Last evening, I called my mother (as I usually do each day, just to make sure she's not belly up). No answer. Hmmmm. Well, it was only about 5:30, so she could be at the store, or out to dinner - or in the john. No problem. I'll call back.

Called back a little while later, and - no answer. Called my brother, because sometimes they go out to eat. Not answering either. Hmmm. Well, I have a cell phone. I'll just try again while the kidlet and I are out doing our thing.

All through dinner, I called. No answer. We decided we'd pop over just to check things out. We got to her apartment, and I opened her garage door, to see if her car was there (if it was, then it was time to panic)...

Yep. Parked inside, all snug as a bug.

My kidlet ran up the stairs like a shot. And as I headed toward them, I heard from inside the apartment GRANDMA!!!. So, I hit the stairs running, and found my mother on the bathroom floor. Conscious. Nothing broken. However, she'd been lying there, unable to get up for 8 hours!

The kidlet and I couldn't get her up. She was dead weight. We got my brother over there, and it took the three of us quite a few minutes to get her sitting. She stood up and was able to walk to her bedroom, where she promptly tipped over again... She was like some fucking Weeble.

We called the paramedics, who took her to the hospital. The admitted her, and are running tests, but don't have a clue what went on.

My poor mom. I can't imaging how it would feel to be stuck in the bathroom all day long... Well, I'm not even going to try to imagine that. Let's just say it was horrible and leave it at that.

Now, my brother and I have to figure out what to do with her next. She certainly can't live upstairs any more. All she needs to do is take a tumble on her way to her volunteer job. I think she should rent one of the two-bedroom apartments in her same complex (very reasonable rents) because the two-bedrooms are on the ground floor. No stairs is just one less thing to worry about.

It's just so weird, that she couldn't get up. She wasn't lying in a weird position or anything. Just on her side, like she'd be lying in bed. But her body wouldn't work... Hmmm. Scary.

April 18, 2003