The One About Spring Cleaning, Taking A Tumble, And Discussion Of Said

/ Ally Bean

The Spring Cleaning Part

Last week we decided to do a proper spring cleaning on the first floor of our house. It’s almost all wood flooring, the outliers being the powder room and the laundry room that have tile floors.

As you can imagine cleaning and waxing all the wood floors means moving furniture, rugs, plants, lamps, decorative items from one room to another; then moving them back from whence they came.

Please note that we’re not obsessive about doing all the spring cleaning in one day, like we were when we were younger and working and being social butterflies who had places to go, people to meet.

No, now we go with the flow and take our time.

Over a few days.

The Tumble Part

Well, we’d done the floors in all the rooms except the living room. And I suppose I was feeling a little cocky about how efficiently we’d moved furniture and such around the first floor, like pros.

But pride goeth before the fall, people. [No pun intended but it is one.]

So as we were carrying the rolled up 8′ x 10′ heavy wool rug + pad back into the living room preparing to place it just so, I lost my balance on the slick clean waxed floor and dramatically, albeit slowly, fell down, KERPLUNK.

At this point, if’n we were a younger married couple, my true love would have rushed to my side making sure I was uninjured.

However as a much older married couple my true love knows I’m clumsy as all get out, so he just looked at me in a heap on the floor and said: “it’s just a few more steps to get the rug into place, you gonna help?” 

Thus prompted by his *concern* I stood up, doublechecking the knee on which I’d fallen to see if it still worked. And it did. As did my toes that had gotten twisted around and smashed when I sat unceremoniously on them.

No harm, no foul.

The Discussion Part

Now the foregoing isn’t meant to be a motherly warning against wearing only socks on your feet when you move heavy items around on wood floors, which I think we can agree might not have been, in retrospect, a good idea.

Instead think of this tale as the precursor to the conversation that followed in which we discussed what I could/should/might say to our primary care physician when I go for my annual physical checkup wherein she’ll ask: have you fallen in the last year?

The answer to this question is, of course, dependent upon how you choose to define “fall.” To wit:

Is a fall any incident wherein you find yourself unintentionally down on the floor/ground despite the unusualness of the situation? Such as what happened to me while helping with the rug, something that might be classified as a minor mishap, merely a slip.

OR

Is a fall specifically when you lose your balance unexpectedly whilst doing something normal like walking around your house, your neighborhood, a store, a park, wherever? Such as tripping over something, or having a stroke-like moment, resulting in a serious keeling over out of nowhere. 

I await your insightful comments, my little moonbeams of good health. Trust me when I say this has been an ongoing, unresolved, conversation here at Chez Bean.

What say ye?

248 thoughts on “The One About Spring Cleaning, Taking A Tumble, And Discussion Of Said”

  1. I think the definition of a doctor’s fall has to do with severity. Did you pop right back up and continue moving furniture? Or did you writhe on the floor in pain with twisted limbs and bruises? I’ve done both and the blown knee to prove it… without pretty shiny floors to show for it.
    🥺

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    • River, I like your way of thinking about this question. I got back up and continued on with moving stuff around, no writhing in pain, just my ego slightly bruised. So sorry about your knee, that is lousy.

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      • I’m glad that only your ego was bruised and that you were able to get up without assistance. Wish I could do that. And my new doctor only asked if I’d fallen in the last three months. And when they do ask when you last fell, why do they always want to know the exact date of the fall? I’ve only had one fall I can remember the exact date of because it’s the only one that ever sent me to the ER.

        I’m a connoisseur of falling due to balance issues. I live alone and I also have weakness in my calf muscles that prevent me from getting up without assistance. It’s not uncommon for the fire department to have to show up 2-3 times a year (minimum) to pick me up from the floor or the ground. I normally don’t have to go to the ER, though. (Lord don’t let me jinx myself by telling this next story!) However, last June I was preparing to go shopping with someone when I stopped to adjust something on my patio fence. When I turned around and took a step, my sandal got caught in a grass runner and I fell like a chopped tree. It resulted in severe chest pain (nothing broken) and more bruises than a dropped apple. It took six weeks for my chest to heal enough to be able to wear a bra without severe pain.

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        • Barb, if you admit to falling you’re supposed to remember the date! As I’ve never answered ‘yes’ to the question I didn’t know that. That’s interesting.

          I’m sorry to read about your fall outside last summer but can understand how that could happen, especially with your medical history. What a mess, but I do like your description of “more bruises than a dropped apple.” At least your ability to communicate clearly wasn’t knocked out of you. Stay steady, ok!

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  2. I’m of the second opinion. My doc asks me the same question. If I answer yes, I get all kinds of referrals to therapies and balance clinics and frowned foreheads. I walk between 25 and 30 miles a week and have one freaking fall a year and they go ballistic. If I had a true fall, I’d admit it. If I had a stupid one (as in one caused by one’s own stupidity) I may forget to mention it.

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    • Kate, you and I are on the same page. I consider what happened to me to be just a little nothing, easily forgotten. Like you, I refuse to ever mention much of anything to my doctor because “they go ballistic.” I swear they get more excited about referring you on, than by solving the situation themselves.

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    • First: I’m glad you’re ok! Not (just) because of the “slip” on the slippery floor, but because yesterday I came looking for a my Bean-reading, and after 2 weeks, I didn’t find one, so I was starting to worry. Turns out you were hard at work!

      As for walking around the house, I discovered crocs (not affiliated with them) and since then, I rarely walk barefoot/sock footed only around the house. Whatever preconceptions you have of them, they are COMFY!

      As for the physical (I have one next week, too!), if it’s all the physician is going to ask (not care about the story behind it), then I’m sad, but not surprised. I once wrote about a physician (from Brazil, I believe) who noticed that there’s little correlation between the checklists and people’s actual health, and he devised an exercise/test that takes less than a minute and gives him (and the patients) far better understanding of their health and stability than those checklists. So I’m with Kate. It’s about your health after all, not about a potential (and very understandable) slip.

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      • EW, yes I knew I was missing my usual Tuesday post time but we had such dramatic loud thunderstorms on Tuesday morning that I was unnerved about being near a computer. I figured the electricity was going to go out at any minute. It didn’t but by then I was into another project so I figured blogging could wait. Thanks for noticing.

        I don’t have any Crocs but I take your point. Unlike socks, they’re not slippery.

        I like the sound of your Brazilian doctor’s test. We’re asked these tedious questions that seem more like busy work for the doctor than an actual learning experience based on conversation.

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        • Just know that you were missed 🙂

          Sadly, I’ve only read about the Brazilian physician, but I like his test, and I do it regularly… because it takes really no equipment (no slippery floors, though), no cost, and just in case 🙂 Glad to report that we are in good health according to that test.

          I like his attitude that if the tests aren’t a good indicator of the patients’ health, then the problem is with the tests, not the patients 😀 I’ve had too many physicians that spend way more time typing things then paying attention to me …

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          • Ditto. These doctors who just stare at a computer screen irritate me. I’m sitting right there so why not talk with me, the patient? I figure they can tune into the results of my tests before we chat, instead of while we’re chatting. It seems like the Brazilian doctor understood this intuitively.

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            • And on a different note, our Costco has envy apples (one of the top 5 apple varieties around) on sale, and it turns out you can “only” get 99 of them on sale 🤪 remember we once discussed those “high limits” on number of purchases? I wonder who’d be getting MORE than 99 boxes of 4lbs of envy apples … 🤔

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              • EW, that’s funny. I do remember talking about limits at Costco and while I’m sure Envy Apples are delicious, no way do I need or want that many. I like Costco, but… 🍎

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  3. First off, kudos on the shiny, waxed floors. Makes me all the more pleased with myself that I changed ALL my floors for heated tiles. Un-slippery ones, to boot.

    Second, the blue in your living room looks the same as the one wall in mine! Beauty. Excellent choice of colour, I might add.

    As for your question, I agree with River. And methinks that our general clumsiness (of which I am guilty) should not constitute a fall per se. While I didn’t fall, I did a most ungraceful (I figure, though no witnesses came forth to dispute) slide, caused by the winter’s gravel lining the roads, with my right foot, causing a huge pull on my hamstring/piriformis, etc. I have since had my first chiro treatment and am hopeful that I shall be set to rights sooner rather than later! (Oh, and I’m being seen for my shoulder coz, I don’t know what the hell I did but am suffering from limited movement.)

