After speaking with a MSK specialist a couple of weeks ago I've been in a really weird mood..I remember him saying you need a walking stick from now on...my reaction was not a chance I'm only 48 n just dismissed it but this stick thing is definitely what I need.i.ve had a real personal battle inside accepting the fact I need a walking stick..I am obsessively independent even if it means I fall...I am slowly accepting that my leg will never get better only worse as I age.
im just curious to know if anyone else uses walking aids because of BI..??
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Survivor37
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Hi , Are we all just stubborn and pig headed at times. After my bi I was unable to walk unaided, first crutches then sticks. I eventually got down to one stick but being pig headed I managed to ditch the stick.
OK I fall now and then but generally get by day to day. But the stick is never far away. When tired or in the winter it becomes my friend.
I know I will end up using it mire and more, and that is OK. I am glad for everyday I can do without it but I know its there waiting to help me.
That's basically how I look at it now. It's there to help me when needed. It's not some evil thing holding me back. On the contrary its a friend that will keep me mobile.
Would I wish I would never need a stick....you bet you. But would I give up what mobility I have and not use one...no way.
Learn to accept and maybe love your stick ( a bit hippyish I know) for it is a friend and one you can count on.
I love this comment paxo05 I'm as stubborn as they come but my stubbornness will hold me back not the stick I do try to walk normal but it's hard hell n I'm now mindful of every step my left leg n foot take when out I have been caught out with lack of concentration when walking n ended up on the floor more than a few times. I want n need the stick n I don't want or need the stick that's the battle I have I do know I have to take care when out and I stick will be a godsend once I put my stubbornness back in it's box.
Your comment as confirmed the reality for me so thankyou for sharing I am guna buy myself a walking stick👍👍
Hi there, I can't relate to the walking aids but I can relate in regards to being independent. 2 1/2 years ago at the age of 37 I suffered a rare brain infection damaging pretty much the whole right side of my brain. Amongst other things this has left me with memory issues and eplisey so I can no longer drive and I can't leave the house alone as I don't recognise my surroundings so can't a route etc. Long gone are the days I used to jump in the car be here there and everywhere. Now I work from home and hubby takes me out at weekends as he's busy working too and running round after the kids as I can't help there either. It is hard to accept the 'new' you but we get there slowly. Keep going 1 day at a time.
Thankyou for your comment I'm sorry to read about your own own daily struggles. Walking is something that everyone does and takes for granted me realizing I can't walk like everyone else..my acceptance of not being able to walk properly hasn't come easy for me and it's only now I am reaching out for the right support..I spent my younger life being made fun of because I had a dodgy leg after my road accident my nickname throughout the 80s was Jake the peg with a wooden leg 🙈🙈.my BI was just left alone for me to live with at 10 years old..fast-forward to now n I still suffer with the same problems I had back in the 80s because of my accident without the name calling these days..I have seen a nice stick online that I'm going to buy..here's to the new me n my extra leg💪👍x
Hi Survivor37 yes l used a stick regularly in the second year of my diagnosis,but hardly use it at all nowdays. I have some issues with arthritis and bone pain also some structural age related issues. I have to say l have not used the stick for sometime as lm not feeling as vulnerable or wobbly now days. I have made changes to my diet,lost some weight and when lm up to it follow a yoga programmes for over 65s. l also manage my pain through massage and paracetamol. No doubt l will on some days need a walking aid but I CHOOSE WHEN...Good luck remember things change all the time with MPNs.
Hi Survivor37 pride and being stubborn comes before a fall - quite literally- use what you need to help while you need it. Much easier to swim, do yoga and general exercise or whatever takes your fancy while using a trendy stick then from lying flat on your back with a leg or back cast on. Come on you know it’s a no brainer, take it from someone who narrowly escaped such a scenario. I found some really nice sticks in charity shops and “antique “ shops. Dot
Oh, the things we have to learn to live with that we thought would never affect us. Truly, you have both my sympathy and empathy.Regarding "the stick". Yes, it's a friend but you're stuck with it. We need relief sometimes, even from best friends!
What about going for double bubble? Many walkers/hikers use two hiking sticks/walking poles as a form of urban exercise, when there's not a tree in sight let alone decent countryside.
Could you interchange your solid walking stick with a couple of Norwegian-style poles that turn a mobility aid into an exercise tool?
If one stick cannot be played down to a level that you're comfortable with, have a think about playing it (them) up to the loudest volume possible and make a statement about your desire to stay fit and healthy, rather than feel as though you're advertising a weakness - which is I think what the vast majority of us on these forums want to actively avoid. In my opinion, none of us is weak; we are coping and that takes real inner strength.
Odd, I think, that most people using these forums are unbelievably strong in so many ways, but in our desire to remain fiercely independent, we sometimes see only our weaknesses.
Perhaps when a stick is needed, we should treat it like shoes; buy several and wear them proud.
I love this comment thankyou everybody on here have given the best words of support ever I've spent my life going 110mph so no one would spot my struggles I've always known this stage would come I just thought it would be years from now not aged 48🙈my biggest battle is with myself regarding my stick but I do know I'm knackered without it now so it's here to stay I have been looking at hiking poles too which isn't off the table for me..thankyou again for your comment 👍
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