Walk of a Drunk Sailor?

[mcfly]

Does anyone recall their psp gait as being like that of a drunk or was it more like a sudden collapse and fall. In other words did they tend to stay upright for several steps?

[carolinesimmons]

My husband could walk a few steps but his balance was always poor. Thus he used a walker (frame in UK) always. For my peace of mind if not his. If I walked beside him, he never fell. Only when he tried to do it on his own. Men can be rater stubborn at times. Well, I guess so can women!

Caroline

[jillannf6 in reply to carolinesimmons]

ye sin deed i can be v stubborn and insist on doing something then over i go inside or outside

it is v difficult giving up independence and being thought of as lazy

lol jill

[carolinesimmons in reply to jillannf6]

Oh, Jill, certainly no one on this site would ever think of you as lazy! And anyone who would, just does not know anything about PSP. Hang in there, gal. We think you are most courageous!

Caroline

[NannaB]

Like Caroline's husband, my husband can walk a few steps unaided and then fall except again, like Caroline, I don't let him walk without a walking frame so he rarely falls now; only because I walk behind him, conga style, and correct his balance every few seconds.

Nanna B

[dorothy-thompson]

I do the same, by the way NannaB, I love the image of the conga, way to go girl!

DorothyT

[NannaB in reply to dorothy-thompson]

My husband even manages to hum the tune but once he tried to put his leg out to the side.......a near disaster!

[shasha]

I FIND THAT I CAN WALK A LONG WAY 20 YARDS OR SO AT THE MOMENT BUT I ALSO FIND THAT I AM GETTING MORE DIZZY AND I FIND I LEAN FORWARD SUCH A LOT THAT I FEELLI KE I AM GOING TO FALL.. HOPE THIS HELPS

[MaddyS]

like carolinesimmons, hubby could walk provided I held on to him, later I held on to him whilst he was using a rollator. On his own he would always fall. He would fall very suddenly, without warning.

At the very beginning, before the falls, he walked like a drunken sailor, I was quite often asked whether he was drunk or whether he was a retired doctor!!!

[LynnO]

My husband does walk like he's drunk a lot of the time. He's afraid when we go out that people will think he is. His balance is never normal, but he still can walk much of the time unaided. Although when's he's tired or stressed his balance is much worse. There are times when I have to walk behind him holding on so that he doesn't go backwards.

[jessybx19]

Hello,

In the beginning my dad would suddenly fall straight backward. After his psp progress his walk became more or a "drunken sailor" which put him at even more risk of falling.

He would always complain of dizziness as well.

[jillannf6]

hi i am not sure if i seem drunk or not but i have to concentratr on wha ti am doing otherwise i fell overt'

.

andi i cnanot walk and chew gum anymore|\

lol Jill:

[suziewong]

My husband also uses a frame and I follow behind. But as mentioned men being men tend to do things spontaneously hence I am still waiting 6 weeks + for him to come home from rehab following a fractured right leg after he got up himself and fell.. He came home for 4 days following the op, but was unable to mobilise and very confused with the pain meds. He came home again this Monday so I could take him to a fracture clinic, then back to rehab hospital. Still got me up about a dozen times during the night. A package of care has been agreed but it will not cover nights which is when I struggle as I get little or no sleep. I don't know how others manage. He should come home in next week hopefully once a carers routine has been sorted. Best advice is to always use a frame with supervision.

Take care

Suzie

[goldcap in reply to suziewong]

Suzie, hope you can get some sleep in before you resume your caregiving. It is very much like having a new baby isn't it? JG

[jimandsharynp]

Although my wife had balance issues she had few falls. Mainly because I would hold her hand or arm when walking. Falls were few and I'm very thankful for that. A friend with PSP had a fall with a concussion and brain bleed. Falls and aspiration pneumonia are the major causes of death in PSP I've heard. Jimbo

[goldcap]

mcfly, at first he fell backwards, usually trying to get up or sit down. Next it was falling sideways after wobbling all over the place. Very much like a drunken sailor. He took two severe blows to the head and had to go to the er for stitches (ten days apart) before he started to realize he could not do all of the things he used to do like jog! He fell on the stairs several times whacking various parts of his anatomy before he agreed to move the master bedroom downstairs.

Men are stubborn. He has continued to fall at the gym but refuses to use a walker there. It took a lot to get his U step with insurance etc and it arrived ( in pieces) yesterday. We'll see what happens with this! Good luck JG

[Hidden]

I walk like a drunken sailor. In fact, at 11 one morning, a young couple asked if I needed help. My primary had suggested that I have a tee shirt made saying "I'm not drunk; it's the PSP."