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My mother all her life has used doctor visits for entertainment purposes. Once the visit is complete, she concocts big stories about her "unique" health issues. She is 85 and is healthier than most 60 year olds. She can get up from sitting on the floor without any aid, and without getting on her hands and knees first. She comes from a family with longevity. She has always been a hypochondriac and since getting older it has worsened. She makes weekly doctor appointments for the new "flavor" of the week illness or injury she states she has. The doctors has run tests, ultra-sounds, more tests, more tests and nothing is wrong for the numerous ailments she claims to have. How do I let the doctor know she is faking it without causing a risk that one day she may really be sick and be taken serious?

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Oy, I went through this for years. It was even worse because I lived with her. One year I spent so much time taking her to doctors. I said enough! that neither taxpayers or I could afford what she was doing. She said she paid Medicare, so she had the right to go to the doctor as much as she wanted. What if everyone did that?

Many of her problems were apparently psychological. Others were self-induced from things she was doing. Strange thing is that when the male doctor she loved retired and she started seeing a female doctor she liked less, all of her imaginary illnesses disappeared. I have a feeling that my mother just wanted to see her old doctor because he made her feel good.
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Any doctor worth his or her salt knows by now that a lady who comes in every week with a new ailment, without any evidence that anything is actually wrong with her is a hypochondriac.
You might drop off a note at the doctor's office stating your concern, but other than that, there's not much you can do, other than to try and interest her in finding some other kind of entertainment, like taking part in activities at the local senior center.
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Believe me. That Doctor already knows
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I'm sorry for your situation Tryingmybest. It is tough to get someone to the proper doctor so they can get a proper diagnosis. I have one family member who did get there and get the Conversion Disorder diagnosis. He went on meds and was given some mental exercises to work through it. It worked. He hasn't had one episode in over a year! He was also able to come off the meds. Sometimes just understanding the disorder helps a great deal.
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You know, when my mom lived alone, she seemed to have health crises frequently. She moved to independent living and suddenly had access to a geriatrician who initially wanted to see her every week to monitor her bp. He gave her his cell phone number and when she thought be bp was too high, she called him, not me...yay! This extra attention talc AND good anti anxiety and antidepressant meds helped solve this problem.
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Oh, I forgot to add. Print out an article about psychogenic disorders, provide them to her doctor and ask if he will refer her to a psychiatrist. Sometimes explaining that stress and anxiety are causing physical symptoms may work to get her into the office. Once there, the doctor will meet with her and then ask for family input as well. Good luck. This is a tough thing to live with.
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I completely agree with you Sunnygirl. My Moms fears about her health are very real to her. I hope your Mom is open to getting help DMPX101. Unfortunately, in our case, my mother refuses to seek psychological help. She does not trust psychiatrists and she is dead set against any kind of phsych meds. I've tried for years and I know her doctor has also suggested it.
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JessieBelle, you just gave me an ah ha moment.... my Mom was always going to the doctor back when she was seeing a doctor who was male... since he was no longer available for her to see, Mom went to the doctor who he recommended, who is female. Now Mom's ailments are far and few between :)

Mom doesn't like doctors who are women, Mom always comes out of the office saying "she doesn't know what she is talking about".... of course Mom says the same about sports announcers who are women, and Mom wouldn't dare vote for a woman running for office..... [sigh]
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Thanks for the responses. My mother has been this way as long as I can remember and I am now 60. She use to take us to the doctor for a bee bite, but that wasn't that she was afraid of the impact because she would take the time to bathe us, dress us up in our Sunday dresses and paten leather shoes and curl our hair. The woman thinks doctors find her a medical miracle instead of a royal pain wasting doctor's time that could be spent with really ill patients. The doctor suggested she seek some help (psychiatric) but she thinks people that go to psychiatrists are weak people looking for attention?? I just thought someone could help with how we can get the doctor to discourage these weekly visits, as she thinks doctors walk on water.
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Well I hate to say it, but most doctors aren't going to turn down visits and tests since it's $$$$$ for them. And they'd be worried about their malpractice insurance if they discourage a patient from coming in and something subsequently happens to that patient. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Switching your mom to a female doctor might help, based on others comments on here. Or even a physician's assistant, if that's possible, so she's not taking up the doctor's valuable time for non-existent maladies.
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