|
|
Post by pjaye on Oct 2, 2018 7:53:02 GMT
Update 4th Oct. I spoke to the Drs today and looked at the x-rays. One side will need surgery but not until next week when the swelling has gone down a bit. She won't be able to weight bear on the "good" side for 8 weeks and the worse side close to 12weeks. So she'll have to stay in hospital, then go to subacute care then finally to rehab when she's allowed to start walking. She'll be lucky to be home before Christmas.
So yeah, think carefully before you get on that ladder with no-one around, you may not be home again for the next 3 months!
P.S.A. first: If you are over 70yo make that 50 instead. DO NOT climb up ladders! If for some reason you decide to ignore this, then at least make sure someone is with you when you go up the ladder to help you if you need it, or call the ambulance if you fall. If you don't listen to either of the above and climb up a ladder when you are on your own, then at least make sure you have a phone with you, so that when you fall off you can call the ambulance yourself, or potentially the phone might rouse you if you are knocked unconscious.
Guess which advice my mother followed? That's right, none of it. My Dad fell off a ladder several years ago while mum was out shopping...onto concrete, alone with no phone. He was very lucky to only have minor injuries. I read him the riot act at the time and I have continued to reinforce this with my mother now that Dad has passed away.
So 2hrs ago I get a call - she was cleaning out the gutters and fell off the ladder. She couldn't walk and had to crawl inside on her hands and knees. Who knows what extra damage she may have done to legs by dragging them around like that. I'm over an hour away and have had recent back surgery so she had to call an ambulance. She is currently waiting to be seen in emergency, it looks like she probably has one broken foot/ankle/leg and potentially both. She hasn't had any xrays yet so we don't know anything for sure.
Her best friend and neighbour goes in to have knee replacement surgery next Monday and Mum was supposed to be her driver and to help her at home when she gets out. I'm only back at work doing my normal duties this week after being on a return to work plan for the past month...I have just used up all my sick and personal leave so I can't have any more time off right now to look after her. I have no idea how we are going to manage this over the next few weeks...plus the friend she was going to help will now need to make other arrangements. At least it's only her legs...it could have been a lot worse.
But seriously we must have had the "don't climb up ladders, hire someone" conversation multiple times and the last time only a few weeks ago. Gah...I'm venting here because there will be no point in saying "told you so" to her as she'll feel bad enough anyway. |
|
|
|
Post by AussieMeg on Oct 2, 2018 8:03:47 GMT
Oh no pjaye, your poor Mum! But you must be so frustrated after drilling it into her NOT to climb ladders. I have actually heard experts say (after Molly Meldrum’s accident) that people over 50 (!!!) shouldn’t climb ladders. I also heard someone on the radio just the other day say that people should wear bike helmets if they’re going to climb ladders! Yeah right, I can see DSO doing that - hardly! Just adding to your PSA...... DD went to school with twin boys whose dad fell off a ladder in the backyard, hit his head on the concrete and is now a quadriplegic on a ventilator. So sad. |
|
|
|
Post by AussieMeg on Oct 2, 2018 8:04:32 GMT
Oh, and I hope your Mum is ok and recovers quickly. She was very lucky it wasn’t worse.
|
|
|
|
Post by pjaye on Oct 2, 2018 8:18:23 GMT
Oh, and I hope your Mum is ok and recovers quickly Thank you! Also frustrating as I'm not there with her. I still can't do my own shopping so have a Coles delivery for tonight that was too late to cancel. They won't be able to send her home alone, so she'll have to be admitted somewhere so I'll go an see her in the morning. She's going to call me when she has seen the doctor, she's at Maroondah and apparently it's really busy in emergency today and they said it could be a 6hr wait. But yes, the whole ladder thing is totally preventable, but people don't listen!! Another of Mum's good friends has a son my age who fell off as well doing something on the roof, completely shattered his leg and has had multiple surgeries and was lucky not to lose it. So she knows. And she can afford to pay someone, she just refuses to because she thinks she can do it herself. On the bright side...we won't be having that discussion again, as she's lost that argument forever now. |
|
|
|
Post by KelleeM on Oct 2, 2018 8:36:28 GMT
I’m so sorry! I hope she heals quickly. I’m sorry for the additional stress for you and her friend as well. Life can change so quickly and without warning.
My dh was almost 66 and his brother had only gone into the house for two minutes when dh decided it was time to get down off of a 12 foot roof onto a ladder that was on a wet deck. The ladder slid out from under him. He was fortunate to have people there to call 911 for him but had to be med flighted, had two major surgeries (he aspirated after the first one and they put him in a coma for two weeks, hoping he’d recover), broke an arm, a hip, and 6 ribs, was in the hospital for four weeks and in rehab for two more. He spent month in physical therapy and still had pain every day five years later.
