← Return to White Matter Disease
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Brain & Nervous System | Last Active: Sep 7 6:22am | Replies (95)
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Replies to "I was diagnosed after going to an ENT after an exam for hearing aids. The ENT..."
White matter disease (chronic microvascular disease) can be quite scary. I can be fine and then get very "wobbly" (my wife's word for it!) and have trouble standing. Your comment about changing directions quickly also hits home. I believe that you are referring to ataxia. I can be walking and suddenly veer off course. I sometimes have to grab onto something to prevent falling, although I have gone down pretty hard a few times. I was diagnosed in 2018 and am now 69. I feel fortunate that there has been no cognitive decline, just major gait and balance issues (and tinnitus). Also, be aware that having white matter disease means that you could be prone to lacanar strokes. I've had a few show up om my MRI's.
It is getting worse. Sometimes I think people think I'm drunk when I haven't even had a drink (occasional slurred speech also, but not lately). It is starting to impact my social life because I afraid that I will embarrass my wife when we are in a social setting.
Good Luck! There's nothing we can do about it. My neurologist said that they can't rotoroot my brain!