My first ever fall.

My most spectacular fall happened when a builder working in our house covered an opened floor hatch in the hall with carpet underlay and went off to lunch. Unaware of any danger I walk along the hall and fell 3ft through the hatch, a particularly nasty fractured vertebrae and nerve damage, hospitalised and housebound for 12 weeks and still suffering the after effects daily living on painkillers.

I have experienced various bumps, bruises and broken bones over the years, all but one due to being clumsy or not paying attention to where I am going. I take great care to avoid anymore damage as I don’t bounce back quite the same now. ?

Just be thankful you didn't need the falls team, as another poster did twice in the one day last week.
I felt awful for her.

I fell down icy steps and fractured two vertebrae. It was six months before it was diagnosed. That was a spectacular fall. My own fault for not looking where I was going.

Bluebellwood are you related to FlyingHandbag? ?

Besides trips, falls and faints there are also tumbles!

Last summer I sat on a large rock in the Brecon Beacons and misjudged my seating, and tumbled to the side onto another rock. It hurt a bit but we carried on for another couple of hours. I was in agony for few days and finally went to doctor as I had never been in such pain. I had a big bruise on my back. After a thorough examination she said no damage to kidneys or ribs and gave me strong painkillers which I took often for a few days. It was about eight weeks before I could sit down or lie down in bed pain free. I was only comfortable standing or walking. And it made me feel really old.

Hope it never happens again. I always watch my footings especially when stepping off steep cambers off pavements.

So I have the greatest sympathy for all those living with daily pain.

Years ago, I did not 'trip'. I was running, thinking deeply of something, my brain did not send a message to my feet and I just 'fell'

Tweedle24

Callistemon We must share genes. I have scars everywhere from falls right up to one right across my forehead where I tripped up steps from my front door, catching my head on the edge of a higher step. I have twice ended up in the A&E Dept where I worked. I received excellent care but it was very humiliating.

No, I don’t drink — just clumsy.

You never know!

I do have a glass of wine sometimes but if I've tripped it has not been after a , not so far anyway!

Wow Franbern that sounds awful, hope you are recovered now.
Thank you all (apart from the two notable exceptions) for your kind words and your own stories. I’m glad I only tripped ?.
I was looking where was I going, headed out of the room with a plate in my hand, instead of looking where my feet were, if that makes sense. I’ve got a colourful collection of bruises And I ache, but in comparison to others I’ve been very lucky. I think part of my upset was that I just wanted to have a hug. It’s been so long that someone has touched me that I was feeling bereft. Virtual good wishes from you all cheered me up no end. Many thanks. Have a lovely day.

Hope you are feeling a bit better this morning, but it will take a good week or so to fully recover. Be kind to yourself in the meantime.

I am famous for my falls - and have been for decades. some have landed me in hospital for extended periods. Usually, just a good time to recover. I do not feel that I am particularly careless, but my 'fall history' would make it appear that I am.

As has been said, most falls result from tripping over something, or trying to rush to do things, or not using correct equipment (eg; using chair instead of proper steps, etc).

My last very bad fall was 18 months ago, and all I did was to trip over something as I moved backwards and sat down heavily. Was in a public place and highly embarrassed, knew I hurt my already painful back - I was an official and did not feel I could pull out, so with the help of strong painkillers I always carry with me managed to get through the day and even drove myself home. However, by the following morning I was in agony and told my daughter who came over that 'I was too ill to go to A&E'.

So, it not until two months later that an MRI showed I had a stress fracture of the spine!!!

The other week I very stupidly left a bag of shopping in the middle of the kitchen floor! Then made myself a drink and turned round to put the milk back in the fridge. Of course I caught my foot on the bag and almost fell. Don't know how I managed to save myself. I think I was more worried about the milk as the lid wasn't back on the container properly so I had visions of milk being thrown over the carpet; that's without me breaking something. I gave myself a stern talking to about not leaving things on the floor. But the near fall left me very shaken as to what could have happened. You have my sympathy and I hope things are getting better.

I hope you are feeling a bit better today, Bluebellwould. Whether we have a fall without necessarily knowing the reason or trip over something and fall over as a result, it still shakes you up. Take care. ?

As others have said it wasn’t a fall. You tripped over something you’d left there-known in the personal injury business as “an unsafe system of work”!

I remember tripping in the garden last year and it really shook me up. I had a large plant pot on a trolley to move to another area of the garden. Pulling the tolley backward i misjudged how far i had gone and fell over another pot onto my back just missing the edge of the pathway with my head. It is scarey when it happens. Hope you feel better today.

Callistemon We must share genes. I have scars everywhere from falls right up to one right across my forehead where I tripped up steps from my front door, catching my head on the edge of a higher step. I have twice ended up in the A&E Dept where I worked. I received excellent care but it was very humiliating.

No, I don’t drink — just clumsy.

I have tripped over and fallen splat as an adult..it shakes you up and can hurt like hell!
I have abandoned my favourite boots as I blamed them for my 'trips' last winter.. they had got a bit ' comfortable' so did not fit as well as usual.
Hope you are feeling less shaken up now bluebell??

flyinghandbag not sure it is within GN guidelines to be so dismissive of other posters... ?

As I used to say to my children ‘ Put your things away when you have finished with them ‘
Trips can be avoided in many circumstances.

I hope you will soon be fit enough use your weights up again Bluebellwould

Good morning BBW. Just looked in to ask how you are. Hope you were able to sleep. Look after yourself.

I’ve had a couple of bad trip ups recently and they can be such a shock. One minute you are up the next you are down and bruised and very sore. It’s horrible. You will be ok. Just stiff and sore for the next couple of days. Arnica cream is very good if your bruises are bad as mine were. Take care and rest up.

Bluebellwould you didn’t have a fall, you tripped.

A very different event and it just means you have to be more careful.

A fall is when you suddenly find yourself on the floor without knowing how you got there.

if you are careful, I’m sure it won’t happen again

Oh Bluebellwould how frightening for you.I hope you manage to relax and sleep ok.I have joint issues and although I'm relatively "young" I have fallen every now and then.Im a sturdy woman who soldiers on but when I've fallen it instantly makes me feel "vunerable" as I'm sure you now feel.Rest,deep breaths and carry on when you feel you can x

Simple answer----Look where you're going !

which is what we did before we started doddering

Love it annodomini! We totter right at the beginning and dodder right at the end! Either end of life includes a fair bit of falling.

Bleubellwould, I can't believe this was your 'first ever' fall. Were you an exceptionally careful child? I could fill a book with the times I fell off my bike, tripped over manhole covers, and fell over on the icy playground. But I won't. Are we talking about 'having a fall' which is what we (ahem) elderly folks have or 'falling' which is what we did before we started doddering?

Hope you feel better soon, very painful I should imagine.

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