Yesterday, Saturday, Oct. 26
Roy felt woozy, started to lean, flung his arm out to catch a rafter, but lost consciousness so that his weight continued in the arc and all 6ft 4in. of him landed face first (to the side on his cheekbone) on the edge of the cat food feeding can. We were all afternoon-early night at the hospital getting sewed up and doing all sorts of tests. Follow up testing is being scheduled and no driving and other cautions for … a while. Classes of course continue. We had a good ER doctor who took every symptom seriously. There are some fairly benign possible causes and some quite serious possible causes that could all or individually have been the reason(s) for this incident and related disturbing symptoms … which are to be investigated further.
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I requested a plastic surgeon, who came right away even though not on call, to sew Roy up so the scarring should be minimal. The ER (emergency room) doctor called the surgeon, personally, and he just happened to be not too far away.
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I’m wondering: If Roy had been turned in a different direction and landed in the cat’s litter box if it would have been a softer landing?
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When we finally got home from the hospital, after eight hours, there was barely enough time for me to go collect his North East Florida Fair entries which were supposed to be picked up during the three (or four?) hour time interval before midnight. The gates were being locked when I got there, even though I drove (fifth amendment invoked here) fast. He won three Blue Ribbons (first place) and two Red (second place) . https://bearspawprint.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/north-east-florida-fair/
Most of his woodworking tools, including those pictured, he makes himself. Then the dimensions
and handles and types of blades and chisels and gouges fit his own proportions and the needs of
the particular piece he is work on.
and handles and types of blades and chisels and gouges fit his own proportions and the needs of
the particular piece he is work on.
Roy says he wishes he had a better story to explain his stitches than “I fainted and fell in the cat food”. To me, that is the best of the possible stories for this. https://bearspawprint.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/roy-and-poor-pitiful-patrick/
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bearspawprint 
I do hope your son is better !!I have been thinking of him!!
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The swelling in his cheek and on the side of his head is already subsiding, it is just tender and cat scan didn’t show anything there. Other diagnostics are to follow to determine just if and or what is going on. He has some other worrisome symptoms.
Was your faint the source of your back troubles?
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Yes I got up one night and went down stairs for a drink of water , it was 4.30am, as I drank the water everything went I fell back hitting the breakfast bar and then the slate tile floor …………… smashed back three operations and a month in hospital . hey ho! They think it was low blood pressure.
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…and was a reason for the low BP found and addressed? I can think of a few from dehydration to…. but what was it for you?
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No they never sorted the reason for the faint, they took me off some pills I was on for migraine ! They jsut ummed and arrhed ….. xxxI hope they sort your son out and soon!
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Wanna trade migraine horror stories? do you have a BP cuff? You can purchase them and monitor it yourself to see if there is a pattern that your docs and you should be aware of. Digital cuffs also record pulse, I have to do that manually. Dear Husband just got a pacemaker 6 weeks ago, when I was away from computer for a while. The last 8 months or so have been pre-occupied with Dear Husband’s blood pressure and heart issues. But blood sugar and dehydration and several other factors could contribute to a dangerous faint. And leave you open to the possibility of another. Besides just quality of life enhancing meds. I’m sorry that you have this trouble. If it’s not one thing…it’s another. XXOO
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It certainly is. I have had these strange faints on and off since my middle 20’s No one has worke out what causes them. I have only had serious injury twice, so fingers crossed I have been lucky!!
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serious injury once is too much
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I do have a BP monitor that takes my pulse but even after a 48hours test they could not see a problem with the BP. Weird 🙂 xxxxxx
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48 hours does not equal lifetime. lieing down, sitting, standing, walking, exercising , before and after eating, during panic attack, all shows different information, especially when coordinated with pulse and notes you write yourself about whether you feel any odd sensations, light headed, flutters in chest, cold fingers, visual disturbances, loss of coordination, passing confusion, odd taste, pain, what and when you ate, or anything else you notice but usually ignore. After all these years a diary for month would not be too long. PTSD and/or depression sometimes cause us to forget to breathe, in my own case I hold my breath to listen. Whilst studying karate’ my Japanese sensei noticed that I built up tension in my shoulders and neck to such an extent that I impaired circulation to my head. (in the olden days) Something similar is the source of many peoples tension headaches. Just some ideas. We each become the only expert on our own bodies. Too often, just to survive. —————
Roy told me he prefers to have landed on the cat food and coming to with blood pouring out than to have come to in the litter box … which he was about to clean. XXOO
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ps Slate floor? I’m jealous. I’ll trade ya’ a nice safe rubber mat for that slate……
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Sorry to hear of this. I hope that he’s well.
Congratulations, though, on the awards!
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Thank you. I hope he is well, too. Various testing will be ongoing for a while. The swelling in his face and across the side of his head is already going down . Being hard-headed does have it’s advantages.
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Sorry to hear this happened. Hope the test show it’s benign. Fingers crossed and sending good thoughts. Paulette
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Thank you Paulette
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I too hope it turns out to be the benign ones.
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🙂 Thank you.
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Holy Toledo – I’m sure glad he’s going to be okay!
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Yes, I am hoping for a more benign cause for the passing out and the other symptoms that caused to the fall.
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Sad to hear of the pain, speedy recovery and no recurrences. Congrats on the ribbons.
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Thank you.
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