I am taking care of parents in my home. Both in their 90s. At one point recently my mother said to me that I should try lying in her bed to see what it feels like. I took it to mean that she was wishing me ill. It appears that all of the sudden I have developed some of her health issues such as pain in my legs that at times I can barely walk, vision problems, and back problems. Maybe it is all in my imagination but the pain is real. Has anyone else also experienced feeling sick when being around chronically ill people 24/7? If so, how do you deal with it? Thank you!
edit; Half my comment got eaten!!
A symptom being psycosomatic doesn't doesn't mean they aren't 'real' or something to take seriously, it means with a mental not physical cause. If you are feeling pain then that pain is 'real pain'.
I know for myself, my parents had different degrees of dementia. Mom was in her last stage so I didn't copy her, but my Dad was just going into dementia and I felt like I was forgetting things, too.
As for the mattress, I was wonder if your Mom was wondering if she needed a new mattress and that is why she wanted you to lie on her bed??? I remember my parent's mattress was a mess but they didn't want to buy a new one, so I suggested they switch out the mattress from the guest room [they hadn't had overnight guests in decades].
After chatting briefly with this girl, she suddenly is telling the world she's got celiac's disease and she's lactose intolerant. Amazing, something she'd NEVER heard of, suddenly she has both. BTW, her lactose intolerance is SO BAD, if she drinks a glass of milk, she's in bed for a week.
As for the neighbor, good grief, in bed for a week? Seriously?? Got to introduce that girl to Lactaid products.