Can you pass the Romberg test?

[IDreamInColor]

I was researching tonight and came across an article about gluten ataxia, which lead me to something called the Romberg test. I'm curious if any of us here have problems with this test, and if those affected carry the same gene, and if it may have something to do with the gluten and damage to a part of our brain.
One subject reported that she couldn't do the romberg test, but then after being gluten free for quite a while she then had no problems performing the test.
Here is the link to the YouTube video with instructions...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBQNwvWgREU

[starfire]

I didn't "fall" but I do sway.

Interesting.

Love, Shirley

[tex]

That's one of the tests that the neurologist gave me when he incorrectly, (I hope), diagnosed me with Parkinson's disease. I have peripheral neuropathy, (due to gluten damage, which he assumed to be associated with Parkinson's).

So no, I can't pass that test, and yes, I do have brain damage almost surely caused by gluten. I have one celiac gene, and one non-celiac gene that predisposes to gluten-sensitivity.

HLA-DQB1 Molecular analysis, Allele 1 0201
HLA-DQB1 Molecular analysis, Allele 2 0501
Serologic equivalent: HLA-DQ 2,1 (Subtype 2,5)

Tex

[Zizzle]

I passed. Phew!!

I had vertigo a few years ago for several months - I would have definitely failed then! They never found a cause, instead labeled it "migraine-related phenomena." Yet I don't suffer from migraines.

[Linda in BC]

Interesting info, Idream. I passed.

Zizzle , I was also interested to read what your doctors said about vertigo and migraines. I had my first ever vertigo attack a few weeks ago and then yesterday had this weird strobe thing with my eyes that I get sometimes ( had it checked out by an opthomologist and there is no eye-related cause ) but then developed a massive headache yesterday afternoon. I am now beginning to think the strobing is what Tex called an aura migraine or something Or a pre-curser to a migraine. I was getting a lot of headaches around the time I had the vertigo. Hmmm.... all very interesting.
Linda

[MaggieRedwings]

I also had that test done by the neurologist when they presumed I had bipositional vertigo and I failed miserably. To this day, I still cannot pass it and they deemed my vertigo presumption with the term not really sure what the problem is. Lately, I have been having effects again and also the eye color spots and slight headaches. Seems somehow to have a seasonal thing for me since it was around the Fall when it was the worst and slightly less worse in the Spring. Winter and Summer seem fine. Go figure.

Love, Maggie

[starfire]

I have the aural migranes also. No real pain involved but it is disconcerting when your eyes do such strange things. Last spring I had one that lasted about 3 days. I was about to call the doctor but it started improving.

Love, shirley

[tex]

Linda,

That sounds like a classic migraine. Here is a list of known triggers for migraines, (everyone seems to have their own most likely trigger or triggers - mine was apparently MSG, because I haven't had one since I started avoiding MSG again).

* Allergies and allergic reactions

* Bright lights, loud noises, and certain odors or perfumes

* Physical or emotional stress

* Changes in sleep patterns or irregular sleep

* Smoking or exposure to smoke

* Skipping meals or fasting

* Alcohol

* Menstrual cycle fluctuations, birth control pills, hormone fluctuations during menopause onset

* Tension headaches

* Foods containing tyramine (red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs, and some beans), monosodium glutamate (MSG), or nitrates (like bacon, hot dogs, and salami)

* Other foods such as chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, avocado, banana, citrus, onions, dairy products, and fermented or pickled foods.

I had migraines frequently when I was reacting, (complete with a splitting headache). After I reached remission, though, I never had another, until 5 years later, when I made the mistake of eating corn chips that contained MSG. That caused acephalgic migraines, (migraines without a headache). After I cut out the MSG again, that put a stop to the migraines/auras. In fact, I haven't had a single headache since then, (except for one time when I bumped my head on a steel frame, but it's certainly not surprising that would cause a headache. ) According to the literature, as we get older, if we still have migraines, we are less likely to have the headache portion of the event.

I hope you can find the cause, and keep them from happening.

Tex

[tex]

Shirley,

You really should have seen your doctor about that prolonged aura. Apparently nothing bad came of it, but any aura that lasts more than 30 minutes is not part of a normal migraine event, and it should be reported. It can be a sign of a TIA, a stroke, or a vision issue, for example.

Love,
Tex

[MBombardier]

I had no problem with this test. However, part of that may be attributed to having a Wii with the Wii Fit Plus and balance board. This has a lot of fun games designed to improve muscle control and balance. Once it only took me 10.02 seconds to stand with my weight exactly 50.0-50.0 on each foot for three seconds. No one else in my family, not even my two youngest, who are both about 40 years younger than me, has been able to do it before the 30-second clock runs out.

That's a Christmas present idea...

[Zizzle]

I went to a neurologist who ordered an MRI looking for a "posterior fossa process", but it was all clean. I had recently begun swimming for exercise, so I think I had inner-ear issues from water in the ears. It eventually resolved on it's own, and I never took the migraine meds. I think his diagnosis was a catch-all shot in the dark, much like IBS.

I've only had one debilitating black-out migraine in my life, when I was a teen. I do get frequent one-sided pulsating pains in my eye sockets, usually from too much flourescent lighting (at work), MSG, and red wine. I think they are mini-migraines, and caffeine is usually a good fix. Haven't had one in a while, but they get worse after daylight savings ends and I spend more time at work with less daylight coming in the windows. I keep an incandescent lamp on my desk to take a break from the flourescents.

[tex]

As a side note, some sources claim that one cannot get UVB through ordinary window glass, (for the purpose of producing vitamin D), and it's true that the glass does severely reduce UVB transmission. However, UVB runs in the wavelengths from 315 nm–280 nm, and while window glass blocks over 90% of the light below 300 nm, transmission of light in the spectrum above 300 nm, rapidly improves, (for example, above 350 nm, about 90% of the light successfully passes through ordinary window glass. IOW, sitting in front of a window is not a good way to produce vitamin D, but it is certainly better than nothing.

Tex

[starfire]

Shirley,

You really should have seen your doctor about that prolonged aura. Apparently nothing bad came of it, but any aura that lasts more than 30 minutes is not part of a normal migraine event, and it should be reported. It can be a sign of a TIA, a stroke, or a vision issue, for example.

Love,
Tex

Thanks, Tex. If it ever happens again I will remember your advice.

Love, Shirley

[Linda in BC]

Tex, thanks for the list of migraine triggers. I never thought my headaches were migraines simply because they are never really severe, at least not in the way that some people describe such as having to lay in a dark room for 24 hours, or strong enough to make them throw-up, etc. I just get a headache and a 1/2 of a tylenol, or a whole one if it's worse than usual, takes it them away.

Come to think of it, I have not suffered from headaches much at all in the last 20 years, but have had probably about 10 in the last 4 months, since I went gf.

Linda

[hoosier1]

One of the few tests that I have passed lately