No one should use a ladder when they are alone. Please!
|
|
|
|
Post by pjaye on Oct 2, 2018 8:50:57 GMT
My dh was almost 66 and his brother had only gone into the house for two minutes when dh decided it was time to get down off of a 12 foot roof onto a ladder that was on a wet deck. The ladder slid out from under him I remember that! That was a horrible time for you while he was going through all of that. He was very lucky to survive. You are very right when you say things can change very quickly. We all have to start thinking differently as we get older and modify our activities. |
|
|
|
Post by KelleeM on Oct 2, 2018 8:57:18 GMT
My dh was almost 66 and his brother had only gone into the house for two minutes when dh decided it was time to get down off of a 12 foot roof onto a ladder that was on a wet deck. The ladder slid out from under him I remember that! That was a horrible time for you while he was going through all of that. He was very lucky to survive. You are very right when you say things can change very quickly. We all have to start thinking differently as we get older and modify our activities. He was. I didn’t learn until later (my nurse sister was wise to keep me in the dark) that 90% of people who develop aspiration pneumonia die from it. My dh, at his age and a very long time smoker, was very very lucky. |
|
georgiapea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,846 
|
Post by georgiapea on Oct 2, 2018 9:43:59 GMT
I'm so sorry that happened to your mom. And as someone who will be 80 this month, I too don't understand why we get on ladders. I won't even get on a step stool when alone, Why would I risk my life to do some minor task?
I hope your mother heals quickly from whatever injuries she may have.
|
|
|
|
Post by gillyp on Oct 2, 2018 9:47:58 GMT
Ouch! Poor mum!! What a pickle in trying to sort out help too. I hope she’s not as bad as you fear.
|
|
|
|
Post by KikiPea on Oct 2, 2018 10:27:12 GMT
Oh, man. So glad it wasn’t worse! Elderly people can be so stubborn because they want to still feel a sense of independence and usefulness. Prayers for her injuries, and a quick recovery!
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 5:56:27 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2018 10:37:24 GMT
I'm so sorry to hear this, you must be so worried that you can't get there to see what's going on. I hope she heals quickly and listens to you in future.
|
|
|
|
Post by christine58 on Oct 2, 2018 10:39:59 GMT
I'm only back at work doing my normal duties this week after being on a return to work plan for the past month...I have just used up all my sick and personal leave so I can't have any more time off right now to look after her. I have no idea how we are going to manage this over the next few weeks...plus the friend she was going to help will now need to make other arrangements. I would see if she could hire a nurse/aid to help her. Here in the US she might be sent to a rehab place if she can't care for herself at home. A good friend did this exact same thing...he too is 70---cleaning out the gutters. He broke vertebrae in his back. He also had his spleen rupture. |
|
anniebygaslight
Drama Llama
I'd love a cup of tea. #1966
Posts: 7,394
Location: Third Rock from the sun.
Jun 28, 2014 14:08:19 GMT
|
Post by anniebygaslight on Oct 2, 2018 10:40:54 GMT
Sorry to hear it Pjaye. I hope she makes a swift recovery. Ladders are dangerous things. My friend's husband lost his life, aged 52 by overreaching on a ladder while he was trimming a hedge.
|
|
|
|
Post by elaine on Oct 2, 2018 10:44:08 GMT
 How scary AND infuriating for you! Infuriating, because your good advice is going unheeded and it is so hard to watch people we care about get seriously hurt. (((Hugs))) to both of you. |
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 5:56:27 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2018 10:45:58 GMT
I stupidly tried to climb a ladder with bare feet, I caught my foot under the first rung and scraped off a flap of skin and did a lot of nerve damage. I still have pain from it almost five years later and it makes me feel sick to think about how much it hurt when it happened. I won't even attempt a ladder now.
I fully accept that I'm an idiot! Please, everyone, listen to Pjaye's advice.
|
|
|
|
Post by pjaye on Oct 2, 2018 11:27:35 GMT
Thanks everyone for all the kind words. I just heard from her after her x-ray - she has breaks in both of her heels. They need to assess the breaks a bit further, so they will be doing a CT scan and she'll see an orthopaedic surgeon as well. It's currently 9pm here and she's still in the emergency department. I assume they'll do those in the morning and then we'll wait and see if she needs to have surgery or not. By the sound of it her left is much worse than her right, swollen to twice the size and turning black and blue, so my guess is that side may need surgery as the damage is probably significant. They are also going to CT her back because she initially fell backwards onto her heels, then onto her bottom. Here in the US she might be sent to a rehab place if she can't care for herself at home. Yes, that is definitely going to be an option. There are a couple of places close to her that she could go to. It's just bad timing because I am hardly ever sick myself and always have a lot of available leave, and normally it wouldn't be too difficult to take time off and go and stay with her at home...but I wiped out all my leave with my recent surgery. And she's always been fit and healthy so I do feel guilty not being able to just go and look after her myself. But I've been off my regular shifts at work for almost 5 months and this week is my first week back, there is just no way I can ask for another few weeks off. It's complicated by the fact that we don't have any other relatives...it's just her and I in Australia. |
|
|
|
Post by AussieMeg on Oct 2, 2018 11:37:24 GMT
You know I'm just down the road from the hospital and your mum's house. Let me know if there's anything I can do.
|
|
|
|
Post by hop2 on Oct 2, 2018 11:43:49 GMT
I’m sorry. I hope she heals quickly
|
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Oct 2, 2018 11:49:10 GMT
I'm so sorry. Prayers
|
|
|
|
Post by mikklynn on Oct 2, 2018 12:09:05 GMT
Ugh! My mom fell this summer and broke 2 ribs, so I feel your pain.
