#73 Walk Without Falling

#73 Walk Without Falling
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 by Deb Vellines

Hello Readers.

It has been too long since I last wrote a blog. I had surgery – a hip replacement – and it put the brakes on my writing. The surgery took away the pain. That was actually the easy part. The tough part has been the physical therapy. Therapy can be tough work. It’s a matter of training and strengthening the muscles.

This is the third time I have had physical therapy. The last time was following a stroke, the kind of stroke where you forget how to walk. That’s true. I did forget. The first time they stood me up, I couldn’t even remember which foot to move first or how to move it. A lot of therapy happened before my brain relearned the process.

Can you guess the reason I had therapy the first time? Yes. My acoustic neuroma and my balance issues. Unlike so many of you, decreased hearing wasn’t my first symptom of an acoustic. Dizziness and balance were. My tumor was on the balance branch of the eight cranial nerve. I did lose my hearing but not until six months after my radiation treatments. The specific kind of physical therapy was vestibular rehabilitation.

Walk, walk, walk, and walk some more. Your balance will get better. Patience is required to get better. It might take a long time until you feel balanced. If you are post-surgery and walking with a walker, it might take days, weeks, or even months ‘til you can use a cane instead. Eventually, you might be able to kiss the cane goodbye, but it will take work.

Pre or post-surgery or radiation or watch and wait, this vestibular therapy can help if you suffer imbalance. That’s because the 8^th cranial nerve has a balance branch as well as a hearing branch. You know, acoustic neuromas originate on the 8^th cranial nerve. The good news is you have another one on the other side of your brain. Our bodies have a wonderful design, and the opposite side does a good job of compensating.

The more you walk, the more the other side kicks in and will work harder to help compensate for the damaged side, the side that had surgery or the side that isn’t working efficiently.

When you reach a certain age, you suddenly hear a lot about people falling. There can be many reasons for this. There are also preventive measures you can take. Blog #51 includes ways to prevent a fall. Also, blog #43 is called Improving Balance. We want to prevent a fall, and a broken bone, but also a concussion. How many falls result in a broken bone? According to the CDC, about one out of five falls result in a fracture or a head injury.

By the way, my hip replacement wasn’t the result of a fall. I had bone on bone in the joint. In other words, the cartilage was gone. I often felt like I was a fall waiting to happen. The other hip joint is fine. Why? That’s like asking why did I get an acoustic neuroma? There are some questions for which there are no answers. That’s just the way it is.

A better question to ask is what am I going to do about it? Is there anything to be done?

Readers: Have you attended a zoom support group meeting recently? I have never felt it was a waste of time. You don’t have to belong to a group or live in the area to join a meeting.

The ANA is pleased to offer a variety of options for education, support, and networking, and we welcome you to attend a meeting soon. All are invited to attend these opportunities with other patients and caregivers. You don’t need to be a resident of a particular area to participate in a virtual meeting. To register or for more information, click on the events link below. Space is limited, register now.

Wednesday, August 17 State of Michigan Support Group – virtual 7:00 p.m. ET Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support Saturday, August 20 Sacramento Support Group – virtual 11:00 a.m. PT Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support Sunday, August 21 Seattle Support Group – virtual 10:00 a.m. PT Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support Tuesday, August 23 North Carolina Support Group – virtual 6:00 p.m. ET Hearing Assisted Technology for Acoustic Neuroma Patients Thursday, August 25 San Diego Support Group – virtual 5:00 p.m. PT Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support Saturday, August 27 SE New England Support Group – in person 12:30 p.m. ET Group Discussion; Meet and Greet; Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support Tuesday, August 30 Newly Diagnosed/Pre-Treatment Support Group – virtual 7:00 p.m. ET AN Research Study – Washington University St. Louis Decision Aid Study for Newly Diagnosed Patients; Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support Thursday, September 8 Caregiver Support Group – virtual 7:00 p.m. ET Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support Tuesday, September 13 Orlando Support Group – virtual 7:00 p.m. ET Medical Anxiety and Coping Saturday, September 17 Washington DC Support Group – virtual 10:00 a.m. ET Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support Wednesday, September 21 Young Adult Support Group – virtual 7:00 p.m. CT Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support Thursday, September 22 San Francisco Support Group – virtual 5:30 p.m. PT Hypnotherapy for Tinnitus Reduction Saturday, September 24 Reading Support Group – in person 10:00 a.m. ET Meet and Greet; Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support Saturday, September 24 St. Louis Support Group – in person 10:30 a.m. CT Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support Saturday, September 24 Denver Support Group – virtual 1:00 p.m. MT Caring, Sharing, Networking and Support

Dear Jesus, Do you want me to attend a meeting? Do you want me to talk to my doctor about physical therapy? Thank you for your guidance. Amen.

The Lord is my shepherd . . . He guides me along right paths . . .

Psalm 23: 1-3