When Christmas comes to a screeching halt

Gee, I don't know how to begin this. I had to wait a few days to let my insides settle down a bit. But I guess it's about time now...

On Friday I'd been feeling crummy all day. I decided to go to our ward's Christmas party anyway, and I got through it. We had barely been home 30 minutes, just gotten the kids to bed, when the phone rang. It's my sister sounding frantic. She tells me my mom collapsed in the bathroom and they are rushing her to the hospital.

After arriving at the ER and getting more details of the story, I learned that my mom had not only collapsed but had completely stopped breathing. She was intubated by paramedics and still unconscious. We spent many miserable hours in the waiting room for some initial tests to come back, but any news was very slow, and not very helpful. Sometime in the wee hours they let us (her children) in to see her. It was extremely scary as I tried to prepare myself that this might be the last moment I have with my mom.

Into the next day, everything on my mind and in my life of course goes out the window. I spent a majority of the day in her room in the ICU. We forced my dad to go home and eat/sleep, which he didn't. Tests kept coming back OK. Not choking, not a stroke, not a heart problem. They basically focused on getting a few of her vitals stabilized, but had no information as to what really happened. SO AGGRAVATING.

Sunday she was brought off of sedation and allowed to breathe on her own, which she DID thank goodness. So the breathing tube was removed. She was able to react to us and speak back, although some of the things she said were pretty funny. (Although I guess it's not funny, since we were concerned about any brain damage that may have occurred when she was deprived of oxygen for who-knows-how-long.)

Fast forward to today, Mom was moved out of ICU, taken off a bunch of tubes and medicines, is eating, out of bed a little - with help - and is getting less "foggy" by the hour. As the rest of us, she's mostly shocked and confused by what happened. She's pretty emotional about all of her concerns and how this will impact the future (Christmas, her job, etc.) so I'm still trying to keep up some visits and cheer her up! I snapped a couple of pics today, which she knows about but will still hate me for.... oh well. It's hard to hate a sick woman for looking a little ragged.

What a wake-up call. Sometimes we have all our wheels just a-churnin' on full speed of life, and then suddenly none of it matters anymore. Although the timing right at Christmas seems pretty cruel at first, what better time to put aside shopping and parties and grab your loved ones and hold on for dear life? Just wanted to let ya'll know what's been going on with me, maybe explain why I looked like a walking zombie at church. Your prayers (recent and future) are much appreciated!!!!!