No matter how careful you are...............

16 years ago

I had quite a scare yesterday.

Yesterday morning, I was walking through the garage to visit Port Discovery Children's Museum with my granddaughter. She stumbled and fell, and I stumbled over her. Trying to catch my balance, I went down on my knees and my face, leading with my nose, and hit the bumper of a car, my neck snapped back. There was my granddaughter, sitting in the middle of the driveway crying and I was bleeding and crying. It was a mess. Since I wasn't paralyzed, (a real fear when my neck snapped back), I wasn't going to hang around downtown Baltimore. I called my daughter (I'm sure I scared her) so she could get Mary, who was so scared and couldn't stop crying.

I drove out of the city and we met up at a nearby suburban ER so she could get Mary and I could get some care. Fortunately, my granddaughter wasn't hurt, just a scrape on her arm. Wish I could say the same for me. I broke my nose, which I pretty much knew when I hit the bumper, I didn't break my knee, but it is terribly swollen and my neck was so sore, but fortunately nothing was broken. But I sure have lots of aches and pains today.

I was back home in about three hours (there's nothing like a quiet suburban ER), my other daughter came and waited and drove me home. Mary was still very upset, talking about Nana crying and yelling and bleeding. We'll have to find a few activities to catch her attention and give her new memories.

I am always so careful, holding handrails on stairways, not carrying heavy items, no throw rugs, etc. But it was a completely unexpected and bizarre accident that got me.

Things could have been so much worse, for both Mary and me. I'm just so thankful I was the only one hurt and I'll heal up very quickly.

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Comments (21)

lindac
16 years ago
whew....that is frightening...
That was always a worry if mine when I was taking care of little ones at my kids house...that I would fall....and then what.
so glad it wasn't any worse....now to bet that profile back in line....hope the nose isn't too miserable!
Linda C
centralcacyclist
16 years ago
Oh you poor baby! A good excuse to be waited on and catered to I say. Find a bell! Hugs. I'm glad it wasn't more serious but it still sounds pretty serious to me.

Eileen
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wizardnm
16 years ago
Your post title says it all....$hit happens.

I'm glad it wasn't as serious as it could have been.

Nancy
sheshebop
16 years ago
Oh, I feel your pain. I worry a lot about something happening to me when I have a little grandchild with me. I am sorry about your nose; I broke mine when I was 12 and it is not fun. I am so glad Mary was OK, but of course she is scared and upset about Nana. Glad you are on your way to healing. Give Mary a hug and kiss and make sure she knows Nana is OK.
Sherry
jessyf
16 years ago
tank up on the anti inflammatories and don't stop until you are really really healed. give Mary a hug for me.
mustangs81
16 years ago
How scary for both of you! I know you will show a good face (well minus the nose) for Mary to minimize the incident.

I had a very scary incident recently when Beau and I went bike riding. I am super cautious with him but that still didn't prevent us both from being sprawled out on the road with on-coming traffic! It is the only time I have ever taken him across a road, perhaps being overly cautious caused me to be frantic in the crossing rather than calmly walk our bikes across the road. It haunts me and God help me if mommy ever found out. Either he didn't tell her because it was funny not scary and painful or she didn't quite grasp what he said.
User
16 years ago
That is scary. Hope you are feeling better today.

Ann
caliloo
16 years ago
Heal quickly! I bet that gave both of you quite the scare... and hug that little one for all of us.

Alexa
bunnyman
16 years ago
I hope you recover quick without excessive pain.

: )
lyra
BeverlyAL
16 years ago
What a scare! I'm careful with handrails, etc too, yet we never know when there is going to be a freak accident. Glad you are okay and didn't really get hurt.

I was just reading on the news about the elderly couple who perished in their home elevator. What a horrible way to die.
Gina_W
16 years ago
I'm so sorry to hear this - ouuuuch! I hope you heal up quickly - both physically and emotionally.

Beverly, I read that too - how sad.

People do die from just falling down. I fell on my knees once while walking up-hill in platform sandals, and recently I was knocked on my butt by one of my DB's rambunctious labs. They were visiting me for Independence Day weekend and I had a party. I made all the doggies stay in their respective bedrooms during the party - all I needed was to have a guest trip or fall backwards over a dog. I had a sore hip all week.
tami_ohio
16 years ago
Here's to speedy healing!
dedtired
16 years ago
Oh my gosh, what a story! It's amazing how fast accidents happen. I am so sorry that you were hurt. It sounds very painful, especially the nose. I hope it comes out the same or better once it's healed.

