Today I write about something many of us with multiple sclerosis (MS) have experienced and that I went through this past weekend: I fell (again). I tell this story as a reminder of the importance of practicing falling, because more often than not, an actual fall takes you by surprise.
Distraction and Lack of Situational Awareness Contributed
It was a cold, clear morning. It was bright, so I’d guess it must have been after 9 a.m. After coffee and breakfast, I’d headed out toward the front gate to feed the larger birds before scattering a morning repast for the smaller songbirds on the garden wall outside our patio door. I find that feeding the rooks and crows out front keeps them away from the little guys’ food. I knew it was cold from the quick sting in my nostrils as I inhaled the fresh morning air. But, as I said, it was bright with hardly a cloud in the sky — a sky at which I was soon staring straight up. Ours is a gravel driveway in the front garden, not smooth in any way. In the hours before the sun brightened the now clear sky, and unbeknownst to me, a light rain had fallen, coating and cementing together the stones of our drive into a slick, if lumpy, sheet of ice. The first three or four steps away from the front door were dry, due to the rain shadow of the house, so when I took that fifth step, I had no idea I was in any more danger of a fall than usual as a person with MS (a person with MS who falls with some regularity).
You Can Be on the Ground Before You Realize You’re Falling
I have no recollection of the actual slip and fall. It happened so fast that I was up and then I was down. Not until my hands were touching the thick coating of ice on the ground did I figure out what had happened. I didn’t hit my head or lose consciousness. It simply happened so quickly that I didn’t mentally experience falling. I’ve a few bruises and some sore muscles where I must have flailed for balance on my way down. But a couple of strained muscles and a good story are the fortunate conclusion to what could have been a serious accident.
Learning to Fall Safely Is a Skill Worth Practicing
While we all want to prevent falls whenever possible — indeed, fall prevention for people with MS is a subject of serious research — this experience brings into sharp focus the training I have undertaken over the years to learn not only how to get up from a fall, but more importantly how to fall in the first place. Both Harvard Health Publishing and AARP offer some tips on this. Though I didn’t (couldn’t) pilot my body to a perfect landing this time, learned instincts seemed to kick in and reduced the potential damage to a few aches and pains that will remind me to be more cautious in coming weeks. I rolled to my side, assessed my immediate condition, and then — as so many of us have done so many times before — I worked my way up from the ground and slowly got on with my day. The rooks’ food, like myself, was scattered around the garden in a way far from what I had intended. By the time I was back in the warm house and recounting the tale to my wife, Caryn, the birds had descended and were making short work of their breakfast. I sat with a fresh coffee, waiting for the paracetamol to kick in, and let Caryn scatter the songbirds’ food. Once bitten, twice shy. Be careful out there, my friends. Life is slippery. Wishing you and your family the best of health. Cheers, Trevis
