Ambulance/999- was I being unreasonable?

[NoRainbowsWithoutRain]

I’m an overthinker so I could be worrying about nothing, but I’ve been so anxious about this recently and just wanted to get an honest opinion so thought I would post here.

I was involved in a bad horse riding accident where I was thrown onto the ground from a height [the horse was jumping and had thrown a few bucks when I was thrown off] For anyone who knows about horses he’s about 16.2hands high, so pretty tall. I don’t remember much about landing apart from landing on my shoulder and thudding my head off the ground. I was lucky my friends were there to help me and they saw the entire thing and said it was a really bad fall. The last thing I remember is thinking woah why is my horse broncing?! Then boom my head and shoulder hit the ground. Then I remember lying and crying because everything hurt and my shoulder and neck were particularly sore.

An ambulance was called straight away and I was taken to a&e and got X-rays. Thankfully nothing was broken so I was discharged with a concussion and painkillers.

I feel like such a time waster because there was nothing broken! I know I didn’t know at the time, but I still feel so guilty. I think I was so full of adrenaline plus the shock of what had happened. I’m just so worried I looked like a time waster! I didn’t have any major swelling or bruising at the hospital (about 6 hours after the fall) and I’m worried I wasted everyone’s time and resources, especially as it was a particularly busy night at the hospital. It wasn’t an urgent ambulance as we had to wait a while (I’m not complaining at all about that, just trying to say it wasn’t an immediate emergency type ambulance) but I couldn’t get off the floor because my shoulder and neck hurt so much and even though I knew my neck wasn’t broken as I could move my limbs, my instructor said whenever you hit your head you should always get checked no matter what, even if you have your riding hat on like I did.

Don’t know why I’m posting this really, I just feel so guilty and worried that they’ll have thought I was a drama queen because it wasn’t broken or bruised or badly swollen (it was very bruised the next day but not the night it happened!) . Honestly, it was one of the sorest falls I’ve had! The doctor said it was probably a whiplash-type of injury causing the neck pain and a concussion as well. All the staff were seriously amazing, especially given how busy and stressful the hospital was, and I can’t stop worrying that I wasted their time

Ambulance and A&E is 100% right! Who knows what would have happened if you had a spinal injury and tried to move yourself/have friends move you? This is what they're for.

Please be careful though! When I read you'd had another possible bad injury recently it sent shivers down my spine! No sport is worth possibly dying over 😞

I would say if you've fallen off a horse twice and needed an ambulance maybe you shouldn't be on a horse. It's not a necessity and NHS is stretched as it is

I would say if you've fallen off a horse twice and needed an ambulance maybe you shouldn't be on a horse

LOL… every equestrian that ever lived has fallen off, probably dozens of times.

Princess Anne (to give just one example) has been hospitalized at least four times after riding accidents.

@user1958493

Horses aren't like cars. Falls and accidents aren't uncommon and they are not a sign that you are an incompetent rider. Besides, horses have to be ridden to keep them healthy and fit. OP can't leave her horse in a stable or a field until NHS isn't so stretched. Our health care system has been under pressure for years before covid and will probably be under pressure for years afterwards. In the meantime, we can't live our lives wrapped up in cotton wool. With your argument, you could also argue that we shouldn't drive in case we get injured in a crash, or we shouldn't play contact sports incase we get hurt. Even walking has it's risks. Should we just sit at home in a rocking chair?

Erm, we all pay for emergency services for this exact scenario. Great that you weren't seriously injured but you/bystanders don't know that. If i saw someone fall that height I would call an ambulance.

Fall from any horse + bang on head = 999
QED

An ambulance was definantly the right thing to do in your situation. Until you were checked over, no-one knew if there was any more serious injury.

Glad you’re okay.

You were absolutely right to wait for an ambulance. I work in busy a&e dept and we would be more concerned if somebody walked into the department and ended up with severe spinal cord injury because they wouldn't wait for an ambulance. A fall from any height and neck or back pain requires extra caution and you can never tell if it's nothing or if it's a severe injury untill you are scanned.
You absolutely did the right thing,imagine the burden you would put on your family and medical services if you didn't bother to wait properly for an ambulance and ended up paralysed for life. Imagine your guilt then.
Also, if you have kids, I'm sure you would insist they wait for an ambulance rather than take silly chances. I would not be happy if my teen decided to make his own way to a&e after a fall and neck pain.

I had a very nasty similar sounding fall in my teens. I argued against going to A&E as I could feel everything and just needed some time to get back up.
I was ignored, thankfully, and an ambulance arrived. At A&E it was discovered I had a cracked two vertebrae, ruptured a disc and had pretty bad concussion.
I was lucky to be walking around. If I hadn’t have gone I could have ended up in a wheel chair.
You really did the right thing.

