Does anybody else walk as though they're drunk?

If I'm out walking, I find it hard to hold a straight line or to maintain my balance well.

What the heck is that?

Anyone else have this?

Haven't touched alcohol in years, BTW!

 

I had this problem. I've managed to reduce it a huge amount with two things :

1) I increased my vitamin B12 level, even though I already had levels which were high in range according to a serum B12 test. I keep my levels very high - and I have no idea whether this is a good idea or a bad idea in the long term.

2) I went 100% gluten-free as an experiment despite having thorough tests showing that I didn't have coeliac disease. There is a condition called gluten ataxia which fitted my symptoms. Going gluten-free had other knock-on (good) effects on my nutrient absorption too. I actually went gluten-free to try and reduce my hypothyroidism symptoms, but it helped far more than I had hoped for in my wildest dreams, to be honest. I've been gf for nearly 3 years now.

https://www.verywell.com/what-is-gluten-ataxia-562400

I haven't managed to eliminate all my balance problems. The damage done couldn't all be reversed. But I'm so much better off than I was.

Edited to add : If I had my time over again I would try going gf first, rather than second, instead of increasing my B12 levels as high as I did.

 

I experience something like this; in my case I think there's more than one thing at play.

Firstly it becomes more noticeable with PEM. I think for me there's a coordination problem; an increased general clumsiness that includes my balance.

I also develop a kind of achey numbness on my right side - face, arm, leg - so that affects my gait.

Lastly I think deconditioning of my leg muscles probably doesn't help.

Nerve conductivity testing and an MRI didn't pick up anything, apparently.

What else do you notice when it happens to you @Sasha? Have you discussed this with a doctor at all?

 

Thanks, @Arnie Pye. I've also been GF free for about three or four years but am about to go on B12 anyway - it will be interesting to see if that helps.

 

I don't notice anything, Skycloud. It happens even when I'm well rested and have just left the house. I haven't discussed it with a doctor because I assumed it was one of those ME things but symptoms can creep up on me over the years and become the new normal and I wonder if this is one of those. I recently asked my GP to check me for signs of neurological disease, though, because of an unrelated symptom, and I was OK.

 

All the time when I'm hammered.

In seriousness, I can't drink because of the ME but I do have balance problems. I can be walking normally and then suddenly lose my balance and go sideways into the wall or whatever, seems to happen randomly, sometimes I can walk pretty normally, other days it seems to happen a lot.

 

I've just found my other half! That's so weird, except I'm a leftie. Do you ever feel the bad leg giving way at the knee?

 

I've just had some weird B12 results back. I'll be posting them in a new thread a little later on. So please look out for it if you have an interest in B12.

 

@Sasha It'll be interesting to see if increasing B12 improves things for you.

If you could tolerate some leg excercises for balance they might help if the problem is partly muscular.

If it's cognitive, which I know can be an issue for me; I don't know what else to suggest. I'd be happy for more ideas myself.

I hope you find something that helps.

 

I've been walking 'drunk' for years but not all the time. Turning left is a sure fire way for me to look pissed. I've trained myself to keep still for a moment before I set off again. Goodness, where else could one own up to this sort of thing?

 

Well hello weird twin!

No I don't feel my knee give way, but when it develops I find that right foot lands pointing inwards rather than out. It feels like hard work to place it properly. So somewhat pigeontoed on that side, and it drags a too. I feel a bit like I'm turning into Quasimodo.

 

For all those who can't walk in a straight line, how's your Rhomberg test? Can you stand still with your feet a comfortable distance apart and your eyes closed?

How about with one foot in front of the other as if you were doing tick tack toe?

 

I seem to be OK with the Rhomberg but if I put heel-to-toe (is that what you mean?), I have trouble balancing even with my eyes open.

 

I start to topple but not immediatly, maybe 20 seconds.

 

@Sasha I'm the same. Although for me it's worst when I'm out walking, it also happens inside the house. I have one shirt with buckles on the outside of the sleeves at upper arm level. Every time I wear it, I'm reminded that I go through doorways with a list to the left, because I can hear the buckle on the left sleeve hitting the door jamb. It's always the left, never the right.

You might find this interesting: http://www.meresearch.org.uk/news/walking-co-ordination/

@Scarecrow An internal medicine specialist gave me a Rhomberg test in her office a few years ago. I started to fall over immediately upon closing my eyes, and had she not been there to catch me, I would have hit the floor.

 

My balance issues come and go, but when I'm very fatigued I walk like a drunk. I have to be careful not to run into someone when I'm out. This can also occur with PEM when my legs are shaky.

edit: I also walk like a drunk when I've been talking too much or with mental exertion.

 

I think it is called Ataxia; I have a bit of that problem too, but find that walking with Nordic walking poles improves things quite a lot--have you tried them? If you do, experiment with adjusting the length until you use them to propel yourself forwards rather than use them as supports for a weak body. I pretend that I am X-C skiing--which I used to love....

 

Yes, I've experienced stumbling type ataxia episodically going back 40 years. The symptoms are worse during ME/CFS relapses.

For the past 15 years, the episodic ataxia has been regularly accompanied by difficulty keeping my eyes open as I walk. I've blindly run into a few things.

 

I only get that when I'm doing badly or have really pushed myself more than I should. My balance gets messed and I get stagger-y. Since I've moved somewhere better and been pushing myself with activity less, I've tended to not have problems like that. Best wishes to everyone with this sort of stuff. Remembering these symptoms makes me feel really lucky that I'm currently able to largely avoid them.