Stumbled and fell while hiking with my dh on Friday. Broke my glasses, skinned my hands, and opened a gash in one eyebrow. I was quite a sight hiking back to the car! Now sport 5 stitches in my eyebrow and a swollen black eye.

Anyone know how long it takes for the swelling to go down? I actually don't mind the black eye as much as I do the swelling that interferes with vision. Plus I need to get in for a vision exam before getting the new eyeglasses.

Edit: Should add that everyone at the ER was great! I looked really bad walking in, so the ER doc came running out for a closer look, asking what happened. I told her I fell while hiking, and it made me feel old and stupid. She retorted "Well, at least you can still *feel* old and stupid!" :-D Of course, she looked like a well-preserved 30-year-old. Plus, she's a doctor! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Poor little thing, I hope you feel better soon. Milk the bruises and stitches as long as you can.

Oh, that sounds painful! I'm sure the swelling will be down in a day or two. Perhaps you should put an ice pack on the area for a few minutes. If you don't have an ice pack, use a small package of frozen veggies wrapped in a towel. Get better soon!

I'd make you tea if we lived closer. Sorry to hear of your accident. Hope it feels better soon.

Speedy Recovery {{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}

Uh oh... now some people will think your husband did it to you.. Happened to me once... and they simply would not believe the truth of it.. I ran into a door!

Your DH can fix the tea, and I will give you all of the sympathy and empathy that you need.

See, that's why I avoid exercise and stay at home behind my sewing machine on weekends! lol. Invest in a few of those emergency ice packs that you can keep in your backpack. The kind you just punch and they turn cold immediately. The swelling would have been less if you had the ice right away. I hope it will reduce quickly, pamper yourself for a few days!

Making a cup of nice English tea for you. Don't be surprised when the black and blue starts creeping down on your face. Just one of those things with a bad bruise. Hope you heal quickly.

Wishing you a speedy recovery

Oh no!! Do the ice, on 20 minutes, off for a couple of hours or as needed.
HUGS!!
Sue

Is it too late to use ice? I did use ice Friday nite, but slacked off on Saturday (even though doctor said to continue on Saturday). I'm thinking now that it's been 36 hours or so, ice won't help anymore.....

I'm working on that! 8-)

Had cancer surgery on my face a couple years ago.

When the area doesn't hurt, start massaging the discolored area. Will help a little. To be honest, I looked like I'd been a bar brawl for about a month...but that was surgery and deep tissue aggravation. you will be ok.

Oh...go to Merle Norman...they have an undercover makeup that is GREEN that will off set any redness. They can do a demo so you can see how it works. It's so cool!

Sorry about your accident. I know it must just tick you off.

oh my goodness... black eye, stitches, scrapes.. I am thinking you need some chocolate, lol.. not that I know that helps, because I am one of a million probably who doesnt like chocolate.. I really dont. But I would send you a box full just for the sympathy pains you must have .. I am sorry you got hurt.. :cry:

oh my goodness... black eye, stitches, scrapes.. I am thinking you need some chocolate, lol.. not that I know that helps, because I am one of a million probably who doesnt like chocolate.. I really dont. But I would send you a box full just for the sympathy pains you must have .. I am sorry you got hurt.. :cry:

Sounds to me like Retail Therapy might help the situation! HUGS

I am so sorry you fell. That isn't pleasant to have bruises and scrapes and even worse a cut that needed stitches.. Sending (((HUGS))).

Sorry to hear of your accident. Wishing you a speedy recovery ! The bruising will take a while to go away, hang in there!

Hmmm.... Sipping a little wine. I'd go for the chocolate big time, but it gives me a headache. Actually, wine gives me a headache too but it's easier for me to control intake and has a little more bang for the risk!

Sorry to tell you this - but your eye may take 2 weeks to clear up. When I fell down stairs and landed on my face (didn't break anything, but boyohboy did I have 2 black eyes, a hugely swollen forehead AND a black nose), it took 2 WEEKS for the black to go away. It slid down my face a bit every day as it faded. I looked like an abused wife. I was questioned several times in the ER by several different people - I guess to make sure I gave the same answers to be sure I hadn't been beaten up! Nope - fell down the stairs!

I sympathize with the old and stupid remark (after falling last Nov and shattering wrist). Aren't you glad there are so many 'doctors' here on the quilt board!! Keep ice on it until swelling goes down and may take several days.

My sympathies for your hurts. Hope the swelling goes down quickly as impaired vision is so irritating.

