Greeting friends and family

[PatsyIpswich]

how do you cope greeting people?

[Veteran250]

Hi patsy, when my wife used to push me in my manual wheelchair, it would annoy me when meeting or passing friends in town, and they would talk to my wife over my head, saying how is he today.

But now using my electric wheelchair, if they talk over my head, I ride round and around them till they aknowledge me, instead of asking after me! 😀

[PatsyIpswich]

If stay sitting usually.. but sometimes I stand up and say I need to hold on or please dont let go till I am holding on. I always feel anxious at 'greeting' times,

[cocoa in reply to PatsyIpswich]

Recently, when I had a neurology appointment, my neurologist let me sit down before he shook hands with me … clearly someone who understands our problem.

Otherwise it is always a stressful time, especially at this time of year, when everybody else is having a drink and I am sober!

[PatsyIpswich in reply to cocoa]

indeed and those who are unaware inevitably say, oops, you had too many..

[february]

Hi Patsy, I slur my speech, but my family/friends know I have ataxia, so they just ask me to repeat myself if they don't understand something I've said. When I speak to someone for the first time that doesn't know I have ataxia, I start off by saying "I have a neurological disease that causes me to slur my speech. If you don't understand something I'm saying, please ask me to repeat myself". People usually are very kind and say they can understand me just fine...,ha! If I go to hug someone (family or friends), I'm very careful NOT to lose my balance, as I'm not in a wheelchair, but I have rollator and sometimes a quad cane (stick) at all times! I break the ice by being honest about my ataxia and that seems to put all at ease! Just another hazard of having ataxia...,ha! ;o)

[PatsyIpswich]

I agree good to break the ice.. tell myself will be ok x