Well, DH fell again this morning while walking only this time he fell on hard ground and had a deep cut over his left eye. Fortunately the custodian was out there and brought him home in his truck. I took him to the emergency room at 7.00am where he got a tetanus shot, 5 stitches and a CT scan. The scan was fine. I had just told DH yesterday he needed to think about quitting walking and he agreed. Obviously he didn't think long or hard enough about it. I've already told him his walking days are over again he agreed so we'll see how long that will last. The bright spot in the whole thing was the doctor in the ER. Talk about eye candy!!!! If I was 40 years younger I might have brought him home with me whether he wanted to come or not. LOL.
Jean21 - I hope that he is able to understand about the not being able to walk. My husband did not. He would walk, fall, pick himself up (with my help) and walk and fall until the point of exhaustion. Even now, a year after placement, his feet are never still. He is restricted to a wheel chair and he is up and down the halls for hours on end. Even when he is exhausted and does not have the strength to make the chair move, his feet continue to move. Unfortunately, there is no eye candy for me to look at, even his doctor is a woman.
E, There is no way I could get my DH up when he fall's, he is a foot taller and at least 60lbs heavier. I was thinking a while ago it may be near time for a walker and I am sure he will have a hissy fit about that. This is the second fall in about a week, the first one was outside the front door and the walk way has carpet. He was able to get himself up that time. Right now he is asleep in bed. I'm sure he will have a head ache when he wakes up.
Jean21 - believe me I couldn't get my husband up either. He was just stubborn enough that with my coaching he could usually drag himself to a piece of furniture that he could get ahold of and pull himself up. When he reached the exhausted stage where he wasn't able to do that, he just had to stay on the floor until he had rested enough to do it.
We might be able to get him up if he falls in the house but the one today was outside and as best as I can figure it was as he was coming in to the entrance to the condo's which is all blacktop. He said a while ago he wouldn't go walking anymore. Strangely, he hasn't had a headache. There is nothing wrong with his appetite. lol.
It is very scary when they fall outside. Charlie did it twice, once a neighbor saw him and helped him inside the other time was in the middle of the night and he managed to make it back to the house with two black eyes a bloody nose and scraped knees and elbows where he had crawled. That was when I fixed the doors so that he was not able to get outside. Nothing wrong with Charlie' appetite either!
jean terrible about the fall but maybe you can get him to stop the walks now with the excuse of having to take him to ER again if he falls a gain. maybe the blacktop is affecting his perception or vision. we know AD has issues with dark colors. they will literally try to step over a dark rug thinking its a deep hold. i hope he is better. ehamilton i remember you telling us when that happened. very scary. i know you are at least relieved he cant get out and fall even though he suffers restless legs. divvi
DH got up this morning with a beautiful purple eye! It is from the eyelid up, nothing below. divvi, I knew about anything dark looking like a hole but he had been walking on the blacktop for a while before he fell. From what he said his legs just gave out and he knew he was going to fall face first! He has mentioned a few times about his legs feeling weak so I guess we shouldn't be surprised. We talked about it last night I told him two falls should be enough warning for anyone. He agreed and said he would give walking up. I know it scared him so I hope it was enough to stop him.
Is this falling part of AZ? My DH fell more than once.....he was walking then all of a sudden he'd yell and down he went. It was as if he knew he was going to fall. First time this happened he was at home, I figured he tripped on something although I didn't know what. Second time he was outside on the deck, same thing. Third time we were visiting my parents in the nursing home, he fell and they called 911 and he was transported to ER. The ER doc told me he probably was dehydrated (NOT), we come from a place where it's over 100 degress in the summer, we know how to deydrate ourselves. Happend again, brought him back to ER, while getting out of the car he fell again, had ER personnel come running to help. They admitted him, did all sorts of test, MRI, PET Scan etc, nothing. I'm still waiting to get the hospital records so I can read exactly what they thought. Now I'm afraid to bring him anywhere, for fear of a fall. Can't afford a wheelchair, however, someone told me Medicare will pay for one, will they? And how do I go about getting one?
Rae Ann, Falling is part of AD. There have many posts on this site about a loved one falling. As far as I know there is nothing can be done for it. Would your DH use a walker? I don't know abot wheelchairs and Medicare paying for one but I am sure someone who knows will be along soon and point you in the right direction
Rae Ann, you need to talk to your husband's physician about the falling and whatever else is going on. The doctor can write a prescription for a wheelchair or whatever else he needs and then Medicare will pay. You may have a co-pay since I remember I had one for the hospital bed and alternating pressure mattress for my husband.
My husband has been falling for 2-3 years, and now uses a 4 wheeled walker or a cane when we go out. After two trips to the ER, he agreed to the walker, but he still falls in the house on occasion. I can't lift him either, but so far he uses furniture to get up..takes a while. I tried using the Gait belt but ,it was not helpful. He is not supposed to go outside alone, and has semi followed that. His caregiver takes him to the park for a short walk in good weather. Where we live in not conducive to "going for a walk"...all hills and no sidewalks. One day at a time.
The husband of a friend of mine who has AD walks rapidly and somewhat leaning forward as he goes. The fear is that he will fall and when he does face first. My DH is having some walking issues which I think are a combination of diabetic neuropathy and AD...I have a cane at the ready but this stubborn man won't use it..and if he falls, I can only hope it won't affect his hips which have both been replaced...I will not be able to get him up alone and he is of the personality to drag himself or make me get somethings to get him up.
Oh boy, DH's eye is a mess. From below his eye brow down and under his eye is nothing but deep purple and puffy. Above his eye brow where the stitches are isn't too bad. It's a little swollen and a kind of yellow colour but nothing like the rest of his eye. He must have gone down on his left side because that is where all the bruising and swelling is. He also said his left side is sore and there are scrapes on the left leg near his knee. He keeps saying he doesn't know how he did it. I think he thinks he tripped over something although I have told him it is probably the AD making his legs give out. Of course he doesn't remember that or chooses not to. I don't know how long it will take for everything to return to normal.