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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Competitive illness

34 replies

PookieDo · 13/09/2018 08:44

I just need to get my head around this dynamic - if i have any ailment or illness, both my mother and my DD16 will either have it too or take it as an opportunity to go on about something wrong with them. This has happened today and I don’t know whether to just ignore it? Why do they do this?

Over the past few years I have had (non emergency) surgery 3 times so I feel somewhat confident I was not imagining or embellishing the problems - which were confirmed with tests by doctors obviously. Despite surgery one of the problems hasn’t really gone away, and gives me minor problems. During these periods of my recovery both my DM and DD16 seemed to find this very hard and although tried to be supportive initially, they ended up being mean/cruel and unhelpful ‘I.e. oh FGS it’s not that bad’ and very ‘put upon’ in their role as a caregiver or just me asking for some help (like clearing up or with food). I do not feel that I played on these instances nor asked for help when I didn’t really need it, And I would and have undoubtedly cared for them if they needed it.

DM never seeks help for any of her ailments but talks about them constantly and DD seems to use my maternal concerns for her as something she can throw in my face when she thinks I don’t care enough. She would feel jealous at me being off work if she still had to go to school

It’s all so unhealthy. I feel like I am not allowed to be unwell, but I am expected to have sympathy for DM and DD when they have the identical problem Confused

OP posts:
PookieDo · 13/09/2018 15:05

For DD’s migraines I spent weeks trying to get her to track possible triggers in her diet. she wouldn’t

Saw GP and got medication that she doesn’t like and won’t take

What she was describing was a bit worrying to me

Getting her eyes tested today

Sometimes it’s like she will just say she’s got one when i think she is in a bad mood. And as I had one she had one too

OP posts:
BeetrootBonanza · 13/09/2018 15:15

I had a relatively bad sports injury with my back a few weeks ago and went to the hospital over the weekend to get it checked out as I had some concerns. We dropped in on PIL on the way home to collect some things they had asked us to get from them and had to say where we'd been.
This week my MIL sent me a text to ask how I was. When I gave her an update and asked how her week was going she replied she has had a 'serious sprain' from doing Pilates.
Her own mother (my dh's grandmother) sent me an email later on to say she thought her daughter was jealous of me so had had to invent something to garner sympathy 😂
MIL has now posted on fb that she's been to hospital and there's nothing to worry about, with multiple people then asking what happened and is she ok 🙄
I do my best to stay out of her drama, but when I'm pulled in to it despite my best efforts it gets a bit annoying!

mothertominibeasts · 13/09/2018 15:25

I feel for you with back and migraines.

I broke my back about four years ago, had f'all help from my family (they said that was my fault for being too independent and never asking for help) so I just learnt to get on with it. Problem with just getting on with it and smiling, pretending your fine is, they don't see the pain your in, they don't see the struggle, they don't see your not wearing any underwear or socks because you can't physically put them on. They just don't see it. And what monumentally pissed me off the most was my DS constantly comparing her 'slight bad back' to my broken back!

I also suffered from migraines too, so did my mum. I was medicated daily as a child, I grew out of the the migraines in the end. Probably have one once a year now but absolutely anything can set it off. My mum still has constant problems and she is nearly 70

PookieDo · 13/09/2018 17:58

That is exactly what it is like!!!

‘How is your back?’from DM = lemme talk about my dodgy hip at you for 45 mins (every time)

But in my DM case, she never ever takes any advice given to her, so she is in a perpetual state of aches and pains. I on the other hand went to all my appointments, took all the advice and surgical treatment, then physio rehab... and... got better 😂

DD’s eyes are fine. In fact doesn’t even need glasses. The optician guy also brought up keeping a migraine trigger diary. My own eyes nearly rolled out of my face at DD smiling away going ‘oh yes ok then I will’ in response

OP posts:
Onemansoapopera · 14/09/2018 09:48

Is your mum misguidingly trying to show empathy which is coming off as competition? Ie I know how you feel etc etc

Whereas DD definitely lacks empathy as did your ex so she's inherited it...my DD is the same. Although when I'm poorly (I am diagnosed with cluster headaches) she does worry but I think that's more what would happen to her if something happened to me as her dad Will not look after her. She's extremely loving but if I'm vulnerable she can't hack it. I think she's afraid if I dropped dead tomorrow she'd be alone with nobody to care for her. Maybe your DD has this too, deep rooted and its coming out in a 'get back on your feet quick way'. My DD is also 16.

