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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

MIL in Palliative Care Unit

129 replies

Ggggggggggggggggyh · 14/01/2025 15:09

Ok, so my DH and I are currently took a week off with our toddler to spend some time with his mum who has been admitted to a palliative care unit in the hospital. The rest of the family have been visiting my MIL who has been up and down and the doctors have clearly said that the inevitable will soon come to pass and that everyone should just make my MIL as comfortable as possible. My DH is very protective and caring and super loving towards his mother out of everyone in the family. Ive never been close to his MIL because she reminded me of my late father who did nothing to help improve their health despite the help and care given.

My DH has been so stressed and upset and of course he will be and Ive been giving him so many hugs and comforting words...but not anything to give him hope. He's been insistent on having our toddler see his grandma everyday and I refused because I do not want our son to be exposed to something like this so early on in his life. I just want our son to remember happy memories with his grandma. He basically was forcing our son to give his mum kisses and hugs while she had her oxygen mask on and our son kept saying, 'I don't want to' and was visibly upset. Our son eventually did but I said that once or twice is fine but not everyday. My DH is positive that his mother will get better soon and he's getting his hopes up again because his MIL is now being moved to a different unit.

Im really just wanting my MIL to kick the bucket now and just get everything over and done with. Honestly, she's better off gone because all she ever did was just sit and watch TV and complain about her pains and constantly moaning about everything. I sound like a bitch but I really don't care. It's just stressful having someone like her around and it doesn't help my son and I when DH is constantly wanting immediate updates on her and simply refuses to admit that her time is nearly up.

My lack of empathy probably stems from my relationship with my father. We loved each other so much but we both knew that when my father's health deteriortated, he just really wanted to die and didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I had no other family left when he passed away and that was only two months after my son was born and I had to take care of it all myself. No time for tears or grief, just the need to get it over and done with because I had a son to think about. That's basically how Im feeling now. People who have been suffering from a long term illness for a long time eventually do pass away and when that reality is staring right at you in the face, I don't get why some people just refuse to believe it.

Would you say that it's better to just leave my DH be? Or do I need to tell him outright that what is happening to his mum is just out of our control and that we should just let the doctors do their jobs?

OP posts:
Bfmamma · 14/01/2025 19:25

My mum was on palliative care for a couple of days before we lost her. It was horrific. Your husband knows what is happening, he understands what is happening and is dealing with it how he needs to.
I personally wouldn't take young children to see people on palliative care, my mum wouldn't have wanted our daughter to see her like that and I wouldn't want my girl to go through that. So, I agree with you on that. How ever your bring to harsh and black and white with everything else

Soontobe60 · 14/01/2025 19:27

Im really just wanting my MIL to kick the bucket now and just get everything over and done with. Honestly, she's better off gone because all she ever did was just sit and watch TV and complain about her pains and constantly moaning about everything. I sound like a bitch but I really don't care

You couldn't be any more hateful if you tried! Do your MIL a favour and stay away from her so that she can die surrounded by people who actually care for her.

TikehauLilly · 14/01/2025 19:30

I think you let your DH just do it his way.i suspect my DH would be the same whereas my family more pragmatic once our parent went to palliative care...however end of life palliative care vs palliative care is a grey area in that I've heard people use them differently.

Maybe he is just clutching at straws but let him be.

Just be there for him and swallow your feelings.

ForkMeImToast · 14/01/2025 19:34

My OH constantly complained about his DF and how annoying he was, how the reason he was sick was because he refused to take care of himself, that he called too often etc. Then he passed away and my OH has felt bad ever since for not doing more for him and for not being more patient with him.

Honestly, for this you just have to go with whatever your OH wants. He is the one who will live with the regret forever otherwise, and he may never forgive you for it if he ends up following your advice.

I do get how you feel about it though - a long, drawn-out death is really, really hard on absolutely everyone involved.

notatinydancer · 14/01/2025 19:36

Blimey I hope you wouldn't ever say any of this to your husband.
Your toddler won't remember any of it so won't be traumatised.
How much do you remember before you were 2 ?

Alex Drake · 14/01/2025 19:39

Is your MIL actually receiving end of life care or palliative care? They are not the same thing. End of life care generally means that a person would be expected to die within the next 12 months. Palliative care generally means that they whatever illness they have can't be cured and will likely steadily get worse but doesn't necessarily mean that they are actively dying.

You also mentioned that she is being moved to a different unit, so perhaps your DH is correct to be optimistic.

Maray1967 · 14/01/2025 19:39

strawkymim · 14/01/2025 15:26

I don't agree with you on this

The pleasure and comfort your MIL will get from seeing her grandson should come ahead of your primness about not ‘exposing’ your child to ‘something like this’.

This child is saying he doesn't want to kiss MIL and is visibly uncomfortable with it.

As a small child I remember 2 family members who were dying where I was taken to visit them several times in their last days. I was terrified and hated it, and only have horrible memories of watching this person die slowly. I don't think it's fair to do this to a small child, and this overrides the dying persons wishes.

Absolutely. Stop the DC visiting -
it will probably only distress him, and DH should not be insisting that DC kiss anyone.

scatters2004 · 14/01/2025 19:48

You sound as cold as ice. You've clearly got no feelings for your MIL.

Shame on you.

You might be in her shoes one day!

OCDmama · 14/01/2025 19:57

It's not that you sound like a bitch.

It's that you are a bitch OP.

I honestly hope your husband sees what an awful person you are.

Penguinmouse · 14/01/2025 19:57

“We loved each other so much but we both knew that when my father's health deteriortated, he just really wanted to die and didn't want to make a big deal out of it.”

so what, MIL is making a big deal out of it because she’s not dead yet? Because she doesn’t want to die? Sorry but this is really nasty.

