Okay, I feel once week before last. Then I fell again two days later. Then just now while on the phone with Peggy I got up to walk into the kitchen and fell again before I was two feet from my chair.

I had already become paranoid about falling after the first fall. Granted the first two were associated with ice.

But, I have been having problems with balance for months now and have feared for a while that I would one day not have something close to grab onto.

So, far I have not broken anything, but I have damaged myself and may have chipped my left elbow.

The end of my complaining!

Carolyn

You ARE going to get that elbow checked out, aren't you?

I hope you can remain upright. Its Winter now, Stitcher -- no more Falls, okay?

Carolyn, so sorry to hear this! Icy roads & sidewalks that you have to cope with. My sincere sympathies!!

And here I am in the desert, and I fall on dry pavement by dragging a foot and stumbling.

I HATE FALLING!!!

I have had seven major falls in the last five years, each of which I believed could have happened to anyone. The problem is, they don't happen to other people. On Christmas Eve we were at my daughter's new (and unfamillar) house where the foyer is raised about three inches above the living room and dining room. Needless to say I missed the step and fell *** over teakettle flat on my face. Bad enough my daughter and grandchildren saw it but so did her in-laws.

My husband nearly fell twice after that. The operative word being nearly. It's not so much balance as it is balance recovery that is the problem. Once I start going down it's "Katy bar the door."

Just one more embarrassing item to add to the list.

Rochelle, I will have the elbow checked out when I am at the Ortho for a regular appoint mid-month.

My auto accident that happened 14 years ago is haunting me and I now have a brace on my right ankle. This has nothing to do with my falls though. Just the usual balance issues that we all have.

I did scare Peggy yesterday when I got up to take something out of the oven and fell two feet from my chair, hitting a table a breaking my favorite angel statue. I can only imagine what that must have sounded like on the other end of the phone...ho hum.

Thanks,
Carolyn

I fell exactly the same way a couple of months ago! maybe I should always be looking DOWN whenever I walk to make sure there isn't an infinitessimal rise in the floor or curb. sheesh!

I am 10 days post op knee reconstruction to repair ligament and cartilage damage sustained in two recent falls. The first fall occured while walking an unfamiliar dog. He darted between my legs and before I knew it was face to face with the sidewalk The result was a cracked kneecap and a chip fracture of an elbow. Two months later I missed the final stair wihile making a midnight food run, and fell twisting the same knee. The sound of the tearing ligaments was unmistakable.

Lessons I have learned from falling!
- I am not as young and athletic as I thought
- PD is winning the imbalance tug of war
- Use night lights if you are inclined to move around the house at night
- Dogs may not be "Man's best friend"
- Falls can be a crude reminder of being in denial of neurodegeneration
- These falls occured without the influence of alcohol or pain meds

Good Luck, Gary

I have just returned from ortho doctor visit. In July, I fell because of a raised sidewalk.....injury did not really appear until end of August and I proceeded to have surgery in September for a torn meniscus. In late September the other knee started to bother me. This was do to some cartilege damage which led to surgery number two. While recovering, which included PT I tore a muscle in my thigh and am still recovering from that. It has healed but the thigh now needs to be strengthened so back to PT. I am now afraid to walk in the ice and snow. Be careful out there folks and good luck.

Doreen

Oh, Carolyn,

I'm so sorry to hear about your falls. They are SO dangerous. I know several PDers who suffered serious complications from falls that hastened progress and my mom died after a bad fall.

WebMD in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic has some excellent tips about Parkinson's and preventing falls and maintaining balance. It is worth reading and printing.

http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-dise...eventing-falls

Please please be extra careful,

Judith

Because of my balance problems my mother has offered an alert system to me. I just received their packet. You put a kind of lock on the door with a combination (Al Gore's lock box), so if you can't unlock the door when you need them, they can get in. My mother's friend had to use it and it was a lifesaver. My mother fell recently and was comforted knowing she had the alert thing on her person. She got up by herself despite breaking her collar bone and injuring her knee.

The name of this company is Emergency Caller Systems in Coconut Creek, Florida. 954-968-1990. I'm in the Boston area, so I it's not just for Florida. It's one expense at the start, and none thereafter. It's really an emergency help dialer for 911, and it's also a call box; they can speak to you through the unit on your person. It's a waterproof pendant which can also be worn on the wrist. They also call four other numbers for you if you like, in addition to 911.

Since the cost is all up front, I saw no reason to delay getting it.