You Don't Need Gray Hair to Need a Walker

One of the things that most frustrates me about having a chronic debilitating disease is the fact that I don’t fit into any established mold.  To the casual observer, I appear to be a perfectly healthy, albeit overweight, middle-aged woman.  I am intelligent, talented, and reasonably well-spoken.  I have all my limbs, I am not stooped with age, I am not paralyzed or blind, and much of the time I am able to walk just fine without assistance.  Why in the world would I need a walker?

When my doctor suggested I start using a walker, I didn’t think it would be any help.  After all, using one would mean I would still be standing, and standing is what causes me to have such extreme lower back pain.  But when I received a walker from a local assistance agency, I decided to try it out.  I was very pleasantly surprised!

I was initially hesitant to use the walker due to my age.  After all, I’m not a little old lady, bent with age.  Some of the time, I can actually walk just fine without the walker, but the times I need it are never predictable.  As it is, there have been several times when I’ve been very grateful to have it, as I’ve had to rely on it to keep me standing when some part of my body suddenly develops severe pain.

Another reason to use the walker is to maintain my posture.  One major facet of Ankylosing Spondylitis is severe curvature of the spine, causing the patient to stoop over.  While this is not unusual to see in an elderly person, it is quite unexpected in a younger person.  Yet that is exactly what I am trying to avoid.  I’m already short; I don’t need to lose any more height!  Using the walker forces me to stand up, and gives me a way to keep moving when the pain makes me want to bend over.  Bending over reduces the pain, but staying in that position causes the bones to fuse that way, making the bent posture permanent.  Not the way I want to end up, at least not this early in my life!  I also have tall children (they seem to take after their father!), and I really don’t want to have to look them in the navel any sooner than necessary.  So, as you can imagine, maintaining an erect posture is vitally important to me.

So just because someone appears to be healthy, don’t assume they are.  Invisible illnesses are just that: INVISIBLE!  I can assure you, I don’t use a walker because I want the attention!  I would far rather be able to walk on my own reliably, than have to rely on any sort of walking aid.