When is it time to give up cooking?

A friend of mine had just started cooking ramen noodles for dinner when she had a sudden urge to pee – not an uncommon occurrence among people with Parkinson's (PWP). She turned up the stove so the noodles would be ready when she returned from the bathroom. As often happens to PWP, however, her return was unexpectedly delayed. The last thing she remembers was sitting on the toilet, leaning forward with her spine curved, and feeling totally relaxed. Best as she can figure, she had a sudden sleep attack, which ended abruptly when she was awakened by the blaring sound of her smoke detector going off.

My friend jumped up from the toilet, and with her pants still around her ankles, "ran," as only a PWP can run, back to the kitchen. Instinctively, she grabbed the pot handle (which fortunately was only warm and not sizzling) and removed the pot from the heat; too late to salvage dinner or the cookware. All the water had boiled away, leaving the pot stuck to the stove, and the ramen noodles stuck to the blackened inside of the pot. Luckily, the kitchen was only a bit smokey. Still, the thought of what could have happened was scarey enough to prompt her to give up most of her cooking responsibilities. This decision hasn't been nearly as painful as giving up driving has been.

Let's all have a laugh about the otherwise not so funny. Share your stories of sudden sleep attacks. Where is the strangest place you've fallen asleep?

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