Ataxia

  Safety first! I belong to an ataxia support group on Facebook, where there are constant discussions on how getting a walker or wheelchair 🦼 is giving in to the disease.  I understand and vehemently disagree! When I lived in Boulder, there was a wheelchair store right next to our favorite coffee shop.  I used to ask my husband not to park in view of that store.  I was still walking with a cane then. I’m in a wheelchair now. What I found as I made the transition from cane to walker to wheelchair was a feeling of RELIEF.  There is a concept called conservation of energy.  I love to exercise.  I would rather do that than struggle to walk.  Plus I kept falling.  I am not afraid of tools.  They will not cause your disease to progress faster.  In fact, exercise will slow progression.

https://naf.org/ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ataxia https://neurology.uchicago.edu/patient-care/ataxia-types https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17748-ataxia https://www.connectfa.com https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/ataxia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6516769/ https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/brain-and-nerves/ataxia/types.html https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/1623 https://facty.com/conditions/brain/10-facts-about-ataxia/?style=quick&utm_source=adwords&adid=451174601454&ad_group_id=68028551192&utm_medium=t-search&utm_term=ataxia&utm_campaign=FH-USA-Search-10-Facts-About-Ataxia-Tablet-Turbo&gclid=CjwKCAiAzp6eBhByEiwA_gGq5LZhUp3qMSbKPPT9bhnO8DT-qTT3lKnBLDfqvZcwkrRZgy9pwBUnbRoCFs4QAvD_BwE

 I’m back, bitches!  I’m much worse and have lots to say. I was diagnosed with some type of cerebellar ataxia in 1988.  I was confirmed as SCA6 in 1998 by genetic bloodwork. Here’s a cute dog picture.  The big one is Dasher and she is a trained service dog 🦮.  The puppy is Jax and she is a service dog in training 🐾.  I will have much more to say about service dogs for ataxians later.