A Test of the Emergency Response System

Thursday I had lunch with my favorite Super Seniors to celebrate a couple of birthdays and then I went back to work.  I hadn't been working long when my cell phone rang. It was Loni.  When I answered she said "I need you to come get me."

Now my first thought was her car broke down, so I asked her where she was.  She said "I'm at my new house.  I fell through the ceiling."  I asked her how I would get in and she said she would unlock the front door.  I told her I was on my way, and out the door I went.

Fortunately, Loni's new house is only about 3 miles from my house.  I pretty much drove ten miles over the speed limit to get there and was praying all the way.  

When I got to the house Loni was sitting on the floor in the formal living room against the wall.  She looked a little dazed and, even though I had not seen her that morning, I knew she was not in all the clothes she must have worn to work.

It seems Loni went to her new house during her lunch hour to put a new filter in her attic unit.  Once she climbed into the attic she thought it was probably a bad idea and turned to go back down, where she belonged when she crashed through the laundry room ceiling 9 feet to the ceramic tile floor.  She does not remember much after that, including how she landed.  We know she roamed around the house after falling because there is insulation all the way back into the master bedroom area. At some point she took off the sweater she had been wearing because it was covered in insulation and put on her zippered cardigan, She also had to go out into the garage to get her cell phone to call me.  From what we have been able to put together it was probably 20-30 minutes from the time she fell until she placed the call.

I quickly assessed Loni and determined that I could safely transport her to the ED (New name for ER, evidently it is not PC to call it an Emergency Room.Loni told them ED sounded like Viagra should be involved.) 

Once in the ED it was probably less than 10 minutes before Loni was in a bed and soon after that they took her in for a head CT.  After that a PA came in and asked questions, ordered a neck CT, spinal, chest, and elbow x-ray, blood tests, and urine test.  All those tests were run quickly.  It was determined that Loni was an extremely lucky woman. She has some major contusions, and a couple of chipped teeth, but no internal injuries. She was released with prescriptions for a pain med, muscle relaxant, and antibiotic (she was found to have a little infection). 

The one thing that puzzled me at the hospital was Loni's socks.  They were covered in insulation.  Loni never walks around in her socks. She always wears her shoes because of her planter's fasciitis. Unless her memory comes back that is something we will never solve.

I was also amused at the hospital by how she kept telling everyone she fell on her "ass."  Loni would not normally talk to strangers that way. She also kept telling them it hurt like "hell."  It wasn't until much later in our time in the ED that she quit saying those things and using politer "company" words.  That is when I knew she was becoming un-addled. 

Over the last few days more and more bruises have come up on Loni.  She aches every where, and moves very slow.  

Me, I thank God for every bruise and every ache because she is alive, she has no brain injury, she is not paralyzed, and nothing was broken.

Loni says she was just testing the Emergency Response System since I am part of that team now that she is on her own.  I think I passed.

Now all I need to do is go get a box of Clairol to cover all the new white and gray hairs that popped out ever since I heard "I fell through the ceiling."