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Going upstairs
- Thread starter anniekim
- Start date
allyann
Senior Member
- Messages
- 418
- Location
- Melbourne Australia
Hi Anniekim,
For me it is crawling forwards as I don't need to haul myself up each step so much, hope this helps
Allie
For me it is crawling forwards as I don't need to haul myself up each step so much, hope this helps
Allie
I usually do forward if my husband's not around to help me, but I'm not sure whether it's actually better.
If he's around, I get a "boost" from below from him. ...Or a backpack carry with a large tablecloth if I'm really severe. I am ever grateful that there's only one half flight of stairs in our house and that most of the time I don't need to use it.
If he's around, I get a "boost" from below from him. ...Or a backpack carry with a large tablecloth if I'm really severe. I am ever grateful that there's only one half flight of stairs in our house and that most of the time I don't need to use it.
Boule de feu
Senior Member
- Messages
- 1,118
- Location
- Ottawa, Canada
Do you think you could get an electric chair to save your energy?
Boule de feu
Senior Member
- Messages
- 1,118
- Location
- Ottawa, Canada
Oops!
I meant a stair lift, not an electric chair!
What was I thinking??? LOL
I meant a stair lift, not an electric chair!
What was I thinking??? LOL
- Messages
- 2,573
- Location
- US
IMO it depends. Backwards if you have better leg strength, forward if you have better arm/shoulder/torso strength. Based on that, it would be backwards for me. But backwards would have less control and make me a little dizzy
hurtingallthetimet
Senior Member
- Messages
- 612
i crawl upwards also when i dont feel like walking....cause i sometimes lay on stairs when really tired in between the trip and its more comfortable for me like that...stairs can be dangerous...i always knew this of course but never really really thought aobut it for someone my age until i fell a few times...
I have really steep narrow european stairs in a half-spiral, so can't stop halfway or sit on them really. I climb up forward while standing, and they're steep enough that I can use the stairs in front of me to brace my arms on to take part of the load.
Mostly I just don't go upstairs
Mostly I just don't go upstairs
- Messages
- 72
Upstairs works for me; though I don't think I've ever tried sliding up backwards. What a funny thing that would look like!
alex3619
Senior Member
- Messages
- 13,810
- Location
- Logan, Queensland, Australia
Back in the early days of my illness I had to get to some specialists. The street with the specialists is on a huge rise at the top of a hill. To get there involved going up a long windy staircase on the hillside which is in a park. I went up butt first, lifting myself. I only had mild ME at the time, but I had complications of severe pain in my knees (and feet, and shoulders, and and and). People probably thought I was crazy but I never noticed as it took all my energy and quite a bit of time to do it, I wasn't looking at passers by.
Bye, Alex
Bye, Alex
When I had my major 'crash' and finally realised that I had CFS - in hindsight it'd been creeping on for years, I finally could really understand why the elderly needed to sell their two storey homes and move into an apartment or single level home. Those last stairs up to the bedroom at night were unbelievably exhausting - no comparison to climbing into bed after cycling up the Andes all day (sigh, the memories!) or the worst muscular fatigue and pain after an intensely intense workout. It was 'to the core' exhaustion and definately memorable.
Alex - I can't imagine! Going up butt first sounds even more exhausting but i can relate to the trauma of (barely) not being able to lift one leg up after the other.
Alex - I can't imagine! Going up butt first sounds even more exhausting but i can relate to the trauma of (barely) not being able to lift one leg up after the other.
taniaaust1
Senior Member
- Messages
- 13,054
- Location
- Sth Australia
For me its crawl forwards. There are stairs outside where my bank is.. and Ive found crawling up them on all fours is the best if I cant walk up that day.
I've given up on stairs, at least temporarily. My mattress is now in the living room, and I go upstairs once every few days for a bath now, instead twice a day. It had gotten to the point where I was too light-headed to stand up after going up, and would be panting for breath for 10 minutes after going up there and laying down.
Crazy.
Crazy.
- Messages
- 45
- Location
- Northern California
I got stuck living in an apartment with a huge outdoor staircase for over 6 months. I never crawled but I was so winded at the top I thought I'd never make it again. Then I had to walk my dog 5 times a day, and at night, so I had to use the stairs a lot. I'll be darned if my muscle strength increased and it wasn't so difficult after awhile. Now I'm downstairs and rarely use that upstairs staircase.
It sure does feel like walking downstairs is a lot more dangerous than up. I would slide down on my butt for sure to avoid injury.
It sure does feel like walking downstairs is a lot more dangerous than up. I would slide down on my butt for sure to avoid injury.
- Messages
- 24
Stairs were one of my big nightmares - still can be when I get into a relapse. It was /is hard to convey the fear I could feel about those everyday objects. The stairs at home are quite steep and they used to represent this impenetrable. When I was upstairs I'd feel marooned and lost. I couldn't go down because I couldn't get back up again.When I dared to venture down, I'd be nervous of losing my strength before making the return journey. It somehow never occurred to me to crawl, or to ask to be carried. I somehow seemed to feel I had to either get up properly or not at all.
Stairs in other places like hotels or public places were things of social awkwardness, becaue a lot of the time I'd be trying to hide my sickness from friends or work-associates and if I had to walk up a flight of stairs I'd feel impelled to try and do it as if I was a 'normal' person. If I managed to get to the top I'd feel as if I as about to die and would have to try and disguise my breathlessness, shaking limb and pounding heart as best I could. Again it just never occurred to me to simply admit my problem - never mind ask for help.
I think stairs have become some sort of symbol of my ability to cope. If I can make the stairs I can handle things, if I can't, I can't....Ridiculous really.
Stairs in other places like hotels or public places were things of social awkwardness, becaue a lot of the time I'd be trying to hide my sickness from friends or work-associates and if I had to walk up a flight of stairs I'd feel impelled to try and do it as if I was a 'normal' person. If I managed to get to the top I'd feel as if I as about to die and would have to try and disguise my breathlessness, shaking limb and pounding heart as best I could. Again it just never occurred to me to simply admit my problem - never mind ask for help.
I think stairs have become some sort of symbol of my ability to cope. If I can make the stairs I can handle things, if I can't, I can't....Ridiculous really.
I usually go up on my derriere, but lately I've been just about managing on my feet. I'm really lucky to have an amazingly helpful little boy. When he sees me struggling and clinging to the bannisters with both hands, he puts his hands on my bum and shoves me up! The kid is small but, boy, is he strong!!! I'm not exactly the svelte young waif I used to be.