This morning I started walking to work, and I stepped on some ice and went flying, to fall flat on my back, my neck, and my head. I remember that, and I recall curling into a fetal position, and then somehow magically I had gotten up and walked to the science building, climbed the stairs, and gotten in to my office. I have no memory of walking. But a half hour later I texted my wife, “I might need hospital” and blacked out again. Then she showed up in the office, and then somehow I’m in the emergency room. I kept blacking out.
Lots of tests followed. I was concussed but there was no brain bleed and no broken bones. I’m in serious pain, and my rib cage periodically clenches like a fist, but I’m coping with the aid of tramadol and some other muscle relaxant. I have a note from the doctor to excuse me from work for a few days, but come on, my job is not physically demanding, I think I can power through with the assistance of my wheelchair and a few drugs. Because I’m a stupid macho man.
The trick might be getting to work the next few days, You don’t want a repeat.
And rib injuries can be a life time. My are 28 years old.
We really need to cut down all those banana trees.
That’s horrible PZ! Hope you recover soon.
My health scare late last week is what is known as a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), where my vitreous humor decided to divorce my retina. Light flashes for the first day or so and lots of floaters I didn’t have before. Ophthalmologist didn’t detect a retinal tear. I am now at a higher risk for that in the coming weeks.
Have you considered getting some strap on crampons for walking around in winter?
marcus will surely have some words for you. this is a considerably worse situation than funky knees or back. watch yerself like a hawk.
@hemidactylus I’ve had a floater but not the flashes and was declared ok on the retina front. I’m told the floaters don’t go away, but the brain ignores them after a while and that seems to be largely true. Hope all continues well for you.
PZ – can you avoid going in for a while? Recuperate first.
Or at least ski poles or trekking poles.
I see a lot of people our age with trekking poles these days.
That is a lucky break.
Falls leading to brain bleeds are common in older people due to age related brain shrinkage and use of blood thinners.
I’ve seen two from falls in the last year among my friends. They weren’t too serious, but they could have been.
I hope you mend well!
… my job is not physically demanding…
Just the commute.
PZ,
I am really sorry to hear this.
When I lived in Cleveland, ice was my biggest fear. After falling several times, I ended up buying YakTrax. It works very well in gripping the ice when walking. The catch is that you have to slip it over the soles of the shoes just before you go out and remove it just after you get inside because the metal slips on polished floors.
Yikes! For what it’s worth, I did something similar after our last substantial snowfall (just after Thanksgiving-the weather right now is more than alarming!). I was walking with 3 dogs-2 leashes in one hand and a wagon handle in the other-slipped on a patch of ice, and fell forward. I ended up with a big goose egg on my forehead, but I didn’t lose consciousness. I went to the doctor anyway, just for my peace of mind, and he said that this time of year they get a lot of dog walkers and walkers in general.
You probably can, to your detriment and also to Mary’s.
It is NOT worth it!
If it were life-or-death or something serious, sure. Push it.
But for your job??
Please reconsider.
No. No no no no. Remember the knee? Remember the other knee!? This is how you get stuck at home with the cat.
/Calling for help was good.
PZ I with the “Do Not Go To Work” people, you really do need to give your brain time to recover. It’s not about whether you could physically do it, it’s about the effect of doing it on your BRAIN, the thing that makes you you!
Horror story – my cousin tripped while carrying laundry and fell head-first on the chimney breast. I’ve seen where this happened and she can not have fallen more than two foot before hitting her head. She ended up in hospital extremely distressed because she couldn’t understand what was being said, fortunately this resolved fairly quickly, but then she couldn’t retain anything she was told. It took weeks before she could read, then weeks more before she could write anything but gibberish. She had been the sister in charge of breast care services for a major hospital and she wasn’t able to return to her job because she lost the ability to juggle all the staff and patients needs anymore. She was able to work as a nurse specialist, but it was very hard for her to be in that role and not one where she had more control after having been in charge. She ended up taking early retirement. Working in the NHS isn’t easy and she may have come to the same decision without the accident, but it really can’t have helped.
TL;DR Brains can heal but it takes time, and you should listen to your doctors!