[NFB-DB] Vertigo and Mobility Issues

Mon Sep 20 15:35:10 UTC 2021

Thanks Stuart,

I currently use a trekking pole but I could never find a really stable tip for it.  The best tip I could find is almost round like a ball but with two poles, it doesn't provide me enough feedback about which way is up.  When my balance was better, I could get away with leaning to the left on the trekking pole until things returned to a more stable view of the world.  That doesn't work any more.  I often end up half way to the ground before I can tell which direction I'm falling.  I have a lot of bruises and battle scars. lol

For ice, I have strap on ice cleats for my shoes that work really well.  The extra large round tip on the trekking pole is so-so on ice.  It doesn't slip as much as a hard rubber tip but it still slips from time to time.

Luckily, I mostly need the support cane for balance.  When my neuropathy is really bad, I don't even consider leaving the house and wheel around the house on a padded stool to take care of cooking, etc.

Take care,  
Tony

> On Sep 20, 2021, at 11:18 AM, Stuart Salvador via NFB-DB <nfb-db at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Tony,
> 
> No problem…Also, since I always use a support cane I needed one that doesn’t hurt my hand or wrist plus not have the larger base to trip on and have an easy to uncover ice spike attachment for icy sidewalks. I use the white version of the Leki Wanderfreund Antishock DSS Trekking Pole, then covered the bottom in self-adhering reflective red tape. I’ve tried the one you’re considering and just couldn’t get the support I needed for my right leg, but it hurt my wrist even though it would probably be OK if you only need balance and not also the support for an impaired leg. 
> 
> I’ve also tried ones with a portable seat, but kept hurting my knee on the seat attachment whether it was a parallel or perpendicular design. The ones with the seat at the top hurt my hand or were risky for me to lower and setup because of the balance difficulties and then it was hard for me to balance on such unstable seated. If I need to sit I just take a wheelchair, walk nearby seating or take in my specially balanced to have weight at my low back backpack my 2lb. travel chair that’s super comfy and stable (it’s called the Moon Lence Ultralight Folding Chair and is about the size of a large water bottle).
> 
> Good Luck,
> Stuart
> 
>> On Sep 20, 2021, at 9:41 AM, Tony May <kg6sxy at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Thank you Stuart,
>> 
>> I've been looking at getting two of these with a much larger rubber tip than my current support cane and forego the traditional mobility cane since it doesn't support any weight and they are so easy to damage every time my balance throws me to the right.  Landing on a cane is never any fun!
>> 
>> https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B084G8LLVJ/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B084G8LLVJ/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza>
>> 
>> I live in a small town so I don't have a lot of run ins with other people but it also means I don't get out for much aside from doctor appointments so I'm often dealing with different people for transportation.
>> 
>> I'm pretty much dependent on human guides when my hearing takes a holiday these days.  It's too dangerous venturing past my mailbox when I can't hear traffic, although I wear a lot of reflective bands and a couple of lights to improve my visibility for anyone driving/racing down the street.  Too many people think it's perfectly fine to do 3 times the speed limit down a side street around here.
>> 
>> The rollator I have is not the lightest so it has helped a few times to prevent me from falling flat on my back on the hardwood floors in here.
>> 
>> The only way to find out for sure is to experiment so I'll see how a new support cane helps.  Probably can't be any worse than I'm dealing with right now. (Fingers crossed)
>> 
>> Take care,  
>> Tony
>> 
>> 
>>> On Sep 20, 2021, at 10:23 AM, Stuart Salvador via NFB-DB <nfb-db at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfb-db at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Tony,
>>> 
>>> I have an almost identical problem which in my case includes vertigo, balance deficit, impaired proprioception and upper and lower extremity mobility limitations. I use a support cane that’s metallic and white with red tip in my left hand. Using anything with a larger base, including three or four feet, trips me up and I can’t even fathom how people with balance difficulties use a walker as I find that even worse than the support cane for injuring myself. Since I also have limited mobility in my right hand and arm, I cannot simultaneously use the mobility cane properly so it’s very frustrating.
>>> 
>>> My three solutions are: (1) if my balance is bad, I don’t usually leave bed, but when I must I use a wheelchair with a collapsible mobility cane handy, (2) I go with a Service Dog instead of a mobility cane whenever I can to keep my Service Dog in top form; or, (3) I go with a Support Service Provider or Human Guide instead of a mobility cane if it’s too dangerous for my Service Dog to go with me. Often I go with both a Service Dog and either a SSP or Human Guide.
>>> 
>>> I’ve tried for over a year to figure out how to use a mobility cane in my situation, but when it isn’t falling and causing additional hazard to get it back, or threatening to impale me, it’s ruining what limited ambient awareness I do still have with the sound it makes with a hard tip or tripping me over even more with a softer tip as it catches on a lot more stuff. I finally decided to give myself permission to stop being frustrated and injured trying to use both a support and mobility cane at the same time; and then, I accepted in order to be independent it needed to be flat or only minimally sloped areas for my wheelchair, with my Service Dog, or with another human. Sadly, if I use a wheelchair sometimes I can get physically assaulted or verbally abused in public if people realize I can technically walk, but that’s their problem and not mine. With my Service Dog I rarely encounter such vitriol though occasionally I run into someone who doesn’t understand my dog’s function because I don’t/can’t benefit from a dog harness and use a traditional Guide Dog, instead he’s an Assistance Dog who is trained in hearing, sight and mobility assistance tasks. Yet again, that’s other people’s problem and not mine. I usually don’t encounter a problem with a Human Guide or SSP as long as they know my limits and fully pay attention, but human attention spans are pretty sad sometimes so I can get hurt with a human more often than my Service Dog. So, they all have pros and cons. Using the wheelchair I can feel more independent as I’m not needing that second life form just to do what I want, but I feel the most secure and aware with my Service Dog. Humans can also help me with other tasks like completing paperwork or defending against crazed strangers as well, though, so sometimes that’s really important.
>>> 
>>> I hope this information on my solutions helps you decide how to approach your own challenge. (smile)
>>> 
>>> Best Wishes,
>>> Stuart
>>> 
>>>> On Sep 20, 2021, at 8:34 AM, kg 6sxy (kg6sxy) via NFB-DB <nfb-db at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfb-db at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Does anyone else deal with severe vertigo while also using a white cane?
>>>> 
>>>> Usually I can get around a bit with a support cane in the left hand and a white cane in the right hand but that doesn't always work especially when my tinnitus decides to declare war for days at a time.
>>>> 
>>>> I tried using a four footed cane for more balance but that just causes me to trip myself up more than the vertigo already does.
>>>> 
>>>> Does anyone have any other ideas?
>>>> 
>>>> Take care,  
>>>> Tony
>>>> 
>>>> 
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