Definitely not unreasonable to phone an ambulance, a lot of people thrown off horses end up with serious spinal injuries.

yANBU yoir not a time waster. It could have been very serious but It wasn't. The paramedics know their job and know you needed to be checked over. Don't stress over it

I find it disturbing how distressed and undeserving women are conditioned to be, about getting healthcare.

Sounds like it was right to get the ambulance. If you'd damaged your back it would be important for paramedics to move and transport you properly. Better to be safe than sorry. You can't always tell from looking what the injuries are with a fall like that.

[quote Prescottdanni123]@user1958493

Horses aren't like cars. Falls and accidents aren't uncommon and they are not a sign that you are an incompetent rider. Besides, horses have to be ridden to keep them healthy and fit. OP can't leave her horse in a stable or a field until NHS isn't so stretched. Our health care system has been under pressure for years before covid and will probably be under pressure for years afterwards. In the meantime, we can't live our lives wrapped up in cotton wool. With your argument, you could also argue that we shouldn't drive in case we get injured in a crash, or we shouldn't play contact sports incase we get hurt. Even walking has it's risks. Should we just sit at home in a rocking chair?[/quote]
But you said horses aren't like cars? So that argument is irrelevant.

I don't think OP was wrong to call an ambulance, but why do something so dangerous repeatedly and then feel bad about it.

@user1958493

Loads of people ride horses. And suffering falls is part of that. A couple of falls doesn't mean that OP is an incompetent rider. Yes there are risks but there are risks associated with everything, even drinking water.

You have ignored my main point. If we shouldn't do anything risky so we don't put more pressure on the overwhelmed NHS, should we stop driving cars? Riding bikes? Walking? Going up and down stairs? These all have risks attached. Yes the NHS is overwhelmed, it has been for years and probably will be for years to come unforunately. But that doesn't mean that we have to put our lives on hold for however many years. What do you suppose that OP does with her horse? As I said before, horses need to be ridden.

@user1958493

Oh and just to add, my point about cars and horses is that, if you were crashing multiple times, that is a sign that you are an incompetent driver and shouldn't be on the road, providing that you are at fault on these occasions. Falling of a horse more than once isn't a sign that you are an incompetent rider. However, both riding and driving have risks attached.

Going to hospital was absolutely the right thing to do. When I was a teenager my best friend had a fall and hit her head. She had a brain injury, and died a week later.

"Don't live, you might die."

100% right to treat any injury like that as a potential spinal injury, the consequences of getting it wrong are far too high!

Just jumping on to say that if you have been diagnosed with concussion you really ought to be taking time to recover properly from that as well before you get back on a horse (or do any other physical activity) especially as you say you had similar a few weeks back.
Persistent concussion symptoms are no joke and repeated concussion without proper recovery puts you at high risk, especially if you are under 25.

These are the RFU guidelines but they apply across any sport where you could take a knock to the head…particularly the rest period and graduated return to activity

www.englandrugby.com/dxdam/fc/fc36ddd4-fa06-413e-865a-3fb1d7c15926/HEADCASE%20EXTENDED.pdf

Absolutely not time wasting. Your friend did the right thing calling an ambulance. Someone can have internal bleeding and seem ok. There’s no way the hospital would have you down as a time waster

Haven't read the whole thread but the horse world has a huge tendency to make out you're a complete wuss if you don't get back on after a fall, even if you're actually injured as you were. You did the right thing.

I am a nhs manager with daily involvement in A&E. A horse riding accident with loss of consciousness is exactly what both ambulance and A&E are for! Nobody involved will have been anything other than relieved that you were ok because when they got the call they will have braced for very serious injury, paralysis or worse, we love patients who are in fact fine.its a great result,

Personally I probably wouldn't have called an ambulance, but only because I've been falling off horses for as long as I can remember and have a comprehensive scale for comparison
I would however insist on calling 999 if I had witnessed it. I'm also the type to leave my own suspected breaks etc for a week day or two to see if they improve, or at least until convenient, but ambulance or not, suspected concussion is something that always requires immediate A&E.
As for wasting NHS resources, the horse industry is more than a net contributor so no need to feel guilty.

On a separate note, it is slightly concerning that if you've only had two falls, one involved getting properly tangled and the other broncos. My idea of health and safety would give most riding schools heart failure, and I genuinely mourn the fact many have to play it safe now, but even by my standards that seems a little too unfortunate. Apologies if I've read that incorrectly or you've just been extraordinarily lucky over many years.

Feel better soon. You did nothing wrong. If i had been with you, I'd have called an ambulance in a heart beat.

Omg you did nothing wrong but I 100% get it. I broke a few fingers and a bone in my hand and, when I went to physio, felt sooo pathetic as it was just a few fingers and there were others literally learning to walk again x