Better Care is a Must
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| Photo from pexel.com |
So about Mothers Day...
Fortunately I wasn't alone, but my poor daughter finding me laying there as I was trying to get my breathing regulated was sure scared. I got a lump on my head and a cracked rib, but no other damage but even days later, a lot of pain in certain positions or movements. I've been moving slow all week and it'll take weeks to heal properly. I couldn't start PT for my hip, so that's delayed a couple weeks but I'm trying to lightly do what I can. Coughing, sneezing, and even blowing my nose is uncomfortable. Sleep is tough as lying on my back is a no go. On my left aggravates my hip and on my right aggravates the ribs that were battered. Tuesday I got out of bed early and just slept sitting up for an hour or so. The cats thought that was a good position to join me.
I need to take better care, better precautions. I was lucky my daughter was there. Living alone again soon, and doing something dumb might have me stuck for hours. Being out of shape, a lack of balance, and being too heavy likely contributed to not just the fall but the impact. Eating poorly may have caused some lightheadedness. I've gingerly done light things this week, but have felt old and feeble. It's a glimpse of what I'm heading for if I don't take my health more serious.
Maybe my klutziness was a wake up call to really, and I do mean really, take care of myself. The last thing my kids need is to worry about me living alone. I have years worth of yards to mow, vegetables and flowers to grow, and home projects to manage and I can't do this if I'm living older than my years. I want to age not just gracefully but slowly and be strong and steady, able to enjoy both the ordinary and special times. I feel like this week was wasted.
Hi Sam. Oh my goodness that was a nasty fall you had. I'm glad that you weren't on your own when it happened and I do hope that your recovery is swift.
ReplyDeleteI think it'll be slow going but I will get better.
DeleteOh, Sam! Your title resonates deeply with me: I say some variation of it regularly (including while I am typing this note). Please try not to beat yourself up too much about what is done and focus on what you have already declared: move forward steadily and keep your health goals in mind. Big hugs.
ReplyDeleteWake up call for going forward. Walking doesn't hurt so can still do that...if I watch coughs and sneezes.
DeleteOh my, hopefully the rib will heal quickly. I've had several rib fractures in the past, and I know how painful they are. Even coughing is tough, and sneezing is the worst. It's always with amazement that I read this kind of thing and think How? One minute everything's fine, the next you're flat on your back( which I have been, speaking from experience). Take care, and I'm glad your daughter was there.
ReplyDeleteI feel bad how much I frightened her. Her first thought was weed whacker malfunction.
DeleteOh my that had to be scary for you and your daughter. I hope you are on the mend quickly.
ReplyDeleteOur health really should be a top priority because without it, life will be difficult. I too have put more emphasis on diet, stretching and improving balance and strength. I have a lot I want to do in the next few years.
One body and I better start listening better. Balance and strength have been neglected.
DeleteI am so, so sorry to hear that & really glad your daughter was there to help you (& provide emotional support, which was probably as important as physical support). I'm really trying to take care of my health, and it's clear that my job hinders that, which is one of the reasons I'm shortening my time horizon. It will mean a slightly more disciplined retirement than we'd envisioned, but I'd rather have that & my health vs risking that. - Hawaii Planner
ReplyDeleteHere I was so mentally ambiguous when I retired and then slugness took over. Good for you. Ill follow your example and use the time for health care and exercise.
DeleteOh dear!
ReplyDeleteHeal quickly.
-Meg B.
I'm sure trying.
DeleteOh no, I am so sorry. That sounds painful. Sending lots of healing wishes that you will soon be feeling better.
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated.
DeleteSo sorry that happened. I am sending you lots of healing thoughts. Getting older and living alone is not for the faint of heart.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
No, but aging is inevitable. I shouldn't be so "old" yet.
DeleteA fall like that can really cause some bad damage, so good to hear you're healing, although in pain and battered and bruised. Falling is a fear for me, also living alone. Aging well takes work! I need to do something about it!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to think about it as my job now.
DeleteOuch-feel better! You might want to invest in an Apple Watch, which can call 911 for you if you sustain a hard fall. I’ve tripped a couple of times this year and landed on all fours. I banged up my right knee both times, but I was happy to see my watch alert go off. I didn’t need it, but it was comforting to see that I could get help if I ever fall when I am alone.
ReplyDeleteI think sone sort of alert is a great idea. I didn't even gave my phone out with me.
DeleteOh my goodness, I'm so sorry to hear about your fall. On a very rare occasion I miss the last stair when coming downstairs and I always feel that missing such a small step really throws me off balance. Yoga has already proven I need to improve my balance so I'm with you on needing to improve my health/fitness. As you say, we've hopefully got many more years ahead of us and I, for one, want them to be good years. I'm so sorry about your fall but hope you're starting to feel a little better now!
ReplyDeleteYoga, strength training, and building my endurance are going to be part if my plan when I can resume life without pain. Fortunately I can walk and stand without pain, so have tried calve raises abd a few arm exercises with walking. Though, I get tired way to quickly right now.
DeleteI want to second yoga for strength, balance, and connecting with other women my age. I joined a gentle/adaptive class first and have become friends with a wide variety of women. There is something really uplifting about yoga mentally for me, and meeting other women who don’t look like a Lululemon ad was also great.
