Gravity always wins, 100% of the time.
Sunday evening, my wife and I were watching a rather old movie, War Games.
About half way through I wanted to get an apple, as we all know, and Apple a day keeps the doctor away. So I stood up from the rather low couch, and felt just a little dizzy but walked to the kitchen, around the main cabinet towards the fridge, and the next thing I know is I am on my hands and knees tying to get up, but my head hurts, and there is a LOT of blood. My wife came in and and started cleaning up the blood on the floor, and hands me a wet towel to put on my forehead. It takes a minute to gather my senses, and stand up. With blood on my clothes, she said I had to change clothes, and got me a red t-shirt, and new shorts. It is a hard to change clothes while holding a towel to you head.
She drove the three miles to the local hospital and emergency room. They saw me holding a bloody towel to my forehead, and took me right to the treatment room. No sign in, no waiting, boom sit on the gurney - bed. They take a look at the cut, and say you need stitches, and we have a long list of things we need to test for.
They knew I was a medicare patient, and they were ready to get some Medicare money. So in goes an IV port, a blood test is drawn, eventually they put in 5 stitches. And they admit me to the hospital for an overnight stay.
They hang a bag of saline, so I can't bend my left arm much or the IV machine beeps at me. Finally at 11:00 PM they give me two regular Tylenol for my headache, and they let me have water. They want a pee test, and a second round of blood for a second blood test.
Ultra sound tests on Monday on my heart, and a third EKG. The doctor came in and said they have a list of about ten things to test for for a person passing out, and they go from just minor things to life or death. They want to eliminate the bad pookie things.
I was released at 5:00 PM on Monday, and felt like fine.
By the time we got home on Monday the bruising has increased. The weird thing is my wrists, knees and other body parts normally injured when falling face first on a Porcelain tile floor are fine. Only this morning did I find a small bruise on my left hip.
This morning when I woke up, I could just struggle to open my left eye.
I need Rocky's cut man to cut me. Yo, Adrien!
I put ice on my eye, and it is better. Likly mostly from gravity getting the blood to drain down.
In the end, they said my sodium and magnesium was low, and they gave me a bag of magnesium, and said to put more salt on my food. Yuck, but I will.
I have an appointment a week from today with my regular internist physician for my annual physical anyway, so they will take out the stitches, and run more tests likely.
So if you are feeling dizzy when you first stand up, pay attention and don't ignore it. This is the first time in my life I have ever passed out, or been unconscious without anesthesia.
It sucks to get old. I remember the good ol days of youth and I just bounced, and was unhurt. I have to grow older, but I refuse to grow up!