I have fallen some six times in as many months, and it got so bad, my daughter sought, and found, a service dog for me that I could not afford NOT to have. She has been in our home for 5 weeks now, and she settles in more and more each day. She is a Godsend, and helps me in so many ways. She helps me walk a little better, and I can actually stand back up after I have fallen by pulling up on her and then having her brace while I put my weight on her and get back up to my feet. She is learning more and more each day, and she adores us. She is quite protective of me, which is not necessarily bad, because she is learning about me more and more every day.

It is a great thing to know about how to train your service dog once you have one. Repetition, keeping things light, and rewarding at key points helps the dog know what you are looking for every time you train. She has even alerted me to my low blood sugar several times. She knows to tell me when she needs to go out, and the only thing she loves more than my daughter is me. She fits in so well at school while I am at work, and she knows when to watch, and when it is okay for her to not pay attention to what I am doing.

I can't imagine what my life would be like without her. It is amazing what a help a dog can do for your sense of well-being and confidence. It is so comforting knowing she is there to help me whenever I need it, and is still there even when I don't need her to be anything other than a dog.

I'm not afraid to fall anymore since I know I can get up. Now, if I fall, and can't get back up, I want to teach her to go get help. That will take a bit of thought and planning before I can begin. If any of you have a service dog, please let me know what other commands might be helpful for me to teach her.

I've missed coming here...it's been such a long drought of being depressed, and now since September I am in school, so the stress level is a little higher than it was through the summer, but I am confident that once my one class is finished, I will have more time to work, less time to stress, and less time to worry. Hope to see you all sometime soon.


Jewels

Nice to see you again Jewels. Happy you are doing better. Love to see a picture of that wonderful doggie of yours!!

I'm Paul, I fall! Probably the biggest adjustment I had to make, my brain, regardless of what the MRIs may show doesn't seem to have the problems that the legs have receiving the signals.

Couple that with bouts of vertigo and dizziness? It's not a combination conducive to remaining upright.

Hi all. I fall when I turn or pivot especially in the kitchen: turning from the fridge to the stove or stove to the sink. It is a small kitchen so the counters save me.

The other repetitive falls occur when I am going up the steps. Yes, I fall going up the stairs and end up face down on the edges and then start sliding down on my chest or side- depends on how I have tried to save myself what position I am in and how much damage is done.

I'm back in PT again. Doing 45 minute sessions twice a week.

ANN

Does the PT seem to help any? I do the same thing in the kitchen and depend on the counters to save me! I'm considering asking the neuro to write a prescription for PT.

I have a very hard time with stairs, too. I avoid them all I can. I just can't seem to coordinate my legs to do what my mind is telling them. Thank goodness I don't have any stairs here at home.

Kitty- I just lost a detailed post.;-(

I had a much more thorough exam from my PT than the MS Specialist. He found weakness in many muscle groups and some muscle wasting.

We are strengthening these muscles and trying to build back some muscle.

Re: pivots, my R ankle is weak. When I am standing on one foot, as in taking a step, I lean to the L or fall if I am just on the L (as in a pivot). In my wedding DVD, I am leaning L the whole way down the aisle. Thanks to my brother, I did not fall.;-)

I am building a PT program to continue at home after my sessions are used up.

If PT is available to you, I would definitely do it.
ANN

Oh yes, I have fallen quite a few times. All times but one I've been walking and tripped (I can't pick up my right foot enough). I also fell once standing at the computer. I had a leg spasm (which is normal for me) and my knee buckled... I tried to catch myself but couldn't and fell right backwards. Hurt my hand and had to take the next day off work because I need my hands for my job.

I now use a cane to walk, it took a whole bunch of falls before I finally did it though. I had a hard time becoming visibly disabled. But let me tell you, a month or so in to using a cane, I at least have confidence when walking! Prior to the cane I felt so unbalanced and scared to fall. Falling on pavement is really not cool, and heaven forbid I hit my head or something! A cane is now a necessary part of getting around.

It's strange but a cane really doesn't help me with walking. My rolling walker is what I depend on most.

If I have to go somewhere that I can't easily take my walker (a restaurant or other close quarters) I use my cane mostly as a visual so others won't think I'm drunk. My walking is so bad and my balance is so affected that I just cannot walk two steps without tipping over!

Especially when I have to be in unfamiliar territory.....or walk on carpeted floors.......my balance is nil. Wearing shoes also affects my balance. I do so much better at home on wood floors and wearing socks. I've said several times that I wish someone would make socks that look like shoes and I'd be thrilled!

Kitty, I live in socks!!! I have shoes that I walk ok in and other that aren't good.

Re: the cane. It definitely helps me, but a rolling walker would be 100x better. I just started with the cane though and am not even used to the visibility of it... definitely not ready for a rolling walker yet. Baby steps, right?

If I start falling with my cane, that would be the next step.

Hi MSbelle and Kitty.

I go barefoot or non skid slippers and I have all wood floors now. I don't like socks,
because my feet have a tendency to slip and slide in socks.

I started with a cane, then walker, now scooter. After my DH died in 2004, there
was no one to help me up after falls, so I chose, for safety sake, the scooter.
If you don't use it you lose it, so now am pretty dependent on it. I have little
problem transferring from scooter to chair, potty, whatever, and so, hopefully,
will not have to go to a permanent Powerchair.

I hope that you have as easy a time with your MS progression as I have.