DeletePS…I am sorry about your fall. I have also fallen a lot with no apparent reason over my lifetime. My Apple Watch has been a lifesaver, and now they can do ECG’s to monitor your heart for you.
DeleteOh dear fractured ribs are painful and nothing but rest helps. As Beth said above you might want to look at an Apple watch. I have one and it did help me when I fell last year. A message went to my son (that is how I have it set up), he rang me and I had got up by then. I was fine to take myself to urgent care, and only had a fractured thumb.
ReplyDeleteIt is snart to consider a device of some sort. Im glad it worked for you.
DeleteI'm sorry you had this fall, how scary for your daughter but thank goodness she was there. Things like this do firmly remind us that we're not young anymore. I hope you heal quickly, I'm sure you know to take things easy in the meantime.
ReplyDeleteIm barely 60 so too young to already have this worry, but a wake up-shake up call.
DeleteThat sounds scary and painful. I hope you recover quickly from the fall and the fright; as you say, a 'wake-up' call. Not to stop doing things, but to be more aware when you are doing them.
ReplyDeleteI cant stop doing things but do need to take better note of what I'm doing and how doing it.
DeleteThank goodness you had someone at home. The thought of falling and being alone is a worry for sure. I hope you are able to rest up and get well quickly
ReplyDeleteI'd have gotten up eventually but it was a while before I got my breath back.
DeleteSorry that happened to you. Unexpected things can happen in an instant, and we really aren't sure why. I had a similar fall several years back in the flower garden and fell into a cement statue. I cracked a rib, and still today, if I lay a certain way I can feel it. Take care and get some good rest.
ReplyDeleteFortunately unlike you, my head hit ground, with grass not concrete. That sounds awful. Im sorry the feeling has stayed.
DeleteI’m about to turn 65 and like you feel that at the moment I’m living older than my years, suddenly it feels like the body is taking revenge for my rather blasé treatment of it the last few years. I know I could walk more, much more, than I do, and a few simple balance exercises a day would help too.
ReplyDeleteBut we have to be kind to ourselves whilst we’re working towards our goals, that way perhaps we’ll stick at it. Glad you are gradually getting better.
Alison in Devon x
Too true...I've been neglectful the past year. I was so good heading into and post knee surgery. I need that mindset back.
DeleteOh no! Falls are never good, but falls with head injuries are really bad. This is a wake up call for me to start improving my core strength, which I have been really lax in doing .
ReplyDeleteIt's more a head bump than a real head injury, but I hear you. Yep, core strengthening is essential and I've been neglectful.
DeleteThis is not to futher alarm anyone but if they haven't had a conversation with their health professional maybe they should. My mom and i were weeding int he garden in Aug. 4 feet from me and I watched her just fall to the ground. There was no warning and she wasn't hurt. We just explained it away as a light headed moment. The next March she had a mini stroke. While being treated they said she may have been having a series of mini strokes. At that point it wasn't on our radar, she had no family history of them. SAM I am sure you are already doing these things and this was just an encouragement to anyone that needs one.
ReplyDeleteGood message for all if us. Im pretty sure mine was a trip, the patio lip or my own feet, but will pay attention.
DeleteOh no Sam! How scary! That is one of my big fears too and I have to be careful outside as well. Like you, I have things I want to do in the yard, but the potential to fall is there, so I try to be careful like you're doing. I hope the pain subsides quickly and you're feeling better very soon.
ReplyDeleteMy back yard us very uneven and made worse with the dog and gopher holes. Hopefully once mixed, I'll see hazards better but my own feet get in my way.
DeleteOh no! That must have been horrible. I hope you heal up soon!
ReplyDeleteI'm known for doing stuff like that. Sigh. Touch wood, it's been a little while. Last time I was just going down the steps from the back door, hit a tiny hole at the bottom the wrong way and kaboom, splat I went. Sigh.
Oh, thats painful too, Sharon. I catch a toe a lot and have had to grasp for balance.
DeleteScary - glad you are on the mend. And yes - a wake up call. I talk to myself often saying "slow down, Gina". I have a tendency to want to get things done NOW. I haven't fallen at home yet, but its a matter of time. It just happens.
ReplyDeleteI'm very sorry to hear about your fall. I'm in the same boat, although I fell forward, missing my head but fracturing my knee and bruising my chest when I tripped over our dog on asphalt. Not being able to get my breath back was super scary, and I'm sorry you and your daughter had to experience that, too. I now have some of the same concerns about aging, living situation, etc. It sounds like you know what's needed to set yourself up for success once you're healed. I'm cheering you on from my chair!
ReplyDeleteOh SAM, I'm just catching up. What a scare for you and your daughter. Take care xx
ReplyDeleteI am
ReplyDeleteSo sorry this happened to you to youZ I was walking yesterday and apparently slightly stumbled over a tree root or uneven ground and have pulled something in my knee. So I am hobbling around today. It can happen in an instants i definitely can’t walk an hour nor five minutes today. I can barely hobble across the room! We are getting old. Cindy in the South
That is awful! I'm always so scared of falling, especially in the winter. I remember tripping on our deck steps at our old house and sprained my ankle, which took forever to heal. I hope your injuries heal soon and you are back to business, as the weather is finally nice! Take care.
ReplyDeletePatience above! No more falls! I wrote about this last week I recall. Thems who fall do not fare well.
ReplyDelete