It could have been so much worse
Yesterday was swimming day - AquaFit, which is excellent (since I started in September I have lost half an inch off my hips and an inch off my waist). Afterwards, I had a look round the market in Ashton under Lyne and was heading towards the market hall. I noticed that the local regiment was doing some sort of PR/recruitment thing. Which, as it happened, was most fortuitous.
As I came towards them I tripped and fell, literally flat on my face. I was immediately surrounded by a small swarm of squaddies who helped me up, took charge of my bag, took me to somewhere I could sit down and one went off to get tissues for me to clean up the blood (big blue roll, part of which they moistened for me with water from a bottle.
As I got up I saw blood on the ground and assumed it was from my nose, which I was sure I must have broken, but it turned out not to be. Both my nose and my glasses were, remarkably, intact (apart from a small scrape on the bridge of my nose); the blood had come from my upper lip which had collided with my teeth. Which were also undamaged.
Apart from that, I had grazes on my knuckles, the worst on the right hand, and my right knee. After I had cleaned myself up I felt woozy and nauseous and was in fact sick. At this point they called an ambulance.
Given the risk of concussion, I was perfectly happy to go off in it, and in the short distance to A&E they went through a full range of tests, including ECG. I asked them about the results and was very reassured: blood sugar good, heart rate good, blood pressure fine ("given what's happened, I'm wondering if it was a bit on the low side before," the paramedic said) and I now have in my neckpurse a very nice, regular, healthy ECG trace.
I had a fairly long wait at A&E, but the further checks were also reassuring: the main thing being looked at was the risk of fractures to facial bones. None. Nor anywhere else. At my age this is extremely reassuring as it suggests my bone density is good.
I had phoned miapatrick, who called back while I was waiting to say that when they had finished with me I was to take a cab to her house as they probably wouldn't let me go straight home if I was going to be on my own. So when I got there we collected the dogs and some bits and pieces and I spent the night there. By mid morning I felt fine so am now back home - G is back now, and we're going over to miapatrick this evening so if I feel at all funny there will be people around.
The swelling on my lip has gone down and the cut on the inside is healing. My right hand is also improving, though as I suspected there was some swelling. What I'm not seeing is any purple bruises, which is also reassuring.
And very nice in its way was the paramedics after I gave my date of birth (in 1946); one said to the other, "I thought they [presumably the squaddies] said she was 50"
I'm extremely glad they were around. I suspect it might have broken the monotony for them a bit, besides being beautiful PR. Anyway, they were great.
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As I came towards them I tripped and fell, literally flat on my face. I was immediately surrounded by a small swarm of squaddies who helped me up, took charge of my bag, took me to somewhere I could sit down and one went off to get tissues for me to clean up the blood (big blue roll, part of which they moistened for me with water from a bottle.
As I got up I saw blood on the ground and assumed it was from my nose, which I was sure I must have broken, but it turned out not to be. Both my nose and my glasses were, remarkably, intact (apart from a small scrape on the bridge of my nose); the blood had come from my upper lip which had collided with my teeth. Which were also undamaged.
Apart from that, I had grazes on my knuckles, the worst on the right hand, and my right knee. After I had cleaned myself up I felt woozy and nauseous and was in fact sick. At this point they called an ambulance.
Given the risk of concussion, I was perfectly happy to go off in it, and in the short distance to A&E they went through a full range of tests, including ECG. I asked them about the results and was very reassured: blood sugar good, heart rate good, blood pressure fine ("given what's happened, I'm wondering if it was a bit on the low side before," the paramedic said) and I now have in my neckpurse a very nice, regular, healthy ECG trace.
I had a fairly long wait at A&E, but the further checks were also reassuring: the main thing being looked at was the risk of fractures to facial bones. None. Nor anywhere else. At my age this is extremely reassuring as it suggests my bone density is good.
I had phoned miapatrick, who called back while I was waiting to say that when they had finished with me I was to take a cab to her house as they probably wouldn't let me go straight home if I was going to be on my own. So when I got there we collected the dogs and some bits and pieces and I spent the night there. By mid morning I felt fine so am now back home - G is back now, and we're going over to miapatrick this evening so if I feel at all funny there will be people around.
The swelling on my lip has gone down and the cut on the inside is healing. My right hand is also improving, though as I suspected there was some swelling. What I'm not seeing is any purple bruises, which is also reassuring.
And very nice in its way was the paramedics after I gave my date of birth (in 1946); one said to the other, "I thought they [presumably the squaddies] said she was 50"
I'm extremely glad they were around. I suspect it might have broken the monotony for them a bit, besides being beautiful PR. Anyway, they were great.
This entry was originally posted at http://sollers.dreamwidth.org/36953.html. Please comment there using OpenID.