I don’t know why we usually have to learn things the hard way but It seems to be the case more often than not. I live in a very cold climate. The joke is we have two seasons; Winter and road repair. Just a few weeks ago I thought I should Run out to the car (actually it was “walk carefully”) and get Some groceries before the temperature plummeted. Sounds innocent enough but it turned into a near disaster. Falling is an equal opportunity disaster waiting to happen at any age; however not being able to get up is the real killer in many cases. Well I fell and had forgotten my phone. It was a nasty fall as I hit my head on cement and was bleeding and could not get up; Try as I would I could not pull myself up and out of harms way.
It was early Sunday evening and a small town and since I had just Recently Moved there, I knew no one. People were tucked away For the evening, windows closed, and I lay in sub zero temperatures all night for fourteen hours. I cried and I screamed But no one came. I spent a long time thinking “if only” and And all the “Shoulda, woulda, coulda’s”
It wasn’t until eight the next morning when an 11 year old girl told her school bus driver that she heard someone crying and he left the bus and found me. In about fifteen minutes I was on my way To the hospital with hypothermia and frostbite. I spent 12 days in the hospital and i’m Still dealing with some frostbite Issues.
It could have been worse and falling in excessively hot weather Could have equally been disastrous. I now have a medic alert But feel strongly about sharing this with the hope that it might be useful information and possibly spare someone’s life.
Oh man!! I'm so sorry that happened to you. You had to be frightened out of your mind. So glad you were rescued. Thanks for sharing your cautionary tale.
I'm glad you didn't become an unhappy statistic to read about. This is probably the biggest display of personal fortitude I've seen written in 1st person.
That's a good reminder. My community also has a service that will call seniors who live alone at the same time every day just to check up and make sure that you are okay. If you don't answer, they will send a first responder.
Thank you all for your well wishes. The little girl and her mother, who was also instrumental in my rescue, came to visit me In the hospital and we have since become very good friends. I was extremely greatful for a little girl who was not afraid to speak up and a bus driver who listened to her and responded Accordingly at the risk of losing his job for leaving his school bus unattended if she happened to have been wrong.
I was staying up, way too late, playing on the computer. We had a few inches of snow on the ground.
It suddenly occurred to me that we hadn't checked the mail that day. It never occurred to my Southern-California brain to think about the snow still on the ground. I mean, heck - it wasn't far from my office door to the mailbox.
The office door is on the north side of the house. There was a treacherous slick of black ice on the sidewalk. The second my treadless slippers hit the ice, my feet went out from under me.
Whatever I did to my back, I'm still paying for it, years later.
I ached for about 4 days after the fall, then forgot all about it. Some years later, it came back with a vengeance, in the form of low-spinal arthritis. I can't walk much at all, now. We routinely pack a small, light wheel chair to go shopping or museum-visiting. (The smaller chair is much less bulky and heavy than a standard wheelchair, and far more portable.)
I grew up in the church in So. Cal As well. Didn’t you just have some surgery? I hope you are doing better. Usually it is the anesthetic that knocks the wind out of you and sometimes takes a while to get out of your system. Hope you are feeling better. The only snow I saw in those days was a trip to Santa’s Village when I was ten I think it was somewhere up near Lake Arrowhead; can’t remember.
It was for breast cancer. I don't want to hijack the thread, and I won't have anything new to report until after I see the surgeon for a follow-up on the 10th.
My next-door neighbor went through the same thing a few years back, and she was treated by the local University Oncology Center. She said that it is highly regarded nationally (it is; I checked for myself) but I have never gone there for any kind of treatment. They have a MASSIVE, multi-building medical center.
I asked if she thought they would accept my kind of insurance. She said that most of the people treated there had no insurance at all, and that I would probably be welcomed with open arms.
So - back on topic. It should be 70 degrees here tomorrow, so slips on icy pavement are highly unlikely!!
Wow I am sorry that happened to you. I had a fall last summer in North Carolina (I was visiting relatives) and I couldn't get up, it was on hot pavement and luckily my relatives were there to help me up, but until they got me up the pavement was near unbearable. Turned out I fractured both ankles and had to have surgery on one side...so last summer sucked. I actually live in the desert and frequently wonder if that would have happened here in the summer and no one was around I could have done serious damage from the scorching pavement. Or even with help it doesn't take long for the hot pavement to cause extreme pain.
So sorry you had such a terrible ordeal. It had to be pretty terrifying wondering when you would be found. I hope you recover soon and completely and thank you for the warning.
