A netizen seeks the advice of his paranoid mother who calls the ambulance for the smallest problems
Here is the story:
Hi. How do you deal with elderly parents who constantly go to the clinic? Or even A&E/call an ambulance when it is NOT an emergency? For example, my mom felt dizzy one day and she thought she was going to die.
Called the ambulance, went to the hospital etc, and it turned out to be nothing. This was on a weekday night at midnight. The worse was when she went to A&E in the morning for constipation. It turned out to be nothing.
She said she was worried it will be appendicitis cause her friend went for appendix surgery a few months back. She said she was also worried about it being colon cancer since it is difficult to detect colon cancer.
She told me she is glad they did xrays and blood tests for her. she mentioned previously she had constipation and went to a clinic, they just gave her meds without any xrays and blood tests. I was speechless. She was not even in pain. She also wanted to see a specialist. On the SAME DAY in the afternoon, she felt nauseous and decided to alert all of us (family members) again. Then she went uncontactable. We were worried and rushed down home & she went to A&E again. Of course it turned out to be nothing. Visit A&E twice in less than a span of 8 hours!! This happens at least once a month.
Sometimes it’s bad sometimes it’s not too bad but it still gives me anxiety. I am at my wits’ end. Everytime she does this some of us has to drop everything we are doing (like work!!) and rush to her immediately. I’m afraid if I ignore her, it might really be a health emergency. But if I don’t, it’s like answering to the boy who cried wolf everytime? I am also extremely angry at her for using this selfish method to seek attention(I’m assuming).
We visit her more than once a week, and i have 2 other siblings who live with her too. My dad is working but is also home most of the time. She also constantly asks me/my siblings questions about her medications when we are not even doctors. I have informed her to ask her own doctor but she just likes to ask us… she will sometimes google random medications and even ask me if she can take it??? She also went to a specialist before to conduct tests and to ask why her feet swells in the morning when she wakes up.
She said she was scared it might be sth serious.. even though i have reassured her that it is normal. Even after the specialist confirmed that it is normal for someone her age, she did not believe him and continued worrying about it (and also keep asking me about it to this day from time to time)!!
Oh that’s just the tip of the iceberg.. pls help…..