OH has fell down the stairs

[comeoneileenn]

Just moved into our new house today and OH has just gone and fell down the stairs the ambulance has just taken him to hospital.

I've got a job interview tomorrow and everything is still in boxes.

How bad are broken ankles will he still be able to look after the kids while I go?

Bollocks to the posters who say no the ambulance. My DH broke his foot falling downstairs - only 3 steps and there was no way we were getting him to the car. We were abroad and I remember no one ( least of all my PiL who were with us) taking it seriously. Until the xrays came back and within 2 mins they had put him on IV Morphine and were prepping for theatre. I can only imagine the no ambulance posters only experience of a break is a hairline fracture of one small bone. This is not always the case.

I really hope it not a bad break and your DP is back on his feet soon.

You will need to find some childcare for this one - awful timing and it’s just too soon.

Good luck for the interview!

Yes to an ambulance! I had one called for me with my broken ankle as I was lying in the ice as snow with my ankle facing the other way so no chance of standing up to walk. Hope your DH is ok and recovers quickly.

Eh? I was taken by ambulance a few years ago after breaking my ankle. Turned out both my fibia and tibia was shattered. Had surgery and now have a rod, pins and plate, caught an infection, and spent over 3 wks in hospital. Came home, Dp had to take weeks of work as the dc's were small.
First month I had to use a wheelchair as couldn't risk accidently weight bearing, and took almost 6months for me to actually walk without a plaster.
It was 100% the most pain I have ever experienced, more so than childbirth.
Your DP will ned a lot of help in the coming weeks.

Not as odd as an ambulance for a broken ankle.

Afaik you're meant to call an ambulance for suspected broken ankle. Walking on it or even moving can cause displacement and an even worse injury.

I'm first aid trained and that's what we've been taught.

When I broke my foot in several places I hopped on the other one until I got to the hospital fgs.

Hopped? 😲 When I broke my ankle I walked to the hospital on my hands. In the snow. And not before preparing my DH a selection lovely home cooked meals to pop in the freezer whilst I was gone. Couldn't have the poor little lamb going hungry.

Its hard to tell.

Your DH could have a simple break strapped up and sent packing but able to hand over wotsits and switch on Peppa for an hour, or a major problem and have to go back today for surgery.

Your kids may be exhausted after a busy week and happy to curl up with Toy Story, or they may decide to see how quickly they can dismantle your living room, to double check how hard they can throw the constituent parts at one another, whilst experimenting with how loud they can wolf howl (all in the name of science).

Your interview may be 30-45 minutes or it could be 2 hours.

There's a lot of variables. Do you have a neighbour that would sit in the garden with the kids or anything?

If be up front with your interviewers, say you had a family emergency, DH broke his ankle last night but you were really keen for the interview to go ahead, don't want to miss the opportunity, so you've arranged x or y, it should be fine for the duration of the interview but just letting them know at the start in case anything crops up unexpectedly.

Given that most of us are not doctors and don't have x rays in the house I presume if someone fell down the stairs and was in agony with potential broken bones and concussion I think most of us would call an ambulance. If you have two small kids then simply hopping into the car isn't a simple solution. Falling down stairs is potentially very serious. Some posters are so judgey and dumb.

I'd personally see if someone could come to look after the kids for the interview. If not I'd call and explain and ask if they can offer you another time.

Google 'The Women of Weinsberg', OP - they had the right idea. Honestly, no wonder we lost the Empire.

I have heard of taxis. They're incredibly inexpensive, right? I live half an hour from the nearest hospital. Taxi firms charge to even come out into the sticks first, so I reckon it'd cost me at least forty quid, and probably more. I'm a single mum of three and that's more than I can realistically afford at the moment. Unless the OP spent her formative years getting drunk, passing out in the park and summoning ambulances, I think she can have a little tranche of the NHS budget on this occasion . . . 🙄

Broken ankles can be really bad. My DH took a tumble on a field and was in crutches for 8 months! He broke it in 3 places and smashed the ball thing (whatever it's called!) dislocated too (from a tumble!) Needed surgery twice, and now beeps through metal detectors! He's absolutely fine and fully mobile now (keen runner) but will likely have arthritis in it, but it was a long recovery. I hope it's not as bad for your partner. DH was in hospital for a few days.

