Sirocco got me up again at just after 5:00 AM this morning. This is not a good trend.
Anyway, the wife had a doctor appointment mid-day, followed by shopping.
We had just gotten home and I was carrying bags of groceries into the kitchen. The dogs were busy running in and out the back door, while trying to say hello to the wife.
I was just setting the bags of groceries on the counter when I hear the wife yelp in the living room. I call out “Are you all right?”. There was no response.
I bolted into the living room to find her face down on the floor. As I go to her I again say “Are you all right?” and again I get no response. The dogs are jumping all around her. As I try to get past the dogs, the wife finally answers me. “Yes.”
“What happened?”
She lifts her head, blood is flowing from her nose, going all over the lower part of her face. “I tripped on the edge of the rug on the way in.”
The dogs are all trying to lick the blood off her face and where it had gotten on her arm and hand. She manages to lift her torso off the floor. We manage to get her into a sitting position. The next step from there was to try to get her on her knees. I moved the ottoman over so she could use that to hold on to as she tried to maneuver onto her knees. If we could do that, then I’d probably be able to help get her off the floor. In spite of our best efforts, she wasn’t able to get to her knees.
Regrettably, I cannot get my wife off the floor without her assistance. I ended up calling 911.
They put me in touch with the dispatch for EMTs. I gave the operator all the relevant information and they dispatched EMTS for a lift assist.
The wife had to remain on the floor in an awkward position leaning on the ottoman until they arrived. They got to the house within 10 minutes but it seemed much longer than that. While waiting I got the dogs outside in the backyard and opened the front door so the EMTs could get in if I was tied up helping the wife.
She tells me that she thinks she lost a tooth. She smiles for me but I can’t see any missing teeth.
The EMTs came in, got all her vitals, checked her over and determined she hadn’t been severely injured or had any condition that would make moving her hazardous. They positioned her in a sitting position again, then wrapped a sheet under her arms and around her back. They got on each side of her and lifted her to her feet. She sat in a chair and the EMTs took some more measurements. They asked her if she wanted to go to the hospital, but she said she was fine. The lead EMT told her that she might have internal bleeding, or possible bone fractures, which could lead to death. My wife acknowledged the risks and declined again. The EMT called his supervisor, gave them her vitals and explained the situation. The supervisor said it didn’t sound like the wife was in serious trouble and signed off on her denial to go to a hospital. The EMTs packed up and left.
I’ve kept an eye on her the rest of the day. She has some minor pains but we kind of expected that. So far, no indications that she needs to go to the hospital yet. Tomorrow will be more telling. I’ll have to see how well she gets around.
I’m thinking of wrapping her in several layers of bubble wrap in order to keep her safe. Should I do so, I’ll be sure to post photos.
If you’d like to support my efforts, why not buy me a chocolate chip cookie through my Ko-Fi page? https://ko-fi.com/jhusum