    This ageing thing is such a gas, isn’t it?

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    • Dale, heated tiles? Oh that is clever and I don’t know anyone else who has that going on in their home. Wood floors are standard around here. Slipping on them is optional. 🙄

      I like our blue accent wall. It’s called ‘Denim’ but a friend who is an artist tells me it’s not really denim because it doesn’t have enough purple in it to be denim. She says it’s ‘blue gray’ like the Prussian Blue Crayola crayons of old.

      I’m sorry to read about your fall and how you injured your hamstring. I know stuff like that happens, but must it happen?!! THAT is the question. As for your shoulder, that’s a stupid bummer but I’m glad you’re getting help for it. ‘Tis a fact that aging ain’t for sissies, like you said it is a gas, indeed.

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      • I have cut my heating costs by over $50/month. I do love wood floors but lemme tell you that this? Fabulous. No more heat ducts anywhere in the house.

        I love it. I can’t remember what mine is called (I’ll have to check now!)

        Oh lordy. I have been outta commission for a MONTH now. On Sunday, I slipped and made it worse so… swear, cuss, curse…

        As for the shoulder, I ignored it for months, until simply taking off a sweater or putting on a coat “wrong” sent shards of pain. I truly feel this guy is going to make a difference!

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        • Fascinating about your floors, the cost reduction, and no heat ducts?!! I cannot even imagine such a thing.

          One month not running? Knowing your lifestyle that’d be disconcerting. I am sorry and can imagine how disruptive it must be, just waiting to get better.

          I had a rotator cuff injury as a result of a car accident. It was painful, but with some medical care I healed perfectly, no residual problem. I wish the same for you.

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  4. Socks are the real villian here! Not yourself, Ally, so it’s disappointing that Mr Zen Bean didn’t offer a tad more sympathy. It sounded more like something my Moth (man of the house) might say. I wouldn’t constitute this ‘slip’ as a medically notifiable fall. My reasoning being that this is particularly relevant to me given that my 91 year old Dad did have a fall that was notifiable – last week. (He’s okay though). Hope your toes have recovered.

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    • Amanda, YES! You’re right, this is all the socks fault. Why didn’t I think of that?

      This morning Z-D read what I wrote here and has offered his apologies for not being more concerned about me in the moment. His reasoning, which is sound, is that I popped back up after a brief sit on the floor so he figured I was ok to keep working.

      I’m sorry to read that your Dad fell in a way that was significant. And therein is the truth of the matter, some falls are worthy of note [and subsequent care] while others are mere blips on the screen.

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  5. The floors look great! There’s that, right? 😉 Seriously, tho…so sorry about your tumble. I like that word instead of ‘fall’. I also like ‘slipped’. And Zen-Den’s query, “you gonna help” made me chuckle. I’m glad you’re okay because all of the unexpected gymnastics can be dangerous, but around here, we pop up like we’ve done a dismount, hands overhead, shake it off and go pop some Motrin. But I like your Ally Early Warning post. Wear shoes AND socks. Yep. 🥰

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  6. I think when the doctor asks about falls, she is usually fishing for an underlying problem such as a balance issue, instability. I don’t think I’d mention this because it was clearly the socks to blame.
    When we lived in our three story log cabin with wood floors and stairs, our house rule was socks or bare feet, no socks, especially on the stairs. We implemented that one after I slid down an entire flight and bruised my backside gloriously. I did not tell my doctor, since I was able to walk down the second flight of stairs and make dinner.

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  7. Doctors are most concerned about falls due to dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath, disorientation (not realizing the chair was on the OTHER side of the room), etc.

    But also . . . lack of foresight and awareness of our limitations and surroundings. 

    Moving heavy furniture on slick floors wearing slippery socks? Hmmm . . .

    That said, if I were your doctor and you told the tale of falling on your tail in an entertaining fashion (as you are won’t to do) . . . I’d let it slide. 

    This time.

    But don’t let it happen again!

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    • Nancy, I appreciate your clarity about what my doctor is worried about as I age. I was not dizzy, weak, out of breath, or disoriented when I fell, or didn’t fall, depending on your perspective.

      You’re right. My doctor is a hoot and would enjoy my story of a minor mishap, she likes the chit-chat part of doctoring more than most I’ve seen. Still I might not mention it.

      I shall follow your advice and not let this happen again. I feel kind of silly about it, but that means I had to write about it here, right?

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      • I wouldn’t feel too silly about it. Life does have a way of besting us and testing us from time to time. And go you for getting the Spring Cleaning done!

        BTW: Your awareness of HOW it happened and HOW to avoid similar slip ups in the future indicates that you are cognizant of your surroundings, etc. Doctors really worry when patients fall without being able to explain what happened . . . “I don’t know. One minute I was walking across the room and the next thing I know I was lying on the floor.”

         

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  8. Ouch! Both the fall AND your “true love’s” response! I’m glad you’re alright and enjoy those lovely, clean floors!

    A few times I’ve had the kids use wood polish on the end tables in our living room…and they’ve sprayed the polish on the floor (accidentally…I think?) and then I’ve walked through and gone arse over teakettle!

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    • Elisabeth, I’m pleased that the floors are clean and shiny, but I’ll admit that next year I’m wearing shoes while we do the work.

      That spray wood polish for furniture makes for some of the slickest surfaces ever. I can understand how a little of it on the floor could be a danger. I take it you were okay after your… let’s not call it a fall… your mishap wherein you met the floor unexpectedly. 😉

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  9. Oh gosh, back in the day when I had wood floors and did the annual waxing and polishing slippers were a must for the first week after for the entire family!

    I’m in the “a fall is the second” category. Two years ago now…time flies I was coming down a trail from a hill at night with my headlamp for light and constantly peering left and right for critters and the trying to keep an eye on the trail too when I strayed too close to the edge and tumbled down on my knee. I sprang back up dusted myself off and finished the hike. Only my knee and ego were bruised. I didn’t think to tell the doctor about it at all.

    I just cleaned and resealed our tile shower the other day and have been reminding He-man every day since it might still be slippery! Our water socks might be something we need to wear for a week after that cleaning when we get old. 😂

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  10. As a person who falls all the time, ever since I was a kid, I have decided to finally fess up to the doctor. Heretofore I thought that my falls weren’t anything to speak of– just dumb accidental missteps that made me less than vertical. But, with my aging bones & more than a few aches and pains, I think that the doc is looking at injury prevention as well as coordination & all. I might live to regret it, but I have decided to open the discussion in a few weeks at my annual physical. I don’t think they can fix ‘not paying attention to where I’m going’, but since I don’t always spring up as quickly as I used to, with wear & tear, I do want to prevent breaks and fractures and all, if possible! Might as well consult the experts.

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    • Gwen, you make a good case of fessing up to your falls. I realize that anyone can get hurt when they fall and not breaking bones is always good. I wonder what your doctor will say, whether it’ll be tests that lead to something or just a confirmation that you’re the sort of person who falls down often. Soon you shall know!

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  11. I think the doctors are generally looking for unexplained falls or serious injuries from falls? Slipping on a newly waxed floor probably doesn’t count. Neither would being pushed (unless your husband did it, which would be a whole other issue). Tripping over nothing (or a curb) several times a year while on a walk might be a sign of muscle or neurological degeneration. Also, can I just say that I am very disappointed that Z-D didn’t at least ask if you were okay. Next time he trips, be sure you respond with something equally sympathetic, such as, “You gonna lie there all day or help me finish the job?”

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    • AutumnAshbough, your explanation of what constitutes a noteworthy fall is one I’ll take to heart. My experience had nothing to do with neurological problems, maybe a little bit to do with not being as strong as I once was, but probably was caused by socks. Plain and simple.

      I’m laughing at your wise suggestion about what to say to Z-D when he falls. I shall commit it to memory and wait for the opportunity to spring it on him. Bwha-ha-ha!

