I have a problem

I have been through the wringer with Cheyenne Medical Center and the VA. Nobody can pinpoint what is wrong or what to do about it. I've been scanned and X-rayed from head to foot, spinal tap and nerve conduction tests. I have had several bad falls with broken shoulder blade and ribs. It looks like this is permanent.

Have them test you for Guillain Barre Syndrome my daughter has it it causes balance issues and isn't something normally tested for it took her almost dying before a very smart doctor looked past the symptoms that she exhibited and looked for what also could cause the symptoms she was having.
 

Mike about your walker / Ids it the type that has 4 wheels and a seat to set down on ? If not you moight try one but if you do getone with the biggest wheels you can find. I bought my brother one and he even fertilizes his lawn with it.
 

Mike about your walker / Ids it the type that has 4 wheels and a seat to set down on ? If not you moight try one but if you do getone with the biggest wheels you can find. I bought my brother one and he even fertilizes his lawn with it.

Thanks for the tip. I have been looking, mostly at Drive Medical. It seems like one of the few that have 10" front wheels. Also in this little Podunk town in the middle of nowhere Wyoming we have a dealer. I'll check if the VA will cover the cost, if not Medicare will, so it should be little to no cost to me. It like Drive Medical is the Cadillac of rollators. Now all I have to do is find a little urchin to be my diggen slave!
 

Thanks for the tip. I have been looking, mostly at Drive Medical. It seems like one of the few that have 10" front wheels. Also in this little Podunk town in the middle of nowhere Wyoming we have a dealer. I'll check if the VA will cover the cost, if not Medicare will, so it should be little to no cost to me. It like Drive Medical is the Cadillac of rollators. Now all I have to do is find a little urchin to be my diggen slave!

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In other words, " A Gold Digger ". :tongue3:
No grandchildren ? I loved going with my grandpa because he was not strict and we had fun. It was only years later that I found out that he liked to drink and just wanted to get away from grand ma and have some peace and quiet. He chose us grand kids to spend time with and I sure miss that. Wish I had spent more time with my parents.
 

Yes I have grandkids but they live 800 miles away. My grandfather was very strict but he taught me about everything I know about fishing and how to navigate in the mountains. He must have been a good teacher because I've been powerful turned around for a few days but I've never been lost. And we had fun.
 

Have you tried this?

Over the last couple of years I have lost most of my sense of balance. On good days I use a cane and on the not so good days I have to use a walker. Uneven ground is not good. I could probably still swing a detector but to try to recover anything, if I get down I can't get back up. I have thought about getting an apprentice, I do the detecting they do the digging. I'm just not sure I can find a young person interested in doing this. I don't want to give up this hobby but I can't do it by my self any more.
Any suggestions or ideas would be gratefully appreciated. Getting old isn't for sissies!

For a whole month avoid eating or drinking anything that contains anykind of sugar. No alcoholic drinks!! Let me know how you feel in one month!!!!
 

I will tell you a funny story about two old duffers here who are in your shoes. One guy can swing the detector just fine, but he can't get up and down to recover the prize. The other can't swing, but he can get up and down as good as I can. Both are in their 70's.
This past fall, those two were out at the fairgrounds detecting when someone on the fair board who is famous for being about as cordial as Hillary can up to them and accosted them. He figured that since they were old and half his size he could bully them. I am roughly 3/4 his size and was still wearing my uniform. He wouldn't even look at me. Well, these old coots were not about to be bullied. The one with the speech impediment told him, "You think thath you can bully uth. But you can justht forget it. We aren't hurting anyone and we can't get any deeper than a few inthes anyway." The bully tried to claim they are leaving holes for people to fall from. They weren't. But, the carnies left 20 foot long gouges in the ground deep and big enough to really hurt someone. But this was OK. The bully kept trying to bully them and the old timer told him. "We aren't hurting anything. You can kith my ath." The bully wimped out at that point.

The moral of this story is, #1. Even if you have an issue, you can still succeed if you try.
and
#2. The bully can kith his ath.
 

See a neurologist. Mine found that I had a B-12 deficiency and a spinal disc herniation in my neck. Had surgery and take supplements but the balance problem is now gone.
 

Grand kids were my first through too. My kids love doing the digging when we go and I always look over the findings and share the spoils with them which makes them want to go again even if it wasn't worth a lot... If I were in that situation, I'd consider asking someone else I was close enough with that it would not come off as awkward if their kids would like to go on an adventure to help search for lost loot. a neighbor, a friend and their child or grandchild if they live close and you've met the kids before. With my kids, the 11 year old is good at digging at the beach, but the 13 and 15 year old are better at digging in the park depending on depth. My kids only have an attention span of a couple hours when you are finding stuff and maybe a little longer if I'm hitting a lot of clad.
 

UPDATE! Still have the balance problem. The VA finally diagnosed as CEREBRAL ATAXIA which means my cerebellum is not controlling my balance as it should. When it first started I would use a cane when I wasn't steady. It got worse and I had to use a walker. I can short distances with the walker but if I have to go further I'm using a wheelchair. They say this is probably caused by exposure to toxins but can't pinpoint which ones. It just gets steadily worse with no help in sight.
 

Hi, so sorry to hear you still have the balance problem. If i lived close to you i would have joined you on your hunts and dug your target holes for you with no problems. Id still get in my swing time in between digging your targets.

Hope you recover soon
 

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