Thank you, everyone, for your continued prayers for Mom. For those who don't know, my mom took suddenly ill late yesterday afternoon and evening, and by the time the ambulance arrived she was almost gone. BP dropped at one point to something like 56 over 23, which they tell me is not good at all. (Pardon me- I'm ignorant of these things, so I'm not really sure what I'm saying- I'm just repeating what I heard the medical personnel say.) It took three epinephrine shots over several hours and putting her on an epin. drip before they managed to bring her BP back into normal range and she began to come around and almost seem to be herself. The doctors told us that if we had been an hour later (or less) getting her to them that she would have most certainly passed. She's responding nicely to to the treatment, but is in CCU for now. Thanks for your prayers everyone!

The cause? We don't know, but it's most likely a severe allergic reaction to something she came in contact with or something that bit her. (Beware the bugs!) Huge whelps/spots all over her body, incessant itching, swelling, and extreme fatigue. She had intended just to take some Benadryl and go to bed had my sister not intervened and begged her to let her call an ambulance.

Lesson #1: life is short. Be prepared to check out at any time, no matter how great your health. (Last major time my mom was in the hospital was in 1965 when my sister was born, and my mom is rarely sick.)

Lesson #2: parents, your children are sometimes right. You should listen to them occasionally. Just because you're the parent doesn't mean you're always right.

Lesson #3: kids, love your parents and treasure them. They can be taken from you without even a moment's notice.

Again, thank you, everyone, for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers for Mom!
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UPDATE ► I am now happy to report that Mom is at home and "good as new." Thanks so much for your prayers and thoughts!