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  12. Yikes. I’m envious of your energy and organization to conduct spring cleaning. Are you available for hire? 😉

    I think the doctor would be more concerned with the kind of falls my mom has been having, tumbling down doing normal activities, like walking outside (or in her case, rushing outside on a very windy day to adjust a metal something or other used to keep the squirrels out of a tree). I don’t think stumbling while in the middle of moving something heavy while wearing socks counts.

    I did laugh at your spouse asking if you were ready to finish the job. So funny.

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    • Ernie, unlike your mom’s situation your reasoning about what happened to me is how I see what happened. I fell but under unusual conditions that had nothing to do with spontaneously falling down, more like conditions brought on by my own stupidity. Don’t wear socks when moving furniture on freshly waxed floors. THAT’S the takeaway.

      I thought Z-D was pretty funny, too. His lack of worry about what I’d done made me realize I was okay, nothing bad had happened… so get on with things!

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  13. If you’re standing and then you’re on the ground for any reason I would deem it to be a fall. Qualifying how you got to the ground might be helpful, but you are still down rather than being up so I have to go with fall. Example: I was heavily into installing my new modem/router (see most recent post) the other day wielding both a twisted chord or two and the 3x larger new device. I began to struggle with the cord as I was leaning down (but still upright) and as things got tangled up, to save the new modem/router from crashing to the ground, I allowed myself to crash to the ground. I also then tipped over to the right, still mindful of the new modem/router, and ended up skinning my elbow on the floor as I sort of slid.

    If I had to explain all that to my PCP my hope would be that she is so impressed that I remembered the details so vividly that she would think nothing of the actual fall and just move on to talk about how much time I’m devoting to other healthful activities. Oh, and also be very impressed that I was so conscientious in saving the new, large modem/router.

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    • Deb, I’m impressed that you saved your new electronic device from harm, but of course I’m not a doctor, more like a friend. That being said, I take your point about how your ability to explain what happened to the doctor is, may be, more important than the actual fall itself. I could explain what happened to me with the rug/waxed floors so I feel like I might not need to tell the doctor. Rationalization?

      [PLEASE NOTE: I’ve been having difficulties with WP so while I may be able to read what you wrote, I may not be able to comment. Something is wonky every time I get involved in with comments of WP (and Substack, too). It’s like the system arbitrarily lets me talk with some people, but not others. 🤷‍♀️]

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      • Yes, if you can logically and fully rationalize something away in your own head then why bother the overworked PCP who probably only listens to every 5th word anyway. Let it go I say 🙂

        Thanks for the heads up. WP can be the biggest pain in the ass sometimes. Even though I went back to the website version I keep the Jetpack app tucked away, although I really have no idea if either platform is viable. I’ll simply put words out there and hope…at least until I definitively get zero responses on a regular basis. Then it’s probably time to shut things down and simply talk to myself and the walls.

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        • Ha! I do enjoy the idea of you wandering around your apartment talking to the walls. Somehow I suspect we all are going to be doing that eventually.

          I use the website version of WP because my experience, albeit brief, with Jetpack made my head spin. I’m like you I know it’s there if I need it, but at this point every blog post here could be last one. I’ve been at blogging for a long time now…

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          • Well I already do talk to the birds and squirrels outside so the walls can’t be far behind. 😉

            I too have mixed feelings about blogging. There are weeks and months I have nothing useful to say and then BOOM- suddenly there’s all sorts of little anecdotal things that pop up. I never have held to a schedule though so I really feel no pressure at all. I would continue to read however even if I stop writing at some point.

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            • At this point my only concession to being a *proper* blogger, the one I thought I’d be, is to try to post something every week, but I don’t chastise myself if I miss a week. I keep writing to keep my brain clicking and my heart open, that’s about it. Of course I could do that in other non-blogging ways so… 🤷‍♀️

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  14. Ally, the good thing about aging is that we sometimes forget. You might *forget* (wink, wink) this fall by the time your annual physical rolls around. I fall occasionally when I am trail running. Sometimes spectacularly. I usually forget about those falls when I am talking to my doctor. I don’t want her to tell me to stop running!

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    • Laurie, I understand your reasoning and take your point. My annual exam is in February so I have a long time to put this incident into perspective, perhaps forget it entirely. I tumbled, but I didn’t get hurt… so all’s well that ends well? Like your approach…

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  19. I say it doesn’t count – you were in the middle of an athletic event. I banged my knee at work once and fell on the floor but no one saw so there was nothing to report 😉

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    • Barbara, I do like your reasoning. I hadn’t thought of moving furniture et al as an athletic event, but it was that. I’ve no doubt that you didn’t fall because if no one saw you… how could it have happened? 😁

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  20. Firstly. Your true love seems to have aged like mine. These days, in our house, his attitude is more , that independent klutz can manage on her own. And secondly, your doctor asks if you had a fall. Holy crap that’s goes into the above and beyond category of doctor visits in my world. I am lucky if he takes my blood pressure. It’s up to you if you tell him, even if it’s not a serious fall, it can’t hurt to have it in his records since he is interested.

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    • Jenn, yes the “independent klutz can manage on her own” attitude is what we have going on, too. I take it as a sign of mature love.

      Our primary care physicians have a proper list of questions they ask us when we have our annual checkups. I don’t know if the list is within just this practice or something from the AMA?

      The problem with casually mentioning anything to a doctor in the US is that they suddenly refer you to specialists or need a series of test run. No matter what insurance you have, ultimately you [somehow] end up paying out of pocket costs for these referrals or tests… that in my experience have said nothing is wrong, get over yourself. It’s kind of a scam.

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  21. I am working on NOT falling. It’s not that I fall now, but my knee is bothering me from a ski accident in 2018. I feel off balance, so rather than let it get worse, I’m doing the PT that I did post knee surgery. I think slipping in socks on a newly waxed floor while carry a rolled up rug is NOT falling.

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    • E.A. Wickham, I can imagine how your ski accident put you out of alignment. I’m glad you’re doing something to help you feel more balanced. I’m with you about how this is not falling. It wasn’t my brightest move, but I think of it as a mishap never to be mentioned in a doctor’s office.

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  22. Definitely depends on the end result of the fall. If I had injured myself, yes, but then I probably wouldn’t wait until my annual exam to have it checked. Glad that you suffered no ill effects. LOL “are you going to help?”

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    • Janet, if I’d injured myself I’d have gone to the doctor now, too. But there’s been no repercussions of my experience, other than having something to write about here. Yes, Z-D was intent on finishing our spring cleaning, more than worrying about me. Rightfully so.

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  23. Socks will kill you! But then I am the person using a circular saw, standing on plywood (which I was cutting) in flip-flops – maybe I am not the best source of advice. As for your love’s reply…. I would have said “way to go grace” And finally, NO you did not fall.

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  24. Do doctors ask that? We must be elderly these days. Tripping and falling is different from losing one’s balance and doing so. The former is normal and to be expected sometimes, the latter might indicate a problem. That’s my take!

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    • Margaret, our doctors have always asked us a list of questions that include: “have you fallen in the last year?” Until I posted this I had no idea that wasn’t a standard question for all ages. I agree with your take about the distinction between something normal versus something problematic. Same fall, different cause. That’s the essence of it.

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  25. I fell back in 2022 and broke my left ankle and right kneecap. I’d been sitting on my left leg and jumped up to take care of something. I didn’t realize my leg had fallen asleep and was as useful at holding me up as a wet noodle! I was in the kitchen – according to my orthopedist – a place where many falls happen! Take care! The shiny floor isn’t worth it!

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    • Jan, I remember your fall and your recuperation and how awful it all was. So sorry that happened to you, but I can understand how it did. I didn’t know about the fall/kitchen connection. I’ll be more alert in there.

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  26. I don’t know the answer to your question, but I’d like to pose one back. I am not yet at the age at which that question gets asked (I’m in my mid-40s), but I don’t think there is a single year in my entire life when I can answer either variation of the question no. Is there a special answer for those of us who are clumsy? I do ALL the fall prevention things, but I am a lady who finds myself on the floor/ground with some regularity. Hmmmm…

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    • NGS, to my knowledge this question isn’t age-related. Our doctors have always asked it, for decades. I take your point about there needs to be a *clumsy* category for people who think of falling as a normal part of their lives. And maybe there is one, but I’ve never needed to say “yes I’ve fallen” so I don’t know what comes next in the conversation. 🤷‍♀️

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  27. Oh my goodness! I’m glad you didn’t hurt yourself!

