its quite a pain in the xxx.  I bellieve I saw it as one of the  side effects of the pred. I'm getting up several times a night, like every 2 hours mostly.  When you go out, you have to be prepared!  By the way, what did that rheumy say about it?

Well - sorry, but he's wrong, it doesn't have to be the pred! One of the very good things about having had PMR for 5 years without being on pred is that I gathered a lot of info about what PMR can do and there are several things that doctors will ALWAYS say are "the pred" - but they happen in PMR too.

Overnight frequency (as opposed to urgency) probably IS due to pred, that is something I have never had any bother with. I would wake about 4am, if I lay there hoping to go back to sleep - I wouldn't. If I summoned up the enthusiasm to get up and go to the toilet even if I wasn't really sure I needed to, I would fall back to sleep in minutes! But during the day if I needed to go, I needed to go - whichever reason. 

Balance - of course it can be related to PMR. Your muscles are severely affected by PMR and it is your muscles in coordination that keep you upright! My legs didn't always do what I wanted them to do - same with hands sometimes. They just didn't seem to be working properly! Silly things like changing bedding or trying to open something. When I'm on a higher dose of pred it is much better, when I get below 4mg it returns and has always been the sign of a flare for me.

Hi again....just noticed I never did get my message envelope back!....don`t know what else to do.......

I see an envelope under your avatar - you won't see one against your name, you won't be messaging yourself!

Oh dear, sorry to have troubled you...pred head!  Have been very drained and having dreadful sweats lately...never had so many while on 11mg...just hoping things will ease soon!   You`re right, I won`t be messaging myself....I curse instead   thank you...

Don't worry at all about it - no trouble!

In my experience feeling drained and extra sweats very often means a bit of a flare going on - the activity of the underlying autoimmune disorder probably waxes and wanes, so you may reduce while it is realtively quiet but then it wakes up again. And of course it is heading for xmas - and lots more to do for anyone who isn't "Bah Humbug" like me. So are you overdoing things? Might it be worth a mg more pred for a few days?

Yes, I had been considering upping 1 mg till it`s all over....and yes I have been doing more.....

Hope it`s as mild where you are as it is here this December....only Scotland has it cold/snowy...not that I`m complaining!

Scotland is very mild with a forecast of rain. Looking to be a record breaking mild Christmas!

Got it wrong again!....must admit though feels odd being this mild don`t you think....especially scotland!

It is not as cold as usual - except we have what is called inversion weather - down in the valley it has been minus 10C overnight but on the mountains it has barely been below freezing. What is more unusual is that there has been no preciptitation for 8 weeks until overnight last night - when it rained a tiny bit onto frozen ground so there was some VERY intersting ice this morning! Over the weekend the freezing level is to go above 3000m and there is no sign at all of rain or snow before Christmas. Just clear blue skies and sun. Which most people would think was wonderful - but we are a winter sports tourism region :-(  Almost all the ski runs are open on our mountain, it has finally been cold enough to make snow, but it doesn't look/feel tight where the runs are on open meadow and it is just a white stripe through brown grass! And it is all terribly dry - the forest fire risk is at it maximum. All it will need is some idiot to chuck his cigarette butt away into the forest and it'll catch fire.

Right of course - not Tight! Oh for an edit button...  and my emoticom didn't work either  

I always love those pictures you paint of your area...I have an image of the dolomites when we went on a trip  up there nothing short of magical!  Not a place to forget in  a hurry....but anyway, watch that ice

Yes. It is unseasonably mild. Just back from Aberdeen where it was 12c. Forecasting a possibility of 16c in the Moray Firth area for Saturday/Sunday!