And for those saying an ambulance is ridiculous for a broken ankle see above, even though my husband was with military medics and transport when it happened, they called an ambulance due to the angle it was at, someone we know had their foot amputated due to incorrect treatment of his ankle that rendered it useless (it was the exact same break as my husband's, they met in rehab) broken bones can be very serious, if you couldn't safely move him of course they needed to call an ambulance.

Sorry guys rough night last night he rang me at 2:30 to go pick him up. He has to go back today as they couldn't do the x-ray as it's to swollen so he has a splint and crutches.

Don't know how I'm going to manage I've got boxes of clothes everywhere the new drawers aren't up or the dining table. Our family are an hour away and MIIL won't go on the motorway so we're fucked.

One ankle? He should be able to manage watching them for a while.

I had a severely sprained ankle and was on crutches for several weeks when I had a baby, a 3 and 5 year olds ... I managed.

Fair enough if he couldn't walk on both legs but for just one potentially broken ankle he didn't need an ambulance, ever heard of a taxi? No wonder people are dying waiting for ambulances if they're taken up with minor things like this. When I broke my foot in several places I hopped on the other one until I got to the hospital fgs.

Very, very silly thing to do. You could have made the injury worse or caused complications with blood supply. You would then have caused the NHS a world more expense than the cost of an ambulance call-out.

Sorry to hear that OP. So are you saying you had to haul the children out of bed to go and tfetch him at 2.30 am?

How is he now?

I suggest you riing the employer and explain you have had an emergency, can you postpone the interview.

@GalaxyCookieCrumble

He broke his ankles falling down the stairs and nothing else?

RTF OP's post. He broke one ankle.

Would you be able to take the kids to family?

Hope you're ok op. What a stroke of bad luck. Here's hoping you can get some help

Did anyone watch Ambulance the other night? I'm now thinking they should never have called an ambulance for that kid whose ankle was at right angles to his leg and whose foot was a right angles to his ankle. The little wuss should have run it off.

@giantangryrooster

Just asking as a foreigner, given the outrage of the use of ambulances on MN, do you only have one for the whole of Britain?

Yes my heritage is not British so I often ask myself the same question on here when ambulances are discussed

My sister has a permanent limp because the hospital went to with s broken ankle sent her home without an x-ray. She spent two days 'hopping' around on it and unwittingly did more damage before the gp called an ambulance for her, after being persuaded to come to see it and turning pale when seeing what my sister's leg looked like by then.

Ankles are complex as they are a joint. It is essential not to do more damage if it breaks. I would seriously not recommend ,''hopping' in and out of homes and vehicles. The pain and disorientation means it is easy to
bump it or fall on it again, which is what happened to my sister.

Op, it might seem like it now but it’s not all lost.
No, you probably won’t be able to make the interview today but you might be able to rearrange.
Just worry about the immediate problems for now, you’re tired and worried. You can get the rest sorted in time.

@StCharlotte

Did anyone watch Ambulance the other night? I'm now thinking they should never have called an ambulance for that kid whose ankle was at right angles to his leg and whose foot was a right angles to his ankle. The little wuss should have run it off.

Absolutely. What a wimp that child is

I hope he is ok OP. Unfortunately they can be very painful and sometimes need an operation, but if the area is too swollen then they have to wait for that to go down. That means rest and elevation in hospital. And of course it was totally fine to call an ambulance they have gas and air, other pain relief and splints to stop it becoming
more out of alignment. I am speaking as a doctor here

@nocoolnamesleft

A bike? You get a paramedic with a bike? We'd kill for a paramedic with a bike. We get a first aider on a skateboard. And that's only in leap years.

A skateboard? Paradise. We had one roller skate between 26 of us once every ten years.

Sorry to hear that news, OP, especially on top of moving house! That really sucks. I am guessing your job interview is off the table. I hope your DH doesn't have a break, I guess the X-ray will determine that.

OP I hope you will look back and this and laugh someday.

Congratulations on the new house and good luck for your interview. I hope DH’s recovery is smooth and rapid.