I am 60 and stopped getting on a ladder.
I hope she recovers quickly.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 5:56:27 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2018 12:10:14 GMT
I hope she heals well (and you, too!) DH fell off a ladder earlier this summer after I had gone over and over and over that we should never be on it when the other wasn't there. Fortunately, he wasn't seriously injured, but he *was* injured. We are both over 50 now, still quite active/outdoorsy, and falling is my biggest nightmare. I struggle with giving up some of the activities we love and living our lives the way we are happiest. Sorry you're having to go through all this, but glad you mum wasn't more seriously hurt!
|
|
|
|
Post by pjaye on Oct 2, 2018 12:20:23 GMT
You know I'm just down the road from the hospital and your mum's house. Let me know if there's anything I can do. Thanks, I appreciate the offer! |
|
|
|
Post by destined2bmom on Oct 2, 2018 12:35:38 GMT
I am so sorry that your mum has hurt herself so bad. I am sending prayers and hugs for a quick healing.
|
|
iluvpink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,291
Location: Michigan
|
Post by iluvpink on Oct 2, 2018 12:55:56 GMT
Ack! I'm so sorry! I hope it's not too serious and she recovers quickly. Lots of (((HUGS))), that sounds stressful.
My dad is almost 74 and I know just a couple of years ago the man was on a ladder. He didn't fall and I don't *think* he does it anymore but I wouldn't bet money on it. Sigh.
|
|
|
|
Post by revirdsuba99 on Oct 2, 2018 13:03:41 GMT
You know I'm just down the road from the hospital and your mum's house. Let me know if there's anything I can do. That's what peas do! So nice to offer! pjaye Think about it even if only to let mom know you have (funny) friends! Sorry your mom is going through that. Hope you both are able to work out the details for her speedy recovery!! |
|
|
|
Post by jenjie on Oct 2, 2018 13:05:50 GMT
Oh my! I’m so sorry. You poor mum, you not being able to be there, the timing of it all... I can only begin to imagine how frustrated you are.
|
|
|
|
Post by pjaye on Oct 2, 2018 13:10:30 GMT
He didn't fall and I don't *think* he does it anymore but I wouldn't bet money on it Don't be so sure! I looked after an 84yo man a few years ago that had a broken hip on one side and a broken arm and shoulder on the other (he had surgery to all 3 sites) - he'd been up a ladder doing something to the roof. I told him that at 84 his "fixing things on the roof" days should have been well and truly over & he got a bit offended and tried to tell me he was perfectly capable of still doing these sorts of things! I was tempted to point out the obvious...but refrained. |
|
|
|
Post by johna on Oct 2, 2018 13:17:44 GMT
I am so sorry to hear that your mom has been so injured, and due to stubborness, at that. I appreciate that you took time to warn others and put the PSA out for all. We can never be reminded too much to be careful and aware.
I hope she will heal quickly and completely!
|
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 2, 2018 13:24:54 GMT
So sorry to hear about your mom’s fall and hope she heals quickly. That had to be so scary (and frustrating!) for you as well! When DH’s mom was alive, he had to go to her house and confiscate all of the ladders and stepstools in the house and garage to keep her from doing something foolish when she was by herself. It forced her to have to call him if she needed a lightbulb changed, her gutters cleared, etc. It was a PITA. It definitely better than the alternative! DH has always been afraid of heights so guess who gets to hold the ladder while *I* crawl up to the roof for whatever reason?    I’m smaller, have a lower center of gravity and am much more sure footed than he is which helps, but I definitely know what you mean! At least this past summer we had the gutters with helmets put on our house so we won’t ever have to get on a ladder to clean out gutters again, but now I’ll have to do it one more time to reattach the clips that hold the Christmas lights... eeek. |
|
|
|
Post by peano on Oct 2, 2018 13:25:53 GMT
I'm so sorry about your mom. I hope she has a swift recovery. And what a mess for everyone involved.
<reconsiders plan to climb scary attic stairs alone today to get out sweaters>
|
|
I’m smaller, have a lower center of gravity and am much more sure footed than he is which helps, but I definitely know what you mean! At least this past summer we had the gutters with helmets put on our house so we won’t ever have to get on a ladder to clean out gutters again, but now I’ll have to do it one more time to reattach the clips that hold the Christmas lights... eeek.
