She told me that she thinks she blacked out briefly and then called for help. No one could hear her as her closest neighbor, 98 year-old Hazel, lives below her and she was in the hospital. Fortunately, Nana was able to get herself to her footstool and use her portable phone. She called Sharon and she and Jeff drove to Nana's house immediately. When she told Sharon she fell, Sharon asked her, "Nana, what's broken?" In true Nana fashion, she said, "My TV." Never mind that she had a bleeding abrasion on her arm, a big lump on her forehead with two more lumps on the back of her head. Her chest had a painful bruise and her hip hurt so badly she could barely move. But she was worried about her TV!
Sharon and Jeff called the ambulance and told her not to move. When they called me, I started packing. Sharon and Jeff were with Nana in the Emergency Room till the wee hours of the morning. I'm so grateful they were there. The doctors did lots of tests and scans on Nana and to every one's amazement, there were no fractures. Everyone taking care of her was totally amazed at her good blood results, strong heart and lungs and small amount of regular prescriptions medications. However, because she's 89 years old and had head injuries, the doctor felt it was best to keep her in the hospital for observation.
I arrived at the hospital on Saturday about 2pm to find that the doctor felt another day was best for observation. Sharon and I used that time to shop for a modern, lighter TV. I spent Saturday night repairing her TV stand and hooking up the new TV. Nana without cable TV is not a good thing.
I brought Nana home on Sunday. She was in a lot of pain, especially her chest. Her major complaint was "I just don't feel well." I kept my keys close in case we needed to make another trip to the Emergency Room.
Monday morning Nana felt better but the weather was very sick. Hurricane Sandy was blowing in and Nana had a doctor's appointment. Sharon is braver than me and offered to drive all of us to Dr. Wiegand's office in her mini-van. We left early because Nana wanted us to buy her donuts at Dunkin Donuts. That was a clue she was feeling better. The doctor gave her a clean bill of health and told her that her chest bruising would take a long time to heal so she would need to be patient - not really a Nana trait.
Sharon delivered us home safely and we hunkered down to brave the storm. Nana slept well, but as the wind howled at 60mph, I fretted about what I would do if the electricity failed. The power blinked on and off a few times, but thankfully we still had heat and lights the next morning, although no cable TV until about noon. No Price is Right for Nana that day but it was back on for the noon news. She was happy.
After the storm, I contacted Lifeline and now Nana has a lovely string necklace with a button to push for help if she falls again. That gives all of us who love her some peace of mind. It gives Nana the independence she treasures so she can stay in her own home.
I went home on Thursday and by Friday morning, only a week after her fall, Nana drove to May's Diner for her daily pancake breakfast. No fall was going to keep her down!
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