I Keep Running Into Stuff

[laurelfla]

it's nothing serious... and after all, i've always been kind of clumsy. but i swear it's reached a new level. i just slammed my right leg into the fridge on my way to the laundry room and then i decided i would post about this and see if anyone has this problem too. it's not just getting tripped up; it's like my body doesn't know where it ends! a couple of weeks ago i hit my head on the wall as i was going out the door. seriously, what is up?

i wasn't sure where to post this, as i don't think i have any kind of extra 'disorder' going on, but was just wondering if anyone else deals with walking into stuff and whatnot, and if there's anything i can do about it.

[jerseyangel]

Yea, sometimes I find myself turning a corner in the house and bumping into the doorjam--like I misjudged where the doorway was! Other little things too, like bumping my wrist into the corner of the counter, and having my left leg (the side affected w/neuropathy) not rise above the floor enough when I walk sometimes. These things have definately come to my attention this past year. On the positive side--Since my anemia has cleared up, I don't bruse as easily

[carriecraig]

IWhen I walk, trip constantly, or sometimes one foot drags - and almost feels like it gets stuck. I always thought I was just clumsy...

[NYCisTHEplaceTObe]

omg! this happens to me all the time. I never really thought of it as being related to gluten b/c i have epilepsy and balance was always one of my issues, but now i have read about a connection between celiac and epilepsy as well. it is very interesting that i am not the only to constantly run into things! it became much worse this fall b4 being gluten-free. I still have some of it but not as bad as it was.

[Lisa]

Oh yes! I sometimes feel that my whole equalibriem is off and I feel like I am walking at an angle and not in a straight line.

[Ursa Major]

What you all are describing is called SENSORY INTEGRATION DYSFUNCTION, and is extremely common among autistic people, me included. I have great trouble judging where my body parts are in relation to things, and run constantly into things, stub my toes, hit my hand on things etc. I am so used to it, that I often don't even notice any more, and wonder where the bruises come from.

Interesting to see that it also seems to be common amongst people with celiac disease, I guess I come by it honestly, then.

[i canary]

I constantly run into doorways, trip over furniture, bang my feet and jam my fingers into counters. I once managed to trip over a shoe that was in a room that had nothing else it in (my only excuse is that shoe was a size 12E ). I always have unexplained bruises. I'm so used to being clumsy I don't pay attention to it anymore. Since being gluten-free I'm not as bad, but doorjams still get in my way.

I love the way Lisa puts it "Oh yes! I sometimes feel that my whole equalibriem is off and I feel like I am walking at an angle and not in a straight line." I often feel I am walking crooked.

[jerseyangel]

What you all are describing is called SENSORY INTEGRATION DYSFUNCTION, and is extremely common among autistic people, me included. I have great trouble judging where my body parts are in relation to things, and run constantly into things, stub my toes, hit my hand on things etc. I am so used to it, that I often don't even notice any more, and wonder where the bruises come from.

Interesting to see that it also seems to be common amongst people with celiac disease, I guess I come by it honestly, then.

Thanks, Ursula--it's nice to know it has a name and not so nice, but strangely comforting, that I'm not the only one. Especially where you say that you have trouble judging where your body parts are in relation to things--thats it exactaly, but I sometimes find it hard to put these kinds of things into words.

[creid]

I thought I was the only one!! I am never without a bruise

[Rachel--24]

I used to crash into stuff all the time when I was real sick...pre-gluten-free. I think it had something to do with the brain-fog...I was just plain out-of-it.

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

Boy, do I know that. But either I didn't have this before glutenfree or I didn't notice it. Maybe brainfog. Last week I ran into one of our doors of the kitchen drawer that we left open to "defreeze" the pipe. I forgot that it was open and ...bang! Ran against it straight forward. Hit the shin and the knee. Boy was I rolling and cursing on the floor. The last year before going glutenfree I was so off balance I thought I had a brain tumor. This is gone now luckily. Now I run into things. Well, you can't have everything

[bluelotus]

I get the this too after I have accidently had gluten. Ex. There are these thick glass windows at my gym, sometimes I would bend down to put my water and mp3 player down by the window wall and hit my head on the window - so embarrassing!

[num1habsfan]

Oh yes, the clumsiness is insane for me. I am always nearly falling over, running into things, dropping things, etc etc etc. Sometimes I've gotten up out of bed, and seriously just fallen to my floor! I'm always being called clumsy. Sometimes its rather embarassing

~lisa~

[Claire]

Consider also that what is being described here by so many may well be an ataxia. Ataxia is a neurological disorder caused by damage to the cerebellum - the part of the brain that controls gait, balance, swallowing, speech, etc. . It can have many causes but is found in both celiac and gluten sensitivity patients. Those with gluten sensitivity appear to be particularly susceptible to this and gluten exposure (even a tiny amount) can do irreversible damage to the brain.

