Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Losing my balance

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Platypus - Horrible. Soooooo painful. Been there an done it, twice. Fist time was on ice, feet disappeared from under me and wah-whallop. Paiiinfulll... Second time came flying over the head of a horse! My boyfriend was charging around like a lunatic (showing off?) but his mare was in season (!) an my wee gelding was 'inlurrrve'. So went charging off after him. Fell three times into a rabbit hole but the third time was the cropper for me - luckily my mount did not break his leg, very lucky. I somersaulted and sat heavily on a rocky outcrop, then slammed back on my head - helmeted, otherwise I'd have been killed outright. Helmet was a right-off! Had to ride back to the stables as well. Horrrrible. They thought I'd broken my pelvis, spent the Sunday night in hospital. GRrrrrr.

Well it's taken a few decades (like just over 30yrs) for that coccyx to stop protesting. Had to bring coccyx pillows with me everywhere, most inconvenient. Needless to say, that was the end of that friendship Ho-Hum

Commiserations. Find a coccyx pillow. The only thing that helps and ensure good footholds and eschew flip-flops and any shoes or slippers that are not fully supportive of the foot. Also, do be careful not to fall on an outstretched hand or arm - can lead to nasty shoulder traumas...

Take care gal. Hope the pain eases off real soon.

Molly

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Molly,

my coccyx has not stopped protesting over the 30 years since the first accident!! This has added insult to injury I have a very large bruise on my left side but it was not the spot where I hit against the concrete. I made a direct hit on my coccyx. However, I now have a second smaller bruise at the same site, and this time it is where I felt the impact. The last time that I came down the stairs in such a spectacular fashion I could not put any pressure on my left side because of the bruise. That one was also a whopper. What is really strange is that the first time I injured my coccyx and I put a fracture in it, I did not have any bruising.

I have been using cushions for years to try and help with the pain that seems to come from the coccyx region. This time around I could not find a cheap cushion and so I have gone for the neck pillows. I have two of them strategically placed on my chair near the computer, as well as another two in the car. I have a wheat neck cushion that I can either put in the microwave or in the freezer. It is a little harder and it gives better support. At church I am using three cushions instead of the usual one cushion, for you should know that the definition of a pew is:

"A medieval torture device still to be found in Catholic churches"

It is excruciating to walk up the stairs at home. Ouch, big time is all I can say. On my doctor's advice I have put on my ankle guard supports (on both feet). My right foot is feeling very sore. It is not quite the ankle, but beside the ankle that hurts so much. Without the ankle guard the pain is severe. With the ankle guard, I can move about with a lot less pain.

This morning, as well as noticing the new bruise on my butt, I noticed that I have a bruise not far from my wrist. There is light swelling in the region but it does not hurt too much.

I know all about hurting my shoulder in a fall too. Last year, when I returned to Sydney from Melbourne after attending my sister's funeral, I tripped in the airport car park. They have reflectors that kind of stand out from the ground, and my foot caught onto one of them, and over I went. I had a very sore left wrist and an extremely sore right shoulder as a result of that fall.

I have been falling and tripping and losing my balance a lot lately. I assume it is because my ankles are weak, but it must also be from the upper leg muscles as well. When I had the fall on the previous Saturday and I lost my balance, it was not due to weakness in my ankles that caused the fall. I overbalanced when I was bending down over the edge of my swimming pool. However, yesterday it was the mixture of the stockinged feet and the carpet that caused the fall. I slipped, which is exactly what I did 30 years ago when I fractured and dislocated my coccyx.

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I, too, have been there, done that. I know what kind of pain you're in, and I'm sorry.

The first time I fell on my tail bone was as a kid, rollerskating. The second time, like Molly, was on ice. That time, I also had to take care of my husband who had a broken leg and was in a cast up to his waist. It was very painful, and I couldn't get any sleep or bend over to help lift him as I needed to do. The DR. gave me some pain pills and that helped me sleep and deal with the pain in the daytime. I also used those donut pillows and that helped.

As far as putting ice on it, I'd say your hot/cold pack is probably the best bet.

As for the loosing your balance, this has been discussed here before. Several of us seem to have balance problems, may just be one more effect of this AS condition. I can be standing perfectly still on a flat floor, and loose my balance. One of the guys at work teases me by saying "oh, the earth tilted again, huh?"

I hope you start feeling better soon.

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Hi Janet,

the one and only time I went roller skating I ended up with a fracture in my right elbow and I was not a child