“My daughter is in the ER because of my crazy MIL and I’m filled with rage.”
I guess this is more of a vent. I’m in the ER right now with my two year old waiting on toxicology reports. My MIL was visiting (we are mainly low contact, this was her one visit for a while) and it’s been a nightmare to say the least.
She was supposed to leave on Sunday but got snowed in, felt like it was “too unsafe” to drive back home on Monday and on Tuesday made an excuse that she was feeling faint so she had to stay another night.
This morning she woke up crying because she had a back spasm that was “so painful” and was fishing to stay another night. She told my husband to go to the pharmacy to buy her some aspirin which he did.
Once he left she decided to was time to take her morning meds. I’ve told her multiple times to keep her meds in her room because my daughter is still in the “pick things up and eat them” phase.
She decides to put all of her pills on her lap and then picks up her phone to answer a text. I guess she forgot her pills were there after the text because she proceeds to stand up and all the pills scatter alll over the living room floor where my daughter is playing.
We get up to pick them up and only found 6/7 pills. The missing pill was an aspirin (which she sent my husband out to freaking buy her because she was out, another lie) and aspirin is toxic to children.
My MIL insists on calling an ambulance and I firmly told her no, that we would drive to the ER. My BIL was home and I asked him if he could drive us. She insists on coming for the ride and I was too flustered and panicked to stop her.
She’s literally screaming the entire ride about how my daughter is going to die and I had to scream at her to shut up. She then tells me I made a huge mistake not calling the ambulance and if anything happens it’s on me. That she’s a nurse and I’m not so she understands emergencies better than me.
Also forgot to mention y’all, I’m 36 weeks pregnant. Literally too pregnant for this BS. She’s in the car yelling at my BIL to pass cars and “it’s ok if you get pulled over we’ll get a police escort”.
I firmly told him to drive safe, that I don’t want to be in an accident on top of this. She says “no, don’t listen to her, I’m the one who’s trained on emergencies here we need to pass the cars”. I told her I would drop her off in the middle of the road if she didn’t stop.
We get to the ER door and she says “you’re pregnant and too slow to run her in, I’ll go in with her”. I was like over my dead freaking body. I get out carrying my daughter and when I walked in she ran to the window before me, introduced herself as a nurse and began recounting all of the events.
The nurse looked at her and then me and said “ can I talk to her mom please?”. Thankfully my husband walked in and told his mom she needed to leave. Not leave the hospital, just drive all the way home. Not our house, her house.
On her way home she’s already calling so many family members crying and playing the victim. We’ve gotten so many phone calls already. It’s safe to say she will not be coming to visit for a long freaking time. She’s lucky if I answer a phone call after this.
Here’s what people had to say to OP:
Floating-Cynic
Seems like she knew she screwed up and decided to try and distract from that. And an ambulance was not going to go screaming down the road for a “possible” ingestion. Not only would she never be welcome in my home again, I’d make sure she paid the bill.
If she didn’t eat the pill, move the furniture in the living room, check between the cushions. You can use a vacuum on a bare floor, make sure you get every square inch. Also check nearby rooms and halls. pills can roll a really long way when they are dropped like that.
Your MIL is playing the victim, and I’m glad your hubby sent her to HER house. She has no business being around a 2 year old, if she is going to be that careless with adult medication.
RockabillyRabbit
Turn off the lights and roll a flashlight along the floor too. It helps a ton to see small objects that blend in! I use this trick if I break a glass to make sure I got the shards 😅
Mysterious_Rich_5887
She didn’t just drop a pill…. she dropped a bomb on your family and then tried to direct the movie of the explosion. If she were actually a competent nurse, she would know that panic is the enemy of triage and that screaming “she’s going to die” at a 36 week pregnant woman is practically malpractice.
Her behavior in that car wasn’t about saving your daughter. It was about creating a chaotic, cinematic moment where she could be the center of attention….the hero who “escorted” the ambulance and “saved” the day.
Your husband made the only correct call by sending her home. Do not apologize, do not explain, and do not answer the flying monkeys who are blowing up your phone. She endangered your toddler with her negligence, endangered your unborn child with her hysteria and then tried to snatch your autonomy at the ER doors.
That isn’t a “mistake” that is a liability. Her consequence for nearly poisoning your child is that she loses access to the family she refuses to protect. Focus on your little one and let the silence be her answer.
mela_99
This insane woman is a nurse and she dumps drugs everywhere for your baby to eat and had the audacity to blame you? Do not EVER let this woman alone with your child ever again.
So, what do you think of this one? If you could give the OP any advice here, what would you tell them
