There seems to be a lot of things that causes problems with my meniere’s. A wrote a post last week on driving and I know in the past I have written about plane rides giving me problems. I receive a comment last week from Peggy about walking up and down stairs.
This is from Peggy…
I'm not sure where to put this, but I wanted to ask if other people have had problems with stairs in a multi-level house? I'm considering a move to a smaller, less expensive house (yes, MD and the resulting unemployment mean we need to downsize) and am trying to figure out whether we should only look at ranch homes.
Our current house is a three-story structure, but the stairs are very regular and well built and have never given me trouble. Today, however, we looked at several homes that are older and have uneven floors and tight, twisting staircases. They made me feel as if I was seasick.
Has anyone else experienced this? Should we be trying to achieve one-floor living?
I know that I don’t like walking up and down stairs (of course elevators aren’t that great either, but that’s another story) My knees get kind of wobbly when I do have to walk up steps I don’t if that is a fear of heights or if it has anything to do with meniere’s. I do know that I wouldn’t want to have an attack while going up or down stairs.
Feel free to comment and please subscribe to my RSS Feed
Thanks
Related Posts
Posts
12 comments:
On regular days I can handle the stairs. I just look at the steps, I don't look around. The stairs in our house are in an enclosed stair well and that helps.
There are stairs at our mall, and I'll take them as long as I have someone to walk right in front of me (like a friend or my husband), I just look at their back, and if necessary I put one hand on the rail and the other on the person's shoulder. That helps.
I can not ride an escalator! Especially going down! That makes me so sick!!
So Peggy,
If I were buying a house now I would not get one with stairs. There have been many days that I have crawled up the stairs to go to bed because of the dizziness. On bad days, the stairs are definitely not my friend!
Good luck on the house hunt!
wendy
Wendy, I also have been known to go up and down stairs on my rear end when I'm in the middle of a cluster attack. And there've been times when I've gotten around the house "choo-choo" style, with my hands on my husband's shoulders and both of us shuffling along slowly while I keep my eyes glued to his back.
My aunt doesn't like going down escalators and will only go upstairs in stores where there is a lift to come down. I'm arranging to move from a flat/apartment to a house with three storeys, and this has just made me think about the possible issue for the illness!
On a related note, one of the houses I looked at was a very old one with irregular room shapes and so on. One room had such an oppressively low ceiling that I almost had an attack just walking into it! I had quite a long period of being sensitive to spatial changes and used to feel lightheaded going into public bathrooms/toilets where you suddenly go from a large space into a small (windowless) one.
I suddenly, several years ago, got an aversion to going either up or down escalators. I am now wondering about whether or not this was when my MD had originally kicked in. I can now go up an escalator (most of the time), but still hate going down. I much prefer the elevator.
I'm the same way.Someone has to be at my side going up & down stairs. I will occasionally tackle the feat by myself which results in a snail pace with me practically wrapped around the rails.Escalators are horrible 1 time was more than enough for me thought I'd die before I got off that thing.
Peggy, I'd get a house without stairs if it was me.
Anyone have similar reaction at the chiropractor? That table is as bad as a set of stairs for me, he has to let me get on after he's laid it down.
"I will occasionally tackle the feat by myself which results in a snail pace with me practically wrapped around the rails." That's quite a mental image, Mrs. Tater, and it rings very strong bells for me when I'm having attacks.
Ironically, the only two houses we have really liked that are still available have stairs, but they are straight, wide, and sturdy, so I haven't had much trouble. Still, it's in the back of my mind.
Hey, David, how is your application for SSD going? I got my denial letter last week, and I had an interview with my lawyer today for the "reconsideration" phase. I wonder if a thread about that application process could be a good idea?
Peggy,
I share your trouble with stairwells as well as long, straight hallways. It is worse if the staircase wraps or turns. With stairs as well as hallways I place my hand on the wall whether I am feeling dizzy or not. The signal sent from my hand tells my head that the world is more stable than I perceive it. The only suggestion I would make when buying a home is to make sure the stairs are carpeted. I once slid down a flight flat on my back. Happy hunting!
There are a lot of houses in the more rural parts of NJ that have tight spiral staircases. Needless to say, we won't be buying one of THOSE. Yikes. I can hardly stand to look at them!
Your method for getting up stairs or along a hallway sounds like how I stay stable in the shower. I put a hand (or both) on the wall when I have to turn around, because otherwise I get too disoriented.
Hi! It´s so nice to hear about you others solving problems with stairs and hallways the same way as I do. Sometimes I need to hold tight to the rails or to the wall, somedays just a slight touch makes the world more steady. In the shower, while I wash my hair and need to close my eyes I put one hand or one hip to the wall to manage. I´ve considered myself a bit crazy having those problems, especially with the long hallways (like the corridores at school or in the hospital). It´s so good to hear that I´m not alone!!! Thanks.
If I would buy a house today I would relly consider the stairs and where the bedroom is located. Bedroom with bathroom beside and both located on the groundfloor is important. We have two floors, the children have their rooms upstairs, and periods of time I haven´t managed to go up there...
Susanna
thanks everybody for the comments
David
Peggy, I live in a one floor home and it makes a big difference for me. I have a problem with stairs and hallways too. I to have to run my hand along the wall of a hallway, I do it because it just makes me feel a little safer. But there are still hazards no matter how many floors we have. Two weeks ago I was talking to my sister on the phone and down I went smacked my head of the door jam. After a trip to the med express I now have a brace on my left ankle, badly spraining it and a boot on my right foot do to a fracture in it. My kids tell me they are going to bubble wrap me, so when I fall I want get hurt is much.
OMG, that sounds awful, Anonymous! I hope you are healing well and being careful. I find that since starting MD symptoms, I'm much more prone to stumbling in my house and tripping over things that would never have been an issue before. And if I'm distracted, it's much worse.
Post a Comment