I hope I have set the scene from my previous postings that this was an idyllic little French village. That illusion was all shattered about 15 mins later.
We picked up our bikes and were heading back to the holiday house when Rhoda lost her balance and fell - well she hadn't ridden a bike in 40 years. She reached out for the concrete wall to stop herself from falling and in the process managed to sustain a spiral fracture of her right humerus (the bone in the upper arm).
She was lying on the side of the lane in a lot of pain and immediately said it was broken.
The people living in the house behind the wall heard the commotion and came out and called 000 or 911 or whatever it was over there.
The first emergency services people to arrive (very quickly I might add) were 2 "Fire and Rescue" type guys in the truck in the photo. The big worry for us was Rhoda's underlying heart condition. She was in shock and was shaking uncontrollably.
About 5 mins later, an ambulance with 4 officers arrived and took over from the fireys. Thankfully one of the Ambos had pretty good English and after they had assessed Nanna's condition, she told us that they were going to call in a chopper to take her to the hospital in La Rochelle.
"Bloody Hell" I thought.
In the meantime ,a police car with 3 police officers on board had arrived to see what was going on and with 3 emergency vehicles, 9 emergency workers, 6 bikes, 6 family members and a rapidly growing number of onlookers, the tiny street had become a real circus. The police set about trying to sort out the cars that had backed up on both ends of street and to also put their two bob's worth into the discussions on Nanna's condition that were taking place.
The Ambos transferred Nanna on to a blow up cocoon and then onto a gurney, then into the ambulance and then off to the field where the chopper would land. Sure enough, a few minutes later, a chopper arrived and off she went leaving us all on the ground in a state of disbelief.
The are a number of side stories, mostly amusing that I could go into but I'll leave them alone right now.
Rhoda was operated on the next evening and now has a bright new shiny titanium pin running the length of her humerus. (I didn't know that that bone was called the humerus before).
We then spent the next 5 days driving backwards and forwards between Les Portes-en-Re and the hospital in La Rochelle - not very far on the map but well over an hour each way because of the narrow roads and the bloody cyclists.
Rhoda was released from hospital on Tuesday (24th) afternoon and we flew back to London late last night (Thu 26th). She is now recuperating at Sonia's home in Ealing.
Just as a side note, the care Rhoda received from the time the first firey arrived on the scene all the way through to when she was discharged from hospital was absolutely brilliant. We could not have asked for anything more (except a bit more English language I suppose). I always thought we had the best health care system in the world in Oz but France is, at the very least, just as good.
Oh no how unfortunate for you both .. but pleased Rhoda had very good care.. hope it did not spoil your holiday too much .. and Rhoda is recovering well...
A spiral fracture is a dreadful injury, poor Rhoda :(( I am pleased that she received excellent care. Pass on my kind wishes for a speedy recovery. Take care both of you. :)
Bl.... hell - how horrendous for Rhoda and all the family!! Please pass on my best wishes and a big hug (but mind that arm!) to her. The good thing, as you mentioned, was the care and attention Rhoda received in a foreign country. Hope you both can continue to enjoy your stay over there - how much longer are you staying?
Oh no Terry what an ordeal for all of you. Typical Poppo though to never let a photo opportunity pass you by. :)
Good to hear Rhoda is now recovering and I welcome her to the Metal Nanna club. I have various metal bits in my ankle and wrist. Tell her to stay away from strong magnets. Speedy recovery Rhoda
Wow! You set this misfortune up to shock us happily following along on your vacation journey in the same way it intruded upon you all! Poor Rhoda! Broken bones are so painful, and what an ordeal to happen the way it did, and when and where.
OMG! Poor Rhoda! What a shock for her! I am so pleased she received such wonderful attention from the French emergency services. I hope she can relax now and recuperate! Trust you Terry to get a photo and a good one too! Give Rhoda our best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Oh Terry, I'm very sorry to read about the accident. Please tell Rhode, taht I wish her a very speedy recovery and that this nightmare soon is just an adventure to tell your grands.
You know when you said you were all going cycling through the villages, I thought “I hope no one falls”. The streets are all so uneven it seems. I’m glad Rhoda had such good care! Well my goodness, what a holiday! And to think we were all laughing when she tumbled out of the hammock. 😊
@mona65 Hi Mona, We had hired a car in La Rochelle before we went across to Il de Re with plans to leave the daughter and family on Tuesday morning and drive down to Millau in the south of France to see the Millau Bridge and then up through Switzerland to revisit our favourite places. We were then going to exit Switzerland in the north and drive to Calais and catch the Eurostar from Calais sometime early August. Tonight we would probably have been around Zermatt. :-((((((
@janeandcharlie Hi Jane, For a frequent cyclist like yourself, you must be shaking your head. But as I said, Rhoda hasn't been on a serious bike for 40 years so we probably should have been a little more cautious to begin with.
@ellida Yes Graham it is bloody hot at present. I have always reckoned that it feels much hotter in London, and England, than what the temperature says. I have no idea why this is so but I know that at 15 deg in London I am walking around without any pullovers etc. 15deg in Brisbane and I am freezing.
Oh poor Rhoda I am so sorry to hear this. I had a feeling something was going to occur, no idea it would involve nanna and the emergency room. So pleased to hear she's doing ok, and I'm sure you are all taking good care of her.
This is actually quite a cool shot!
Rhoda really does do things in style, Steve will be so jeolous, he only got an ambulance in Perth, no helicopter!! I am so pleased that she has been so well looked after and hope that the London temperatures drop a little for you, having a plaster on in these temperatures is no fun.
Oh my goodness, what an adventure. I'm sure glad that Rhonda is recovering well and I feel a little guilty about laughing at your post, because I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time.
Good to hear Rhoda is now recovering and I welcome her to the Metal Nanna club. I have various metal bits in my ankle and wrist. Tell her to stay away from strong magnets. Speedy recovery Rhoda
This is actually quite a cool shot!