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Thursday, July 28, 2022

MRS. CRANKY’s FALL

 

MRS. CRANKY’s FALL



This last week we were visiting my sister-in-law and her kids at a lovely house only a few yards off of Boothbay Harbor in Maine. 

While I was on the porch watching boats, ducks and eagles do their thing on the bay I heard a loud crash followed by several panicky  “Are you ok’s?” from inside.

Mrs. Cranky had been moving a chair from one room to another and she slipped on the small stepdown between rooms.  She was afraid to move, was experiencing nausea, and was on the verge of fainting. 

It was a pretty hard fall.

When we could finally get her up and seated, and the nausea and near fainting passed,  her ankle blew up like a tick in two places and was changing colors like a neon sign. 

It was not good. 

There was no way that she could walk on this swollen miscolored ankle.

I called the closest urgent medical care center.  Their protocol, since they had no ex-ray machine, was to not even see her if she could not put weight on her ankle.  

They said to call the emergency room.

I called the emergency room and they said to go to the urgent medical care center.  Told that we did that, they informed me they could not even suggest she come to the ER over the phone without a referral.

“Well, hypothetically if someone was carried in with a swollen discolored ankle, would you look at it?”

“I am not allowed to say, but hypothetically…probably.”

This was not an encouraging conversation, and as the pain was apparently a notch below excruciating, it was decided we could wait until the next day.

The ankle was iced and I purchased a pair of crutches and an ankle wrap at the local Walgreen’s.

Interestingly the sales person at Walgreen’s thought that the crutches might be on sale, so it took a bit of research while I was chomping at the bit to just get back to the injured Mrs. C.

“I’m kind of in a hurry, I don’t mind paying full price.”

“It will only take a minute sir, I don’t want you to miss out on a sale.”

Why any store would offer a sale on crutches is beyond me, but this was Maine, and you do not rush Mainiacs.

The crutches were not on sale.

Anyway, back at the house, the ankle was even more swollen and discolored, and Mrs. C had to use the facilities.

We wrapped her iced ankle and she was off on the crutches to take care of business.  She damn near fell on her butt once again.

“Don’t you know how to use crutches?”

“I’ve never had to.”

“You never messed with the crutches of some friend who needed them as a kid.”

“No.”

Mrs. C would move her good foot up to the level of the crutches and stop leaving her with no forward point of balance.

“Move the good foot forward past the crutches and then swing the crutches ahead always leaving  a three point stance, like a stool.”

“I can’t.”

For the rest of the day it was hop-teeter-hop to any destination with me behind to stop her from falling.  She did get better at it, but not much.

The next day the swelling was down a bit and there was no pain if the ankle was kept immobile.  We iced it all day and I was an on-call errand boy.

By dinner she could actually limp around without the crutches, which was a relief because her trying to move on the crutches was potentially as dangerous as trying to navigate that between-rooms step the day before.

We were back in New Jersey on the third day after the fall.

Mrs. C insisted on driving, (she claims I drive too slow) and she did not have any issues with the ankle.  The following day, our NJ urgent center does have an ex-ray machine, and we it was confirmed that nothing was broken.

Still limping, Mrs. C should be fine in a few days. 

Good thing, because she is not a good patient, and I am an even worse errand boy.

12 comments:

  1. Wow. Thank goodness it wasn't broken. She's quite the trooper. I don't know how to use crutches either and never played around with them. So I'd be the same. It's not fun when you hurt yourself and have to be waited on.

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  2. I just hate the run around you were given by the medical professionals. Glad she is doing better but it was a shame she had to have suffered so. Grr. Think you should get her a bell to ring when she wants you to do something for her. Just an idea:)
    Be well soon Mrs. C.

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  3. So glad it wasn't broken. When I broke mine I got crutches. Big mistake. I fell twice trying to use them. Jim took them away from me and got me a wheelchair. Much easier. I really do like the bell idea.

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  4. Glad Mrs C is feeling better, and that nothing is broken. To be fair, I was given "crutch training" in the physical therapy department when I had my first knee surgery. So I guess a lot of people don't know how to use crutches, even though I think I could have figured it out. I can't believe Mrs C DROVE on a sprained ankle! You must have let a Galapagos tortoise pass you on the shoulder. Props to you for taking care of "the patient" until she was ambulating on her own again.

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  5. Over here we don't call the emergency department first, we just got there and wait to be seen to. Trouble is, people go there unnecessarily, so it is always crowded.
    I'm glad Mrs C is much better and nothing is broken. I can't believe she drove the car with such a bad sprain!

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  6. I'm glad this wasn't more serious, but ouch. A sale on crutches? Really? I laughed out loud.

    Have a fabulous day and a healing hug to your wife. ☺

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  7. The thing with crutches is that as we get older our sense of balance changes. I broke my ankle a few years ago and was totally surprised that I could no longer use crutches. I ended up in a wheel chair for a few weeks. That said, there are some interesting videos on YouTube, created by physical therapists, illustrating how to improve balance in older people (or anybody, I guess). I purchased a handy dandy little foam mat (on Amazon, of course) specifically designed for improving balance. When I got it, I could not balance on it without something to steady myself with. Now, I do the balance routine completely freestanding. Sorry, the only option I get to publish this is “anonymous”. Carolyn Green

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  8. You are both so lucky and I am glad. This is the sign of the times as we age and U.S. health care is a disaster.

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  9. Praying all the swelling is gone soon and that she has no more falls.

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  10. Having a fall at not so young a age is something that is not desirable. Learning to use the crutches is not easy for some one who has never used it before.

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  11. Glad Mrs. C. is getting better. Fortunate she didn't have a more serious injury.

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  12. forgive my ignorance as i think Mrs C is hardly fifty or even less ? if yes then it is bit relief because we all know that such swelling and color disappears within one or two weeks , i had few rough falls in my fifties i think two yes and each time signs were so mild and gone within few days .she is brave lady and you cared her lovingly . medical center without X ray machine is beyond my comprehension actually

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