No, it’s not the only symptom, it’s just the strangest one, of several (maybe a dozen, it’s hard to keep track), and I thought the one that was the ‘best’ example to present to a doctor, since it’s not something that can be dismissed as “oh she’s got such a sense of humour, your mother”, or “it’s her age” (um she wasn’t in her 70s, 30 years ago when I first noticed these things) or “everyone does that”. Really? Does your mother do that? No. Uh huh, so it’s not really everyone then is it?
She seems to have a multi-personality disorder, she goes from raging biatch to sweet little grey haired old lady in a heartbeat, but she can control which ‘face’ she has on (depending on her audience), very few people have seen her “evil” face and when they do they are shocked at how malicious she can be.
I’ve had a passing fancy more than once that she’s blind, or has some very strange sight problem as she can’t see what’s right in front of her face. When she used to drive(!) she’d notice what every other driver on the road was doing “he’s speeding” “he didn’t indicate”, “look at that one …” etc etc etc. When I drive, there aren’t any other cars on the road apparently, a lorry nearly slammed into the side of my car one time - she didn’t see it, Even though the wheel rim was practically scraping off the passenger window. You didn’t see that huge slow moving vehicle that I was overtaking?! No. I suggested she turn around and look out the back window, ah we live in a two dimensional world where there is no “behind you”. How silly of me not to have noticed …
Perhaps she’s autistic? She certainly doesn’t understand non verbal communication, if I nod, or shake my head she stares at me blankly, I have to say yes, or no. If I point at something she looks at my hand, or in the opposite direction to what I’m pointing at. She speaks to me when I’m eating or drinking and expects me to answer her with my mouth full. Seriously. Goes mad if I don’t answer her. I try to point “got my mouth full here”, oh that’s right, she doesn’t understand gestures. She only wants to know why I’m not answering her. Is it because I hate her? That’s what it is, you won’t talk to me because you hate me! Meanwhile I’m trying to Heimlich myself …
If I’m on the phone, she thinks I’m talking to her.
“I’m on the phone”
"Why are you asking me _____ "
“I’m not asking you _____ I’m on the phone.”
"Stop asking me ______ "
“I’m. On. The bleeping Phone!”
“Who do you want me to phone?”
headdesk
She has no ability to retain, or recall, information. Her ‘favourite’ habit is to stand behind me/in another room and ask “what’s this?”
“what’s what?”
“This”
“This … what?”
“This”
“I can’t see what you’re looking at, could you describe it to me?”
Apparently no, she cannot describe, nor point at, the object. Having had this ‘conversation’ ten times in the last 3 hours, I loose my temper. She storms off in a strop. Five minutes later, I’m in the garden and what do I hear from the kitchen? Go on, guess …
I cook dinner, the same way she cooked dinners, same pots and pans, same utensils. I boiled spuds and veg, roasted a chicken in the oven, as my father has coronary problems I don’t use salt, pepper, or any other type of condiment/flavouring etc when I’m cooking, it’s all cooked blank, don’t even add gravy. She can’t eat it - it’s got too much salt in. I didn’t even have a salt shaker on the table. Then I read something somewhere about people being asked at job interviews “does food taste salty to you?”
WTF?
They ask that because it’s a sign of … and I’m blanking on what it’s a sign of. I’ve tried Googleing and searching every message board I can remember using. Nothing, zip. nada.
I must’ve been hallucinating.
