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

I think that because we drill into kids that they shouldn’t ring 999 as a general thing then it almost becomes natural to think that we shouldn’t call 999. Also, most of us will never have had to do so, so when you do,or when someone does on your behalf, it feels like you’re in the wrong somehow.

I rang 999 5 years ago when I had the flu and was finding it hard to breathe. And in my head I kept thinking that “it’s only the flu, I should get the bloody bus.” By the time the ambulance arrived I was collapsed on my kitchen floor, and by the time I reached the hospital I was in full organ failure and spent 3 days on life support, at which point they diagnosed me with a serious heart condition.

Since then I’ve had ambulances despatched for me several times, but most recently was a couple of weeks ago when my heart was racing. As I have a history of cardiac arrest and am in heart failure, such things need to be taken seriously, especially as I crash very very quickly. But this time as we were driving to the hospital (I have to be taken to one further away because of my condition) my heart flipped back into its normal rhythm. At that point I apologised to the paramedics, apologised to the staff, and 2 weeks on I still feel I was a time waster.

But the paramedics didn’t think so, and neither did the hospital staff. So I have to go with that, after all, next time (and there likely will be a next time,) I might not be so lucky, and at least then I’ll be in the right place.

Horse falls can cause severe damage to the neck and back (and lots of other body parts) it is one of the most dangerous sports for this reason (3rd most dangerous sport) you didn't waste anyones time, you were thankfully not injured.

Invest in a good body protector and get yourself a new hat after this fall, even if it looks good from the outside.

AlternativePerspective, excellent points.

I'd hope most people are sensisble not call them for a paper cut or twisted ankle.

Don’t feel bad, I feel off a horse about 16h and burst my appendix, had emergency surgery less than 12 hours later. (I didn’t go to hospital after the fall as felt fine just bruised, few hours later I developed side pain and then appendix went). These things happen you won’t have wasted time. Concussion can be a serious injury so good to get checked.

YANBU at all! The only way to know nothing more serious was wrong was to go to hospital and by ambulance. It sounds like you were quite lucky to have got away with no damage done.