Life intervenes

I spent last Wednesday in the garden. Wonderful weather, lots accomplished and Mark snapped my photo with his pinhole camera. Very 19th Century-looking if you don't notice my plastic weeding bin.

Thursday it rained most of the day but the sun came out at dinnertime, so I went out to check the rain gauge. I came in and told Mark he should go out and look at the garden which was just shimmering after all the rain. Unfortunately, he decided to step onto our mossy deck and his feet slid out from under him and he hit his head. Hitting your head hard is always a concern, but most definitely so when you are on blood thinners. We spent the evening in the ER where he had a full trauma team checking him out: multiple X-Rays, an IV drip, a neck collar brace and a CAT scan before they released him. 

The force of his fall knocked one of his hearing aids out of his ear. The hearing aids that are one week old. His hearing aids are tied to his phone, which is how he adjusts them. The morning after his ER visit, he used an app called "Find My Hearing Aids" which actually helped him locate his lost unit in the grass off of the deck.

The doctors said he was OK, but would be sore from his fall. He definitely is that, so he is having a quiet time indoors while he considers that perhaps I am correct when I say we BOTH need to be more mindful now that we're in our 70s. 

Comments

[Susan Sobol]

Yikes! From the ethereal garden photo to the stark reality of the ER- this post certainly offers a snapshot of life. A good prognosis, finding the heating aid- — all is well that ends well! Wishing you both well. Stay safe! Susan

[Barbara H.]

Oh gosh, how scary for you both! Susan nailed it - quite a journey in a short amount of time and that's in addition to everything else going on. The reality of how old we really are - it's disconcerting. So glad he's okay and hope he has a quick recovery from the soreness. Technology - what a wonderful use for it and who would have thought - "Find my hearing aids" - amazing. I thought it was cool to use my computer to find my phone - this is 100 times better. Hope your adrenaline has dispersed and your own heartbeat has slowed down.

[Loree / danger garden]

Yikes! That story could have had a much less happy ending. I am glad he's okay...if shaken. Be careful out there!

[Kris P]

Oh no! I'm glad to learn that Mark is okay - and that you also recovered the hearing aid. That's a good but very scary lesson. I know I should be more careful too, especially on my back slope, but my head doesn't seem to get the messages parts of my body keep sending. I hope you're both resting easier this weekend and that you come up with a strategy to address that mossy deck.

[Christine]

I am so sorry to hear about Mark’s fall. I rarely think about my age until something like that happens. I’m glad you were near enough to act quickly and get him to the ER. “Find my hearing aids” is amazing. I once lost one of my hearing aids taking off my riding helmet after a trail ride, but didn’t realize it was gone until we had driven back to our cabin - about 20 miles away. The app was able to pin point where I had lost it , so we drove back and I found it in the middle of a large gravel parking lot. Sometimes modern technology does exactly what it’s supposed to do...

[Lisa at Greenbow]

I like that photo. If you hadn't mentioned that the tub was plastic I probably wouldn't have noticed. That was a scary incident. I am so glad to hear that Mark is not terribly hurt. It is good that he found his hearing aid. Those buggers are so expensive. We all must be more careful that is for sure.

[Frank]

It's always a shock to see things turn on a dime like that. Glad he's ok and I hope the soreness is already gone. Take care!

[Kristin]

Oh my gosh, I am so glad that Mark is ok!! That must have been so scary. I rush around and I am far from graceful, so this is a cautionary tale for me. I hope he isn't terribly sore, and am glad that you were home when it happened.