I was diagnosed with Cerebellar atrophy in May 2012 when my difficulties with walking and balance tipped over the edge as it were. I then discovered this means I have Ataxia, of which more later.

The picture here was taken at the Brent Cross shopping centre on a scooter courtesy of ShopMobility. For the story of how this happened, read the post To scoot or not to scoot...

Today (29th September 2013) I actually received a letter from the Ataxia Clinic saying that all the specialist genetic blood tests they had run, had come back negative, which means they have no idea what caused my ataxia, which apparently started when I was quite young.

I am now officially diagnosed as having Ideopathic Cerebellar Ataxia...

For more information on ataxia, the best place to go is http://www.ataxia.org.uk

My condition is not nearly as bad as some, but I am unsteady on my feet and ... (Not really the place for all my medical diagnosis, is it?)

I do unfortunately also have a trapped nerve in my back which means I can neither stand nor walk for long, hence the mobility scooter. This one is borrowed from Shopmobility, but I am currently investigating getting one for myself to go in the boot of my car. This will mean I can now go for visits to the nearby parks which I have had to skip in recent months. It will also mean visits to the local shops will no longer be quite so exhausting, nor dangerous in that I will not be in danger of falling while comfortably on my scooter.

Not the life I would have chosen, but there we are.