Quick update, as I have barely been on the forums recently. Last week my wife had a bad fall down some stairs, suffered serious injuries and was transferred by air ambulance to a hospital in the UK.
Considering her injuries, the news is remarkably good. She had five broken ribs, a fractured hip, significant internal bleeding and a badly damaged spleen. At one point on Friday night they were getting ready to perform major abdominal surgery to remove her spleen, but her vitals remained surprisingly stable so they waited.
Six days later, the internal bleeding has stopped, the spleen is healing itself and she is walking unaided (slowly). No surgery or other major procedures required. It will take two or three months for her injuries to heal, but the doctors seem very surprised at her rapid progress. She is good spirits and complaining her ribs hurt when I make her laugh
So we won’t be going travelling, but I will also be spending a lot of time making sure she is OK and doesn’t exacerbate her injuries. I’ll still be checking the forums for at least a few minutes each day, but please don’t think I am ignoring suggestions, debates, etc.. I will catch up as things return to normal.
Here’s to her speedy recovery, and dodging a surgery.
Don’t tell your wife this one until her ribs are better:
How can you tell you have become middle aged?
People no longer laugh when you fall down.
I’ve been to the ER twice now for passing out from abdominal pain. (Nothing serious, just a weird quirk of digestion that has happened twice.)
Now, if I get a little lightheaded when standing up, and I put my arm on something to brace myself for a moment, my kids immediately switch to “alert and concerned” mode.
My youngest says that she feels like she should dial 9-1 and then wait to see what happens.
(911 is the emergency number in the US.)
Within twenty-four hours of the fall, her nickname on our family chat group had been changed to Humpty Dumpty. I had a serious eye problem earlier this year and within hours I was suffering pirate jokes. Pretty much anything non-fatal is cause for immediate piss-taking.
Best of luck to your wife in her recovery, and to you and your family in coming up with the most entertaining ways to tease her about it.
Personally I suggest sending her emails/text messages with links to safety products such as giant inflatable bubbles, wheelchairs that can climb stairs (this is, weirdly, a thing), walkers that can climb stairs (not sure if this is a thing, but probably), etc.
Please pass on my warmest wishes to Humpty Dumpty. As someone with a certain amount of first-hand experience of MTB crashes , she has my heartfelt sympathy. I hope she makes a speedy recovery and that all the king’s horses and all the king’s men are taking very good care of her
In colloquial German “mit einem blauen Auge davongekommen” (got away with a black eye) is when you dodge some really serious consequences, so it makes sense that it is the two of you together.
