[nagdu] Going Downhill

Thu Apr 21 21:58:42 UTC 2011

Hi Tami,
We have a concert venue here in LA, the Hollywood Bowl, that has very, very, 
very steep paths to go up to the upper levels of seating (as far as I know 
there are no stairs, you can either take these paths or go find the elevator 
which is undoubtedly at the opposite side of the venue from where you are). 
Except for the exhaustion, going up the steep hill is not much of a problem. 
I've found that coming down works best if I kind of lean my body backward as 
I'm walking.  It also does help to hold onto something else touching the 
ground, whether it be a sighted guide (which I always have while there) or a 
cane, or both.  I've thankfully never had the dizziness issue, but going 
down the hill is definately awkward.

Sarah & Miguel

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 2:46 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Going Downhill

> Julie,
>
> Yeah, I have the problem of looking down on stairs, too.  Every time I 
> think
> I have that bad habit licked, there I go again.  How great it will be, I
> thought to myself for quite awhile, when I'm blind enough I can't keep 
> doing
> this myself...
>
> Then I noticed that I stopped at the head of staircase in what was to me a
> pitch-black stairwell, absent-mindedly glanced down and utterly rocked my
> own world.  On, no!  It's not my vision that's the problem!  It's me! 
> I've
> discovered that I can do the same thing to myself in sleepshade.  I can
> catch it with stairs now, but I still do it to myself if I'm not paying
> attention.  Good grief!  When will I ever learn.
>
> I tried dark sunglasses on a cloudy day to see if blocking my vision would
> help on the hill.  Nope.  I still can't resist the urge to look down, and 
> I
> still go reeling around in a circle to try to keep my balance while the
> world rocks like a small boat in a big storm beneath me.  So the adventure
> continues.  /grin/
>
> I have managed to figure out that the contact of the cane tip with the
> ground prevents the vertigo from ever happening at all, which is why I
> didn't notice any such thing until I started working Mitzi and happened to
> turn around to go back down a small incline...  /lol/
>
> I keep thinking that if I could figure out how to teach my brain to hold
> that sense of balance without the actual third point of contact (2 feet 
> plus
> 1 cane equals 3), I can hold onto it long enough to put in some real
> practice and get it set so I don't always have to worry about falling on 
> my
> face at an inconvenient time...
>
> Do you ever get that falling off a cliff feeling when you're standing on a
> level floor just because a breeze blew a bit of your hair in front of your
> face or something like that?  What a hoot!  Every now and then I can still
> manage to trip over a patch of sunlight on the living room carpet.  My
> roommates find this very amusing indeed.  Life, eh?
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Julie J
> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 11:30 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Going Downhill
>
> If the grade is really steep it might help to lean back a bit.  No other
> real helpfulness though. *smile*
>
> I do experience some serious vertigo on stairs though.  I can empathize.
> the thing that helped me the most was not to look.  My vertigo is 
> triggered
> by the visual effect of standing at the edge of a cliff, or so it looks to
> me! *smile* If I don't look, no vertigo.  After a few years of not looking
> going down stairs I seem to be mostly past my dizzy issues.  Every now and
> then it will cause me problems, but usually it's only when I look over the
> railing or the stairs are the open sort.
>
> HTH
> Julie
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 10:43 AM
> Subject: [nagdu] Going Downhill
>
>
>> Hey!  How do all of you go down hills with your dogs without getting, you
>> know, seasick?  Or is that just me?  /lol/
>>
>> Now that I don't have rain as much for an excuse not to get my lazy
>> backside
>> out with my dog, I'm looking for a route to walk on this side of the Road
>> of
>> Certain Doom.  The best and safest route to get some decent walking
>> exercise
>> -- with sidewalks part of the way! -- is up a fairly steep hill.  Good
>> exercise for the dog, too, since she has to drag me up the thing once I
>> wear
>> out.  There's even a little spot where I can let her have some run play
>> before we turn around to come back down...  Supposing I don't break my
>> neck
>> falling on my nose.  /lol/  How I didn't literally fall on my nose the
>> first
>> time -- when the effect was a real surprise -- is beyond me.  I  had to
>> sit
>> down right where I was while the whirling sensation just kept building 
>> and
>> building...  So I couldn't get up.  I've experienced the minor version of
>> that on gentle downslopes, but never like that!  The only reason I didn't
>> end up calling DD to come pick me up because I was too seasick to get 
>> home
>> is because I am just too dang stubborn and have way, way too much pride.
>>
>> So.  By this spring, it seems I can think about taking the hill on again
>> with getting seasick in advance, and I think this time I'll have a
>> strategy.
>> /grin/
>>
>> So here's my plan, in general:
>>
>> 1.  Take dog on leash, use cane going up and coming down for added
>> reference
>> point for balance to learn to maintain balance and proprioception on 
>> steep
>> grades.
>>
>> 2.  When ready, use guide dog to go up the hill.  Take cane out before
>> turning around, to use as reference point to judge grade.  Use cane to
>> come
>> down.
>>
>> 3.  Repeat as necessary, removing cane tip from ground periodically to
>> build
>> up number of steps to walk without reference point before falling on 
>> nose.
>>
>> 4.  Gradually build up until the cane on the ground is no longer
>> necessary.
>>
>> 5.  Start using guide dog to come down and see what happens.  /smile/
>>
>> Any comments, helpful hints, strong advice, smart remarks about what a
>> dolt
>> I am?  /lol/
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>
>>
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>
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