I've been thinking about getting a life alert. I don't live alone but my partner and I are 81 and 72 and we have stairs that we deal with daily. I worry that we might not hear one another if we were in trouble.
I should mention that when investigating any medic alert company Ask lots of questions because you don’t want one that only works inside the house. I got one that works in both Canada and the U s and goes any where with me by virtue of the fact that it operates off of a small GPS that goes with me
That is terrible what you went through. I have lived in the desert and I love the desert but I have seen it go as high as 124• and there is no surviving in that kind of heat. I hope you are ok now. You must have had some red and blistered skin
(This is SusieQ#1 w/ a different handle) I'm so glad someone heard you and saved you! WOW! What a horrific experience.
I know that fear of not being able to get up. I was very ill recently. When I got home, I had a caregiver with me who had just walked with me up to the couch,with my walker. Just as she took a few steps to walk away, I lost my balance and crumbled, sliding my back down the TV onto the floor. I was too weak to get up and she could not lift me.
Fortunately, my cell phone was close by and she could reach it. I knew I could call 911 and ask for a Lift Assist as I had to do that for my late husband a few times when he fell. In a few minutes four big firemen managed to get into my little living room and while one asked me a bunch of questions, two of them lifted me up and sat me on the couch.
I'm much better stronger these days, but I still have serious concerns about falling when I'm home alone.
Your experience reminded me that I ought to look into that medical alert......again!
Since that happened, I know what it means to have a real fear of falling. I counter it with my favorite trick - a positive affirmation. I repeat, in my mind, many times a day, "I remain upright! :-)
Thank you Cheryl. I really appreciate that. I feel so greatful Everyday to simply wake up. It is therapeutic to be able to Share this with others and, hopefully, make a difference.
A former neighbor of mine frequently had to get lift assists from the firefighters whenever she fell, which was often. Her son finally convinced her that it was time for assisted living. I had no idea that first responders offered such a service.
Aging is one of life’s biggest challenges and possibly the least Understood. Our experiences are varied, yet,at the same time, Similar in nature.
Falling is a universal problem for the elderly! Especially. It’s difficult knowing which is worse; the fear of falling or Actually tumbling over unexpectedly. Being prepared and keeping Safe weigh heavily on our minds as we struggle daily trying To avoid mishaps that can sometimes cause damaging injuries or Even tragic life changing events.
Thank you for sharing your story as it helps me along with other’s know that we really aren’t in this alone.
Terrible news,with a happy ending. I hope you recover 100%. Frostbite is very serious. The little girl and the bus driver are heroes. Was this in the news or newspaper? It’s a very well worthy story. Sweet of her to visit you, sees like a sweet, wel bought u little girl. My mom had a necklace that she wore around her neck. It had a medical alert button on it. Do you have dreams where you relive the event? Hopefully, the neighbours heard about it and feel guilty and are keeping an eye on you also
I felt fortunate to still have my feet as both my feet and lower legs were frozen when the found me. I have a medic alert now and I think I can safely say that I had to really review the things I could have done differently So this never happens again.
I am sorry. I am not doubting you whatsoever (I believe you), when I say you are one tough person to lay in sub-zero temps for 14 hours w/o freezing to death. I am serious. Most people would have died. You are lucky to be alive.
While I couldn’t pull myself up, I had a coat on and mits However, my shoes came off in the fall and I couldn’t get them back on and as I never wear socks my feet and legs were completely exposed to the elements and while I was still very Lucky in regards to having no irreparable damage, it has been Six weeks and I still have a nurse coming to care for the frostbite on my feet.
I don’t know if it comes with age but over the years I have Developed what I would call “horse sense”. My grandma used to call it that. I knew not to just lay there. I drug myself Around,on the ground, primarily looking to try and keep warm.
Also after writing this post I realized that I live where everything is Celsius and sub zero is below the freezing point But not as cold as sub zero Fahrenheit.
My point in posting is to say the outcome could have been far worse or fatal given different temperatures and circumstances And hopefully no one has to experience such a thing with the right precautions
Regardless "F" or "C"...still an awful experience, and so glad that you survived and are able to relate the experience to help others be aware. I am in my mid-50's, and I hope to be able to live into my 80's and 90's. I think about the future, becoming aged. Your insight is very helpful because it gets people to think more about their surroundings. Bless your heart...so glad you are living and breathing, and hope you have a speedy recovery.
Thanks Bill, I felt particularly greatful that I hadn’t brought my dogs outside and that they were safe inside and I had filled up their food and water dishes.