Is she lying

I hate that i am having to even ask this as I am so ashamed that I am even doubting such an awful scenario. However, here goes. My mother in law has always been an attention seeker. She had tissue removed from her breast but told everyone it was cancer removal. She has now told people she has lung cancer which I do not doubt. She has told everyone it is stage 4, that it has spread to breast, spine and lymph nodes and has 8 weeks to live. However this was 3 months ago. She is going out and about, throwing parties for her birthday, with no sign of deterioration. She hasn't lost any weight. She remains morbidly obese. She has oxygen but only as and when. This only seems to be when lots of people are around. She is not getting breathless, she is eating well. Not at all what I would expect for someone at end of life. She is not having any treatment. She shaved her head telling people her hair was falling out which I only thought happened if receiving certain treatment. How can I find out if she is lying as this is killing my husband and his mental health. Many thanks

  • Hi, I can see where you are coming from. If she has stage 4 cancer then she could be saying no to treatment, they might not be able to treat her anyway. Strong drugs such as Chemo will make hair fall out (mine did).  She just might be one of those people who need attention and constantly go on about how ill they are (I know someone like this). Time will tell, give her another three months and see.  You could look around for drugs she might be taking, mine are in the kitchen near the kettle.

  • Playing devil's advocate here, and not doubting your doubts, but 8 weeks is a guesstimate. Albeit, an educated one. But a guess all the same. Works both ways too. People who are given months, end up going downhill within days.

    There are a good few stories on here people being given X amount of months, and living even years beyond the original estimate. Eight weeks isn't too much of a stretch from 3 months, so entirely possible. Plus, folk sometimes are given steroids which can and do make them more hungry, and dare i say it, put weight on too.

    So to answer your question, whilst she could be exaggerating things, her, current habits and story aren't far-fetched in the slightest. Nothing she is doing is currently contradicting her story. Some people only go right downhill in the last few days. My uncle who had pancratic cancer looked completely fine to the unwary less than 48 hours before he passed.

  • Hi. I agree find her medication then Google it. That should help. Oxygen is not given to home situation willy nilly, so I would be likely to believe her. A few more weeks & there might be an obvious change. Be understanding & attentive you could collect her meds from chemist to see what's prescribed.all the best pip