When a child has a chronic illness, you hope that your family will rally behind you and be supportive. But one woman's mother-in-law got a little too involved when she tried to change her granddaughter's doctor behind her parents' backs. Livid, the mom vented her whole story in an angry post on Reddit's r/JUSTNOMIL and shared that this time her MIL had gone too far.
The 35-year-old Redditor explained that her 5-year-old daughter has cystic fibrosis.
In a post on Reddit, she explained that ever since she met her MIL "she made it clear that she's the boss in the house."
And in general, she's pretty much a pain to deal with. Like when she told the OP that she should consider herself "lucky" for marrying her son, puts pressure on her son to take her side when she and the OP fight, and worst of all "she tries to intervene in my daughter's doctor visits and treatments," she explained. "She becomes aggressive whenever I ask her to wait outside the room or anything."
But now, the mother-in-law is really pushing it.
In a recent update, the woman wrote that she's already warned her daughter's doctor that he is not to let her MIL into the examination room.
But her MIL has been busy, too.
She called her son and told them that because she's "being kept in the waiting room all the time," she decided to make an executive decision and switched the OP's daughter to a different doctor who is a friend of the family — which is certainly one way to get into the examination room.
"Not only that, she decided for my daughter to go to another clinic which is about a two hours ride, where the new doc works," the OP added.
"For the first time" the OP's husband put his foot down and told his mother that she had no business switching their daughter's doctor.
But that only escalated the situation.
"She lashed out on him and told him that neither of us (him and I) know what's best for my daughter, she does," the OP explained.
Then her MIL suggested that they tell their doctor to forward their daughter's medical information over to the new doctor.
And by suggested, we can only assume she actually "demanded" because her MIL ended the call on a sarcastic note and then swiftly hung up on her son.
Her husband swears that he's going to tell his mother to quit butting in or else.
But the OP believes that he's going to chicken out, "cause he isn't used to saying 'NO' to mommy or doing anything against her wishes," she wrote. "I'm super worried and can't imagine the idea of her being involved in my daughter's life with this new doc."
"I'm aware that she legally can not do that," she added. "But she might attempt to get my husband's approval somehow, She's a manipulative [expletive] and I'm done with her."
People in the comments warned the OP that she and her husband need to put a stop to things -- ASAP.
"Oh no darling, she is messing with the health of your child," one commenter wrote. "This isn't a matter of circuses and monkeys. It's time to go nuclear on her as a mother. You need to set her straight. Not him. YOU. YOU need to be your daughter's MOTHER and let your MIL know this ends today. She is not seeing your daughter for the [foreseeable] future and it isn't up to husband to make that decision."
"Maybe you can just refer all her questions, queries and concerns to your husband then, and let him deal with it," a second commenter advised. "It sounds like you're getting worked up over this person for no reason — it's his mother, let him deal with her."
"If you contact the new doctor and threaten to sue if they even look at your Dear Daughter, chances are they will refuse her as a patient," a third commenter chimed in. "No doctor wants to mess with the liability involved in that mess."
The OP decided to go to her daughter's current doctor first.
She immediately called her daughter's doctor "and told him not to send my daughter's medical records anywhere without my permission" and told him that she wanted to put a password on her daughter's medical records.
"He told me he is ready to do it, so no worries about her putting her hands on my DD medical records," she wrote.
But that still leaves the major problem of what to do about her MIL.
"I honestly did not think she'd go this far," the OP admitted, but she was determined to put a stop to things.
"I've had enough of her crap and it's time I show her that I'm no longer putting up with her [expletive]," she continued. "Dear Husband and I are gonna be taking necessary steps to ensure that she does not come near me or my kids anymore."
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