    I fell in the parking lot when the ground was icy. I didn’t hurt myself either.

    I think it depends on a person’s age. If my mother, who is almost 90, slipped at home, I would be very concerned.

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    • L. Marie, good point about your age, like your theoretical situation involving your mother. If I was older maybe what I did was fall, but considering the circumstances surrounding what happened, I’m going with forgetting to tell the doctor.

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  28. I would probably ask the doctor to clarify. But if asked, I would tell her I slipped on a freshly waxed floor, landed on my knee and scrunched my toes, but, in general, I was fine. She’ll probably not be too concerned. Then again, she’d probably feel obligated to write it down, though it’s something that could easily have happened to a 20-year-old. Then it would be in your permanent medical record, flagging you as fall-prone and complicate matters going forward. So, I believe I just talked myself into suggesting you don’t mention it at all.

    ZD’s response to your fall is hilarious. Horrible, but hilarious. He, at least, wasn’t concerned probably because he knows you’re tough and can take it. Maybe it was a compliment in disguise!

    Is that your house with the beautiful rug and the blue wall? If so, love it! Two thumbs up from me.

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    • Betsy, your line of reasoning is exactly why I won’t be mentioning what happened to my primary care physician. They have to make notes of anything you say, even in passing, so I figure it is best to be reticent.

      Your insight into Z-D’s response to my tumble is how I thought of it. If I really had been hurt he’d have jumped to my rescue, but because he thought I was okay, I thought I was okay, too. And I am.

      Yes, that’s a fast photo of our living room and the rug that brought me down. Thanks for the compliment, it is a pleasant place to hang out.

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  30. I’m glad you’re okay, but I had to LOL when I got to the physician question! It’s only been in the last year or so that I’ve been asked this, so I’m assuming it starts at age 60? Also noticed I’m no longer asked if I do recreational drugs🤣

    YOUR question is a good one. My guess is that they want to know about any fall, just in case there was unknown damage, but I can’t imagine one would have a concussion or internal bleeding and still be walking around going to physicals. But who knows?

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    • Bijoux, our doctors have asked us this question for decades, although they have stopped asking about recreational drug use. Good point.

      I suppose I could have hurt myself more than I may know, but I doubt it. I figure that if I really fall I’ll know it and not have to parse the meaning of the word, so if that happens then I’ll tell the doctor. In the meantime this is a minor mishap.

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  31. So sorry for your mishaps! But I did laugh at the “You gonna help? query. Men be men and all that. Our upstairs neighbor moved in last year from out of state, and likewise moved his furniture wearing only socks on his third full day of living here. He suffered an awful, painful injury to his toes, and then had to introduce himself to us by asking if we could recommend a doctor. Probably not the best face he wanted to present to his new neighbors! But we sprang into action and took him to our family doctor (which is now his family doctor too). I’m not sure I know the answer to your question, really, but my falls for some reason always seem to happen in parking lots! – Marty

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  32. I gasped when you said you had fallen. This past year has changed me in terms of falls. I promised myself that I would never take walking for granted again, and yet I find myself doing just that. However, I am much more careful on steps than ever before.

    Following Mike’s fall in September, what was once considered a “simple” fall can become a dangerous fall as we age. (Like say, moving furniture?)

    I have a doctors appointment this afternoon. If she asks about falls, I’ll report back.

    I’m glad you are okay. 😘

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    • Kari, thanks for your concern, but I am fine [at least to my knowledge]. It wasn’t my wisest idea to wear socks while moving furniture, but lesson learned, story told.

      You’re right about how simple physical maneuvers become more difficult, or maybe more menacing, as you get older. I’m super cautious about stairs, of which we have many around here. On the one hand walking up and down them is good exercise, on the other hand potential accident zones.

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  33. A fall is a fall is a fall, I’m inclined to say. When/if you admit it to you doctor, she is likely to also ding you on having a throw-rug, those dandy tripping hazards for us oldsters. As long as you are able to draw the face of a clock and remember the five items she recites too quickly, you’re probably good-to-go for another year. Glad you weren’t injured, Ally.

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    • Donna, yours is a simple approach to defining the term. I’ve not been asked to draw a face of a clock, but look forward to the time when I am asked. [Yes, a pun.] You have to also remember five items? We only get asked to remember three items that seem to always include “chair.”

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  34. I’m glad you were able to get back up. If the Doc catches you in not mentioning the fall, blame it on a failing memory. They ask me if we have throw rugs. I say “no but we do have some carpets.” The fact is, we have a tile floor near the door we use most often. When our shoes are wet, that tile is slippery. I’d rather have the rugs. We originally put them down when our dog first tried walking on the tile. Her poor feet went every which way.

    I think yo need to use your best judgement as to whether the fall was one that you should bring to the attention of your doctor. In any case, I’m glad you’re back on your feet and I’m very glad there’s humor in your marriage.

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    • Dan, thanks to commenters here I’m now aware that I could be asked about throw rugs. We have large rugs that are anything but “throwable.” I didn’t know that our rugs might be considered a potential issue considering the wood floors are a heck of a lot more treacherous. Wet tiles will get you if you aren’t careful, poor Maddie.

      I have until next February to think about what to tell the doctor, so you know I’ll have forgotten all about this mishap by then. Yep, Z-D and I have our moments. 😁

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  35. I think this is an age-related question around balance and/or lightheadedness (which is really about bp, diabetes, heart failure, etc).

    Three years ago, I fell twice within six months (I can’t remember the last time I fell before that), both times because I rolled my foot on a stone. I had lovely sprained ankles but neither fall was age-related from the perspective of balance, blood pressure or heart failure. I was in a rush, moving at a good clip and rolled my foot. Nuff said.

    Unless you know of an underlying condition that might give you pause, I think you’re in the same category as me. You slipped on your shiny clean floors. The same thing could have happened when you were 22. In my opinion, you should enjoy your lovely floors and beautiful living room without concern about that question. 😊

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    • Lynette, your analysis of what the question is about makes sense to me. I wasn’t lightheaded nor feeling unbalanced, other than carrying half of a heavy rug around. I take your point about how if there’s no mention of blood pressure, diabetes, or heart failure, then this is just something that happened.

      I could easily have been in the same situation at age 22, the only difference being that back then Z-D would have been more worried about my kerplunk. Now he’s accustomed to my clumsiness, I’m sure it’s part of my charm.

      I will take your advice and enjoy our clean living room, it was worth the effort to make it so.

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  36. You are your husband have an A+ relationship! 👌

    Hmm. There’s are different varieties of falling. There’s tripping over your own feet, which may results in scraped knees and humiliation. Slipping on wet tile, which could break a hip. Then fainting due to low blood pressure and hitting your head on the tile. I suspect the physician is just trying to gauge if, maybe, a scan is necessary to look for micro-fractures or future problems. Though, I would see a doctor right away after a bad fall, and probably not mention the minor mishaps, personally.

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    • Erin, if I took a real fall, one that left me dazed I’d go see the doctor, but this was more of a slow glide to the floor. Rather controlled, yet awkward. Z-D didn’t see me has hurt which I wasn’t, so all’s well that ends well. Still it did make for some good conversations about what it means to get old, older, oldest.

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  37. Hmmm. While answering the doctor, I would err on the side of honesty. I would tell them that I did fall, what the conditions and results were, and leave it at that. Since you slipped on a newly waxed floors, and were fine after, I expect they will merely note the fall and move on. But it will give them good information about your balance (that your fall had nothing to do with that) and your bones and so on (since you didn’t break anything).

    I fell pretty hard late 2022 and banged up my face, and when I got that question a few months later, I answered it honestly. I was having balance issues anyway, so I felt that it was helpful information for them. I needed help for the balance, but it was good for them to know that I got up and moved on without any trouble, no broken bones or concussion or anything.

