Hi, Barb

It surprised me when I read what you said: "I've not seen anyone on Connect say that they are especially fearful of turning or changing direction (resulting in a fall) … " ––surprised me only because, as my balance has improved, turning or a distraction from either one side or the other has remained one of my greatest concerns. A daily example of this concern is going down the walk to fetch our morning newspaper. Most often I'll find the newspaper lying in rhe middle of the sidewalk. Before I dare bend to pick it up, I'll always look carefully left and right, concerned that a pedestrian may be approaching. With my unreliable balance, the last thing I need is to be unaware and suddenly hear an approaching neighbor call out "Good morning!" or or the patter, pat, pat of an onrushing jogger. Just another of PN's delights!

Cheers!
Ray (@ray666)

I understand what you mean about the danger of turning. When I make a left turn, I find myself Teetering with no good way to correct it.

Hi Barb, I also meant to add that if you have been living with PN for 30 yrs., you might be the resident person to run things by before investing or wasting time with different stuff to help with this problem. I have just been officially diagnosed with PN. I say that with a grain of salt as I began having mobility problems, I googled the symptoms and diagnosed myself. That is also how I found this site. Anyway, I also take into account that just because we all have PN, it doesn't mean that we all have the same symptoms or that any one thing will be helpful. That said, I also take pregabalin for a different problem, but when I finally met with the neurologist after a 6 month wait, she said that that drug is the most helpful for nerve damage pain, etc. However, I have noticed in the past week or so that the pins and needles are starting to really act up at night and they prevent me from getting a good night sleep. Is that why you are taking tramadol too? As I said, being new to this game, I am just trying to figure out what is helpful and not so helpful for the majority of PN sufferers. I too, am concerned about living independently as long as possible. My older sister (18 mos.) said that when we finally have to go to assisted living, as a group of baby boomers, we are not going to want to listen to the "canned music" that they play. Of course, she was joking. But with that in mind, I just put together my playlist on Spotify so that I can at least listen to music that is my choice. Trying to control the things in our power that we can control I guess. Thanks everyone for sharing. I think that that one thing might make us different from our depression era parents who seemed as a group to go to the grave with their problems. Susan

Hi Barb, I'm 81 years old, live pretty much alone (58 year old son with disability in basement), no dog but 2 budgies. I haven't had a fall in the last 3 years. But in the 2 years prior to that, I fell 4 times. So, I tried to exam what I was doing just prior to the fall....I was walking and talking to a friend and not paying attention to my walking. Each of those times I was only doing a quarter turn but realized that in doing so I was shifting all my weight onto one leg. It doesn't matter which leg, it's that the support leg is already unstable. I feel I need to slow down so I can concentrate on changing direction. In the house, I usually walk barefoot because I have a better sense of feeling about where my feet are/how they're positioned. However, my feet seem to go through cycles of cold and hot, so when my feel get cold, I put on thin, smooth cotton socks. I was using suede slippers with a lambswool lining, but my feet became hot too quickly. Also, I had a lack of judgement as to where my feet were and was always tripping over something or hitting a table leg. For me, barefoot allows for better foot placement because I actually still have some feeling left in toes and foot bottom. Outside, I wear flexible runners, sandals or boots. I live in Northern Ontario, so we have cold wet weather from October to May. Also, I use a cane year round. It really helps with my balance. A few people have mentioned buying a walker. I worked in a long term care hospital, and from experience with my mother, friends and myself, unless you have some knowledge from employment or elsewhere, I suggest you go to a store that sells mobility aids because there are many different kinds of walkers which are used for different purposes and physical needs. I have 3 walkers. I needed an aluminum one after hip surgery. I don't need a walker around the house, but I find it useful for standing first thing in the morning. I have a walker with a seat for outside when you don't know where you will find a seat. I took it to Paris and used it all the time there. I also have a very lightweight one without a seat which is easy to lift in and out of my car. It's great for the mall or a walk along the boardwalk by the lake because I know there are lots of seats there. I started taking a combo of gabapentin (pregablin) and tramadol about 20 years ago for fibromyalgia. My doctor (at that time) said that tramadol and an antidepressant, Duloxetine, work synergistically. The gabapentin is widely used as a neuropathic pain medication. I'm not sure why people take an opioid for neuropathic pain. My feet are ultra sensitive, so thin cotton socks and soft, breathable shoes (leather) are best for me. Truthfully, I hate being "old". Caring for myself just takes up so much of my time that I don't get to do many fun things anymore.😫