Makes sense. I’ve heard a few of those, but not by that name before. I’m sure it’ll come in handy in the near future for me too.
I sure recognize @Tamerlane’s comments about declining balance and also declining speed of reaction to upsets.
And now for one of my real frustrations with my fall: I have no idea why I fell. My last memory is of standing and stretching out my cramping calf muscle, a not uncommon operation I’ve done successfully many times in recent years. I was doing that routine task when suddenly my memory ends, and does not start again until I come to flat on my face on the carpet in the dark and in serious pain. The time between the fall and awakening was probably less than 30 seconds, as the Mrs. heard me crash, and spent a bit of time fumbling with the light before turning it on. And I was conscious by the time the light came on, as I remember thinking “oh good, she knows there’s a problem”.
So I don’t know if I fell due to lightheadedness and loss of consciousness, or if I lost my balance and fell and lost consciousness due to hitting my head. I don’t normally get symptoms of near syncope upon arising from bed, but it can happen. I can be a bit wobbly at times, but not usually right at bedside where I should have been able to fall backwards onto the bed and just slide off onto my butt if I miss the bed. Instead I fell face forward to the floor.
I’m checking blood pressures regularly now, lying, sitting, and standing. No problems so far. My multiple physicians (all of them so young that I have been a physician longer than they’ve been alive) have no opinions as to which it might be. Which is fair, as I don’t either.
Ah, stupid mystery of life.
Anyway, today I made 3/4 of a gallon of maple syrup, so I’ve got that going for me. So far this season (and it’s been an iffy one) I’ve made 1.25 gallons of maple. Looks like I’ll get about a pint of Walnut.
That expression isn’t limited to doctors, i have a friend who routinely referred to the “organ recital” whenever the conversation veers into health issues (and she has a lot of health issues, so it’s fairly common.)
That’s frustrating, and a bit scary.
I did that once. Only injury was a black eye and bent eyeglass frames . . . and my first, and only, TIA.
I got lucky last night–I was trying to make my bed, and as I went to get my blanket, I tripped over the sheet somehow as it was hanging off onto the floor. I fell forward, hitting my right shoulder on the cabinet and my right knee on a big box of books. The knee quickly swelled up to the size of half a tennis ball, quickly put a cold pack on it, and it mostly back to normal right now, painless unless I touch it remains sensitive. My shoulder just has some scrapes and bruises, full range of motion for both pain-free. I am normally very light and coordinated on my feet, so this is very uncharacteristic of me. I could have easily hit the cabinet with my head.
Maybe start with: what is causing the cramps? Whatever that is may be getting worse over time.
I sorta wonder about “standing” with a cramped leg. I sometimes get foot / ankle cramps. Usually upon waking up, which means I’m already lying down. I work out the cramp lying down and would never think to try to stand on it first, then work it out.
Reminds me of an issue w my late wife, both while she was young and spry and later when she was frail. We kept a stool in the walk-in closet to sit on while putting on pants or shoes. Which I used every time because it’s safer that way versus hopping on one foot trying to pull on pants or boots or tie shoes.
She steadfastly refused to sit to do any of that. I can still hear myself saying “Dear, I really don’t want to come home from a trip some day and find you dead here in the closet; shriveled up like a raisin with one shoe on and a big gash in your head.”
So Doc, don’t be that guy!
I have recently trained myself to take a beat when getting out of bed. Sit on the side, wait a second, stand up. I’m fine now but I’m going to be getting less steady at some point.
I intentionally put on my pants and socks standing up. And i had to work up to being able to do that, at first, i needed to lean against the edge of the bed or bureau for balance. It’s my daily balance exercise. I’m careful about where i stand when i do it, but my goal is to reduce the risk that I’ll fall at other times.
I feel much less wobbly since I’ve been doing this every day.
I’m doing this, too. Trying to build up my balance “bank.” I’m definitely getting better, but age will continue to chip away at any progress, right?
Just saw this thread and wanted to add my good wishes for continued improvement @Qadgop_the_Mercotan . Sounds awful.
I do this when I can, but there are some foot/leg cramps that are so unrelenting that standing is the only thing that makes it stop. Something about weightbearing on the muscles shortcircuiting the cramp. But I make sure I’m holding onto something. (severe stenosis, 2 surgeries, 3 fused vertebrae)
Yeah, I find standing carefully is often the best way to stretch it out if my calf cramps hard. If it is just a mild cramp/starting to cramp I will usually deal with it lying down, but if it a full-blown owwie I find standing is the quickest way to neutralize it. I also get foot cramps very occasionally and those particularly suck - I have always had to stand and walk a few steps to put those to rest.
Cramping 
. Another thing I do not recall waking from sleep with in my youth. I tell ya, I’m sympathizing more and more with those fantasy villains that want to suck the youth from the young to extend their own evil, twisted lives. Especially after said young people keep wandering onto my lawn. Well, I don’t have a lawn - but metaphorically 
.
Yeah. The list of counter-adaptations I’ve had to add to my life to offset deterioration just gets longer. Pause before standing. Think about which way to fall if it starts. Hold bannisters always. Perform balance exercises regularly. Eat this, not that. Pills. Spectacles. Hearing aids. Pay attention to only what you’re actively doing; don’t be an absent minded professor while doing anything, not even walking at home.
And worse yet, I realize my personal journey to decrepitude is just barely getting underway. Many folks here have spent years or decades doing lots more of that stuff that I’ve not even thought of yet. Uggh.