90 yrs. old and when mom gets bored or not getting enough attention she comes up with a new ailment and another doctor visit on the horizon. She has cried wolf so many times I don't believe anything anymore but must humor her in the event that for once the ailment may be real. This has become such a vicious circle and I don't know how I can ever get her to be truthful.
She's been obsessive about the medical profession as far back as I can remember and it's only getting worse. Mom seems to have no conscience or inkling that what she is doing is wrong in any way. The docs have told me "there is no sign of dementia", but I'd like to know if she is a sociopath.
Mom is quite healthy for 90 and I have come to resent the fact that so many out there are really suffering while she imagines ailments to get attention. I find this truly repulsive and smacks in the face of everything I believe in.
My mother disgusts me and I am at a loss.
I have the same problem with my mother. I've never thought of the condtion as Munchausen's. I just figured it was a bid for attention or hypochondria. Her doctor doesn't want to see her anymore. Because she never has any problems.
I used to get upset when I started looking after her 8 years ago, but eventually I realized it was the same old stuff she has put out all my life. My mother is now 92. I figure that if she really has something bad happen like a stroke or heart attack it will be obvious and entirely different from her usual list of complaints. If she's not on the floor struggling to breathe, I ignore her. She can sure get dramatic and sometimes I get hooked but only for a few seconds.
I set my boundaries and stay away from her as much as possible. It's amazing how much she can do for herself when she really wants to.
When I first came to live here, she was over-medicating. Too much Metformin (diabetes) caused her to feel nauseous and gassy all the time. We spent a lot of time running to the doctor, having MRIs, and other things before I figured out what she was doing. And then there was too much Ativan that made her seem like she had Alzheimer's. Then there was the overdose on the Alzheimer's drug that was terrible -- took a week of my life to get her back on her feet. Thank goodness she finally relinquished control of her drugs to me. She has been much better.
At the present time, we are dealing with something real and not serious -- a basal cell carcinoma on her nose. We have to go to the doctor for radiation therapy three times a week for the next four weeks. One would think that enough, but she called her other doctor to make an appointment about her itching and UTI, which I think is really just incontinence. She has not really grasped that what is really wrong is that she is old now (86) and her body just doesn't work as well as it once did. So something must be wrong that can be fixed.
My biggest concern about all this, besides the abuse of my time, is the cost in Medicare dollars. I believe that if Medicare was a little less free that many of these imaginary illnesses would disappear. It is no wonder that Medicare is hurting the economy so bad. Many elders abuse it. That really bothers me. Medicare shouldn't have to pay for people who only desire attention. It is too big of a drain.
FINALLY, my loved one ended up in the ER one more time due to her anxiety and depression. (She's had many trips, just to discover, nothing is actually wrong.) An MRI and other tests ruled out physical causes. FINALLY, she is listening to her Primary, starting on medication and is SEEING A PSYCHIATRIST! She is the one who said she wanted it. The pain has gotten that bad. So, for all of you who are dealing with this, please hold on. I had to gently push, but we got it accomplished.
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