You can get something called Arnicare cream at the drug store, I think WalMart and Walgreen's may both have it, not sure, my sister-ini-law gave it to me, made from the Arnica Montana plant, a homeopathic type medicine; the doctor suggested it to my sister-in-law after her eye-lift to lessen the bruising, worked great; granddaughters use it for bruises too, they play volleyball and sometime hit the floor. It's sold for pain relief, muscle aches, stiffness and brusing, give it a try...

Take the used tea bag, let it cool and then put on the swollen eye. Sorry it happened. I fell off the beach in Florida years ago and had to go to the hospital. That's right, fell off the beach. It was rocky and I slipped, the ER staff got a laugh out of that one. No one falls off a beach!

Hope this makes you feel better. New Year's Eve in 2004, DH and I were walking through the light display at James Island when I fell and pretty much did the same thing. I am blind w/o my glasses which were destroyed. I hadn't had a drop of drink in months, maybe years but, of course, everyone assumed I had had a NYE bender! Without my glasses for a couple of days and with my new shiner, it was hard to dispute!

I was in an accident on vacation. My fault entirely, did not put my seat belt on thinking I was so far back in the van, I would be safe. Wrong !! I flew out of my seat and gashed my head on the roof and then my mouth hit the steel support of the seat in front of me. Broke a bone or two in my nose and my mouth swelled and then the whole area turned black. Did not hurt as bad as it looked and it looked awful. Hang in there and you will be okay sooner than you think.

Better to be bruised while hiking, than soft like a pillow from couch potatoing! Sending good thoughts for a speedy recovery! and MORE hiking!

(I fell off my bike last year and made a bruise on my leg that took almost a year to go away! Whew! Hope your's disappears faster than mine!)

Ice for the first 48 hrs. and then gentle moist heat! I walked off a curb Apr. 1 and did about the same thing. Hit my face and head so hard that I didn't feel the hit on my leg. Developed a large hematoma that took 4 mos. to heal. My face and head were better long before. I move a little slower these days and pay a little more attention. Multitasking just isn't my game anymore. I was trying to unlock the car with my key fob thingy and kept on walking, forgetting there was a curb to step down. Lesson learned.

Ouch......sorry you're hurting. Hope you are pampered and feel better soon.

Oh this certainly calls for a "chocolate fix" !!! As for those that do not like chocolate I have a grandson that absolutely does not like chocolate. We even tried to trick him one year with white chocolate, and he looks me right in the eye, and says: Grandma you know I do not like chocolate!! I just do not understand, how he can not, his mother and I both are chocolate LOVERS.... lol

The way gravity works -- it will sort of slide down as it goes away -- Give it a week -- I'm so sorry the hike ended badly -- This is a lovely time of year for a hike. I'm sure your DH feels terrible for you

Mim

I'll second the suggestion by K.P. that you get Arnicare or something like it. We get Arnica gel from GNC (or any other health stores) and it works great to relieve the bruising (and it smells good, too). My grandmother used to mix arnica and witch hazel, but I never knew the right proportions so we get the gel. And tea and cinnamon toast is the best for your spirits. Accidents happen - stay active anyway! <big hug and lots of pity coming your way>

My kids call me FLM for flying leap mama. Every time we go camping I go splat.

You're not old and stupid. You have to do better than falling on a hiking trail. For instance, try doing a full face plant TWICE by tripping up a three inch step in your own house, ....one you have lived in for ten years. Even the dogs laughed at me.

If someone says something about the bruises, just tell them they should see the other guy.

Ohhh, svs for your mishap....thank goodness the injuries are only temporary and not of the permanent variety. Take care!!!

Thanks, everyone. I ordered some Arnica gel from Amazon and will try it out.

My biggest problem right now is that I broke my regular glasses and am "making do" with my mid-range computer glasses. This is fine as long as I am on the computer, but I feel slightly nauseated all the time and I'm sure it's the change in vision.

Have an appointment in 2 weeks for a new eye exam. My glasses cost so much, I want to make sure they have a current prescription! So, I think it's nausea city for about a month until I get new glasses. At least my dd said she'd go with me to pick out nice frames! And, this time I'm going to order a spare pair.

Glad you thought of a spare pair...hubby NEVER did that and we had to pay umpteen bucks for a one hour service to get a pair made. We kept forgetting to get the spare pair, gone through this one hour service thing about three times until we FINALLY learned to order the spare pair.

My grandaughter had an accident. Her bike hit something sticking out of the sidewalk and she went flying. A black eye, cuts and scratches everywhere from sliding on the cement. She used the frozen bag of peas for a few days. She still has the bruise but it gets less purple each day. Poor thing - put her bike in the corner of the garage. I don't think she will be riding that for a while.

I don't like chocolate either...Mom always said something must be wrong with me...LOL. But anyway, take it easy, a cold pack might help with the swelling. Hope you recover soon.