Broken Femur
“Arrived at residence, April 15, 2008 at 9:02 p.m.” that is what it reads on my medical records. I’d fallen and I couldn’t get up. I was winded, scared, cold and felt pain that I had never experienced before in my life. Giving birth twice could not compare to this…AT ALL!! What the hell just happened? All I knew was I wanted the pain to stop instantly…
It was a night just like any other weekday, getting ready for bed and getting the kids ready for the next day.
I had on my favorite nightgown and my sons slippers that are way too big for me but, are so comfortable. 8:48 p.m. is what it read on the digital clock as I was talking to my 14 year-old and walking out of his bedroom door while sliding a very small box (that held the door open) out of my way with my left foot, all the while my slipper is coming off. Simultaneously, I tripped over the box and the slipper, grabbed onto the door knob, my left hip smashes up against the frame of the door…CRACK!! I heard my hip crying as it slipped out of place, with my feet intertwined, I can no longer hold onto the door knob. I swung around the frame of the door and falling to the floor screaming, my braids smacked me in the face so I could not see. I take a hard fall against the hardwood…BAM…CRACK!! The right slipper managed to stay on my foot and my right leg questionably lands under my left thigh…CRACK!! I heard and felt another break. My bones were wrenching in pain which made the separation from my body feeling very cold on the inside. I knew they were broken just from their cry for help. My son is screaming, I am winded and screaming, before I know it my God sister gets on the floor with me and instructs me to take deep, slow, breaths so I can tell her what happened. I yell to the top of my lungs at my son because I saw him getting ready to touch my leg, “DON’T TOUCH ME”, “MY HIP IS BROKEN,” is all I could say. “OKAY, WHAT DO I DO?” He began to scream and cry because he did not know how to help. I felt so horrible after that. I didn’t want to scream at him but the pain had taken over my mind. I calmed down enough to speak and told my God sister my hip is broken and I want to go to the hospital. My mother is hysterical when she arrives. She asks me if I want her to call the ambulance. I have been to the hospital many times for some kind of emergency and never like going in the ambulance out of fear. For me, a ride in the ambulance is like the ride of death. It is the last resort for me. I know that is not always true but that is just one of my fears I need to overcome. This was not one of those times when I was afraid to take that ride but terrified if I did not get to the hospital. I screamed to my mother, “YES!!” so that she would call 9-1-1. My mother thought I had fallen because I was having chest pains. I was still trying to catch my breath and still could not breathe. She was in the kitchen with my other son and when they heard the screams and fall they both rushed upstairs. I have never seen my mother react in such a panic. I have never seen my children react with such fear and confusion. It was not until I realized that I was on the floor twisted like a pretzel in about a 3x7 space between a chair and a wall with my face planted on the hardwood, my nightgown was raised above my hip so the obvious broken bone and dislocated hip was protruding, pressing against my skin in fear.
My God sister, the only one who was extremely calm the entire time (this is because she is Army strong) told me that my leg was turning purple and my foot was swollen. My children cried a red face of anger and pain. At that moment, I knew I had to get a hold of my emotions and stop crying. I called on God so many times and asked Him for strength and courage to get me through the pain.