Poor Mary. She had the bejabbers scared out of her. Get her to talk about it. I think that helps them. You, too!
claire_de_luna
16 years ago
I'm so sorry this happened to you.

I was walking around a big box store recently and two girls who looked about 10 ran right in front of me into the restroom. What I've noticed lately is how many people walk right in front of me, not paying any attention to their surroundings. Little kids are the worst ! It doesn't seem to matter how diligent I am, and I completely relate to the message in your subject posting. I'm always freaked out about anything tripping me up, and what happened to you is my feared nightmare, realized. I rarely scold other people's children, but I did get their attention, asking them to Please slow down, Thank You. They looked terribly guilty, so I guess they thought they were in trouble. Better a verbal scolding I suppose than a physical injury. My motto? Walk Side by Side, NEVER In Front Of.

I feel for you, and hope you can get some quiet and heal very soon.
User
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the good thoughts. I'm surprised at just how much I ache, especially my arms and shoulders, from, I guess, trying to catch myself, and at my age, it takes a while for these aches and pains to go away.

I agree about people cutting you off, I'm always taken aback at how unaware, or uncaring, people are and not just kids, there are so many clueless adults.

Funny you should mention side-by-side. Mary was doing her little running-dance - two year olds are so energetic, and I was thinking I should slow her down since we were holding hands; and down she went.

When I called to get an appointment with the ENT, the receptionist was giving me very specific instructions about getting into the parking garage - maybe I'll look for a place on the street, thank you.
annie1992
16 years ago
How scary that must have been, for you and for Mary.

I hope you heal well and quickly, and that Mary does too.

Annie
gbsim1
16 years ago
Ohhh... I bet you're sore!!

Hope you mend soon and it becomes a family legend that you can laugh about one day with Mary as she gets older!!!!

Grace
dlynn2
16 years ago
I had a similar fall a couple of years ago on vacation in San Francisco. I was crossing a very busy 6 or 8 lane street, and I fell flat on my face busting my lip, breaking my nose, and chipping my front teeth. I was even knocked unconscious for a few seconds. Blood was everywhere, and my kids saw it all. They were a bit older than Mary, so all they cared about was whether I had crushed the bag of Fortune Cookies we had just bought :( They were not traumatized at all once they found out that I didn't fall on top of the cookies.
Hope you feel better soon.
sally2_gw
16 years ago
Dlynn, I'm glad you didn't get run over. That's my biggest fear crossing a street - falling down when there's traffic coming. Silly, but nonetheless, it's on my mind whenever I cross a street without light. So, I wonder what it would mean if your fortunes had been crushed?

MomJ, I'm glad you're healing, even if the healing hurts. I think that if everyone treats your fall as just one of those things that can happen to anyone, and no big deal, (not to belittle what happened, though) your little granddaughter will get over it quickly.

Sally
dlynn2
16 years ago
I, too, worry about crossing in front of oncoming traffic. I always give myself (or the oncoming cars) lots of time.

I know what would have happened if the fortunes had been crushed ---- bloody me would have had to walk all of the way back to ChinaTown to buy more cookies :)

I agree with Sally, Mary should think that you are fine now and that it wasn't a big deal to you.
susie_que
16 years ago
I too have a similar story.

Drew was about 2 at the time and it was bath time so I walked him up the steps to the bathroom. I think we were being goofy but he turned and I thought he was going to fall so I reached out to steady him. I lost my balance and fell all the way down the steps dislocating my shoulder. I also sustained a concussion from the fall as my face hit a few steps on the way down.
I clearly remember sitting in the treatment bay in the er and being grilled by the doctors. I was very bruised and I think "they" thought it looked like domestic abuse. I assured them it was my toddler I was trying to protect LOL!!

Claire...Just last week we took Amy to AC for the day. She is legal to gamble now and it was a good way to spend some time together...anyhoo we went to eat at a fairly nice restaurant within the casino. I went to the restroom, opened the door and WHACKED this little kid right in the head with the door going into the room. Oh I felt so badly because he kinda flew into the door-I whacked him-which sent him into the sink.
Poor kid was just sitting there under the sink-not crying but startled so I kneeled beside him to see if he was ok when another woman came out of a stall and remarked-oh he's been running all over this bathroom-I told him he was going to get hurt. It was his mother LOL!!
I mean what was this little kid doing in a casino anyway LOL. Well I did feel terrible none the less.

I hope all your boo boos heal up fast!!

Cheers!
Susie

No matter how careful you are...............

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lindac

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