Anonymous wrote:I say "her" because both my mother and my MIL do this and I find it tiresome and also weird. I have medical issues which I never discuss because they are private (and my mother is a blabbermouth). My MIL even reports on routine exams ("at the mammogram the tech twisted my nipple"). How do you deal? What conversational tactics do you use to redirect?

LOL.

Although it isn't the same exact thing, I have a mother in law who does NOTHING but complain about her job. She is a teacher who is eligible for her full pension in her state, has several million saved for retirement on top of her pension, and has a paid for house.

My husband and his sister have told her many times that she ought to retire and enjoy her life, but she refuses. Still, every conversation comes back to how she hates working.

After 10 years of listening, I'm starting to think she obsesses over the same conversation topic because she doesn't really have much else to talk about and that she likes being a martyr. It used to drive me nuts (okay, it still does!!), but now I just feel sorry for her.

The older they get the worse it gets. Don't hang out with a group of seniors if you don't like the medical talk.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, my MIL does this. It's totally annoying because her ailments are relatively minor given her age. On New Year's Day she mentioned that she was so glad 2013 was over because it was such a terrible year. I tried to remember what was so terrible (no cancer, no heart attacks, no big accidents) and then she mentions her usual stuff. It gets really old especially because a little boy who lived near her (friend of a friend of mine) just lost a well publicized battle with cancer. Totally heartbreaking . His parents had a terrible 2013. And to the pp who doesn't have parents -- I get it. I don't have my mom anymore. But I understand that people can simultaneously appreciate and find their parents annoying.

Have you experienced these same medical issues your mother was complaint of at an old age? No. Unless she's complaining about a hangnail , have some compassion.