On Thursday Mom fell down in the kitchen. It came without any warning. One minute she was standing reaching up for a bowl and the next thing she remembers is waking up in a weird position on the floor. Luckily Dad came through and she was able to call out to him. No broken bones ... just lots of
soreness and bruising. For the first 2 days it was very difficult for her to walk but this morning she seems to be able to shuffle along with her walker. Hopefully in the next few days she will be able to walk unassisted again. When we spoke to the nurse she believes the fall was due to the "ups and downs" of Mom's blood pressure ... its called orthostatic hypotension.
Orthostatic hypotension (also known as postural hypotension, and, colloquially, as head rush or a dizzy spell) is a form of hypotension in which there is a sudden (less than 3 minutes) fall in blood pressure, typically greater than 20/10 mm Hg, that occurs when a person assumes a standing position, usually after a prolonged period of rest. The incidence increases with age.
Tomorrow we met with Dr. Thomas so we will get an update on cancer, chemo and any concerns following the fall.
