This morning I started walking to work, and I stepped on some ice and went flying, to fall flat on my back, my neck, and my head. I remember that, and I recall curling into a fetal position, and then somehow magically I had gotten up and walked to the science building, climbed the stairs, and gotten in to my office. I have no memory of walking. But a half hour later I texted my wife, “I might need hospital” and blacked out again. Then she showed up in the office, and then somehow I’m in the emergency room. I kept blacking out.
Lots of tests followed. I was concussed but there was no brain bleed and no broken bones. I’m in serious pain, and my rib cage periodically clenches like a fist, but I’m coping with the aid of tramadol and some other muscle relaxant. I have a note from the doctor to excuse me from work for a few days, but come on, my job is not physically demanding, I think I can power through with the assistance of my wheelchair and a few drugs. Because I’m a stupid macho man.
The trick might be getting to work the next few days, You don’t want a repeat.
And rib injuries can be a life time. My are 28 years old.
We really need to cut down all those banana trees.
That’s horrible PZ! Hope you recover soon.
My health scare late last week is what is known as a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), where my vitreous humor decided to divorce my retina. Light flashes for the first day or so and lots of floaters I didn’t have before. Ophthalmologist didn’t detect a retinal tear. I am now at a higher risk for that in the coming weeks.
Have you considered getting some strap on crampons for walking around in winter?
marcus will surely have some words for you. this is a considerably worse situation than funky knees or back. watch yerself like a hawk.
@hemidactylus I’ve had a floater but not the flashes and was declared ok on the retina front. I’m told the floaters don’t go away, but the brain ignores them after a while and that seems to be largely true. Hope all continues well for you.
PZ – can you avoid going in for a while? Recuperate first.
Or at least ski poles or trekking poles.
I see a lot of people our age with trekking poles these days.
That is a lucky break.
Falls leading to brain bleeds are common in older people due to age related brain shrinkage and use of blood thinners.
I’ve seen two from falls in the last year among my friends. They weren’t too serious, but they could have been.
I hope you mend well!
… my job is not physically demanding…
Just the commute.
PZ,
I am really sorry to hear this.
When I lived in Cleveland, ice was my biggest fear. After falling several times, I ended up buying YakTrax. It works very well in gripping the ice when walking. The catch is that you have to slip it over the soles of the shoes just before you go out and remove it just after you get inside because the metal slips on polished floors.
Yikes! For what it’s worth, I did something similar after our last substantial snowfall (just after Thanksgiving-the weather right now is more than alarming!). I was walking with 3 dogs-2 leashes in one hand and a wagon handle in the other-slipped on a patch of ice, and fell forward. I ended up with a big goose egg on my forehead, but I didn’t lose consciousness. I went to the doctor anyway, just for my peace of mind, and he said that this time of year they get a lot of dog walkers and walkers in general.
You probably can, to your detriment and also to Mary’s.
It is NOT worth it!
If it were life-or-death or something serious, sure. Push it.
But for your job??
Please reconsider.
No. No no no no. Remember the knee? Remember the other knee!? This is how you get stuck at home with the cat.
/Calling for help was good.
PZ I with the “Do Not Go To Work” people, you really do need to give your brain time to recover. It’s not about whether you could physically do it, it’s about the effect of doing it on your BRAIN, the thing that makes you you!
Horror story – my cousin tripped while carrying laundry and fell head-first on the chimney breast. I’ve seen where this happened and she can not have fallen more than two foot before hitting her head. She ended up in hospital extremely distressed because she couldn’t understand what was being said, fortunately this resolved fairly quickly, but then she couldn’t retain anything she was told. It took weeks before she could read, then weeks more before she could write anything but gibberish. She had been the sister in charge of breast care services for a major hospital and she wasn’t able to return to her job because she lost the ability to juggle all the staff and patients needs anymore. She was able to work as a nurse specialist, but it was very hard for her to be in that role and not one where she had more control after having been in charge. She ended up taking early retirement. Working in the NHS isn’t easy and she may have come to the same decision without the accident, but it really can’t have helped.
TL;DR Brains can heal but it takes time, and you should listen to your doctors!
Wishing you the absolute best PZ.
sounds pretty scary, wishing you a speedy and complication-free recovery.
And adding to the chorus about staying home and resting.
I once did some research for a study involving TBIs, and it’s kinda scary how a healthy adult can simply fall, bump their head, and die. it sounds like you’ve been checked and cleared, but the loss of consciousness/memory sounds pretty disturbing.
It’s a bit late for any use to PZ, but whenever I hear someone is considering taking a martial art/self defense/etc., I always strongly recommend at least trying one of the styles that focuses on throws/grapples (Jujitsu, Judo, Aikido, etc.) because the first thing they do is teach you “how to fall” in a manner that reduces risk of injury. It’s one of those things that once you learn it, it sticks with you for quite a while without continuing practice. And. while hopefully nobody needs the “martial” part of martial-arts, everyone slips and falls, and being able to reflexively fall in a safer manner can literally save a life. So, if anyone was considering giving Jujitsu or Aikido or something similar a try, learning to fall is a very good reason alone…
Be careful with your back. Sounds like it could be injured in the fall, or at least weakened. And you don’t want any kind of vertebral damage. Mine is six months on and still crippling. Look after your body old fellow…
Throwing my voice into the pile of recommending that you take the days off you’ve been given. Falls are not something to just brush aside at your age: it’s much better to take some time to recover (and make sure there aren’t any injuries that weren’t detected).
@ ^ microraptor : 100% agreed by me too!
PZ Myers, please look afetr yourself and don’t make things worse by trying todo too much too soon.
I can say from my dad’s experience after a kneee recosntruction that doing that -being tooambitious and trying to do toomuch toosoon is something that can set you back a very long way and is a very bad idea.
Please take it easy for a bit and let those who care for you – and there are many – do so. This does sound serious.
Best wishes and hoping you recover as speedily and smoothly as possible.
@2. PZ Myers,:
Can people actually get banana tres to grow in Minnesota! Pretty impressive gardening and surely some pretty big glasshouses if so! They’re apretty tropical hot climaet species those big Musa herbs!
See : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musa_(genus)
raven @7
I used poles and had a hard fall on my back about a month ago (fortunately I did not hit my head). I have still not recovered fully. It is painful to cough or sneeze. I am able to walk OK thanks to a chinook melting every thing.
Take Mano’s advice and get some slip on cleats. Also, everything microraptor @18 said.
Yaktrax!
Joining the chorus of “don’t go to work, your brain needs time to heal”. Especially what Jazzlet said.
Also, you should really see a concussion specialist. They are worth the time and money.
I was in a auto collision last spring, was knocked unconscious (hit on the driver’s side by the other vehicle), woke up in time to see the emergency ambulance arrive.
The ER completely cleared me.
They missed the broken ribs (that’s the one I blame them for–there was displacement with the fracture) and the concussion.
The ER services are really just to make sure you aren’t likely to die in the next 48 hours from your injuries. They can and do miss things.
The concussion specialist sent me for MRIs more detailed than the ER ones, noticed that I was wincing during the physical examination, sent me to the radiologist next building over, who found the broken ribs.
The point being that specialists can find things that generalists can miss and it is worth it to avail yourself of their services.
My medical outcomes have so far been better than they otherwise might have been if I hadn’t gone. Especially where brain injuries are the concern. Brain injuries can be subtle & it’s worth going to a concussion specialist to get a second opinion and a clearer diagnosis & better medical treatment.
I think it’s time for you to invest in ice cleats.
I have boots with in-built cleats as I have fallen and suffered fractures twice the last 7 years. This autumn I fell despite the cleats and ended on my back. The shoulder blades still ache.
Ice is really treasonous, hiding under the snow. I have kept the old crutches so I can avoid falling in case I slip.
OT: The dinosaurs are in the Epstein files!
This sounds like there’s a blogging hiatus coming soon…
PZ, stay safe out there, and don’t go back to work! Give your brain the time it needs to heal.
This Colbert intro Nobody Likes Ice seems pretty apt here now. 53 seconds long.
Get better soon.
Speaking as another, let’s say not young dude, been there done that! I feel your pain.
PZ, you probably need to get a better pair of boots. In the past few years boot manufacturers have started embedding microfibres in winter boot soles. This really helps reduce slipping on ice. The following (Canadian) site rates a bunch of winter boots for slippage on ice:
Rate My Treads
Don’t get my hopes up about you know who.
Anyway, get better soon, PZ.
Here is the boot that I bought: (US site)
Men’s Revel IV Polar Waterproof Boot
Keen Footwear seems to be available all over the US.
StevoR
I’ve heard of bananas growing as far north as the Carolinas on a community farm without a greenhouse. Tangentially related, for decades there was a coconut palm growing in Southern California, IIRC Santa Monica, despite California technically being too cold and dry for them. Life will find a way if it can.
Rest up and heal. Teaching may not be physically demanding but its mentally demanding and exhausting, so take the time away as you are able. Agree with Mano, Yaktrax changed my life. Go with the spike version not the coils, the coils wear out too quickly. I also keep my Yaktrax on one set of boots and bring a second pair with me for walking indoors (or keep a pair of comfy shoes at work).
Hope your recovery goes well.
I hope you recover soonest PZ.
Second on the cleats. Boots can be deceptive, as what looks like a great tread can turn out to be quite deadly. I had a pair of boots that were great in almost anything except certain varieties of snow. The deep cleated heels would fill with snow, which turned to ice, and suddenly I was as slippery as the ice I was on.
Anyway, hope all goes well.
My mom had dogs of one sort for many years, and lived out in the country She fell a few times in the snowy woods, and when she reached a certain age, where she basically didn’t care what she looked like, she simply took to wearing an old motorcycle helmet when she went out in the snow.
Cleats can be a real pain. In a cold climate you have to use them all the time, when temperatures are near or below freezing, because of the possibility of black ice. They are also very slippery on metal and painted road surfaces. And noisy and awkward when using on dry sidewalks (because possibility of black ice above).
I have cleats but only use them in ice-covered sidewalks situation (e.g., after freezing rain).
Get a good pair of boots first. You can always put cleats on top of them when necessary.
Speaking of ice…
Here is Ian McKellan performing the passage by Shakespeare about “strangers” (immigrants)
.https://youtube.com/shorts/O7fAxCjZnIU
pz, you can’t catch a break, can you.
1) you need to allow your brain to heal. after a concussion and blackouts, there’s no telling what you’ll tell your students. maybe flat earth “science”.
2) you need ice cleats for your shoes. and you need to use them every time you go out. until july.
3) obey mary. she’s the boss.
Yeah, that’s worrying, especially at your age. Take care of yourself, but more importantly, trust those you love to care for you.