Well, I blew it this time! On Thursday March 20 at 1:00 in the afternoon I got up from my desk to go turn off the gas under my rice, as the timer just went off. When crossing the room, I tripped over a chair leg and fell face down onto my cement floor.
I’m not a pretty sight–two lovely black eyes, a goose egg on my forehead, and a sore nose. It wasn’t the worst of it, though. I could not move my left shoulder.
My friend the fire chief and ambulance man, Sol Martinez, was on duty. After an ambulance ride to our clinic, I learned that the shoulder was dislocated and possibly broken. Time for a medivac to Juneau. We went to the airport and waited for the plane, which finally arrived. I was flown to Juneau, and another ambulance took me to Bartlett Memorial Hospital and admitted me. That was at 6:00 pm.
They must have taken 15 X-rays. My hard head was fine, but they learned the shoulder was dislocated. Fortunately, not broken. Thanks for small favors.
By the time I’d jumped through all the hospital hoops, it was 10:00 pm. At last, the shoulder would be fixed! I must say that modern medicine is remarkable. They sedated me, and within 5 minutes had the shoulder bone back in place. I woke up and remembered nothing of the process.
I had to spend the night at Bartlett House, a facility on the hospital grounds for use by such as I. My good friend, Michelle Drummond, came to spend the night with me. She brought a homemade chicken enchilada made by her husband, Ben Collman. A fine supper!
Michelle had to go to work early the next day, but I didn’t have to check out until noon. Michelle’s husband came at 11:00 and picked me up. Since my plane to Gustavus didn’t leave until 3:15, we went to breakfast and then for a treat, to the Friends of the Library bookstore. What a delight! I picked out about 30 books that Ben is mailing to me.
Came home at 3:15 and faithful friend Elaine Braman met me and took me home. Recovery will be slow, but it’s a blessing that nothing’s broken. I have to wear a sling for two weeks. Estimated recovery time is 12 weeks. Of course, I’m left-handed, and for a while can’t type. My thanks to Carolyn Elder, to whom I dictated this article.
I do have a cat anecdote to share. My cat, Mocha, definitely knew something was wrong and has been very attentive. Once I finally got in bed, he curled up right next to the sling and started purring loudly.
I’m sure I benefited from the therapeutic value of that purr. It vibrates at 25-50 Hertz (Hz), which is ideal for bone growth and helping to heal breaks. So, Mocha did his part.
The purr has several other benefits to us humans. It decreases stress, lowers blood pressure, and decreases risk of heart attacks. Promoting wound healing, it may improve breathing and helps decrease pain and swelling as well.
Mocha has been at my side ever since my accident, doing his helpful purr almost constantly. Thanks, Mocha! I can use all the help I can get! I’ll be back in two to three weeks.
Reference I used for this post:
https://www.hepper.com/health-benefits-of-a-cats-purr/
Oh my, Fran! I’m glad you are okay and on the mend! Hopes and purrs from us for fast healing! It’s wonderful when friends help out. I’ve been really ailing for several years and kind friends have helped us out alot.
Thanks, Leah — yes, am recovering, though still not up to speed on moving around. It seems my left leg sustained some trauma — I have sore spots from my foot to my upper thigh. Things are improving, though.
Hi Franny
So sorry to hear of your accident!! I hope you heal fast and are up and at it again soon!!
Amanda’s dad passed away this week so it’s been a rough week. She is down in CA with her grandma right now. We now live in WA.
Cuddle up in your kitty quilt and get better soon😘🥰🙂
Hope you feel better soon. Get well and Blessings
I seem to be a little better each day. Thanks for the comment.
Acch! Dang. Sounds like you took a pretty hard fall, dear Fran. So glad you have a purrfect companion. And so amazed you did not break anything. I had a shoulder dislocated when I was about four years old. My parents described my constant pain and complaints.t You are one tough and resilient old woman!! Sending love and gentle bounce your way.
marline
Yep, it could have been worse. I’m coming along well; hanging in there. Amazing thing: The shoulder does not bother me, but my left leg, from the foot to the top, has a range of sore spots. Those are the ones that keep me awake! Improving, though.
Oh, no!! So sorry. Falls happen so doggone fast!! One minute you’re standing and the next — boom! I almost face-planted in a litter box a few years ago. The litter boxes are in a sort of closet area and there’s a step-up to get to the boxes. I didn’t have my slippers on all the way and that’s what did it. I was lucky to not be hurt but wow — it was a real surprise. More recently I was pulling and tugging on a fairly thick vine that kills my Italian Cypress trees in the back yard. I was standing upright and had my feet planted pulling on it with all my might and suddenly I was on my back looking up at the blue sky and clouds. Sheesh. The vine broke. I just laid there for awhile. I glanced over my shoulder and I could see all 4 cats lined up inside the house at the dining room slider watching me.
Anyway, I’m glad your shoulder isn’t broken but being in a sling is not easy. My friend chipped her shoulder bone and was in one of those 1/2-body slings. She didn’t have to have surgery but she had to go to follow the ortho doc’s instructions from the first day on — including physical therapy and — it took awhile before she had full use. She wanted to be sure she didn’t get a frozen shoulder from not moving it. Again, so sorry and kudos to friends and your furry nurse. Cats know and sense so much. I have four but one in particular, Inkee-Bear, is a genuine nurse. He stayed with me nearly 24-7 for two weeks after my knee-replacement surgery a few years ago. Gotta’ love ’em. Incidentally, I remember reading that they devised a machine replicating the purring speed for the astronauts to keep their bones as healthy as possible.
Here’s wishing you a speedy, cat-assisted recovery. My sister fell and broke her hip a couple of months ago, so I know where you are coming from. She is mending well and is aided by the cats purring while sitting on her chest. I guess it’s a whole-body thing, but according to the physical therapy folks who visit her regularly at home, she has made remarkable progress in healing.
Speaking of the cats, Miss Kitty was getting poorly. She was throwing up all the time, refusing to eat, being lethargic, and losing weight at an alarming rate. I took her to the vet, and they gave her some sort of shot and said, “Let’s wait and see what happens.”
My daughter in Tennessee suggested I put my two cats on a holistic diet. The change was almost immediate! Miss Kitty has stopped losing weight and stopped throwing up her dinner. Long story short, what we feed them makes a huge difference! Holistic food is more expensive, but you recoup the investment through fewer vet visits and healthier kitties. It’s not a bad deal at all.
Anyway, I hope your recovery is speedy and complete. Have a great rest. We’ll be here when you feel up to writing again.
PS. I’ve started using Cloaked, so the email address might seem a little strange, but it is me. 🙂
Don’t know where my comment went! Thanks for the well-wishes, and know that I’m recovering well. Glad to hear of the benefits of a holistic diet, and that your kitty is doing better.