Milking It

Lyn had an ear infection recently.  Her ear genuinely did hurt.  However, Lyn is amazingly susceptible to suggestion.  If you ask "Does it hurt?", she'll start telling you about the agony she is suffering.  If it is her foot, she'll assume a limp, for example.  I'm not sure that Lyn has ever been cognizant of her attempts to manipulate for more attention in this way.  I just think she does it without thinking about it.

She was treated and her infection is gone.  On Sunday, she proclaimed to me that her ear didn't hurt at all anymore.  I was happy for the good report on her ear and she was too.

In day hab earlier this week, she started in about her ear again.  She told one of the employees that she couldn't do an activity because her ear was still hurting and not healed.  Mom gently pointed out that her ear infection was cleared up and the medicine was over.  "Oh.  Yes.  That's right." was the response from Lyn who promptly changed the topic.

When Lyn was home that evening, she again started talking about the pain in her ear.  If her ear was hurting, Mom offered, then a drop of the pain relief ear drops would help.  Lyn agreed.  Mom had not yet tossed out the ear drops and the ones for pain relief had not been needed during infection after the first 24 hours of antibiotic drops.  So, Mom got the drops and a tissue.  She put a single, small drop into Lyn's ear.  Lyn stood up and wiped her ear.  About two minutes later, she declared "My ear is all better!"  Lyn's not mentioned her ear since.

Mom can apparently work miracles.

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