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    • J, I hesitate to ever share much of anything with doctors because it goes on your permanent record and somehow health insurance companies could find a way to use it against you. I like my primary care physician, she’s lighthearted and would see the humor in what happened, but she’d write it down.

      If I felt like what happened was something serious I’d mention it, like you did. That makes sense to me and I’m glad to know you made the right choice. But unless I have a repeat of collapsing this was just a minor mishap.

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  38. As a person who has been greatly impacted by a fall within the last year, here’s my 2 cents:  If the fall has had any kind of impact on your body, yes, mention it–not because it’s a sign of some kind of cognitive or balance decline, but because there might be things that need attending to. If you’re confident that it hasn’t and that you know your fall is not an indicator of anything needing the doctor’s attention, feel free to skip it. 

    All add this:  When I fell, I did not think I hit my head very hard. I was far more concerned about my wrist (which was broken). So was everyone else, which is why my concussion was not diagnosed and I did not get any treatment for it. And when I finally did, the treatment wasn’t helpful. It has been 4.5 months of no/ineffective treatment, and I wish I had taken the whole thing more seriously from the beginning. I didn’t because I was embarrassed and because I didn’t want it to be a big deal. I didn’t want me to be a big deal. As it turns out, I’ve got some significant vision issues now as a result of hitting my head, and I’m now in the camp of “better safe than sorry.” As my dad used to say when I was young, do as I say, not as I did.

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    • Rita, I know you’ve been through so much since your fall on the ice. I imagine that I’d have done the same things that you did, focus on the wrist, minimize the head injury. I’m glad you finally were diagnosed with the concussion, but it is amazing how the treatment hasn’t been effective. I do not know anything about concussions, but feel confident that I didn’t hit my head so that’s not an issue.

      I take your point about making sure to mention this if I notice a decline in my cognition or my balance, but as of today the situation is more of a mishap than anything else. I hope you get to a better point in your treatment.

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    • Frank, the definition of what is a *fall* can be varied. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to. Like you I think of falling as something that happens when you’re doing something normal and you suddenly find yourself on the floor not knowing how you got there. In my situation I most definitely know how I got there!

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  40. Ally, I assume your husband quickly summarized the situation and ‘encouraged’ you to continue based on his conclusion. Now, if there was blood involved, or possibly an ear shattering scream, he might have reached a different conclusion. Husbands have a way of not overreacting which is kind of nice, until it isn’t and we just need a little attention.

    I think there is a rule that falls only need be confessed if it happened without an apparent cause – like a slippery floor. Carry on.

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    • Suzanne, I like your summary of how Z-D reacted. To say he didn’t overreact would be spot on. It’s exactly what happened and I was no worse of the wear after falling so ever onward we went getting that heavy rug into place.

      Your rationale for when to tell a doctor about a fall is perfect. It succinctly covers any situation and gives a person a criteria for discerning what to confess. Thank you.

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  41. The older you get, the more the doctor is concerned about falls, probably because of bones breaking more easily and, if you have osteoporosis, it could be worse. Socks on a slick floor? Yikes. Glad you’re okay! Maybe a bit more “concern” would be nice. 😉

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    • Janet, you’re making sense about why a doctor would be concerned about falls. If I really had fallen without any reason for it I’d tell the doctor but in this case I’m going with minor mishap. Yes, the socks were a bad idea, lesson learned.

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  42. I asked my doctor if it counted that the dog suddenly jerked me to the gravel. It was NOT a black mark against my name!

    I think you’ll be fine, since you were performing as a furniture mover with improper equipment.

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    • Anne, interesting about how the doctor assessed your dog-related fall. Duly noted.

      Yes socks were improper equipment and I’ll not do that again [the socks part, the furniture part will happen again in about a year].

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  43. I am glad you are okay! I think a fall, as defined by the doctor, would be something more along the lines of where you maybe got vertigo or got dizzy or cannot explain WHY you fell. For example, I fall a lot while running, but I would never call that a “fall” to my doctor, as I probably tripped on a root, or my shoelace, or the sidewalk, but it is not due to any sort of cognitive or physical issues. So I think you are good, and are just clumsy in this case.

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    • Kyria, your way of explaining this is exactly how I think about it. I wasn’t dizzy nor did I lose track of what I was doing, I was just a klutz. And shouldn’t have been wearing socks on a freshly waxed floor. Like you and your examples while running, it wasn’t a fall.

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  44. I’m an expert at falling!

    First, get yourself some grippy socks. They’re all the rage in the older adult crowd. Falling is bad. Falling can wrack up huge insurance claims. Socks are cheap.

    Second, my doctors wouldn’t care in the least if I slipped on a slick wood floor, other than to tell me to wear grippy socks. In fact, my doctor ignored it when I told him my knees were giving out for no known reason and I almost fell on several occasions. This was a mistake given what then became my spring of falls last year. Most of my falls are actually faints and your doctor really cares more about those than slippery floors.

    Take care of you!

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    • Zazzy, I like these grippy socks of which you speak. I don’t have any of them [obviously?] and can see them in my future. I know you’re right about doctors being concerned if you faint, but slip sliding away while carrying a heavy rug not so much.

      As for doctors ignoring you when you tell them what is not right, that’s discouraging and so sorry that happened to you. I think it’s more common now than ever before. From what I hear.

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      • I’m particularly fond of Muk Luks grippy socks if you also tend to have cold feet.

        And yes, I think the medical establishment is coming to care less about patients. I blame insurance, to be honest. Fighting with insurance companies wears you down to the point that it’s easier to do as they say.

        BTW, regarding the next comment? My doctor is part of a network which includes the hospitals and specialists, etc., and they consider themselves to be able to share information within the network. I don’t believe that’s what HIPPA intended but it’s a loophole that has existed since HIPPA was put into place.

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        • Thanks for the sock recommendation. I’ll look into them.

          I agree about insurance [greed] is to blame for the state of medical care. I see some pleasant competent doctors, but they’re hamstringed by the system.

          Around here each doctor has their own computer system that won’t share info with other computer systems. So my ob-gyn doesn’t talk with my primary care doctor who doesn’t speak with my colonoscopy guy who doesn’t say a word to the eye doctor who doesn’t speak with the ob-gyn… et cetera, et cetera. And as for our Kroger pharmacy chatting with my primary care doctor, they’re like oil & vinegar and you only get results if you shake them up enough.

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  45. Definitely not a ‘fall’ that needs to be reported according to my interpretation. Of course, my belief is it’s none of their business anyway because I have visions of a big red ALERT put on your file all across the medical nation. They don’t have the process to share info from one specialist to another, but I’m convinced that they have some kind of spidey way of sharing a fall. I fell twice last year outside pulling up landscape fabric. Not a fall but a tough pull. 🙂

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    • Judy, you and I are on the same page about this situation and how the medical world really works. If you mention to your primary care physician anything outside of your normal, then it’s put on your permanent records forever. However try to get one practice to talk with another about you so that you might get better and it is crickets. If you can even get an appointment to begin with. Sorry about your gardening “tough pulls.” They happen.

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  46. Wait…… I’m supposed to wax my hardwood floors? They are original to our late fifties-era house and I’ve never waxed them. I’d be worried if I did because I know how slippery that could be. I haven’t taken a tumble for a while but I’ve learned to be very careful. If I wear socks around the house, they are the ones with the little rubber pads on the bottoms.

    Your husband’s reaction to your fall (knowing that you weren’t hurt) was similar to what my husband would say. Aren’t they adorable?

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    • Janis, our wood floors are from 1999 and we were specifically told to polish them yearly. Now do we do that? Well not exactly but we mean to do it. Good intentions count.

      You’re the second commenter to mention socks with rubber on the bottom. I don’t know about them, but will look for some. I need them.

      And yes, old husbands are adorable… sometimes… 🙄

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  47. In this particular instance, I’d describe your “fall” as more of a slip and does not need to be reported to your doctor. And yes, no more moving heavy items on freshly waxed floors while in socks.

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    • Gigi, once I thought about what I’d done by wearing socks I realized my mistake. I didn’t hit my head when I went down and I was able to get back up off the floor on my own, so I’m going with minor mishap. You live, you learn.

