Last night mom got sick just suddenly. A wicked nose bleed and her blood pressure shot through the roof. Stubborn ass that she is, she wouldn't let dad and Lisa take her to the hospital, but they did call, and after 50 or 60 tries they finally reached the e.r. nurse who told them how to help stop the nose bleed.
Dad and Lisa panicked and couldn't figure out how to call the hospital. They just panicked. Both of them are certified at C.P.R. Both of them know that above all things, remain calm. Both of them panicked.
PANICKERS!
Mik had called for me to go get her.. She called mom because she couldn't reach me by phone. Lisa had been on the phone with me, so mom Nextelled me, told me to go get Mik.. so I did.. at that time, mom sounded just fine. I guess in 10 minutes, blood pressure can do some pretty hateful stuff.
When I got to Sarah's, she wanted me to check her computer to find out why she couldn't watch movies on it, and I just messed around with it for 30 minutes or so, then we started for home.
Nick got me on the Nextel as soon as we hit bull run and got service back. I knew something was wrong - I thought dad was having a heart attack.. I don't know why.. but when I got there, and saw mom with all these towels over her, and just her eyes peekin out, my stomach sank. I couldn't, could NOT get her to go with me to the emergency room.
I asked Lisa if she still had a blood pressure cuff, she did, at her house, so she ran to get it.. and Mikyla was waiting in the car with Stan and Mal and Joel - Lisa stopped to tell Stan what was wrong, and Mikyla, the darling little ghoul, insisted on coming inside to "see" for herself..
Anyway...
The nurse had told Lisa to pinch mom's nose to get the bleeding to stop...and there mom sat, these towels over her head, over the lower part of her face, and I asked her if she was feeling ok.. I thought she was stroking out on us. Her B.P. was 184/118ish by then, and that had to be lower than before, because the nose bleed was slowing down by then.
Mom sat there with these huge unblinking eyes, staring at me, she didn't answer, just .. this .. stare.
Scared the shit out of me.. I told her, hey, woman, don't sit there lookin' at me all walleyed when you're actin' this sick, are you still with us here? Shew!
She cracked up laughing.
I knew if she could laugh, she wasn't dyin'.. so I told dad to sing to her to calm her down. For a little bit, if Lisa hadn't looked so purplexed.. dad would have too.
*laughs*
Poor dad, he was more ascared than I'd ever seen him and when I got home to hear his pitiful pleas, "juel..answer the phone, it's an emergency.. please, please pick up the phone!"
I felt terrible that he'd not been able to reach me :(
Lisa on the answering machine sounded just as pitiful, just as scared. "Juel.. good god, please, PLEASE pick up your phone, we need you!"
Panickers!
I'd have panicked too, I think. Mom, I'm glad you're feeling better today.
Posted by juel at March 18, 2005 11:14 AM