IesuGrist1975 · 14/01/2025 20:03

As someone whose parent has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness I am so please my husband is being so supportive. His dad is was an utterly shit parent too. Thank fuck he is nothing like you OP, your attitude would make an already devastating time 1 million times worse.

IesuGrist1975 · 14/01/2025 20:04

Although I agree with you about not making your child kiss his grandma, I think children should have a choice about this stuff but I don’t agree with not exposing them to protect them from some of imaginary magic world where bad stuff doesn’t happen:

wheo · 14/01/2025 20:10

Aww OP I am with you but we are a minority. It's difficult, I really struggle with these periods where people are emotional and grieving etc. I'm not completely cold hearted but I just don't deal with things the same way.

Lots of hugging and crying and carrying on I find it really uncomfortable. You're not a bitch AT ALL, everyone copes with things differently.

I would just try and distance a bit from it, or you will end up snapping. Just be a shoulder to cry on. I think you've been supportive enough. He knows you're there for him.

Freshflower · 14/01/2025 20:18

It's his mother at the end of the day , the lady who brought him into the world and brought him up. If you only want her to kick the bucket soon because she sat and moaned , that's pretty sad really. I'd just leave your husband to deal with things his way. Obviously things like that is out of his control but that won't stop him grieving or being upset his mother is dying and would probably benefit from more support from you. The getting your son to kiss her every day is Obviously coming from a good place but I'd say that you understand it's nice for his mum but that is is a bit overwhelmed by it and you will take him in say once or twice a week.

DottieMoon · 14/01/2025 20:23

lunar1 · 14/01/2025 15:40

Wow you really are nasty.

I agree. I feel sorry for the DH.

NotOneOfTheInCrowd · 14/01/2025 20:37

What a nasty piece of work you are.

It’s not the fact that you don’t want your DS to kiss his grandmother, or that you think your DH is in denial. But. Im really just wanting my MIL to kick the bucket now and just get everything over and done with. Honestly, she's better off gone because all she ever did was just sit and watch TV and complain about her pains and constantly moaning about everything. I sound like a bitch but I really don't care. It's just stressful having someone like her around and it doesn't help my son and I when DH is constantly wanting immediate updates on her and simply refuses to admit that her time is nearly up.

Seriously? Do people really think that talking about someone like that is ever ok? Because it really, really isn’t.

MegaClutterSlut · 14/01/2025 20:44

You're so bloody nasty, its not normal. No normal person thinks like that and if dh spoke about my mum like that, I would seriously LTB. Evil way of thinking

Baguettesandcheeseforever · 14/01/2025 20:46

I can understand you not wanting to have your DS kissing your MIL and frequently visiting.

I could understand your wish for your MIL to “kick the bucket” (horribly cold, minimising and inappropriate phrase in this situation) if you were seeing it as an end to her suffering and a blessing in disguise. But I cannot understand the utter cold, inhuman response to you judging the worth of her life and how this is an inconvenience to you. This is not a mentally healthy response. People can be thoughtless, or flippant at times but your response is just not ‘normal’.

I would suggest you speak to someone professional to get some help dealing with the death of your own father and help you to work on how to show empathy. I hope you support your husband and keep your awful thoughts to yourself.

Newmum738 · 14/01/2025 20:49

Denial is the first stage of grief. It is completely normal for him to think/hope she will get better.

Emsie1987 · 14/01/2025 20:59

When my husbands mum and dad passed last year. Early sixties and both to cancer. We did not take the grandchildren to see them 5 years old. Not a place for children. I did take the baby who was 9 months as he wouldn't remember.

Anonymouseposter · 14/01/2025 21:02

The only thing I agree with you about is that your son shouldn't be pushed into kissing and cuddling your MIL if he feels uncomfortable. It won't harm him to visit though.
Your second paragraph sounds callous and YABU to judge so harshly over your MIL's lifestyle.
I think you are still carrying anger as part of grieving for your father but you need to be aware of this and put it aside temporarily.

Createausername1970 · 14/01/2025 21:19

I had a difficult couple of years in the late 90s. Parental deaths, miscarriages, family member extremely ill to name but a few things. With so much going on and needing my attention, I didn't really manage to process the death of either parent and it did all come back to bite me on the bum a few years later. I had some counselling to process it all.

You sound like you haven't processed the death of your parent as you had a baby to deal with at the same time.

Your husband has also not processed what he has been told, he doesn't want his mum to die, and he is clutching at straws and hoping she is going to defy medical opinion and make a miracle recovery.

He needs someone to be understanding and gently honest with him, to be helping him to see things as they are, not as he is pretending them to be.

I don't think you are in the right place yourself to do this, unfortunately.

If your MIL is in pain or just not happy, then yes it might be kinder to everyone if the end came sooner rather than later, but if she is still glad to be here, despite everything, then it's not nice to wish it would happen sooner.

youngoldthing · 14/01/2025 21:22

Im really just wanting my MIL to kick the bucket now and just get everything over and done with. Honestly, she's better off gone because all she ever did was just sit and watch TV and complain about her pains and constantly moaning about everything.

I don’t care how upset you are, what you’ve written above it utterly vile. Don’t dress it up as anything else. It’s callous, cold and quite frankly disgusting.

Thedogscollar · 14/01/2025 22:58

The one thing I take from this post is how little some people value a life.

A life that gave you your dh and a life that your dh values greatly.

Your mum is the first person to know of your existence, the first to feel you kick, the first to hold you and the first to love you.

Have some compassion for that alone.

Maddy70 · 14/01/2025 23:16

You are correct. You do sound like a bitch

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