We all know the usual stuff about ataxia like not walking straight and various muscle problems. What about thinking straight
lists cognitive issues among the common issues. Now this rings bells - many bells. I’ve been frustrated all my life with not being able to think straight. How many of us could have achieved so much more than we have? Not until yesterday, 40, 50 years too late, have I known why. That’s frustrating too.
I have SCA-6 My brain still works.
It’s a fact, Cognition and Emotion can be greatly affected, we’re not simply challenged by balance issues. Some people are also diagnosed with Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome. But it’s fair to say the majority of us cope with this issue to some extent…
Cognition plays a big part in keeping ourselves safe, any imbalance can effect concentration, and we all know what can happen next…It can also be harder to focus and grasp information…
Emotions can be hard to manage…some people are quick to anger, some are sad (although this is to be expected given our diagnosis), some people even laugh at inappropriate times…
I’ve had my own experiences…but for the moment I seem to be on an even keel…
Beryl
Hahahahaha. I laugh all the time. They say ‘laughter is the best medicine.’ They also say ‘Laugh, and the world laughs with you’, but its not funny
when you lose your job. Nor would I say that most of us cope with it, it’s not easy when it makes you lose your temper. call someone ‘Useless’ or ‘Murderer’ and then spend the rest of your life regretting it.
Shoalb
My brain works too but it doesn’t think straight.
I have a really cognitive job (software development) and am pretty good at it, so that doesn’t sound right to me. I have lapses sometimes, but who doesn’t?
One thing I’ve noticed though is that walking or standing take like 90% of my cognitive facilities, so I often have to sit down to concentrate on reading or conversations.
Hi, good to hear from you 
I find I’m similar, I find it difficult to walk, and hold a conversation, my concentration has to be on one or the other. And for me, eye problems mean vision is greatly affected when I’m on the move, another blip when it comes to concentration.
Ok, so maybe it’s not ataxia - but that article suggests it could well be. Something’s amiss and we all have different symptoms.
Hi Beryl,
This is TDK from S.A. I have not been communicating for some time for various reasons however, has any of your members experienced the following:
Falling frequently, slight trembling of the body, un-coordinated arms and hands, vision, dizzy (floaty) feeling constantly a feeling of helplessness, at present I am typing with 2 fingers because I’ve lost the coordination in my hands.
The above has all developed in less than 3yr, I have physiotherapy once a week or every fortnight and exercise on my own including vision exercises.
Hve a good day, please share yours and the other members experience.
Regards,
Tahira
Hi Tahira🙂
To be honest, the symptoms you describe could be linked to any number of Neurological conditions. I would agree that many of these are associated with Ataxia, but it definitely takes a Neurologist to make a diagnosis.
I was misdiagnosed for many years, and it was a struggle to find out what was really happening to me…
If you haven’t already have an MRI, ask for one …it could show Cerebellar Atrophy, and help point to a diagnosis.
Hey Tahira,
I completely agree with Beryl_Park, I too have many of the same symptoms, which for many, many years was labelled as everything from a nervous condition to a psychological issue or ‘it’s all in your head’. Little did I know just how real that last statement was, but years later I had another incident where I suddenly lost my sight whilst driving, VERY SCARY. I reluctantly went to the dr, who looked at me like I was crazy, but he sent me for a scan anyway. It was this scan which first identified the real cause of my issues and although it’s not ataxia related many of the symptoms are the same and yea, it is all in my head, physically in my head.
As Beryl says “If you haven’t already have an MRI, ask for one …”
Merl from the Modsupport Team
I show no cerebral atrophy. My symptoms present so I should. This is a difficult illness to diagnose.
I gave up driving after two similar incidents. It was related to my ataxia.
Some people don’t have Cerebellar Atrophy…there’s just no shrinkage visible on an MRI, and yet they exhibit symptoms consistent to Cerebellar Ataxia. But…it could also be any number of several diseases that have similar symptoms.
My MRI’s continue to show only mild Atrophy, and yet symptoms have steadily progressed…
It really isn’t safe to assume/self diagnose simply because symptoms fit…Neurological symptoms definitely need to be assessed by a medical expert.
I’ve had several MRI scans, they always look normal and I have a Dr. who specializes in my condition. She’s over 100 miles away. I don’t like her. She never gives a diagnosis. What do I do?
You could ask your current Neurologist to refer you to someone nearer to your location.
Or, you could see if there’s one near you by looking on this link