I am a crouton floating in the primordial soup.
Crazyness and badness abounds today, as I worry about the wellbeing of my mum. I got a phone call from my dad late last night, telling me that she had slipped on an icy staircase at a friend's house, and had seriously smacked her head, suffering a severe concussion. They rushed her straight to hospital, where she's to stay for a few days, while they keep an eye on her to see if there has been any permanent damage.
The two main reasons I'm so worried for her are a) she's 70, and not exactly fighting fit, and b) her mental faculties aren't what they used to be.
I keep thinking the worst: swelling on the brain, brain damage, coma, even though that's not likely. I haven't eaten since last night and am feeling faintly sick. Even though her initial x-rays were clear, no fractures of the skull, I can't help feeling that they're keeping her in an awfully long time.
My dad will call later today to give me an update. All fingers crossed, please.
Update: According to my dad, my mum is doing pretty well, although given that they haven't managed to speak to a doctor yet, we're still more or less in the dark.
Further update: I got the hospital phone number from my dad yesterday evening and managed to speak to my mum in person. The relief at hearing her voice, and realising she's the same as she ever was, brought tears to my eyes. She's in good spirits and is making a great recovery, despite the fact she's got 2 black eyes and a bruised and swollen face, and might even be allowed home on Tuesday. Yay!
It really is a bit of a miracle she didn't break her neck falling down those stairs. I've seen them, and had she not broken the fall with her head on the bannister (!), she would have slipped between the hand-rail and the stairs, fallen about 8 feet and collided with the tarmac below. Had it been me, I would have been beating the shit out of her mate who's house it was, telling them to GRIT THE FUCKING STAIRS! But all is well. Phew.
The two main reasons I'm so worried for her are a) she's 70, and not exactly fighting fit, and b) her mental faculties aren't what they used to be.
I keep thinking the worst: swelling on the brain, brain damage, coma, even though that's not likely. I haven't eaten since last night and am feeling faintly sick. Even though her initial x-rays were clear, no fractures of the skull, I can't help feeling that they're keeping her in an awfully long time.
My dad will call later today to give me an update. All fingers crossed, please.
Update: According to my dad, my mum is doing pretty well, although given that they haven't managed to speak to a doctor yet, we're still more or less in the dark.
Further update: I got the hospital phone number from my dad yesterday evening and managed to speak to my mum in person. The relief at hearing her voice, and realising she's the same as she ever was, brought tears to my eyes. She's in good spirits and is making a great recovery, despite the fact she's got 2 black eyes and a bruised and swollen face, and might even be allowed home on Tuesday. Yay!
It really is a bit of a miracle she didn't break her neck falling down those stairs. I've seen them, and had she not broken the fall with her head on the bannister (!), she would have slipped between the hand-rail and the stairs, fallen about 8 feet and collided with the tarmac below. Had it been me, I would have been beating the shit out of her mate who's house it was, telling them to GRIT THE FUCKING STAIRS! But all is well. Phew.