Shortly after her birth my DN was diagnosed with a cyst on her ovaries similar to her older sister (which is shrinknig and is just monitored annually). She has undergone tests and my SIL was awaiting results.
MIL in the meantime has decided she is ill, she has had scans and blood test all which came back clear, yet she has convinced herself she is ill - to the point that she had her hospital bag packed when she went for results. Earlier this week BIL took his DD's to see her and she burst in to tears saying help me 'xxxx' I am weak. SIL is furious understandabley as 1 she said it in front of her girls and 2 BIL has enough on his plate without his mum adding more pressure. And now DH does not want to go and see his mum this weekend for fear of her behaviour.
MIL has been advised she has a minor thyroid problem and a slightly high cholesteral so she has immediatley cut out loads of food from her diet - and lives on fish, fruit and veg..and benecol yoghurts cos she's seen it on the telly - of course she's weak she is getting no carbs!
This morning SIL has phoned to say she's had a letter to confirm her youngests (6mnth) cyst is actually a tumour, which can become cancerous, which is why it needs to be removed in an operation within 6 weeks. SIL has looked on the net and worried herself more by looking at worst case scenarios. I dont always see eye to eye with SIL, but I feel so sorry for her, I too have a young baby and would be in pieces if this was me.
We live quite a way from her so there's not much I can do to help, although have offred support anyway I can, even if it's just an ear on the phone - I dont realy know what to say to her myself as I cannot imagine what her and BIL are going through.
What has annoyed us both is that both our own DM's have had cancer recently (my DM passed away) another close family member was in hospital all over Christmas - to the point we thought we would loose him, and my DS was also in hopsital recently when he stopped breathing and went blue. And we have dealt with all this as a family, but MIL who should be overjoyed she has had a clean bill of health seems desperate to be ill and add to everyones worry.
We dont know if it's depression or attention seeking or what. We have asked FIL to speak to her, but failing that we are going to ask her sister to try. She's always been a jealous, but this is just sick. She even said to SIL, she told the doctor what it felt like and he said it was a cyst that had gone, but perhaps they'll open me up and cut it out - knowing that her own grandchild has to have this exact thing. SIL pointed out that doctors do not make diagnosis based on verbals descriptions, but she would'nt have it.
When FIL was asked about MIL health yesterday he said the doc has told she's fine and to come of the tablets now (for thyroid and cholesterol). There was no mention of a cyst. And strangely we spoke to her for about 25 minutes last night and she did'nt talk about the cyst to either one of us, surely if it's that bad she would have told us. Or was it because FIL was in the room and she has invented it.
What we all need to concentrate on right now is my poor little DN and being there for her and her family.