I am sorry to moan but I just want tell someone. I fell last night and then spent 2 hours crawling from room to room looking for something I could use to help me get back up. My daughter was upstairs and didn’t hear me when I shouted that I needed help as she had earphones in listening to music. It was daylight when I fell but then it started to get dark and I couldn’t reach the light switches. After several attempts I managed to get up though.
Then, my daughter eventually came down and saw me walking and thought I was going to knock in to the radiator on the wall and maybe knock it off the wall if I fell on to it so she told me to sit down where I was but the only place I could sit was on the floor so the whole cycle started again! In all I spent 4 hours trying to stand up, ended up with bruised toes as I took my shoes off at some point as my shoes wouldn’t
bend enough to let me get leverage against something. I did in the end manage to get up though. Does anyone reading this have any tips you could tell me for if it happens again as it probably will at some-point? Thank you, Jacqueline,
The only answer I have found is to try and keep my muscles as strong as possible. Some time with a physio would be well spent, but the simple sit to stand exercise is a good start and ok to use your arms for help.
Jacqueline,
No need to apologise . Falling and struggling to get up is flipping horrible. The more I struggle, the more frustrated I get which in turn drains valuable energy, so my suggestion is to manage breathing and stress (if you can) Think about the best limb to use and be aware (or plan, if you can) of the most stable/grabable bit of furniture/rollator/frame/stick or radiator. If you have a mobile phone and signal you can send a text your daughter. As whammel says, the more strength and dexterity you have the better.
I hope things feel better for you soon.
Mick
I haven’t seen a physio for a few months now (last time I saw her she gave me some exercises to carry out daily which I did do but, as time went on I started to miss a days’ exercise here and there thinking it’ll be alright, I’ll start again tomorrow but stupidly I didn’t. I’ve got her contact details so I will ask her again as things are definitely getting worse. Thank you for your reply.
Mick,
I do everything you suggested but still struggle and unfortunately I don’t have a mobile 'phone due to where we live and bad signals. (If I was able to climb the stairs the signal’s much better from upstairs but I can’t). What I can do is to send her a private message via Facebook but again that means being able to get up and switch the computer on as I don’t have an iPad.
I’m maybe just in need of emotional support just now as my GP has changed my anti depressants and the new ones still haven’t kicked in and I keep wanting to cry, as well as my ex. partner keeps telling me to hurry up and find somewhere else to move to (that’s another long story which I won’t go in to).
I have spoken to Social Prescriber (organised through my GP) but everything she has suggested would need me to be living in the town i.e. I live in the countryside just now so would need to be able to get in to town and the only person I could ask to take me is my ex. Everyone else would either be at work or has their own lives to live and I don’t want to ask them.
I’m sorry again for pouring out my troubles, but thank you for your support.
Jacqueline
Hi Jacquiline
You have no need to apologise at all, it is indeed a really horrible position that we find ourselves in at times and something we once took so much for granted is now no longer there.
I thinK that for me when I have found myself in similar situations I have really just had to sit it out and after some time I am a bit stronger to get myself to a kinda standing position. It really is so frustrating so please allow yourself to get angry. We are all here for each other so please take care and be kind to yourself.
Mary x
Sometimes just voicing and sharing your troubles and realising that others understand and empathise can make things a tiny bit easier. Wishing you all the best. Mick
Absolutley Mick,sometimes when things are partucularly bad we can forget that this can be the same for many others so talking it through can indeed help’
Hope you are doing well Mick.
As I often say to my hubbie,I’ll keep trying.
Maryx
When I think I have no-one to talk to there are always people who understand and empathise on this website. Thank you.
Jacqueline.
Hi Mary, sometimes I think I do feel a bit stronger then something knocks me back down again such as tonight my ex. had a long talk with me (or rather he told me how he’s feeling i.e. he can’t keep going like this and I really have to find somewhere else to live soon. For me it isn’t so easy since I only have the internet to help my search, where as he can drive and go out searching.
I did ask my sister a while ago if she could give me any advice re finding somewhere to move to but, her advice was what I already knew and do.
I keep hoping though that something will turn up as hope is all I have.
Thank you for your reply.
Jacqueline
Hi Jacq
I’ve started having more falls recently. I used to be able to get myself up eventually, but not anymore. I’m a wheelchair user, and my falls generally happen getting in/out of bed or the shower. As it’s the same place, I’ve had to think through what’s contributed to the fall, and therefore find ways to counteract that. You can get rope ladders for beds, which I can use to pull myself into bed (albeit with a lot of effort!). My local council also run an alarm service, where I have a little button on a cord round my neck. It’s hooked up to the landline. When I press it, it automatically dials a call centre and they send a couple people to help (I have a key safe so they can get in if the door’s locked). So ask your council if they have something similar
Ask for a referral to an OT, as they may be able to provide some aids. And if you have wi-fi, then you’ll be able to use a smart phone to message or call someone for help.
Dan
You use a rollator in the house at ALL TIMES with a seat. Your daughter also needs to check on you more often.
