attention

I have to read between the lines these days and I'm sure that, to an extent, she was really just crying out for attention. However, the 3 hospitals she eventually visited were all "horrible places" where she was always made to wait 5 hours in the cold, and then the ambulance crews treated her at home a couple of times. Someone at the last hospital used some sort of big hook on her nose which was apparently very painful. My interpretation of this is that the services saw right through to her loneliness and were trying to discourage her from wasting their time. After all, at the end of each event all they'd done is what she could have done for herself. There's something about the way she talks about the nosebleeds now that suggests to me that it's a strategy she won't be trying again. I had begun to refer to her nosebleeds as her "hobby" - god knows she needs one!

I'm sorry she didn't find a hospital she approved of, though. It would be good to know where she'd like to be looked after next time, as I'm sure she'd have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the one where Dad died. The whole thing has focussed Mum's attention on the dog, as well. She now realises that there's nowhere for the little mop-head to go if she needs to go to hospital (she's unwilling to use kennels) - I expect that I will be asked to drive down and look after her. Great. Well, maybe that will keep Mum healthy....