Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners
Idiopathic drop attacks
Hi, I am a 51-year-old female who has been suffering from idiopathic drop attacks for at least 30 years. Essentially, it feels like my brain suddenly forgets to tell my knees to hold me - my knees buckle under me and I drop to the ground and land on my knees. I never fall backwards or forwards - just straight down. I do not lose consciousness at all and I always just get straight back up. I have never hurt myself from one of these falls.
I have lost count of the number of tests, assessments and examinations I have had this problem and am at my wit's end as to where to go from here. It is having a significant negative effect on my quality of life and is also affecting my ability to work. I can work if it is just one or two falls a day but not if it is multiple falls in an hour.
After 4 days in Hospital, and subsequent outpatient testing I have been advised that there is nothing wrong with my neurological functions, my heart or my respiratory system.
I have had specialists tell me that it could be low blood pressure, a salt deficiency, mental health, misplaced knee tendons.
Personally, my husband and I have anecdotally noted that they seem to occur more often if I eat or drink certain things (specifically preservatives and flavour enhancers), am exposed to certain chemicals (eg weed killer on my skin) or to some aromatherapy scents (including sandalwood). We have also noticed that if I become severely emotionally distressed (either angry or upset) it is more likely to happen. Similarly, if I am worried.
In the past, there have frequently been long periods of time between attacks - sometimes years. When I get an attack it can be one fall or can be multiple falls over a period of several days or weeks. It can be a few falls a day or several falls an hour.
I have been advised by a chiropractor and a naturopath (both using kinesiology as a diagnostic tool) that I am sensitive to gluten, sugar, dairy and yeast.
Adrenalin based anaesthetics make me feel like I am having a mild panic attack. Codeine makes me feel very strange - I have never taken narcotics but somehow imagine that is what it would feel like.
A Dr at a hospital gave me a drug that he said would "send me on a trip". I told him I didn't want to take it because I often react oddly to medication. He said I had no choice - they needed to reset my broken wrist. When I came round afterwards, he said: "I see what you mean - you are very sensitive."
When I am having an attack, I usually know I am going to fall down because I feel awful. The best description I can come up with is that it is like a hangover. I feel nauseous and my head feels like it is full of cotton wool and I feel like my mind is not as sharp as usual.
I believe I am also menopausal. My periods became erratic about 2 years ago and I have not had one since July last year. My husband and I both feel that the dropping has got worse since I became menopausal.
I also feel drop dead tired when I am having attacks. Essentially we believe that the falls are caused by a chemical imbalance in my brain which somehow affects the neural connectivity in the area controlling the messages to my knees. I am desperate to try to deal with this but just don't know where to turn to to get help.
