FALLS: You? Me? Why some fatal?

A wonderful showhouse, a nice, warm evening reception.  Wine, music, the whole thing.  I had been invited at the last minute to ride along.  Grabbed my purse, keys, all but one thing: a drink of water.

We mingled, admired rooms, picked a favorite, had some wine, of course.  Then, returning to  the ca,; I knew I was going to fold gently down onto the sidewalk.  The fire dept was summoned, the fireman gave me a bottle of water, told me not to get up until I drank the whole thing. Emergency over.  

Was that a fall?  Is sliding down onto the bathroom floor after a third of a muscle relaxant pill a fall? 

Falls, I always thought, are big, sudden things I do not want.  Still have a bit of gravel in one knee from learning to ride a bike in a gravel driveway.Those were falls.  In adulthood, decided not to learn to ski. 

Still afraid I might fall.  Is this curb too high for these shoes?

 On line, I see everybody is hellbent to be the Best  Experts on falls for OlderAdults. (Could the big $ profit  on "helper gadgets" have something to do with this?)   

Sometimes it really can be as simple as a drink of water, which, as whole countries check in with over-100 temps, many people may not get in time.

I decided to find out why older persons are racking up all those falls with accompanying broken bones or even death.  Along the way, readers please give me your experiences.  

Meanwhile, get Mom or Dad or yourself a dependable thermos or a water bottle.

The Leftover Tamoxifen, My Doctor, and me

Because of prescription dates, I had a jar or two of Tamoxifen left over on the last day of the five years.  I hate waste, so I asked the doctor if there was someone who needed the rest of the pills.

Suddenly I got an unwelcome shot of reality.  "Throw them away.  They're cheap." he said.  He looked me in the eye and added firmly, "Do you know one pill for cancer can cost $9.00?"

Suddenly we were in two different worlds.  I'd heard astonishing prices for any cancer medication;  Far more than $9.  Far more than I would be able to pay..

I also knew the cost of those last bottles of Tamox.was noticeable on a retirement budget and Medicare. Affordable at that price for people near me?  It didn't really feel cheap.
 And what about women who need Tamox along with other meds?

We're all (I hope) a little more aware of Rx costs because of the desperation of people needing Insulin.   And my measles test (not immune) and the shot that I did need.  Yes, I think I'm still paying.
These are tough time for other people, too.. Someone has attempted to forge my identity for her heart treatments.

So is it silly to pass along Tamoxifen?

I still secretly have some left. What are your thoughts?