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  48. Ally, I’m glad you were able to get back up after your fall and nothing was broken. Sometimes what seems to be a minor fall causes major issues. You did a good job waxing your hardwood floors 🙂

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    • Natalie, I, too, am glad I was able to stand up again without any pain. It was probably not a great idea to wear socks while moving that rug, I realize now. You’re right about waxing the floors, we may have done too good of job. 😉

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  51. My take on a “fall” that is doctor-worthy is the second one you described! A fall that came out of nowhere and without any explanation. The other stuff is just part of daily living. If one does enough “things”, occasionally one will trip or lose balance and fall. Not noteworthy.

    Deb

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    • Deb, that’s how I’m thinking about this situation, too. After I went down I got up by myself without any trouble and didn’t even end up with a black and blue spot on my knee. Things happen, this is one of them.

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  52. My late husband was a serious soccer player in high school (fast on his feet). He also studied martial arts (also fast on his feet). He didn’t have to be careful about what he did or how. He could always catch himself. It was hard for him to realize that 30 or 40 yrs. later, such was not the case. I think it’s the same for all of us. If we fall more easily than we did at the age of 15, that’s something to note and take appropriate care. And as the years go by, the definition of appropriate will change. What to tell the doctor? I don’t think your fall is it.

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    • Nicki, I can imagine how difficult it was for your husband as he aged to come to terms with the idea he wasn’t as fast on his feet as he used to be. There is a blessing in being a klutz like me, I have no expectations about being graceful so bring on old age! And yes, I’m with you, this situation wasn’t a fall, it was a small slip. Soon forgotten. 

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  53. To this point, my infrequent falls all have been due to inexperience (putting a toe under a taut dockline and doing a swan dive into the next slip) or inattention (not noticing grass-shrouded rocks and cracking my head on an 18th century gravestone in a maize field). I usually conduct a little personal differential, and if no medical attention is needed, I mostly just go on. I’d never report things like that to a doc, although to this point no one in the medical profession ever has asked me about falls. As long as it’s clear that nothing neurological or blood-pressure-ish is involved, I’ll just keep being careful.

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    • Linda, your way of assessing what happened to you is like mine. If you can explain what happened while you’re living your life, and if nothing is hurt, then move along, keep going forward carefully. Doctors around here ask the “did you fall” question starting around age 40 [maybe?]. They have a list of questions that they rattle off, looking for trouble I guess.

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  54. Oh my word. As of this minute there are 130 responses to your question and while I’d love to read them all, I still need to get some sleep tonight. So which is it: lose balance and fall? Or trip over one’s own clumsy feet and fall? Or miss a step/curb or whatever and land on a tail bone or in a pratfall? Or catch a toe on a table leg and do a flailing catapult across the living room while praying that you won’t whack your head on the looming corner of a wall that is coming at you at warp speed? Or that yields a broken kneecap instead of a concussion? Having lived long enough to check all of the above, I have no answers except I’m with you—no socks on slippery floors while rearranging the furniture. Wise advice, dear Ally. Try not to fall again, and if you do, please don’t hurt yourself!

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    • Julia, I would never expect anyone to read all the comments here. Well anyone other than me. Obviously, I suppose.

      There are many aspects to why you fall and therein is the catch about what to tell a doctor. I figure in this case it wasn’t a fall, it was a mishap in which the only thing that might have been hurt is my pride… and trust me when I say it wasn’t.

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      • Of my many falls, I have only called a doctor twice: once after slipping on ice and breaking a couple of ribs and a vertebrae, and once after passing out. Otherwise, I lick my wounds, and live through the embarrassment. Klutziness and mindlessness are usually to blame, but I’m working on it. Love your posts, and please, no need to trouble yourself with another response!

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        • Oh but I have to say I’m sorry about your falls that were what I’d call REAL FALLS worthy of medical attention. Good heavens, you are a resilient person. Also you remind me to be more mindful of where I’m walking as I wander around this earth.

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  55. Can you just give your doctor this delightful write-up and let them decide? Doesn’t seem like much of a fall to me but I think congratulations is in order – for the spring cleaning. Is a spring cleaning fall a dichotomy?

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    • Wynne, it seems to me that in the brief time I am allowed to spend with my primary physician I’m not going to dither on about one understandable mishap. If it happens again, yes I’ll mention it. As for your question, I’d be evasive and say only if you want it to be!

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  56. I’m about fed up with doctors and their overreacting to little things. Order lots of tests, make more money? I don’t care about their definition of fall. Am I hurt or not is all that matters.

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    • Eilene, you’re right about all the tests and follow-up visits to check on your progress. I’m not keen on being a pawn in any game and sadly the US medical system is a big ole game. What happened didn’t leave me hurt, so I am fine. End of story.

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  57. I would put this into the category of accident rather than a fall. A fall connotes to me that you were walking and lost your balance (e.g., not being steady on one’s feet).

    Your post made me think about another thing my wife and I just talked about. We recently went on Medicare, which apparently entails an occasional checkup of one’s cognitive abilities. My wife and one of her friends were comparing notes after they were recently tested. Her friend, not trying to be funny, made a digital clock for eight o’clock, when apparently she was supposed to draw an analog clock. They both got a good laugh out of that. Her friend was upset because another part of the test involved recalling three words that are given to you to remember for the end of the appointment. The friend was upset when she could only remember one of the words. It upset her because it’s supposedly a test for pre-dementia.

    My wife also came home a little upset because she had gone in for a regular checkup and felt the test was sprung on her. She could also only remember one of the words, but told her friend the same thing would have probably happened to her at 25. My problem with tests like these is they’re not an exact science.

    They also used to give a test at school to determine if a child was gifted. Some kids who should have qualified didn’t and vice versa. I wouldn’t draw too many hasty conclusions from one test.

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    • Pete, your definition of a fall is the one I go with. If you don’t know why you fell and it happened spontaneously then it is a potential problem. If you can figure out what happened and you’re not hurt then move on, not a problem.

      I’m laughing out loud about drawing a digital clock instead of an analog one. That is funny, almost like a bit in a SNL skit. I know when we have our annual physicals we’re asked to remember three words. I’m with you in that as tests goes I’m not sure this is proving much of anything. Do the medicos factor in performance anxiety when they drop those words on you?

      Also, shouldn’t a patient’s focus during a doctor visit be on real medical issues that the patient wants to talk about? Not being distracted by some word game?

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  58. It’s a tricky one – ‘cos a fall is a fall. There may be an obvious cause, such as a slippy floor plus socks, or not. There may be an obvious injury, or not. There may be underlying concerns, or not.

    Some of us have the self-awareness to be able to make the call on how to answer the question, but others either may not, or may be afraid of acknowledging that it could be something serious.

    My Mum went through a period of tripping and falling, hitting her head on occasion, once hard enough to leave a physical dent. But she saw them not as falls but as trips, so didn’t want to consult a doctor. I believe the term “fall” had worrying connotations for her, so she refused to acknowledge them as such. Fortunately, after treatment with my chiropractor, the trips stopped happening, so it seems likely physical mis-alignment was the cause of them which was a relief all round.

    As I say, a tricky one.

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    • PS: glad to hear there was no harm done and that you got a good laugh (and a funny blog post) out of it 🙂

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    • Deb, you’ve gotten to the root of our conversations about whether this was a fall or not. Z-D and I have gone all over the place thinking and talking about what a fall is or is not. I think that I’m self-aware enough [and then some] to know what could be problematic and what is just life happening. This was life happening.

      Interesting about your Mum’s experiences. I understand why she wouldn’t want to refer to what happened as a “fall” because once that gets on your medical record you’ll never hear the end of it. Am glad her situation was just mis-alignment and nothing more serious.

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  59. I’m so glad you didn’t get hurt, Ally! Cleaning is dangerous work!!!
    I’m seriously thinking about hiring a pro for a deep cleaning. I’ve never hired one before, but it sure sounds nice!

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  61. I’m glad you’re okay. But what were you thinking!? (I’m sorry; that was the Mom In Me forcing her way out.)

    Along with other commenters, I’d nix mentioning it to a doctor unless you have a lasting, nagging soreness or bruise from that mishap. I hate that we’re At That Age where That Question is routine now. Ugh.

