June 25, 2019: P.T. with Christina

[fansee]

I had a 5:00 p.m. appointment for p.t. yesterday, the first of two this week. Physical therapists always want their patients to have a goal, and in our last session on June 14th, I had finally articulated mine: I want to be able to walk without a cane again and not fall downAt the last session we had had, Christina tested my stability in a NeuroCom

Comments

[sweetmeow]

I wonder if it's an inner ear issue that's making you nauseous - and maybe affecting you balance?

When I had my acute sciatica, I remember working very hard on all the exercises between PT appointments. If you hurt badly enough, you will do what you must to get rid of it! Walking is the same way. You want to do it badly enough!! It's the cost / benefit thing.

[fansee]

Christina definitely thinks the inner ear issue is affecting my balance. Perhaps it caused my nausea...makes sense. She gave me exercises to do with my eyes to counteract the effect of the inner ear's problem, and I do them a couple of times a day.

You are so right about the cost/benefit thing! I want to walk, and if I have to walk with a cane, then I must practice with a cane. And I do. FanSee

[sweetmeow]

I've been thinking about this dizziness since you mentioned it, and am wondering if I have something going on. Someone mentioned crystals in the eardrum causing dizziness, so I googled it, and it is sounding familiar to some very sporadic dizziness I have only when I move my head - like from side to side or turn it - and mostly in bed when lying down. It's so sporadic (sometimes weeks go by without having it) and only lasts a second or so. It's so sporadic that I FORGOT to put it on my list to tell the doctor when I had my annual check up a few weeks ago. In my case it doesn't affect my walking or balance, although when I feel it, I make sure I'm careful if I'm getting up to wait until it passes.

[sjmpets]

So what does she think is causing the nausea? Maybe go to the ENT. It doesn't like just age and the deterioration of the inner ear bones.
It sounds like it isn't the walking that's the problem.

[fansee]

I can walk fine except for falling down. That's a big 'except.' You know, at 81 a bad break...a pelvis, a hip, a shoulder...might be something I never recover from. Loss of mobility is a killer.

I need to find out if Horowitz is getting copies of Christina's notes. P.T.'s relationship to HUP is a little wonky. The whole name of the service is "Penn Partners Good Shepherd," so they don't seem to be as linked in to HUP as all the other practices like gyn and ortho and neuro. I'll try to remember to ask Christina next time. FanSee

[gilda_elise]

It sounds as if she can help you. I never would have thought of setting up an obstacle course; maybe having to focus on the obstacles keeps you from thinking about falling?

The thing with the nausea is odd. I have that thing where you have crystals in your eardrums which causes dizziness if you turn your head a certain way, but it comes and goes. I haven't had it start up in over a year.

[fansee]

The obstacle course made me more likely to fall, I think. At least, that was my reaction to it. I went through it maybe six, seven times in all, and I found it tiring. It was a very short obstacle course, so fatigue was not at all what anyone would expect.

Christina certainly thought the nausea was odd. She expected either dizzyness or no reaction.

I never heard of crystals forming in eardrums. (There are a lot of odd things that can go wrong with our bodies, aren't there?) I'm glad you've been symptom-free for more than a year. FanSee

[gaedhal]

Do be careful!

I'd think that if you're tired that's when you might be more lily to fall or get dizzy!

A few years ago I was having awful dizzy spells. I had tests for my ears, an MRI
on my head. They never came up with anything and it eventually went away!

Sometimes they just don't know.

[dadi]

*hugs* I hope so much things are getting better again, you do work hard enough on it!!

[fansee]

This time I am working on my exercises, etc., diligently. Had I done so during my many other bouts of p.t., I'd probably be in better shape today. Being able to walk distances has never been in doubt before, so my level of engagement and conscientiousness is quite high now. FanSee