Physio and rollator!

[Cwright170994]

So, I saw a physio last Monday, and she recommended I go from being unsteady with my stick to going onto a rollator (the one thats like a zimmer frame with wheels and it also has a seat). I got it the next day, Tuesday, but I've been a bit scared using it. However, this morning, the physio visited me and had me walk up and down my street using it. She's also then had me stand up/sit down a few times, a couple of times supporting an area of my dodgy leg (R side), and is going to get in contact with my MS nurse, to have her get in contact with my neurologist, and get me some prescribed *lycra* to help support my dodgy leg 🙌

*edited because autocorrect changed it to lycia 🤦‍♀️

[Frances_B]

By "lycia" I'm guessing that you mean Lyrica. It would be a good idea to thoroughly check your British Nursing thingy/book/website and other reliable sources before taking it. It has some pretty awful side effects for some people, including significant effects on cognitive function (not just baby mush brains but also conversion into a zombie at therapeutic levels for some people), it can be quite addictive, and can cause suicidal ideation. I've known people who have had to stop it because of these problems, and it's taken them weeks/ months to wean off it.

Here's a fairly basic summary on it (at a language level suitable for ordinary people here on this forum who are not medicos)

my.clevelandclinic.org/heal...

Also - think of the walker as a tool to do a job - the job is walking, and as a tool its purposes are to help keep you upright and reduce your falls risks - and it will do those very well - but only if you do actually use it and don't leave it in a corner as a room decoration

[Cwright170994 in reply to Frances_B]

I do mean lycra 🫣 my phone's autocorrect changed it and I didn't spot it!

[BettysMom in reply to Cwright170994]

You mean "lycra" as in spandex or elastane?

[Cwright170994 in reply to BettysMom]

Yep 😁 told my mum, sister, and my husband about it because it'll hopefully help me move more 🤞

[BettysMom in reply to Cwright170994]

I'm confused about your response. Do you really mean Lycra (a stretchy fabric also known as Spandex) and not Lyrica which is an anti-seizure medication now used for nerve pain?

[Cwright170994 in reply to BettysMom]

I do mean lycra 🤦‍♀️ autocorrect switched it without me realising! 😒

[ahrogers in reply to Frances_B]

My mother-in-law loves to leave hers in the corner and wants to hold on to people instead. She tried to hold on to me once and I had to tell her I'd just end up pulling us both down and that's why she has a rollator.

[falalalala]

Rollators are very convenient. I use mine to transport coffee among other things.

[Cwright170994 in reply to falalalala]

They are! I've not yet used mine to take brews from the kitchen to the living room. I think that's mainly because I feel like I'm winning when I can take mine and my husband's brew in, at the same time, with no spills 🙌

[falalalala in reply to Cwright170994]

That is a win

[Helpmeup]

I switched from a cane to a walker about six years ago. I had used a cane for years, but got to a point where I was tripping over it all the time. Seems my feet had a mind of their own and just would not stop kicking my cane out from under me! As it turned out, it was the best switch for me and really improved my life in many ways. Having the bilateral support makes such a big difference. I got a beautiful pink walker with a nice cushy seat and I actually use the seat frequently. Comes in very handy in so many situations! It will take you a little while to get used to your new walker, but once you do, you'll wonder how you ever lived without one (at least that was my experience 🙂).

As far as starting the Lyrica, I completely agree with Frances B. I was put on Lyrica several months ago for nerve pain, but my doctor neglected to tell me about the potential awful side effects and how difficult it would be to stop. Turned out, withing a week or two of taking it, I became extremely angry and yelled at everyone who crossed my path. I had severe agitation and the anger got scarily out of control. I had to stop taking it and spent an agonizing month titrating slowly off of it. Of course, that was just my experience. You may do very well on it, but do your research and start on the lowest dose you can to see if you can tolerate it. We are all different and plenty of people do ok on Lyrica. I was not one of them. I actually posted here for advice while I was going through my withdrawal. Wish you all the best. 🤗

[Cwright170994 in reply to Helpmeup]

Thank you for sharing your experience with a rollator! And don't worry, I'm not going on lycia, autocorrect decided to randomly change lycra to it 🫣

[Helpmeup in reply to Cwright170994]

That autocorrect can do funny things! 😂. I was wondering though, does the tight fabric of lycra help the circulation in your leg to get it to move better? I hope it works for you. Take care.

[Cwright170994 in reply to Helpmeup]

I don't know 🤷‍♀️ my best guess would have been that something tight around my legs would help them work "normally" (sorry if you don't catch my drift, it's currently 06:00, and I'm running on less sleep than usual 🙄)

[Neworleanslady]

i definitely love my rollator. It gives me confidence when im walking. I have 2 of them so i leave one in my vehicle snd 1 in my house. The seat is so nice when i need or want to sit down

[Cwright170994 in reply to Neworleanslady]

I might think of getting myself another one then. My mum told me, a couple of years back, to get one. I think it's more because she used to be a healthcare assistant in nursing homes, so she's seen the positive impact they have on elderly people 🤷‍♀️ all it took was for me to go to a new neurologist to get the ball rolling with a physiotherapist 👌 like, my old neurologist was based in Preston Hospital and surrounding areas, but I've since moved to a different area, under a different health trust, and my new neurologist referred me to a physiotherapist on my 1st appointment with him! 🙌To be fair, the old neurologist wasn't an MS specialist, but this new one is! 😁 he had me walk up and down a corridor with him and my stick to see that I needed something more 👌

[Xvettech]

I hope you can get good with your rollator! I loved mine so much (once I got use to it) that I have one on every level :). Now I’m in a wheelchair. I liked the rollator better for height too! I’m already short! lol

[Neworleanslady]

wonderful! Plus if your doctor orders it, a lot of times insurance pays for it.. my mom has one at her house for when i go there too if i want it although her house has plenty i can hold on to

[Cwright170994 in reply to Neworleanslady]

To be fair, I live in the UK with the NHS, so all my medicine and "prescribed" aids are covered. I don't even have to pay for my carers or modifications that help me in my home, as long as the local council's daily living therapist has deemed me in need of it! Like, I've got my stairlift, modifications to the front door and back door, grab rails in placed like the front door and the shower, and I'm going to be having someone come and assess my home so they can see whether they can put a wet room in! To be fair, I'm happy me and hubby bought our home when I was still mobile and able to go to work. I'm happy we are able to make changes to our own home without a busybody landlord trying to stop us. I'm happy he managed to start his Help to Buy ISA before I met him, and he agreed with my decision on where to buy our home (across the road from a train station so he can get to work quicker than driving in, and also directly across the road from a pub! The neighbours to the left of us is a really nice old woman, and to the right is a family of 3 that keep to themselves.) I'm sorry if I'm rubbing it in your face 😢🫠

[Neworleanslady in reply to Cwright170994]

That all sounds great! No worries about rubbing it in my face. Im quite happy with the way things go for me here in the U.S.

[mrsmike9]

Hopefully having her there for practice helped you figure it out.

[Cwright170994 in reply to mrsmike9]

Having my carer there when I walked to the butty shop a few doors down from me, using my rollator, helped a lot. I think this weekend, when me and hubby go shopping, I'll get more steps in with it 🤞