A woman,63, a university administrator, recently fell and fractured a bone in her right leg near the ankle. The injury required an operation and back home she went with instructions for limited movement.
During convalescence, the woman, a recent widow, unknowingly developed a pulmonary embolism...blood clot in the lung.
Pulmonary embolism occurs when blood clots become lodged in a lung artery, blocking blood flow to lung tissue. Blood clots often originate in the legs.
Blood clots are more likely to form in your legs during periods of inactivity, such as being confined to bed for an extended period after surgery, a heart attack, or... a leg fracture.
What this grandmother of two felt, not knowing the seriousness of what she was going through, was a sudden onset of shortness of breath and lightheadedness all coming shortly after the cast was removed from her leg about a week after the operation. She along with other family members associated the symptoms with the events...the excitement of the day along with her lack of exercise.
However, the following day, the woman felt worst. She tried to tough it out until her daughter, by chance, paid a visit and became alarmed at what she saw.
Ambulance was called and off to the hospital they went. There, the condition, the clots, were discovered. A life was saved.
A near death experience, caught in time. All this from a fall, started by a stumble from which the woman, a few years ago, could have easily avoided.
September 23 is Falls Prevention Awareness Day.
A time in which we celebrate the first of autumn while promoting public awareness on how to prevent falls among older adults.
Each year, one in every three adults age 65 and older falls. Many suffering debilitating injuries which can haunt them for the remainder of their lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment