Falling In Your Sixties

A week ago last Monday I fell, as I noted here.

It's okay. We all fall at one time or another. But when you're in your sixties and you fall, here's what you'll get: Have you had a bone density test? Do you take calcium? And here's what I answer. If I had poor bone density, every bone in my body would be broken because I fall all the time. Because I have an all walking job in every kind of weather condition that requires me to concentrate on something besides my walking all day. And, if you took a 20-year-old woman and threw her down on the ground, hard, 10 times in 3 months, she'd probably break something at least one of those times.

Also, when you're in your sixties and you go to the doctor because of your injury, here's what might happen. The attending doctor might treat your injury as a sprain. That's okay. But when you go back for a follow-up visit and she notes that the radiologist thinks you have a fracture, she might say, "Oh, I saw that on the xray but I just thought it was because I was not looking at the xray of a 20-year-old but that's what the xray of, you know, someone our age just looks like."

Now she might be right. I had new xrays today. And a different doctor. And this doctor said, "yes, I can clearly see the incomplete fracture on the large bone between your ankle and your foot. Have you had a bone density test?". Aaarrrgh.

Tomorrow I see an Orthopedic guy. And he might say there's no fracture. Nothing would surprise me at this point. Except maybe if someone judged me and my xrays for what they are and not for my age.