Five days ago I took a nasty fall in our bathroom, and I now have two black eyes to prove it, although they’re more purple than black. Here is what I’ve learned from the experience.
First, falls happen suddenly and unexpectedly. Do not use your nose as the primary method of braking them. It is inadequate; hands are bigger and better. Mine did not rise to the occasion but rather floundered somewhere reaching for the nearest wall or ledge to grab while my head followed my nose into the ceramic tiled floor. Next time I’ll use the other bathroom; it’s carpeted.
Second, do not wear glasses unless you have to. I was going to say, “Remove your glasses before falling,” but this negates my first lesson in that we never know when we might fall. However, had I not been wearing glasses, it’s possible my eyes would have experienced much less colorful trauma. Those little pads on the glasses that rest on the side of one’s nose moved up into the corners of my eyes, which is the reason I have a symettrical set of bruises.
Next, bruises move through some orderly color pattern that is rainbow based, but not necessarily in the same order that gives us Roy G. Biv as a way to remember them (Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and indigo for those who don’t remember their grade school acronym.) So far indigo has been the most prominent, but I seem to be moving into orange and yellow today.
Finally, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), one in three people over age sixty-five falls annually. This is a serious problem since falls are “the leading cause of injury death and the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma” notes the CDC. Go to www.cdc.gov for more information. However, the overriding thought for me was, “Hey, I really am a senior citizen statistic regardless of wanting to believe otherwise.”
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