Early Days - First Indications of a Problem

Thinking back prior to my diagnosis it's apparent that I was experiencing symptoms long before it was recognized it as a medical problem.  On a cruise to the Bahamas in 1992 I was walking down East Bay Street going to Potters Cay where the local fisher folk have stalls under the bridge to Paradise Island. I stepped of a curb and fell flat on my face.  I was holding a brand new camera in front of me and was more concerned about it than myself.  There I was....full face plant. I think I broke the camera and my wife (Ruth-Ann) was standing beside me saying "What happened??".
This was one of many, many falls to come.  I fell down our friends front porch steps, fell downstairs at my mothers house, started tripping on uneven ground and even fell a couple of times getting out of my pick-up truck.
It is interesting to note that at that time I was quite fit.  I played squash, worked out at Golds Gym and did a little body building.  We skied all winter and sailed our C&C 35 sailboat all summer. Between seasons we toured around on our Honda GL1200 Goldwing motorcycle.  Life was good and we were having lots of fun.
On the ski hills Ruth-Ann and I were probably advanced, intermediate skiers.  We could ski anywhere but avoided steep narrow trails and mogul runs as neither of us could afford an injury keeping us from work. I started to have problems controlling turns and lifting my feet up in deeper snow. Powder skiing lessons at Whistler were fun but a complete failure for me as I could not get on to that 'back on the tails' bouncing technique you need to make turns in deep snow. My skiing career ended abruptly on a nice smooth, groomed hill at Craigleith Ski Club in Collingwood.  I stopped on a small rise to wait for my wife and some friends to catch up, started off with a skating stride, caught a tip and ripped the medial collateral ligament in my right knee.  My last run down the hill was in a ski patrollers toboggan. No more skiing for me and in retrospect, I think this injury was caused by the increasing loss of muscle in the quads.
Sailing had similar issues as well. Stepping over the cockpit combing from the deck to the seat was a long step that surprised me a few times and left me laying on the cockpit floor.  Every time it was a knee that let me down.
It was 10 years and many falls before I was diagnosed with Inclusion Body Myositis.  My response to the weakness, the falling and the muscle shrinkage was to join a health club and hire a trainer and get back in shape.  This was probably what we all would do but hard workouts are not in your best interest with IBM.
I was amazed to learn that we have so many muscle cells in our bodies that we can loose 60% to 70% before we notice the loss.

Introduction to my journey with IBM

Thanks for joining me as I document my personal journey with Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM).  My intent is to detail my personal experiences with IBM in hopes of creating an informative record for both fellow IBMers and the medical field.  Please interact with me and hopefully we can develop a reference base for all interested parties.

When I was first diagnosed in 2001 there was not much known about IBM and most doctors had to look it up.  I am luckier than a lot of people dealing with this disease in that I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada where there are a lot of excellent medical facilities and knowledgeable resources available.

My name is Paul Bond, born 1950 and diagnosed with IBM in 2001 after several years of unexplained trips and falls.  I was working as a sales and service representative in the railroad maintenance business and continued to work until 2014 when I started working from home on a contract basis.  My wife and I were sailors and skiers and enjoyed touring on our motorcycle until I was no longer able to participate in these pastimes safely.

Its been a rough ride and much has changed but I still strive every day to have the best life possible. 

I was recently reminded of the Serenity Prayer written by American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) which is very appropriate in these circumstances.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

Courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.