lizzy Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 i all i do not write mush, so sorry about speling and grammer.went 2 new doctor he had me stand with arm straightand feet together ..a..had trouble alitte with balace BUT THEN tald me 2 close eyes fell back every time he had me do this 4 times . he even had all the nurses come in talk them this is a classes case....but he wood not tell me of what intill he done all his homework he said... alot of bloodwork 2 look at vitatims,kidney.liverand mri of brain and neck.anybody have any idaes???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat57 Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn...;aulast=Khasnis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deucykub Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Hi, Lizzy:I'm definitely not a doctor but did a little research online to try and ease your concerns. From what is online, it looks like the kind of test your doctor performed is called a Romberg's test. When you fell over with your eyes closed but could maintain balance with your eyes open, that is considered a positive result for something called "sensory ataxia." Sensory Ataxia is just a neurological sign (not a diagnosis) that shows the doctor that a patient has a degree of loss in his/her sensitivity to joint and body part position. It says online that maintaining balance uses two body processes: vision and proprioception. Dictionary.com defines proprioception as "the ability to sense the position and location and orientation and movement of the body and its parts." Romberg's test takes away one of those processes when a patient is told to close his/her eyes, which makes a patient reliant only on proprioception. If proprioception is in some way damaged or affected, the patient will lose his/her balance or fall down.There can be a lot of causes, so determining why that sense has been affected requires additional testing. It can be caused by something as simple as a vitamin B12 deficiency, or it can show that there might be some nerve damage.It sounds like your doctor is taking the right approach by running more tests. Again, I'm definitely not a medical professional, and I'm sure others on the board have more knowledge than me and will clarify or correct me. If I can make one suggestion, having symptoms and signs that we don't understand fully can be pretty scary, so for now, live in the here and now and don't worry about this too much. Your doctor will let you know what is going on, and once you have all the facts, then you can respond in kind to whatever is really happening in your body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzy Posted November 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 thank you that was very helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deucykub Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Please keep us updated on what your doctor says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Did you actually fall backward or just sway backward? I did 3 months of vestibular rehab and learned that everyone will sway a bit with their eyes closed, because our eyes help us balance. A loss of balance could be from a neurological issue or an inner ear issue. POTS can also interfere with balance. Just be sure that you get thorough testing, because I was diagnosed with an inner ear condition and after 3 months of rehab we discovered it was POTS and not an ear issue. Glad your dr is doing his homework. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan617 Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I fall all the way down. I can't be in any place that's totally dark ever, I have absolutely no sense of balance, however I do have meneire's, which is a vestibular disorder. (inner ear) morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzy Posted November 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 after 8 years of pots and most doctors saying its in my head this is the first doc,doing ANY homeword so i am trying not 2 get my hopes up 2much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corina Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 morgan, i have that too, with the dark. i had it when i was around 16, couldn?t see a thing in the dark, and having very low bp as well (on holidays abroad with my best friend, fainting all the time and not being able to see in the dark, what fun that was (especially for my best friend, who still is my best friend!!!)). it comes and goes. since the last few months it's back again. we call it "night blind" do you think this is "just" dysautonomia?lizzy, i also can't stand with my eyes closed. so, although it doesn't really help you, at least you're not alone!take care,corina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted November 16, 2007 Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 I am usually fine while standing with my eyes closed, I think. I guess I never have reason to stand with my eyes closed, though. I once lost my sense of balance for a week or two due to a med side effect. I couldn't even keep my balance with my eyes open. One time I realized I was falling backward not because I could feel it, but because I could see myself falling backward in the mirror. Boy, that was strange to not realize I was falling, but then see myself falling! Mestinon is the med that did that to me. I'm just throwing that out there incase there is a med that could be causing you to lose your balance. I hope your bloodwork comes back okay for you.Rachel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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