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    • nance, yes, Mom, I’m sorry for being foolish. I just wanted to get all the stuff back into the living room and have the spring cleaning floor waxing finished. Thus I forgot I was wearing only socks, no shoes.

      I didn’t even get a black and blue mark on my knee and no lingering soreness, so this did not happen. There was no fall.

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  62. I always wear socks – or, in summer, bare feet – in the house and I never think twice of it. I may do so now! Also, you reminded me I should probably do some spring cleaning. I think I’ll start with the windows and baseboards, those are jobs that make a huge difference.

    I don’t think my doctor has asked about me falling, ever. It’s a good question to be asked, why didn’t he ever ask? Oh well, I have yet to find a doctor here, hopefully soon, and then I’ll see if I get the question.

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    • Nicole, I’m the same, but since my minor mishap I’m rethinking the socks on the wood floor idea. Bare feet at least stick to the surface more than socks.

      The “did you fall” question is standard around here, for all ages. Or at least it has been in the family care practice we go to. This is a hilly region, maybe that’s why they ask.

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  63. I don’t think you fell so much as slipped. I’m sure the doctor is more concerned with an unprompted fall that might signal an underlying issue, rather than socks on a wooden floor and a bulky load. In any case, I’m glad you survived your mishap unscathed!

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    • Mark, I agree with you about what a doctor is really concerned with. Not a slip, but something representative of some larger problem. Yep, I survived and have no lingering issues, so all’s well that ends well.

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  64. You fell while doing hard work and not wearing the proper footwear. I’d say you earned it…glad you didn’t hurt yourself terribly.
    I believe my husband would’ve showed the same amount of concern. 🫣🥴

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    • Suz, yes, you are right. I don’t know why I didn’t put on shoes before moving a heavy rug while walking on a slick floor, but there you go, I’m not always wise. Many commenters have said the same thing about their husbands, tough love.

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  65. Ally, one of the mantras Mrs. Chess and I live by is…”Stay Upright.” We both had older family members who took tumbles as they got older, and their quality of life was impacted forever. Accidents do happen, but we do our “level” best to keep our balance at all times. We don’t consider a fall a true fall until one is on all fours, and fortunately those kind of topples have not happened in quite a while to either of us. Footwear is always approved for each project undertaken. We did just get done a spring cleaning of sorts in our home. Of course, I continued my rich tradition of running over the vacuum cord with the vacuum. A vacuum cleaner doesn’t truly become part of our family until I run it over its own cord. (The vacuum probably has that same mantra…”Stay Upright.”)

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    • Bruce, I adore your mantra and will be adopting it as our own. Thank you. Clearly I didn’t stay upright but I was able to get up off the floor of my own volition and didn’t hit my head in the process of any of it so I think I’m okay. I admit that I had on the wrong footwear for the project and paid a small price for it. Lesson learned. 

      I like knowing how a vacuum cleaner becomes part of your family. That’s a doozy of a way to welcome something into your home. 😀

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  66. Firstly, I am so glad you didn’t break anything (meaning, any part of your body). I am a terror when it comes to housecleaning in general. I’ve learned the hard way to keep my shoes on.

    Now, as for what doctors mean when they ask if you have fallen in the past year. I asked my doctor what she meant when I saw her at my last visit. The question always annoyed me because I used to fall a lot, usually off my bike or from tripping; yet, I knew that my falling wasn’t indicative of anything wrong with me. I’m just a klutz.

    So I asked if she meant the kind of falling my sister did, the sister with Parkinson’s. Yes, that kind. The kind you describe above as an unexpected loss of balance. Like if you’re walking and suddenly find yourself on the ground. You didn’t trip on something, you just fell. Parkinson’s is an extreme case, of course. Or you might feel off-balance and that causes you to fall. I believe they (the doctors) are looking for neurological problems or disease conditions, not just clumsiness 😉

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    • Marie, thank you for explaining this. It makes sense to me. I cannot imagine that a doctor cares that I fell in the circumstance I described, but I can imagine that if it were a neurological based experience the doctor would care. I wish the medical profession would define their terms better when they say “fall.” I don’t want to lie, but I also don’t think my experience was anything special. Or worrisome.

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  67. I guess I’ve never thought about what kind of fall I have in terms of what caused it, but I suppose a doctor might want to know if our sense of balance is deserting us. So far, all my falls have been caused by a reason, the most recent been when a shelter dog pulled suddenly and unexpectedly to the right, and when I was off balance from that, he pulled just as suddenly to the left, and down I went. But as klutzy as I am, I haven’t fallen over from merely trying to walk across the floor…..yet.

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    • Ann, you make a good point. The factors that contribute to a fall are more important than the fall itself, at least from a medical perspective. Kind of smiling at your experience with the shelter dog because any klutz would understand that scenario. I think it is when you try to walk across a floor and end up on the floor that interests a doctor. The rest is just life.

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  68. My mother used a cane the last ten years or so of her life. It was a cane with four legs, but not the type with four tiny legs that looked like a claw that set down on the floor. Her cane looked more like an oil derrick – very solid. She would be sitting at the kitchen table with this cane beside her chair while eating, reading, doing a jigsaw puzzle, etc. Most of the time she rested her left elbow on the handle. I knew it was there and always gave it wide berth so I didn’t tangle my feet in it.

    I have never walked around barefoot in the house, always wearing moccasins or slippers. I was doing yard work in the heat of the day, something I try not to do. Sweat was running into my eyes but I needed a cold drink. Usually my mom would bring it to me so I didn’t have to take off my shoes to come upstairs, etc., but I didn’t want to bother her, so I took off my shoes, came upstairs barefoot, headed to the fridge and didn’t “see” the cane (though it was large enough to see), but yes, my eyes were blurry. I caught my foot in it, the cane went flying, my mom nearly fell out of the chair as she was leaning on it. I went flying and managed not to face plant, but my poor toe! It turned purple and red and swelled up immediately. It was a Sunday and I said “what am I going to do – my poor toe!?” My mom said “oh don’t whine – it’s not broken” and we got some adhesive tape and she taped it “buddy style” to the next toe to keep the sore toe straight. Well it may not have been broken, but it felt like it was. The swelling and purplish color took forever to go away. It still looks a little bit bent to me, but it was clumsiness, stupidity and sweat from my brown that did me in that day.

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    • Linda, your mother’s cane sounds like a work of art, almost. What a thing to trip over, but I can understand how it happened. You get focused on doing one thing and overlook something in your way.

      I’m sorry about your toe but it’s my understanding that what you did with the adhesive tape is what a doctor would do if you went to the ER. It is something when you fall over, but thinking about it afterward and what to do about it is where it gets, shall we say, interesting.

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      • I didn’t feel too smart after I did it, that’s for sure. I had a pair of leather flip flops I lived in since, thank goodness, our office had a very informal dress code and it was a good two weeks before I could put on shoes again.
        I have a friend, the same age as me (67) and about ten years ago she decided she needed a change in careers. She already had an undergraduate degree in Sociology obtained in the late 70s, but was working as a legal secretary for decades. So, she returned to school, got a Masters in Geriatric Care Management. Her job was similar to a case worker wherein she went into older person’s homes and looked to see what improvements could be made to thwart a slip and fall, which she told me was the number one reason for older folks landing in the E.R. with broken hips and often into an assisted living place as their recovery was slow and painful. You might think the slip and falls mostly were due to taking a tumble in the shower and simply installing “grab bars” could help protect them, but it was people using scatter rugs with improper backing and they go flying. Your rug is large and your circumstances were different as your socks and the newly waxed floor were not a good combo.

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        • Interesting career change. I knew people did what your friend does but didn’t know about the education behind it. I know about being careful of and around throw rugs, but don’t concern myself too much with large rugs like ours. In truth I found walking on wall-to-wall carpeting more difficult than stepping off a wood floor onto a large rug. Of course after this last incident I’ll be not walking on our wood floors in sock feet, wearing my indoor downstairs Birks instead. We all adapt as we age.