PookieDo · 14/09/2018 11:24

Yes agree, almost like an attachment thing. I am so safe that the concept of losing me invokes a real fear and that comes out as anger? I wonder this but then if I am making excuses - of course I want to see the best in her 😂

I told her she had been rude, she didn’t see how she had so i had to point it out. She did apologise but didn’t really think she had to.

OP posts:
NotTheFordType · 14/09/2018 17:01

Oh OP you sound like such a loving and understanding mum.

My DS does the competitive illness thing. In his case I think it's down to his birth mum only ever giving him attention if he was ill, and telling him that his older sibling was her favourite because they were "very poorly and nearly died" as a baby (which I do not believe but that's another story.)

He genuinely does feel ill much of the time and I've witnessed him vomiting frequently, but generally his physical sense of wellness is completely tied up with his emotional state. If he's having a good day with some activity and some form of interaction, he feels well enough to do most stuff. If he's having a day battling his depression and anxiety then I'll get a list of physical ailments that are bothering him.

He does acknowledge that his mental state informs his physical state but he is not yet ready to get the help he needs with either.

It used to be that if I was ill, he would get very anxious and instead of seeking reassurance that I was just a bit poorly and would be fine soon, he would punish me for being ill. He was pushing me away because he was terrified of losing me. (He has suffered many family bereavements which has intensified this fear.) If I said "Oh man I've got a headache" then he would have a migraine. If I said "Wow my feet are tired" he would tell me that both his legs are incredibly painful and that's why he hasn't done the washing up. If I mentioned I had a bad night's sleep, he would claim he hadn't slept at all for the whole night.

I would sometimes claim to have a really heavy painful period just so he couldn't one-up me 😂

He is much better about managing his anxiety now and if I need to go to bed and rest he will ask me if I need anything and will feed himself and just wait for me to feel better.

Are there any times with your DD (when you're both well) that she is co-operative and is able to talk honestly about her feelings, and how her behaviour affects your feelings? Is there anyone she talks to (at school, CAMHS, other relatives than your mum) and seems to trust who might be able to help with... I guess "mediating" between the two of you to help you both agree to changing your behaviour on the stressful times when you are ill? (No you shouldn't "have" to change your behaviour, but the important thing is that she sees you are willing to compromise in order to meet her emotional needs.)

In purely practical terms, could you have a day, maybe with both DDs helping, of batch cooking some meals that could then be frozen and used if you are too unwell to cook? Then all DD1 would need to do would be to sling something in the microwave and not have to deal with anxiety about cooking on top of her anxiety about you being ill. (Would also be useful for you if you're knackered one night and dread cooking!)

Chilli is a great one for this, especially if you keep some microwave rice packets in the store cupboard. So just cook the main part and freeze that. I do the same thing with spag bol - cook up the meat sauce and freeze that, then all anyone has to do is microwave it and cook pasta. I do several types of soup like that as well, and things like chicken stir fry (choose your vegetables wisely, as many don't reheat well. Looking at you, red peppers!) and chicken curry (again just cook the meat and sauce and use with a packet rice.)

I hope this helps in some way OP. Again, you sound like a wonderful mum :)

PookieDo · 14/09/2018 17:54

Thanks and I will try many of them!

DD is maturing, I can see it probably just slower than her peers I suspect. Despite behaving the way she does she follows all the serious rules and wouldn’t break them - she would never go out somewhere and not tell me where she was, or go off doing anything she knows is wrong (stealing or underage drinking) she’s very home orientated and yes, I think anxiety led!

When she is calm we do bond a lot and I think she is afraid to really confront the deeper reasons for how she feels or why she acts out (or can’t articulate them). I think she knows that feeling ill or angry is mood related for sure - I can see it!

She seems to relate illness with attention - jealous of DD2 getting any, and like today, she asked me 7 times to look at a blister I said oh dear have a plaster. That wasn’t the response she wanted, so she kept on about it And got angry I wasn’t being sympathetic enough!

OP posts:
NotTheFordType · 15/09/2018 04:09

Ignoring the minor injury won't be helpful because behind every "look at me and my pain/illness" is the fear of abandonment.
?"
I've found a empathetic but acknowledging response gets the best outcome.
"Ouch that looks like it hurts!"
then
"I know you're feeling crap but we need to get [this] done. We can either do it later today together or we can do it Thursday morningmbefore I set off to work. Which would you prefer?"

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