How is your balance?

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1-11-25, 10:55pm
iris lilies

How is your balance?

I watch occasional DUI arrest videos on YouTube now and then.

When I try their sobriety test, the one where the suspect has to walk 12 steps in a straight line with her arms down, I can’t begin to do that. I can do it with my arms out to my side, but not with my arms down.

I mean I am really bad at it! I used to think my balance was decent but man oh man, it is not decent at all. I say this because I asked DH to do that same exercise and he could do it, no problem.

so you people who are around my age, can you walk 12 steps in a straight line with your arms down to your side?
1-11-25, 11:07pm
littlebittybobby

okay---sounds like an inner ear issue, or too much wine. But yeah---stay off the roads. Thankk mee.
1-12-25, 1:40am
iris lilies

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlebittybobby

okay---sounds like an inner ear issue, or too much wine. But yeah---stay off the roads. Thankk mee.

Can you do that balance test successfully?
1-12-25, 8:49am
frugal-one

Yes. Sounds like you need to practice various balance exercises. Take an exercise class or look up on youtube. It is concerning that your balance is declining.
1-12-25, 9:18am
rosarugosa

I can do it just barely, but it is far more difficult than I would have imagined. I always thought my balance was pretty decent otherwise; I don't tend to fall or get dizzy, and I can do OK with yoga balance poses.
1-12-25, 9:57am
happystuff

Never thought I had good balance, but did this with no problems.
1-12-25, 11:16am
pinkytoe

I tried it - no wobbles. The one I have issues with is getting off the floor without using your hands.
1-12-25, 4:34pm
littlebittybobby

Quote:

Originally Posted by iris lilies

Can you do that balance test successfully?

I went out there and tried it. I can only go about 6 steps. So yeah---I better go downta the PD and turn myself in. Yup.
1-13-25, 11:48am
SiouzQ.

For about five years now I absolutely cannot walk heel-to-toe. I can't even do one step - it's like I simply cannot balance myself when transferring my weight from one foot to the other in tight little steps. My arms and trunk flail wildly and I fall out of line right away. I think it is called proprioception. Of course I have mentioned it to every doctor for the past five years and none seem to think it is a problem. I even showed the neurologist last May and she just filed it away on my chart somewhere. This past year I had every blood test under the sun done and I do not have any sort of autoimmune disease, which is a relief to hear.

I just hope I don't ever get pulled over and asked to do the "drunk walk" because I would fail miserably.

Edited To Add: However, I can stand on one leg at a time for at least a minute, no problem...
1-17-25, 1:21am
littlebittybobby

okay---I was just sitting here, researching & thinking(like Eisenschtein, the worlds GREATESS mind), that medications taken on a regular basis to keep you alive, might also have side-effects that affect balance. Yup. Among them are statins & blood pressure meds. But yeah---cops are supposedly trained to ask you if you are on meds that might affect your balance. Or they should. Hope that helps you kids some. Thankk mee.
2-1-25, 6:20pm
littlebittybobby

okay----I got to thinking about this, and I was thinking Oswald, Oswald, Oswald. Finally, I realized that LHO was identified in the 1981 exhumation of his remains partially by a hole in the mastoid bone in his skull, as indicated by his medical records. It's that hard spot behind your outer ear. So anyway----sometimes your inner ear develops an infection that is/was cured by an operation of that type. Anyway---symptoms are tinnitus, balance issues, headache, etc. So yeah---I would get it checked.
2-1-25, 6:44pm
iris lilies

I can do the balance test when I walk at a quicker pace. It’s just walking sloooooooowly that does me in.
2-3-25, 10:06pm
littlebittybobby

okay---more possibilities: blood pressure medications and statins(cholsterol-lowering drugs). They will do it too. That's why people stop taking them. It's really a trade-off--feel lousy or live somewhat longer. Of course, I'm not an MD, so you might need to consult one. Yup.
2-4-25, 3:47pm
iris lilies

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlebittybobby

okay---more possibilities: blood pressure medications and statins(cholsterol-lowering drugs). They will do it too. That's why people stop taking them. It's really a trade-off--feel lousy or live somewhat longer. Of course, I'm not an MD, so you might need to consult one. Yup.

I take blood pressure medicine that sometimes makes me lighthead when I donate blood. The last time it was kinda fun, I spaced out at the end of the donation process, just faded away.

I have NEVER fainted or even been much lightheaded before and this happens only when I give blood and then, not every time.
2-5-25, 10:21am
happystuff

Interesting enough, I've discovered that my "walking" balance is fine, but I have some trouble doing one-legged "standing" balance. Need to work on that.
4-19-25, 2:07pm
littlebittybobby

okay---i had troublew doing the balance test. Then, i started hearing a thumping noise in my left ear, in time to my pulse. So, what i did was take cephalexin for a few days, and the issue went away. But yeah-0--your inner ear which has a passageway to sinus cavities can become inflamed/infected. So, apparently that's what it was. Your results may vary. Hope that helps you kids some.