Red, Purple, and Yellow

Red, Purple, and Yellow are now the colors of my skin. I took a BIG fall down some concrete stairs and landed face first on the concrete walkway below. It was one of those freak accidents that in your wildest dreams you hope you won't have. I was even thinking I needed to put on a different pair of shoes so I changed them. I thought a lot about those stairs because they are very steep and I felt I was being very careful, using the handrail all the time, really keeping my eyes on the stairs as I descended, just being overly cautious. Well, my downfall (pun intended) was my left pant leg. My right foot got hold of my left pant leg somehow and down I went. The minute I sort of realized what had happened I yelled "Help" since I was unable to move. My neighbors, whom I had not met before, came running to my aid...helping me get off my chest/face into a sitting position, bringing towels to help with the bleeding, calling 911, and even helping me stay alert and talking until the paramedics came.

A little fuzzy - but  this is the stairs I fell down.

My family was called by the apartment complex management folks and they met me at the hospital. After a ton of x-rays - I mean my WHOLE body  - including a CAT scan I got the good news that there were no broken bones!! YAY!!! Then I had to go through the really painful cleaning out of the wounds to my face. The consult with the doc came: "Am I going to have to have stitches?" " Will I look like Frankenstein's monster? " He told me that I could have scaring...pink skin and maybe a little scar- but maybe not too bad if I stay out of the sun. I can do that! Right now it looks really bad and I keep an ointment on it which makes it look worse, but I know it is only temporary. I have multiple bruise all down my left side from where my bra strap was to my ankle, plus some minimal bruising on the right side. I am the sorest in my rib area and it just reminds me of the two other times that I actually broke or cracked them!!! But this time I only bruised them so they should feel better in a relatively short time.

I was really concerned about the two teeth in my mouth that were pushed in at a 25 degree angle. Somehow in the midst of a nap yesterday I moved them back into place with my lower teeth (woke me up, of course), and I found out that the time frame that they were out of place is in the window where the chances that the teeth could heal was pretty good. There is an outside chance I might have to have a root canal but I don't think that will happen.

Flowers from some really great people.

My sweet son-in-law was supposed to go to a conference and was a participant, but because of my accident, he stayed home to help take care of me. The people at the conference were so concerned that they actually sent me flowers! Now I don't recommend falling down stairs and practically killing yourself to get flowers, but they sure help in the recovery process!!!

So, my Thursday night was pretty interesting....but I had just come from buying my furniture so I was feeling pretty great about that! Life has a way of knocking you down a few pegs...and I am beginning to feel like I'm taking someone else's hits. I'll probably feel differently when my ribs stop throbbing....so in the meantime, I want each and every one of you to watch your step....to watch the stairs that we all have in our lives, to make sure you use the handrails and watch what kind of slacks/pants you wear. Those stairs can reach right up and grab you! 

Janie