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Merry Christmas! I’m in the ER. I slipped putting salt on the porch steps. Broke my right lower femur. Orthopedist will do surgery next week. Meanwhile a cast and admitted to hospital. Glad I didn’t have holiday plans.
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Becky! Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry to hear. Merry Christmas!
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Becky, prayers for a fast recovery.
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Becky, that must have been quite a surprise.  I'm sorry to learn it happened, and hope that your stay, surgery and recovery are successful, and quick.    Who knew that porches could harbor such a potential danger?

It seems as though others are facing some challenges as well.  I hope that relaxation, contemplation on life and family and what's good about life help you, me and the others here through the rest of the year and through the pandemic.
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Becky - so sorry. Hope they look after you well and you recover quickly.
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Oh dear. I guess I had better come clean, I wasn't going to mention it but...front porches seem to be dangerous places.

This winter I took care to set up mine and the steps for the winter with non-skid mats so I, visitors, and those delivering items would be safe, but I had an incident the other day, too.

The last grocery deliverer scattered the groceries all over the front stoop including placing two cartons of eggs, not bagged, on the edge of the stoop. I stretched and leaned over to get the eggs and started to lose my balance. Took a big step to counterbalance - all good so far - but that meant I stepped off the stoop, over a step and landed one foot on the driveway, which slopes down. From then on I must have looked like a drunken sailor leaning into a high wind as I lurched about 1/3 of the way down the driveway, trying to regain my balance, grabbing a rose twig on the way - which didn't help - and finally landing on my side with the side of my face and the edge of my glasses hitting the concrete. I got up right away.

My glasses aren't broken nor are any bones. I just have a little scraped skin on my knees and a small cut on a finger, a sore spot on my thigh and a few wandering aches here and there. I haven't found any bumps or bruises other than a goose egg under my eyebrow, a sore cheek bone and a lovely black eye developing where my glasses dug into my eye. I guess my bones are good and I consider myself very fortunate, if not very pretty, at the moment.

Had I been on level ground I don't think I would have fallen, but gravity took over.

I am so glad I didn't land on the eggs. 😉
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Becky, sorry to read that. What do you mean lower right femur? I am by no means a skeletal system genius, I thought the femur was a thigh bone.

Fast healing and recovery.
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Glad, It's fibula. Ortho guy just corrected me. Too many pain meds - my minds bad.
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Becky - wishing you quick healing and recovery.

Golden - a close call, wasn't it? Glad it wasn't worse.
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becky - better the fibula than the femur!

polar - yes, indeed, Thx
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Gokden, I am glad the eggs made it;-) Priorities, right?

Hope you feel less banged up soon.
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ITRR. ] thx. Actually with the black eye, I look more banged up than I feel. So thankful!
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Becky: Oh, my! So sorry. I saw your post on the dinner thread before coming on this thread and I saw that you missed the dinner cutoff and wondered.
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golden: Oh, my! Sorry that you, too, had a mishap. Hope you heal quickly.
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Golden, be careful! I am glad you didn't land on the eggs either. That would have made one heck of a slippery, slimy mess.

Take care of yourself and be careful. Good thing you didn't break anything. Strong Scandinavian stock.
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llama -thx -I'm doing fine.

thx glad - makes me wonder at the wisdom of my driveway being kept so clean. Landing on snow would have been softer. The eggs would have been a mess and what's more I would have had to clean the mess up!

I will have to practice better lifting technique - i.e. not bending over but squatting to lift. Strong Scandinavian stock for sure. I don't remember anyone in the family ever breaking bones though one of my boys did break a couple as a child. Jumping off the garage roof feet first onto frozen ground is too hard for the heels.
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What about placing some sort of sled type object on the porch with a rope to the door so you can just pull it in to unload? Label the sled, of course, to leave objects inside of it.
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glad - it hasn't been a problem as usually the groceries are piled very close to the door so I don't have to reach far, and eggs are normally bagged. I should have either stood closer to them or, even more sensibly, squatted to pick them up. If they had been in a bag it wouldn't have happened. The bottom of my door is not level with the stoop so anything like a sled would have to be lifted over the door sill which wouldn't be easy.. I'll just be more careful from now on and practice my squats and proper lifting technique more. 😉

One lady I know who has back and balance problems has a table on her porch for deliveries. That's not a bad idea.

I did alert instacart and said I did not want that shopper again - not bagging eggs????.
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golden: You're very welcome.
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I’m being moved to NH today. My orthopedist says swelling has to go down before he can operate. Probably 3 weeks. New x-rays read by radiologist show 4 bones broken in my ankle and foot along with tibia fracture. NH will keep my foot/leg elevated. My stepson who is a doctor thinks I have 3 to 4 months before I’ll be up and around much. Getting hauled around to go for dialysis isn’t much fun either.
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Oh, Becky! That really sucks. I am so sorry.

(((((Hugs)))))
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Becky, ugh I'm so sorry but hang in there and have a speedy recovery!
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bechy - That's not good news! Hope they treat you well in NH. Heal fast so yo can be out of there. You are on dialysis?
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Golden, Yes I’m on dialysis for over a year now. Do 5 days a week at home. I try not to talk about it much. It can be annoying but better than the alternative. My stepson is going to bring my equipment to the NH so I won’t have to be transported. My regular dialysis tech will come for my treatments so the NH staff doesn’t have extra duties.
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So sorry the hear that, Becky. Glad you have family support and cooperation from your regular dialysis tech. Now you have me confused between fibula or tibia fracture We've ruled out the femur. Stay safe!
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Becky, great big warm hug.

Continued prayers for your health and sanity.
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Golden, I’m confused too. According to the last ortho it’s also called a tib-fib fracture. It’s a matter of inches above the ankle. I think my 8 yo grandson has it right. “Mimi broked her whole leg”. All I know is it hurts.

Real, my sanity is already questionable.
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Becky, that's what the prayers are for. 3 to 4 months of recovery would be difficult for those not already in question ;-)

I would be a full blown nutter. Oh wait, maybe....

From the mouths of babes, yep, your whole leg got broked.
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If you think of the last chicken drumstick you picked clean, the tibia is the main bone and the fibula is the skinny bendy weedy one at the back. They call it tib-fib for short because both tend to get displaced. With the tibia (I think I'm right in saying) it's usually (?) a spiral fracture, unravelling itself like one of those cardboard tubes you get in the centre of wrapping paper. Very sore and miserable, I'm so sorry for it.
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CM, Thanks for your explanation. Better than the 2 ortho docs and radiologist.
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