Saturday, August 30, 2025

The sudden fall

 Well son K and I were out for a walk on Aug 21 when I tripped somehow on the sidewalk and landed hard on the grass with my right arm extending straight out. The impact winded me and I ended up hurting my right shoulder.  Husband M took me to a walk in clinic nearby as my doctor's office was closed by that time.  They thought it was a sprain but ordered an x ray just in case. The X-ray lab was closed by that time so the next morning we had it done only to be told to go to the hospital next as it was a shoulder fracture. 

Emergency care at the hospital can take some time so we went prepared with snacks, water bottles, but it only took 3 hours. I asked them to look at my right foot where the instep had started to hurt the night of the fall.  That took extra time to have an x-ray and cat scan but nothing was broken.  I was fitted with a splint and told the fracture clinic would call me the next week to follow up, I will need physiotherapy probably.  I may have to wear the splint for 6 weeks.   (...  to be updated after my appointment.)

The challenge is to go about daily tasks using one hand. Fortunately it is my dominant hand.  Interestingly we were asked to use QR codes to sign up at the walk in clinic and at Triage at the hospital.  Times have changed.

As an aside I remember the splint guy saying summer is their busiest time in emergency.  He said they get many e-bike injuries.  I had mentioned how happy we were with their service knowing how busy it is there.

Update:

I went to the fracture clinic Aug 28 for a 7.30 am appointment with an orthopedic surgeon.  He recommended surgery so I am scheduled for next week! They did a shoulder CT scan for confirmation.  It will be a 6-8 week recovery followed by at least 3 months of physiotherapy.  Surgery for me will need plate and screws as opposed to getting a new shoulder.  The nurse said I should do a bone density scan later on through my family doctor to check my osteoporosis risk due to this event.

I put these details in my blog for handy future reference. In fact, I referenced my blog to check the date of my last surgery (hysterectomy) when I was filling out the hospital form.

27 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

Sorry to hear about it, Christine. I wish you a speedy recovery!

Terra said...

Wow, all that happened from a fall. I fell too recently, all the way to the ground and walked away ok. A simple fall can cause a lot of damage. I hope your surgery and recovery are very successful. Keep us informed.

Sintra blogue said...

thank you!

DrumMajor said...

OH, bummer on the fall. Sounds like you have a good system. I had rotator cuff surgery; 6 weeks in the funky splint, then 4 months of PT twice a week. It's good as new now. Find a You Tube video with hints on getting through it all: ice shoulder wrap, easy on the pain meds to have with food. Find a good PT. I went to Athletico 1 mile from my house but I don't think they're in Canada. Be easy on yourself. Linda in Kansas

Iris Flavia said...

Luck in bad luck... I had to do everything with my left arm/hand for over six months and now I mix up left and right like a silly.
Please make sure to move your arm high up. Other your tendon will shrink and that is hard to "restore".
I still have a platinum plate in my arm since 1994 - if this helps you, this is not much worry....
All the best luck (I think it is "luck" on your OP). Hugs, too...

Katerinas Blog said...

Good recovery, Christina.
Too bad about a small fall,
but on the other hand,
anything can always happen,
fortunately everything is now planned for you to be well.

My name is Erika. said...

Oh no Christine. I hope the surgery and healing go well. I had a friend who fell on her elbow and went through a lot of the same healing. Iy's scary what a fall can do.

ellie said...

Yikes, I hope it will all go well. Yes, I know a little about doctors taking their time to figure out what is wrong. It has been a summer of confusion for me with my left shoulder. All sorts of test were ran too. I was told I had Lupus, but when I got there and they saw me, they swore it wasn't. I got tested again. X-Ray. I had been in PT months ago because of my left hand and hand said my whole arm hurt. After an MRI..back to PT - Frozen shoulder. Wishing you all the best to getting better. Take care of you.

Caitlin'nMegan said...

Oh, I hope it all goes well. All the best to the surgery and PT. Sending positive vibes and more💛🌈🌻

Red said...

Sorry to hear about your fall. I hope you recover rapidly.

Anne Hagman-Niilola said...

Oh no! It was bad luck to fall! Luckily you are getting treatment. Strength for the surgery and recovery.

Christine said...

thanks for your advice Linda off to youtube

Martha Jane Orlando said...

Oh, no! Praying for successful surgery and fast healing, Christine.

CheerfulMonk said...

Oooh! I'm so sorry! You are wise to document it here!

jabblog said...

How very unpleasant. I hope the surgery goes well and your recovery is problem-free.

Mary Kirkland said...

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that.

Ananka said...

So sorry to hear about this Christine. Keep us posted. Hope you are okay. Big hugs xx

A&E waiting times are crazy mental over here in Scotland. Last time I was there had to wait over 8 hours! Though when my daughter wasn't well with Chicken Pox at the end of June the out of hours doctor saw her within a matter of hours!

Kathy G said...

As I get older falling is one of my greatest fears.

Jenn Jilks said...

Well, I would say, it's great to be in Canada for healthcare. So sorry you needed it, though.

Lowcarb team member said...

Oh dear ... I am sorry to read this.
I wish you a successful surgery and a good recovery.
Please take good care of yourself.

All the best Jan

J.P. Alexander said...

Esperó que te mejores. te mando un beso.

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry to read this-sigh accidents happen so fast don't they? hope everything goes well in surgery and recovery-hugs thinking of you

Elkes Lebensglück said...

I'm so sorry for you, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes well. Patience is what's needed now, you poor thing!
hugs Elke

DeniseinVA said...

I am very sorry about this Christine. I wish you speedy healing after the operation.

gigi-hawaii said...

Wow. You even had a hysterectomy? So sorry about all the humbug. At least, you won’t end up in a nursing home like David. Take care.

lissa said...

Sorry to hear about your fall but I hope you'll have a speedy recovery.

Have a lovely day.

Busy Bee Suz said...

Christine, you poor soul. I'm so sorry this happened to you! I'm behind on reading, so maybe you already had your surgery? Or it's soon? I will be praying for your recovery.

I also use my blog as a diary/timeline because my memory isn't what it should be.