I don't even know what to say about this.
Daughter got dropped off last night. As she was sitting down with me and Husband to watch a movie, she said that The Ex "might have stomach cancer." The statement itself had me taken aback and I blurted out, "...what?!" Daughter repeated that The Ex might have stomach cancer. I said, "What do you mean, 'She MIGHT have stomach cancer'?"
Daughter said that The Ex has been going to the doctor; she said that The Ex went in for a colonoscopy and that didn't come up with results, and said that The Ex had gone to the doctor again after that. I told Daughter that didn't make any sense and asked why she had a colonoscopy done. Daughter seemed to be getting kind of defensive so I explained that I was just trying to understand; I said there probably was something going on with The Ex and the doctor was trying to diagnose it, but the reason I was questioning it is because a doctor doesn't use a colonoscopy to diagnose stomach cancer.
I took the time to Google "symptoms of stomach cancer" and started reading some pretty generic results: pain in the upper abdomen, indigestion, feeling sick in general, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, etc. I told Daughter that any of these could be from a number of common things such as gas, stress, medication, a virus, etc. I told her that I knew it was easier said than done, but try not to worry about it too much until there was an actual answer. I said at this point, it almost sounds like The Ex is having digestive issues which is why the doctor ordered a colonoscopy to rule out anything on that end. (No pun intended, honestly.)
Maybe I've become too jaded by none other than The Ex herself, but I just don't believe her. (The Ex, that is. I believe that she did tell Daughter that she "might" have cancer, but I don't believe that she has it.) Given her complete lack of any and all medical knowledge combined with the fact that she thrives on being dramatic and dishonest, I don't see cancer as being a legitimate diagnosis at this point.
Let's recap some of the medical things that have gone on over the years:
The Ex took Son to urgent care for a hangover. (She knew he was hungover; she'd picked him up from a friend's house that morning and said that he was still drunk when she got there.)
The Ex took her 7-year-old daughter in for a colonoscopy which didn't find anything. (They later found out she was lactose-intolerant.)
The Ex told Son that he was depressed and needed to be medicated, and told Husband that the depression was because Husband wouldn't let Son live with her.
The Ex told her sister she could clear up a recurring rash by wiping it with rubbing alcohol, letting it sit for 30 minutes, and showering.
The Ex asked Son if he wanted some soup for a concussion.
The Ex told Son when he was 11 years old that his grandpa was in the hospital, that he'd been sleeping for a very long time, and that he wasn't waking up. (She neglected to inform Son that her dad had been placed in a medically induced coma.)
The Ex told the kids at 12 and 10 years old that their grandpa was having heart surgery and that he was so old, he may not come out of the procedure alive. (Her dad was going in for a stress test. That's it. Not surgery, not pre-op. A stress test and nothing more.)
The Ex left a voice mail for Husband saying that Son was complaining that his feet hurt, she thought had stepped on something during the weekend and that she wanted to know what happened because she wanted to take Son in for a tetanus shot. (Son was current on all of his immunizations, including tetanus.)
And even with all of that, I still feel bad for doubting her. But I can't help it. My immediate thought is that The Ex is realizing Daughter is almost an adult, she knows that she's losing her, she can't make Daughter feel guilty the way that she did with Son so she's going to resort to making Daughter feel bad for her.
Eleven more months...I only have to deal with this crap for eleven more months...
Daughter said that The Ex has been going to the doctor; she said that The Ex went in for a colonoscopy and that didn't come up with results, and said that The Ex had gone to the doctor again after that. I told Daughter that didn't make any sense and asked why she had a colonoscopy done. Daughter seemed to be getting kind of defensive so I explained that I was just trying to understand; I said there probably was something going on with The Ex and the doctor was trying to diagnose it, but the reason I was questioning it is because a doctor doesn't use a colonoscopy to diagnose stomach cancer.
I took the time to Google "symptoms of stomach cancer" and started reading some pretty generic results: pain in the upper abdomen, indigestion, feeling sick in general, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, etc. I told Daughter that any of these could be from a number of common things such as gas, stress, medication, a virus, etc. I told her that I knew it was easier said than done, but try not to worry about it too much until there was an actual answer. I said at this point, it almost sounds like The Ex is having digestive issues which is why the doctor ordered a colonoscopy to rule out anything on that end. (No pun intended, honestly.)
Maybe I've become too jaded by none other than The Ex herself, but I just don't believe her. (The Ex, that is. I believe that she did tell Daughter that she "might" have cancer, but I don't believe that she has it.) Given her complete lack of any and all medical knowledge combined with the fact that she thrives on being dramatic and dishonest, I don't see cancer as being a legitimate diagnosis at this point.
Let's recap some of the medical things that have gone on over the years:
The Ex took Son to urgent care for a hangover. (She knew he was hungover; she'd picked him up from a friend's house that morning and said that he was still drunk when she got there.)
The Ex took her 7-year-old daughter in for a colonoscopy which didn't find anything. (They later found out she was lactose-intolerant.)
The Ex told Son that he was depressed and needed to be medicated, and told Husband that the depression was because Husband wouldn't let Son live with her.
The Ex told her sister she could clear up a recurring rash by wiping it with rubbing alcohol, letting it sit for 30 minutes, and showering.
The Ex asked Son if he wanted some soup for a concussion.
The Ex told Son when he was 11 years old that his grandpa was in the hospital, that he'd been sleeping for a very long time, and that he wasn't waking up. (She neglected to inform Son that her dad had been placed in a medically induced coma.)
The Ex told the kids at 12 and 10 years old that their grandpa was having heart surgery and that he was so old, he may not come out of the procedure alive. (Her dad was going in for a stress test. That's it. Not surgery, not pre-op. A stress test and nothing more.)
The Ex left a voice mail for Husband saying that Son was complaining that his feet hurt, she thought had stepped on something during the weekend and that she wanted to know what happened because she wanted to take Son in for a tetanus shot. (Son was current on all of his immunizations, including tetanus.)
And even with all of that, I still feel bad for doubting her. But I can't help it. My immediate thought is that The Ex is realizing Daughter is almost an adult, she knows that she's losing her, she can't make Daughter feel guilty the way that she did with Son so she's going to resort to making Daughter feel bad for her.
Eleven more months...I only have to deal with this crap for eleven more months...
My SD's mom called her, yelled at her for an hour for not caring enough to talk to her immediately after she called the first time, and then told her she had skin cancer and may die. She had two moles biopsied and hadn't even received the test results yet. *sigh*. i relate so much to the crazy that happens on this blog. I could write a book about what my DH has been going through with his ex since my SD moved in with us in March. She'll be 17 in October. We are almost there, too!
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