(RRMS - 2019 diag) I’m struggling with balance issues more and more and don’t know whether it’s time to get a walking aid or investigate any suitable medication. When rushing about at work it feels like I’ve come off a quick moving walkway (like you get at an airport) and the floor is swaying and my feet don’t know where to step. Turning suddenly is fun too! Having a stick seems like a big step in publicly accepting my diagnosis. Not sure what to do. Thank you for any advice x
Don’t know of any medication that will help if the problem results from nerve damage or brain lesions.
What can help are specific exercises to work round the damage and core strength.
With RRMS these can help you get around problems as your body recovers ( but probably not quite to where you were before).
There are no magic tablets.
Embracing a walking aid will help you keep active and prolong your ability to do things. After my first official relapse I could not survive without a stick but progressed to carrying it held in front of me and then to carrying it on my back. If I had not embraced it, I would probably have ended up house bound.
Whatever it takes is my rule and do continue to use as many methods as you can according to circumstances.
Being restricted during lockdown did none of us any favours. Sitting is safe, but does not help our health.
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The most important thing is your safety, because falls can be quite damaging and take time to recover from. If carrying a stick offers some security, then get one.
A decent physio will check you out and suggest a programme of exercises to help build muscle strength. Improving your core stability is likely to help with balance and even the basic ones here are good.
Core stability exercises (a pilates type approach) | MS Trust
There are no pills, sorry.
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I would vote for both. A walking aid (try a hiking pole – they look less geriatric) to help you stay upright because falling over is not a good look. And a disease modifying treatment to head off other troubles that will likely otherwise come to bite you in the future.
I’m sorry if I sound breezily facetious about walking aids. I do remember that it’s quite a big thing, But I also remember how much more stable and secure I felt once I started using a pole, how much straighter I held myself how much (therefore) more confident and normal I looked.
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Thank you for your comments and suggestions. Realistically, I do too much walking both at work and at home, so some of it is fatigue based but I also know I have little to no core strength. I’ve done Pilates and yoga before - need to get back to it! Thank you.
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Alison100. I like the idea of a hiking pole! And you’re right, it is a big deal for me to go ‘public’. I’m already on Tecfidera and have tried both Pregabalin and Amitryptline for muscle aches and pains but they don’t seem to help much.
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I thought I could ‘pass’ for someone without MS as long as I avoided walking aids, which is pretty hilarious, looking back. But it is a big hurdle to get over, and it hurts and it is not fun. I do feel for you.
Have a look on the Living Made Easy website, operated by DLF (Disabled Living Foundation) which is part of Shaw Trust, one of the UK’s 20 largest charities.
Then click on AskSARA which is a guided self-assessment tool. It will ask you a series of simple questions and make recommendations for minor aids and adaptations, including a sector on Mobility. If your needs are more extensive, the report will guide you back to the Adult Social Care department of your local authority, specifically the Occupational Therapists (OT’s), where you would need to ask for a Statutory Needs Assessment. Unlike AskSARA’s self-assessment report, a statutory assessment would entail a visit from an OT or a TA (Trusted Assessor).
It is possible that AskSARA may direct you towards something you could buy for yourself and receive within days, or go through the Council assessment & grant process. The good thing about AskSARA is that it is run by a charity and impartial - a bit like Which? for the disabled! However, it can direct you to retailers who can sell you stuff.
A handy tool - everyone should have a go! 
Thank you very much for the information.