It's such a shock when you fall

R

Rose65

Well-known Member
Location
United Kingdom
I slid downstairs this morning. I think the damage is minimal as it was only half way down. No doubt I shall pay over the next few days. Mainly carpet burns!
Recently I scalded my hand and bumped my head on a cupboard door - which I had left open and stood up into. That did hurt.
I felt so foolish each time.
I wondered which ways anyone else here has hurt themselves recently? Why do we do it?
 

Ouch... Been there, done that! I'm glad you were not seriously hurt.

When I fall, I need this thing to get up...


Maidesite-Heavy-Duty-Floor-Lift-Chair-2.png


I was happy I found one used. Best $100 in ages... :)
 
Rose65 said:
I slid downstairs this morning. I think the damage is minimal as it was only half way down. No doubt I shall pay over the next few days. Mainly carpet burns!
Recently I scalded my hand and bumped my head on a cupboard door - which I had left open and stood up into. That did hurt.
I felt so foolish each time.
I wondered which ways anyone else here has hurt themselves recently? Why do we do it?
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Do take care Rose. I tend to do things like that when I hurry, so now I try to do things slowly, it works. :)
 

I've found that things like that happen to me when I'm not paying attention... totally distracted. Well, that's for things like cuts and burns. Most falls I've ever had were because of ice except for one when I wasn't paying attention on steps... thought I was on the bottom step but I wasn't... banged my head pretty badly... but none of it was very recent.

Heal fast, Rose! 💐
 
I hope you feel better today Rose, it's often the shock which gets you the most. I've fallen downstairs several times... not funny at all... and I grab for the bannister, and it almost pulls my shoulder out of it's socket

I tripped last summer as I stepped out of the back door and fell onto the gravel while holding a hot drink.. ...I really hurt myself, damaged my shoulder, and my legs... not to mention the shock of it... we just don't bounce like we used to.. I seemed to fall like a stone...just missed the edge of the concret path with my face...

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@Aunt Bea
"my world is getting smaller"

Yes, I know. I have a mantra I repeat over & over, whether silently or out loud:
I WILL NOT FALL
I am mindful of this every minute, nay! every second! when I am standing or walking. I WILL NOT FALL.

However, that didn't stop something from falling on my dumbkopf a few months ago. I forgot the incident, but it could have been avoided, and I could have gotten very seriously hurt, even worse.
 
Pendle said:
Sorry you fell, Rose, it shakes you up.
Last year I fell flat on my face on the flagstones outside, broke my nose, two black eyes.Didnt know I had so much blood in me. Looked like I’d gone six rounds with Mike Tyson. Luckily my nose was fixable so you can’t tell now.
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There is a ton of blood from head injuries. It's quite shocking, isn't it? Years ago, I fell on my head when drunk. I saw all the blood, ALL THE BLOOD, and started laughing. I was drunk, that was my reaction.
 
Rose65 said:
I slid downstairs this morning. I think the damage is minimal as it was only half way down. No doubt I shall pay over the next few days. Mainly carpet burns!
Recently I scalded my hand and bumped my head on a cupboard door - which I had left open and stood up into. That did hurt.
I felt so foolish each time.
I wondered which ways anyone else here has hurt themselves recently? Why do we do it?
Click to expand...
Sorry Rose, hope no serious damage!
I guess mishaps happen to everyone now and then. No need to feel foolish.

Yes, I too banged my head on an open cabinet door, ouch.

While cleaning up a spill from the fridge, I slipped and began to fall, so I grabbed the bar on the oven door and guess what? The oven door opened (duh) and I still went down. 🙃
 
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I think the only times in recent memory that I stumbled or fell were all related to walking the dogs. A sudden, unexpected leash pull (oh look, a squirrel!!) when I was distracted and down I went, taking most of the impact on the heel of my hand and one hip. I had to pick gravel out of the hand wound which was bleeding profusely, and my hip area was black and blue!

Another fall because I hadn’t realized both dogs’ leashes had wrapped opposite ways around my legs (again I was distracted) and I landed on one knee with a bit of an abrasion.

In deference to my advancing years (I’ll be 72 in April) I don’t run up and down stairs any more, I walk and hold the rail. I don’t have stairs but clients do. I probably average 15 flights a week.

I’m super careful when it gets snowy and icy. Luckily our driveway is gravel so it’s much easier to walk the dogs down it to get to the road to walk them. No sidewalks but lots of grassed edging that I can walk on which again isn’t slick like pavement is.

My bone density tests are always normal (so far!🤞) because of a careful diet and exercise.
 
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In 2020, just before the lockdown started, Cindy had a Doctor's appointment. As she was getting ready she was telling me the stuff wanted to ask her about. I write down and it was sitting my desk. I went to the throne room and when I came out I saw they had gone. When I got back to my desk I saw the paper still sitting there, and since I could see the car was still out front I went out the door much faster than I normally walk, and yelled for her to wait.

As I started to run down the 5 steps in front of the house, my shoe rolled and threw me off balance (which happens easy for me anyway) and I did an unscheduled flight the rest of the way down the steps, into the giant Rhododendron bush beside the steps and landed on my back. That was the first time I fell and couldn't get up.

My neighbor's aide was just get there for work and saw all that and he came and helped me up. My right arm was shredded by the Rhody bush, and I was pretty well covered in blood. But after I cleaned it up it wasn't so bad. At least, not until I woke up the next day...

After that, I never used the steps again. I walked down the wheel chair ramp instead.
 
I've noticed my balance isn't everything it used to be. It seemingly used to operate on automatic, so much so that I came to count on it and didn't worry about good traction on a hill. That's no longer there.

But my wife is the one who took another tumble just yesterday. She went to kick a plastic bottle on the ground and lost her balance. In December she tried to step off a too-tall curb and fell. Before that she tripped on some uneven concrete in her studio and face planted. I can see where this is going. Falling really is the enemy as Atul Gawande says in the book On Being Mortal.
 
I am in my 70's, 6' 1" and around 285lbs. I have not fallen in years. Even though I played football and wrestled I now understand how dangerous a fall would be for me at this point in my life. We have one set of stairs that are carpeted, but I still know they are dangerous for me to go on, so I avoid going down the stairs unless I have to! I always try to keep focused when walking to avoid falling. So far, so good...but eventually I know I will likely fall.

Life is not fair...
 

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