Falls are one of the scariest and most dangerous events that can happen to anyone, regardless of age, disease or disability. 

Spasticity, fatigue, loss of balance and drop foot have been the main cause of the falls that I have experienced with Multiple Sclerosis. When spasticity hits, a fall is similar to a tree crashing with the head being the last body part to hit.

One of the first falls I had surprised me, as I was being good using a cane and walking slowly down a hallway.  There was a throw rug in front of me and I misjudged either the distance or thickness of it and fell forward to the floor. My husband and daughter came running and asked me why I was on the floor and could they join me? So they did. I wasn’t hurt at all so it was easy to see the humor in the situation. 

Another time I was in my manual wheelchair practicing transfers with a slide board. My then two year old granddaughter was playing nearby. I guess I didn’t get the board under me far enough and literally slid to the floor. Does that still count as a fall? It scared my granddaughter enough to count! She handed me my phone and I called her mother to come home from work and help me up.

It has been several years since the last time that I fell. I was at home alone other than my housekeeper that I told I was going to use the restroom and that I would see her next month. I transferred back to the wheelchair just fine but not quite as stable as I thought, as I fell out of the chair with a very loud crash as my head hit the floor. My very sweet housekeeper ran in to see what had happened. She is a small woman and I knew she would not be able to lift me on her own so I had her run to my next door neighbor to get help. Between the two of them they lifted me back into my chair. A very embarrassing situation.

Thank goodness I have learned not to take risky chances, thus avoiding any falls in the future.

Please be careful out there!