Grandma’s Epic Tumble and the Perils of CPAP: A Tale of Dad’s Crisis Management Hijinks
Honey, grab your popcorn because we are diving headfirst into a real-life Reddit drama. Yes, you heard me right. This is a story ripped straight from the chaotic, sometimes bizarre, digital bulletin board we all know and love. The stage? A dimly lit staircase. The protagonist? A 70-year-old MIL with a CPAP machine. The antagonist? Gravity. Oh boy, are you in for a treat.
The Night the CPAP Took a Nap
Picture it. It’s around 1 a.m., and all is quiet in Roger suburbia. But suddenly, a crash that could rival Mario Kart on Rainbow Road echoes through the house. Our brave poster’s mother-in-law (MIL), who we’ll call Grandma Nitrous, decides to navigate the stairs in pitch darkness while attached to her faithful CPAP machine. Spoiler alert: It doesn’t end well. She barrels down the stairs, headphone style, mixing faceplant with gravity-induced gymnastics.
Immediately, our hero, who isn’t a nurse but thinks calling 911 is the sensible thing to do (shockingly not jumping to house-selling solutions yet), goes into action mode. But wait, his wife, who is not just any nurse but a NICU RN—you know, the kind who keeps tiny humans alive routinely—decides a little tumble down the stairs isn’t 911 worthy. According to her, blood thinners are out, Tylenol is in, and calls to emergency services? Nope, not today!
The Morning After: Judgment Day
By morning, Grandma Nitrous, like a gladiator, wants to hit the road with two unsuspecting grandkids in tow. Apparently, a week-long camp of fun, games, and hopefully no more acrobatic stunts await. But our poster, playing the only person not lost to shadow realm logic, says, “Nope, not happening.” I mean, who can blame him? A concussion and kids on a road trip sound like a horror movie premised badly.
So here we have it: Reluctant Dad (RD) versus Super Nurse Wife (SNW) in a battle for safety sanity. RD throws in his ace card, declaring, “Y’all can be mad but the kids aren’t riding with her.” Mic drop.
The Mother of All Updates
Fast forward to a morning rife with tension, coffee, and a bedside vigil. The MIL is alive and semi-well, but RD isn’t having any of it. He confronts SNW, asking if she is confident enough to bet lives on her mom’s DIY medical check. Finally, she folds. The kids stay home, Grandma’s off to the ER whether she likes it or not.
Now, here’s where it gets juicy. Grandma Nitrous spills the tea: She’s dodging medical care due to costs. In a heart-tugging moment that’s rare for this dad, he promises to cover any bill, pushing his MIL towards professional diagnostics. Spoiler alert: She has a concussion and fractures. For those who put their money on RD, congrats—you’re rich in rightfulness.
The doctors, God bless their blunt souls, lay down the law. Super Nurse Wife and Grandma both get even colder shoulders from the medical community. Lotta “told-yas” going around.
Lessons from the House of CPAP
Alright, let’s break this down with some sweet, sassy wisdom. First, this dad is not the AITA. In fact, he’s the MVP in this tale of staircase shenanigans. Nurses, even NICU rockstars, can get it wrong—especially when emotional ties blur clinical judgment.
Grandmas should stick to daytime stair runs, sans CPAP adventures, and always, always listen to the person not crash landing at 1 a.m. Now, health care costs are a real buzzkill for Americans, but that’s rubbing purple bruises on a family’s face. Had the MIL driven with two kids, we’re talking a cocktail for disaster only Zeus finds amusing.
So there you have it. Sometimes the not-an-expert but definitely-right parent wins the Thanks-for-Keeping-Everyone-Alive medal. And really, what more could a family ask for? Kids learn their grandma isn’t made of rubber, and Super Nurse Wife gets a dose of humility. Everyone’s better for it.
Until next time, folks, remember to keep your CPAPs close and your staircases well-lit. This is Roger, signing off!
Original story
Around 1am there was a terrible crash as my (70f) MIL decided to try to navigate our stairs in the dark while wearing a cpap. She tumbled down the steps, hitting her head bad enough to bruise her face and cause some serious swelling around her ear.
I immediately started calling 911 but my wife who is a NICU RN told me not to call as her mother had no obviously broken bones and didn’t want to go. I’m not a medical professional and it’s seldom wise to argue with a nurse or one’s wife but I pressed for them to at least let me drive her to the ER if they refused an ambulance but all to no avail.
This was just a couple of hours ago and she’s now in the bed with an ice pack and a couple of Tylenol (to avoid blood thinners). In the morning she wants to drive home and take my (9F) daughter and (13m) son to her place for the week.
This has been planned for weeks and I would have no issues with it but for the fact that the woman just fell down a flight of stairs and could have a concussion. I love her and don’t want her to drive at all and asked her to stay a couple of extra days but if she insists on going I can’t stop her.
I told my wife I was uncomfortable with the kids riding with her given the danger and she thinks I’m being silly which I don’t understand at all as she’s a very competent nurse. I finally told her that everyone could be mad at me but it simply wasn’t an option.
I’ll take the day off and drive them if I must but I won’t take any chances. AITA?
Update: Well, my MIL was alive and conscious when we woke this morning. My wife stayed up to watch over her through the night.
I spoke to my wife this morning and again shared my concerns regarding the dangers my MIL would be posing to herself and our kids and my wife was frustrated that I questioned her opinion but when I asked if she was so utterly certain in her diagnosis sans any medical equipment that she was willing to bet both her mother and our children’s lives on it, she sheepishly relented and agreed the kids would stay home and that she would encourage her mom to go to the ER. I spoke to my MIL again and asked her to let me take her to the ER, and she shared that her primary reason for refusing medical care was a fear of the cost of doing so.
Unfortunately, that’s a serious concern of many folks here in the US. Anyways, hearing that, I firmly insisted she go and told her we’d cover any costs.
She and my wife finally went to the ER and after several hours and copious tests, it was in fact determined that she had a concussion as well as rib and wrist fractures and soft tissue injuries (bruising?).
My wife was pretty devastated with the diagnosis and was deeply apologetic and remorseful. My mother in law will be in the hospital until at least tomorrow.
The hospitalist pretty directly chided both my wife and MIL. All in all, I’m thankful that things didn’t end up worse.
The kids only cared about their grandma being okay.
Some answers to questions asked:
My MIL is a retired school teacher on a very limited fixed income along with my FIL. There’s no inheritance or other reason my wife would have wished her ill.
They have a great relationship. My wife sprang out of bed the moment the accident happened and was almost detached and clinical at the moment but was later extremely emotional.
Her father had a major stroke last year, and we actually just sold our house Friday in order to move closer to her parents to help take care of them in their old age. While my wife has been a NICU nurse for a decade, she was a stepdown ICU nurse for 8 years.
I realize that doesn’t strengthen her case regarding her decision, but perhaps it adds context. She really is remarkable with babies and has saved many a life, but I can certainly understand why the circumstances of these events would paint her in a less than beneficial light.
In retrospect, I think my wife was in a state of shock. She’s never lost anyone, and her dad’s stroke is still fresh on her mind.
I’ve lost both parents and four siblings plus plenty of friends my time in the service, so I have to look at her through a lens of empathy.