Sounds to me a mix of MS and anxiety which is not a good combo.
you should have a care line so if this happens you can ring the number and someone then can assist you. Rollator though dont trust yourself.
IF YOU FALL AGAIN hope you dont. SIT where you fall. You spent so much energy crawling around you could have saved that energy by just laying quietly and gaining your strength and let your body get over the shock of a fall. Then i expect you could have rolled over into a sort of sitting position and got up. Having MS we are a FALL RISK. everyone should be aware of this, and have contingency plans around themselves.
If you had a rollator with a seat you can keep drinks and food in the basket, and also buy yourself a tablet you can use to contact your daughter on facebook and leave it in the rollator, like a survival kit. BUT having a rollator will keep you safer. ALSO if you are in UK you are entitled to an OT assessment and they can help you adapt your house, ALSO they can help you move. If your in the UK you can apply for council housing if your not already in one. ALSO talk to your MS nurse they can also support you to move out. ALTHOUGH if your ok where you are the husband unless its his house in his name only I would tell him to leg it.
If it is in both names, well he can leave. or you can sell it. I dont know what is happening it sounds to me this is more of the issue then your MS at the moment.
So for me buy a rollator with a basket. talk to your daughter and tell her she needs to check on you more often, and get OT involved. BUT NEVER WALK WITHOUT AN AID. no way. its too dangerous if your a fall risk. xx
having a lovely EASTER SUNDAY. xx
Happy Easter
A simple possible solution to lack of mobile phone signal is to use remote handsets on your landline.
These are relatively cheap and come with recharging stations. Have one with you at all times and swap with the one you have on charge.
Hi Sorry about your fall, I use to see a physiotherapist and it helped but I started doing yoga/Pilates everyday a few months ago and it’s really helped my standing and getting up from the floor I have to use a roller in the house but now I feel so much more secure on my legs, I use insight timer an app which has yoga classes and mediation classes it is free it was recommended by a Nurse at the pain clinic it’s the best thing Ive done its really helped me I recommend that you give it a look,I never thought I would get into it so much hope it helps you
Jacqueline,
Its hard when things all seem to happen at once and others have said that is not good for MS, worry and stress.
I am not always on the site but dip in and out when I can and will try to answer things if I can. The lovely people on here have been amzing and I’m sure will continue to be. I truly hope things settle down for you and get a bit easier soon.
Maryx
Hi, sorry to hear about your ordeal. Does your LA operate a fall alarm system? I have one which only consists of having to wear a wrist band which you buzz if you fall, this in turn sends a signal to the LA (24 hour service). They then contact you initially, and if you don’t answer they ring three contact numbers supplied by you. If they receive no reply from any of your contacts they send the Police to your house to help. The initial call is on speaker so, if you are close enough to the alarm you can talk to the operator and tell them what the problem is. They also supply wrist/neck alarm which automatically alerts them if you fall. I have only had to use mine once but help arrived within 20 minutes. It costs about £185 a year but I reckon it is well worth the money for the peace of mind.
Hi Dan
I like you used to be able to but now, I do have an OT who recommended I sign up to the alarm service but as I’m am soon going to move to a different house, I thought I’d wait. But after this mornings’ shower when I really struggled to get out of the shower, I’m thinking of signing up now or at least talk to her again to ask if there’s any other help I could use or get. (I really don’t want to have to be rescued from the shower!)
Thank you for all your advice.
Jacqueline
Thank you so much for your reply, I do use a rollator in the house at all times but the one I use doesn’t have a seat (mine folds which makes it easier to ‘park’, I will look into getting one with as seat (strangely I hadn’t thought of changing to one before you mentioned it so thank you for that), I’ll also look into buying a tablet or something similar.
I am in the Council’s waiting list for a council house, I’ve been on it for two years now but nothing suitable has become available so I’ve started looking at renting private accommodation instead as well as the council and that would be more expensive but at the moment I’m willing to consider anything.
I did have a meeting with my Care Manager, and two OT’s (one was from the N.H.S., the other works for the Council, there were a couple more people there but at the moment I can’t remember who and what they did a couple of years ago when I first started looking in to moving but everything seems to have come to a standstill.
Our house is in both of our names and we have already agreed who’ll get what and to split the profits from the sale of the house. His reason for staying is that because we live a mile from the nearest shop and he’s the only one who drives, he’ll still buy groceries for us and be here to take me to any appointments I have. He didn’t mention the fact that he’ll still get all his meals cooked for him, his washing done etc.!
I’ll talk to my daughter too and ask her to check on me more often.
Thank you again,
Jacqueline
Hi, my OT did talk about signing me up to scheme like that, we even went as far as having a key safe fitted two years ago but since I hope to move soon I thought I’d wait, I might just have do it sooner than I wanted.
Thank you for reminding me that help is out there, all I have to do is ask.
Thank you for relying to my post. This site and the people on it have been very helpful to me
I have finally succeeded in getting my ex. to understand that heat is not good for me at all, so the central heating isn’t always on now and he’s even started to open the windows more often.
So things have finally started to settle down for me as being too hot was probably the main reason for my trips and falls.