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          • Yes, all those years later, she decided to return to school. In part, her mom passed away and in the mom’s will she stipulated the money would be used to further her education, not for the household and/or her husband or daughter. My friend was a little shocked to see that in the will, but didn’t contest it as she wanted a career change. She had to go through her mom’s attorney though to secure the funds for school and school-related items like a new computer. It was a bit odd to me. Her brother was a doctor and no money was left to him.

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            • Odd. I agree. It’s an interesting story, but you have to wonder what the mother was thinking/feeling to set up a will that way. Glad your friend got to use the money to advance herself though. Still…

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              • She was pretty miffed about it, but I imagine the doctor brother might have taken an attitude too. She wasn’t close to him. My friend was closer to her father who died about 15 years before the mother. I don’t know that I would have had the ambition to return to school after that many years, but, as she explained to me, the two years went quickly as everything was online, even test-taking. There were no lecture halls, no library work, but a lot of field work the last year … very different from the more traditional way she/I attended college/university in the 70s and likely you as well when you attended college/university.

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                • Yes, college today is different. I took an online class during the lockdown phase of the pandemic and everything, including research, was online. It was a bit disconcerting to be learning by yourself, yet considered part of a class. I did okay, but the lack of camaraderie was notable.

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                  • I can imagine it would not feel like a real class. You and I discussed Babel once. I’d still like to study French again, though not necessarily this year – I had more plans for myself when I was supposed to retire 12/31/23, but instead I just retired, but have a lot of things to do before I can totally take it easy. A friend and his wife went on a Rhine River cruise last Fall. He used Babel to learn Spanish, French, German and Dutch which he said came in handy as he was fluent enough to converse/understand others on the cruise. I’m not sure I’ll travel internationally again, but would still like to study French again.

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  69. My definition of a fall (for the doctor) would definitely be the second one. It made me think of what my late father said to the doctor when asked how he fell and broke his pelvis, “I don’t know. I was standing there making a sandwich and the next thing I knew I was on the floor.”
    Yes, you should put shoes on to move furniture! I have to put them on even just to vacuum as I’m prone to stubbing my toes and dropping things on them.

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    • Barbara, what happened to your father is a similar story to what happened with my aunt who broke her hip except her story involved ice cream not a sandwich. Good point about wearing shoes while vacuuming. I’m going to start doing that, too.

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    • The Travel Architect, yours is a simple definition. Considering I’m not scheduled to see the doctor until next February, I may just forget about what happened. 😜

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  71. Glad you’re okay! I think a follow-up post is in order in, say, 2-3 weeks, to share any longer-term repercussions. That seems to be the fate of our more senior years: no perceived immediate impact but weeks later a pain or ache you didn’t have before. But we all do it with the socks (especially us guys on ladders, or, uh, this guy on ladders 🙂 )

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    • Dave, logically I realize that wearing socks wasn’t a smart thing to do, BUT in that moment when we were so close to finishing our spring cleaning project I didn’t think. Yep, you’re right about the possibility of longterm consequences of what happened to me. We’ll see. And may I suggest that you don’t climb on a ladder wearing only socks on your feet… word from the wise.

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  72. First of all, I’m glad you were not injured when you slipped. I have definitely come close a few times after our wood floors were cleaned or even a couple of times right after dusting when some furniture polish found its way to the floors. I don’t consider those the kind of falls a doctor is asking about; however, if it were me, I’d probably respond, “Only if you count the time I slipped on freshly polished floors in my stockinged feet.” Enjoy the freshly cleaned house! I love that feeling.

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    • Christie, that’s the perfect way to phrase it. I like that and will say that. My doctor is a hoot and she’ll enjoy my story. Also I can be truthful but keep this off my permanent medical record [probably]. Very nice.

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  73. Wow Ally, the way you write blog posts it is so phenomenal and fantastic. 🔥Just look at this, you created a blog post about Spring Cleaning like that, Oh Wow, pure brutality here😂

    Keep writing my friend. I also do a bit of spring cleaning at home🔥🙌🙌🙌

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  74. Considering that you admit clumsiness, fell on a waxed floor with sox on, and got the “you gonna help or what?” response from the hubby, I would simply responde with “Nope.” Reminds me of the time I came around the corner of the bed and tripped over the corner of the comforter (I will admit my clumsiness as well), fell on one of my knees (it hurt!), and finally got up and went about my business. Did I tell my doctor about this? Nope. It would be like saying I tripped on the cat or over my own two feet. Nope, nope, nope.

    I have to start spring cleaning with the windows and the “ick” that has accumulated in the metal sliding guides that collect dead bugs and dirt and small cat toys. Congrats on getting this done over a number of days…that will be me as well.

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    • Mary, your reasoning is the place I’ve come to about this situation. I went down, yes, BUT I got up and went on with my day. Was it stupid to have on only socks? Yes it was, however I didn’t even end up with a black and blue mark on my knee, so I won’t mention it.

      I am smiling about your fall which is exactly like something I’d do. Your mind is elsewhere and your feet inadvertently get confused by something. Glad you were okay. Good luck with the cleaning. It’s great when it’s finished.

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        • Ha! Yay to hospital corners. Our comforter just hangs there with its wily corners waiting for me to do what you did, unless I start doing hospital corners too. We live, we learn.

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  77. I can’t say that my GP has ever asked me if I fell over the course of the year. Not to worry — in 2 months I won’t have a GP and no one to ask me those questions so I guess I had best keep on my balance game. As to your answer — no you didn’t fall. You were carrying an awkward item without the right foot wear so I think it’s not a “fall” in the regular sense of the word. I hope you weren’t any worse for wear after the incident. Not that your other half seemed to care. LOL. Bernie

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    • Bernie, when we moved to this region decades ago our primary care physician started asking the “have you fallen” question on each visit. It might just be the practice we go to, not a standard question everywhere. I am no worse for the experience of *falling* as I went down slowly, in a controlled way.

      Now I have to ask: why won’t you have a GP in a few months? Where is the GP going? Color me curious [or nosy].

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      • Sadly he is retiring and Canada has a HUGE crisis in family health and not enough doctors. We have gone to him since 1993. Even though I know a few GP’s and many specialist I can’t seem to get into anyone. Now if you need an orthopedic surgeon I can make that happen and sweetly one of them is trying to twist an arm to get us into a practise where he knows them quite well. We shall see. Fortunately we are healthy (at this point). Bernie

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        • Got it. I can see why you like him after all these years. To have known him as a resident is endearing. I’ve read other people talking about difficulties finding a GP [or PCP, a primary care physician as it’s called here]. We have the opposite problem, we wait forever to get into specialists who seem to be few and far between.

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  78. I’m a fairly frequent flyer with doctor sorts. It seems the questionnaire says, “Have you fallen in the last two weeks?” Maybe they should be asking about my memory. I have an upcoming appointment. Now I’m curious.

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  79. Hmm, I would say that your fall is one that could happen to anyone! I’m a frequent faller, as is my mom, so we really need to up our balance game. But that doesn’t seem like a fall that would be concerning to a doctor, especially considering you were able to get up and walk around without difficulty.

    Also had to laugh at your husband’s response. Ahh, romance.

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    • Stephany, I’m seeing my fall in the same way as you. I went down slowly and popped up quickly enough to know I wasn’t hurt. So it goes, ‘ya know?

      Yep, the definition of romance changes the longer you’re married. 🤔

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  80. I’ve had similar thoughts about the “fall” question. In the past 4.5 months, I’ve had two falls. With the first, a cart I was pushing at work collapsed, dragging me to the ground with it. The second, I rolled my ankle (spraining it in the process) and crashed to the floor. I’ve decided my answer will be, “No falls other than the two you already know about.” Glad you didn’t get injured in your fall!

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    • Linda, I think your reasoning is sound. If you can explain how you fell and are overall no worse for the wear, then I don’t believe the doctors care. It’s the unexpected falls that they’re curious about. I’m glad you’re okay from your not falls.

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  81. I know your question is literal, but it’s funny because my mind immediately went to the emotional/existential idea of a “fall.” So in that context, I thought, “Oh, sister, have I had a couple of big ol’ falls in the past year!”

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    • Laughing here. I take your point and am sure you’re not the only one who can rack up a few existential falls every year. Don’t think my Primary Care Doctor cares about that, but a Psychologist might!

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