It took me years to realise I could no longer hop! Not that itās something Iād do at my age anyway but
Heel to toe is scaryš¬
Andā¦standing on my right leg alone ā¦is marginally less precarious than standing on my leftā¦
Basicallyā¦if I donāt have both feet groundedā¦balance is very unstable.
We have a couple of steps to our back and front doors. I use a walking stick but as soon as I lift a foot onto a step I feel unstable. We have considered a ramp (planning ahead) ā¦but I think a hand rail would be more helpful at the moment.
For me, coping with ataxia during the earliest stages was very disorientating. I learned not to plan ahead because I never knew if there would be a downturn in symptoms and Iād have to abandon plans.
But now my ataxia (Idiopathic-Sporadic) seems to have become more settledā¦and although I feel able to plan ahead, for the most part I take it day by dayā¦
Iāve been doing a kickboxing-type class a couple times a week while my kid is doing his martial arts class in the adjoining room.
I have definitely noticed my non-dominant foot is harder to stand on if I am briefly on one foot to kick or whatever. What is really challenging is when I have to do one action-say to punch twice with a right hand, then do some hard buffer action, like a jumping jack, and then do something with the left FOOT, like a kick. I do not notice the other people having as much trouble doing this as I am. Even the new people do not seem to get awkward with their body like I do. So itās switching sides, but also switching from hand to foot.
Iām also a member of Facebook Ataxia Support Groupsā¦and have seen posts from people saying one side of their body is more affected, or stronger than the other. It does seem to be an āataxia thingā
Iām right-handedā¦and feel stronger on my right side. Iāve tried using a walking stick in my left hand, but donāt feel safeā¦
I have to hold onā¦always! I need to sit down to get dressed no matter what! If I pick a foot off of the ground, Iād better be holding on! Iām scheduled to see a new neurologist in March. Iām a little concerned because heāll want me to have another MRI.
No, but with the first two I had, two different neurologists told me I had MSA and would die. A balance specialist told me they were wrong and diagnosed me with Ataxia. But the damage is done! I feel like I have PTSD! I cry whenever I talk about it!
An incorrect diagnosis is unfortunately par for the course when Neurological symptoms are involved. Sometimes it just isnāt possible to have appropriate testing ā¦sometimes symptoms suggest variable conditions.
I was told I had Epilepsyā¦it was devastating, and took almost 15yrs to get the diagnosis changed to Idiopathic Cerebellar Ataxia.
It took me years to realise I could no longer hop! Not that itās something Iād do at my age anyway but 
For me, coping with ataxia during the earliest stages was very disorientating. I learned not to plan ahead because I never knew if there would be a downturn in symptoms and Iād have to abandon plans.
An incorrect diagnosis is unfortunately par for the course when Neurological symptoms are involved. Sometimes it just isnāt possible to have appropriate testing ā¦sometimes symptoms suggest variable conditions.