mum almost died

i was in bee's car heading to town when i took a look at my phone. there were 3 missed calls from mum's number on my iphone. and one missed call from mum's number on my hi-card phone (the one that i got just to call her). i sensed something wrong and i called back.

the maid answered immediately and she was frantically trying to tell me something. i had to calm her down before she could make any sense to me. in the quick few seconds, i learnt that mum had rushed to the toilet, walked out, took a rest by the chair at the corridor, and made her way back to the sofa. and once she sat down at the sofa, she started to lose her consciousness. her body had stiffened, her lips, fingers and toes had turned blue, and her eye balls turned such that only her eye-white could be seen. seeing her in this state, the maid panicked. she quickly put mum onto the oxygen concentrator machine but mum remained unresponsive. she kept calling out to mum but mum didn't respond and that was when she called me. 

i checked my missed call register - 2-3 minutes passed before i called back. and by the time i called back, mum was still unconscious. the maid was in a state of panic and kept asking me to go home. there was no time, my first reflex told me. quickly, i instructed the maid to increase the oxygen machine to 5litres - the maximum level of the oxygen concentrator. from the maid's description, it was clear mum's body had suffered a lack of oxygen. i had to act fast. brain-damage could easily happen if oxygen-deprivation occurs for more that 2-3 minutes and i was worried i might have called back too late. i needed data and i asked her to head to my room to get the oximeter to measure mum's spo2-level. i told her that i would call back a while later. in the meantime, i asked bee to make a turn back and to drive home. about a minute later, i called back again. 

the maid told me mum's spo2-level had climbed up to 99%. i asked her to wait. i was worried if mum had suffered any serious implications from the oxygen deprivation. moments later, mum began to stir.  she was able to say some words despite the words being slurred and incomprehensible. her blackened lips had lightened to a purplish tint. things sounded a little more positive but i still need more affirmative signs. i spoke with the maid. she was still in a flustered state. calm down, check ah ma's lips. what's the colour? i asked (i myself feeling rather panicky admittedly). soon enough, her lips slowly turned pink again. that was a huge relieve to me. 

hearing that, i decided to proceed for my course. but this was only after giving strict instructions to the maid to monitor mum and to make sure she was not given any chance to move about herself. all movements had to be supervised and that she should be moved about in her wheelchair. check her overall well-being. if she feels tired, let her rest at home and not go to the rehab centre, i told the maid. during the next couple of minutes, i called back a few times to check on mum. her condition improved very quickly and she could hold a quick conversation with me within 15-minutes, despite twice vomiting out some of her breakfast.

i contacted the rehab centre to help me observe her and to avoid giving her any strenuous activities today. i felt a lot safer for her to be there as there were professional health care persons around to help out if there should be any attacks/ blanking off. she was lucid and ok by lunch time.

i brought her to see the doctor this evening to ensure she is ok. the doctor said the maid and i did right. things would have been very different if she had not been placed on oxygen machine early enough. and luckily she had started her on a course of prednisolone just about half hour before she blanked off.

such a narrow escape...