I have ataxia and all of the symptoms that are mentioned here. I have a serious gait problem that is always present. I have been ordered to be gluten free by three separate neurologists to date.

We have several people with ataxia on this forum. Some are diagnosed with gluten ataxia, others with celiac ataxia or autoimmune ataxia. Whatever, it is essentially all the same thing.

I am rather passionate on the subject of 'just a little' - cheating in other words. With this kind of damage always a possibility with celiacs - why would anyone take the chance? Claire

[lightbeam]

Hi there,

I know what you mean--every so often I would have weird phases of struggling with this, but it would pass. I was always fairly interested in doing physical things and fortunately for many years I did go to a health club. Better than that, I did a lot of gardening, which happily caused me to stretch a lot. But funny things would happen sometimes. Then when I was 50, I finally found out about the celiac disease. I was having some vision trouble too (they couldn't seem to fit me with glasses that worked completely). I had a long search where doctor after doctor couldn't find the problem. The FINALLY I had an MRI and the cause was found--I have MS too. I strongly urge you if you have symptoms other than typical ones for celiac disease that you have yourself checked for this. Early treatment is important, they say. I don't believe (although I'm no expert) that celiac disease caused my clumsiness, and if I hadn't had the vision problem I wouldn't have found out about the ms. It's important to note that not everyone with ms has vision problems.

Ms is something I think doctors should test for routinely in a kid's physical, just like he should test for celiac disease. My doctors put up an amazing amount of resistance to testing me because they kept telling me both conditions were so rare, and I looked fit. BOTH ailments are autoimmune diseases. So just check so you can be sure!

Good luck,

lightbeam

[Claire]

To lightbeam:

Please do not misunderstand me. I do not mean to be rude but I question doctors as a matter of principal.

I am a no longer practicing Rehab therapist so I have some experience also to back me up.

You say "The FINALLY I had an MRI and the cause was found--I have MS too" The brain damage done to Celiac patients by gluten looks very much like MS on an MRI. The difference is primarily in the distribution of the damage. Gluten induced symptoms from brain damage are all but identical to MS symptoms. However MS is progressive and in most patients has periods of remission - then another episode - then remission again. The damage done during each episode remains.

If a regular doctor - not a neurologist - read your MRI - by all means consider having it read by a neurologist. Even then, they make mistakes with this too - mainly because they are not that familiar with celiac.

I have the kind of brain damage I am talking about. I do not have MS. I do not have Celiac either. Genetic gluten sensitivity has yet to be tested. I have been ordered to stay on gluten-free diet because gluten is a threat to people with neurological disease. Claire

[sneako]

Aye, I too have the problem, but not just while walking, it also includes while cutting things and eating things. Which is crappy cause I cut often at work. I'll be standing there cutting something up (ie goat cheese) then I kind of black out, and next thing I know my knife is hovering over my knuckles but doesnt slice them. Very strange feeling. And my co-workers say I bump into them so often and so hard that they move out of the way when I walk by, and one even said "Mike PLEASE stop bumping into me, I almost fall down every time!" Now...I'm ~280 pounds and 6'3" so I'm a pretty strong force into stuff, and yes, I have bruises to show it. A couple of days ago I got two "paper" cuts, one with cardboard, one with the edge of a stainless steel hotel pan. Burned myself 4 times on finger tips (I almost never burn fingers, palms and arms yes, but fingers rarely), and jammed two fingers in the walk-in door. dunno what the hell is wrong with me. And today after getting glutened at about 11am, and having to work at 4pm I felt dead. at 240 I passed out, luckily I set the alarm for 300. Woke up, took my shower, dead tired, brought 2 energy drinks (Monster) to work, didnt kick in. Things that I suppose may cause this: 1) Eating at odd hours, often only once a day. Not drinking enough (I drink 6 or so liters aday of water), too many carbs in my diet, I eat corn chips like theres no tomorrow. dunno what else, but I feel like I'd rather be dead at this point. (Pardon the skipping around of topics, but I can thank the ADD for that one. you should hear me talking to my parents and coworkers )

[Christine1962]

Believe it or not. it is called GLUTEN ATAXIA and that is my first sign that I have been glutened--I start bumping into stuff, I walk like a drunk person, my speech slurs.

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