Life's Curve Balls Hurt!

This week has been a tough one, hence the lack of blog posts.

I went to the doctor with my 83-year-old mom on Monday, couldn't stand her doctor (words like condescending and patronizing along with some other not-so-nice ones jumped to my mind).

We left with a new prescription and lots of bad feelings.

On Wednesday, she took the first pill of this new prescription, and hours later her blood pressure plummeted. She called me, barely able to breathe and dizzy. I called 911 and thankfully, my dear pal Mary Lou supported me through some worrisome hours in the ER. Thank you Mary Lou :)

Being a humor writer I kept trying to find things to laugh about within all this scariness just to save my sanity. I am the first to admit that within my skill set (supportive friend, nurturer, cookie baker, writer and a few more decent skills) handling medical emergencies is not my strong suit. It's more like my weak suit. That said, having raised three kids I've seen my share of blood and puke, and all of them made it to adulthood.

Trying to make my mom laugh a little and calm her down, I told her that if she was going to have me accompany her to a place that had a plethora of very cute men, she could have chosen a day I wasn't on deadline and doing my weekly radio appearance without ever taking the time to hop in the shower and pull myself together. So there I sat - in my tank top and workout pants, flip flops (complete with a bloodied toe I'd ripped open jumping over a rose bush in the front of my mom's house when I met the ambulance), dirty hair and no make-up. Seriously, I had no idea how many cute men were in and out of emergency rooms - ER doctors, male nurses, EMTs and paramedics...they were everywhere. And there I sat looking like something rolled across the floor and plopped in a chair.

My mom was released and came home to stay with me. I was up and down all night checking on her, and she was much improved as this medication got out of her system and her vitals came back to a more normal level.

There's a saying, "Old age isn't for sissies," and watching what my mom has gone through over the last few months I can vouch for it's validity.

We have a way to go in getting her back on her feet, but thankfully my wonderful big brother arrived within a day of the ER visit and we've made a good team getting everything in place. I don't know how only children do it. I'm the one who lives nearby so the day to day falls more to me, but I know I've got spectacular back up and he's been great. We've gotten a new (wonderful) doctor and are all feeling much more positive.

My mom is a survivor. If anyone can snap back, she can. Up until a few weeks ago she was going to yoga, playing what she calls, "conversational" tennis, and was very independent. She raised my brother and I alone and she's always done an amazing job of taking care of everything herself. She's always been a great role model.

We don't ever know what's going to come at us in a given week, do we? I just pray that I always have faith, can be strong, keep my sense of humor, and make sure I've showered!