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The first time I fell I broke the trochanter above my right hip replacement. Luckily the implant was not damaged and no surgery was required. It eventually grew together.
The second time I fell I was not so lucky. I suffered serious brain damage. I had an operation, spent a month in the hospital, and many more months of rehab. It took a couple of years to get back.
The third time I fell, both of my hip replacements and my knee replacement survived, but my right femur was broken in three pieces. The local hospital couldn't handle it so they took me to the main trauma center 150 miles away. I spent a couple weeks in the hospital, and two months in a nursing home. When I was able to get out of my wheelchair and use a walker, I could go home.
I'm recovered now, but I occasionally use a cane.
I have grab bars all over the house, but I was never near one when I fell.
I hope I don't fall again.
Sorry to hear about repeated falling, FF! That's awful. Do you know WHY you are falling? Are you tripping? I have been obsessed about trip hazards for a long time now. The worst being computer cords. I tripped in the dark, on uneven dirt, wearing sandals. I was told that sandals and flip-flops are the culprit of lots of tripping as the edges catch. I know this is true as I tripped twice playing ping-pong in my sandals, as our driveway is uneven pavers and the edges caught. So I decided no sandals or flip-flops unless I'm on the beach itself, on the sand. Closed shoes when we go out. The hospital I was at did not allow flip-flops at all!
I fainted and keeled over a few weeks ago for the first time in 60 years. I wasn't hurt but told my doctor via email just to let him know and he had me go to the emergency room. Turned out to be nothing identifiable except maybe my BP meds dropped my blood pressure too much momentarily. I have that on occasion when I stand up after sitting but this was after walking halfway through the house. Given the circumstances, I suspect dehydration was part of it so I drank some Gator Aid. Now they have "Fall Risk" on my file.
Well, that just sucks. Now you won't be eligible for one of those "independent living" homes, sounds like!
So many side effects with meds, you wonder if it's worth it. Right now I am having night sweats and can't sleep due to the pain meds I'm on for a few days. Pain or sleep....hmmm?
It is well known that doctor's salaries are a small proportion of the healthcare issue - it is administrative costs, including administrative salaries.
Exactly. And thank you for making this point! The admin costs are what have soared out of all proportion.
I mentioned the almost NO paperwork here, probably helps cut costs.
On falls, I had 3 flat on my back from Nov 22 2016 to early Dec. The third fall put me in the ER....and on to 4.5 months in hospital/rehabs all due to staph infection in knee, from injections, and docs did not find infection for months. No breaks with these falls, so I guess I have good bones considering it all. I have to thank it a lot to my years of magnesium intake. I am not a big take of calcium supps but know I get calcium in my veggies .... mag is important for bone health.
Thanks, Yellow. I really don't know what the prognosis is. Avoid falling, I guess. I don't know about exercises but any strengthening would be beneficial. But the joint itself, I don't know. Many exercises I can't do....like squats. Any advice on this would be great!
If you want to check out some good sites here, look at VRBO for Canoa, a beach town. Lots of rentals beachfront, or to purchase for around $100,000. Many expats like the lush mountain town of Cuenca.
I am a beach girl! Definitely! I always see properties there I like that seem to be amazingly affordable.
I went and took care of a friend who had a THR more than a year ago. She had exercises to do in bed that were supposed to minimize this problem by building up her muscles that actually hold the hip replacement in the correct position. She is a big girl so they really pushed these exercises. They were really simple and you have to do them with both legs for it to be the most effective. You are supposed to do 10 minutes twice a day.
First 5 minutes. Lay on bed and lift both feet 4 to 6 inches off the bed. Move your legs 6in in all directions. You can do a set of circles. A set to the left, a set to the right and a set apart.
2nd 5 minutes. Roll over on your stomach and do the same thing. This is much harder.
The idea is to get to the point where you can go the whole thing without resting your feet back on the bed. Some people eventually get to the point where they can do these on the floor and do more of them. But you need to start where you need to start! I think these are easier to do on a weight bench than in bed.
I remember as a kid on roller skates (the kind with metal wheels) or a skateboard (with those same metal wheels nailed to a piece of wood), I would fall or crash and just get up. Gosh no helmet knee pads elbow pads. No outraged parent ready to put my doom on social media (social media back then was talking to the neighbor over the fence). No frantic trip to the emergency room. It was a "spit bath" for any scrapes or cuts and "go play". "Be home at dark".
As I grew older, I noticed getting up was a tad bit slower, my career was law enforcement and I did not enjoy being hit with various objects, or wrestling around on gravel with a drunk, hit by a car really upset me. The older I got the more UGH this became as I would slowly get to my feet. I recently fell off a small cliff and laid there for several minutes pondering life the universe and everything, as a passerby mocked me, and my loyal companion (dog NOT a woman) sat by my side guarding me against the various wildlife critters surely to find my broken body and make a snack or probably wondering, "now who's gonna feed me"?.
It took what seemed forever to get up and hobble home. Only several days later to basically fall off my patio. Seriously?Indeed 66 9/10th isn't like being 12 again.
Sorry to hear about repeated falling, FF! That's awful. Do you know WHY you are falling? Are you tripping?
The time I fell and got brain damage, I slipped on ice on the porch.
The other times I don't know what happened. I didn't get dizzy or pass out nor anything like that.
And I didn't trip on anything. All of a sudden I was on the way down.
I have balance problems from nerve damage in my spine, so that may have been a factor.
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