Nasty Nancy

I am no saint. I don’t get along with everyone. There are just a couple of people in rehab who I have grown to dislike. But, I was taught to respect all people especially those who are older than I am.
There is a woman in the rehab class whom we shall call Nasty Nancy. She is clearly a woman who never worried about a budget, always mentions the long dead Robert, her husband who worked and lived with her all over the world and she has political opinions the opposite of mine. I have learned to never discuss religion or politics with an older crowd. When drawn into a political discussion, I say that I hate all politicians as they are all the same, no matter the party.
While sitting on a bike next to me, Nasty Nancy would begin with the “idiots” on the other political side and make wild statements though she didn’t have any of the facts correct. Then, she would tell me what she eats from the time she gets up until she goes to bed. (Then I have a nice salad at lunch and put in small tomatoes….) I felt I was being held hostage to these lectures, as I had to work out next to her. She was able to get off oxygen for a time and constantly lectured me to lose weight and work harder and I, too, could be better and off oxygen. This went on for a while. Two times a week. For months.
Then came a time when I was on 40 mgs of Prednisone and suffering with all the side effect when I had enough. I said in a clear loud voice, "Nasty Nancy, I have a fatal lung disease. I am on huge doses of Prednisone. I am on bone marrow chemo drugs. I will never get any better than what I am today. I will be on oxygen for the rest of my life.” She stopped. The lectures were over. Later, she went into the hospital and was gone for several months. When she returned, she was confused. I would see her just standing and staring into the air. Finally, I mentioned it to the RNs. The, too, had noticed, had phoned her daughter that afternoon and her family took her car away that evening. She was not mentally present. It was a school vacation week and one of her daughters, who was a teacher, brought her to rehab the next week. They were in the process of hiring a helper/driver for her. I got talking with her daughter and learned some interesting things. Nasty Nancy had been a model and never weighed over 110 pounds her entire life. She watched every bite of food. Obsessed with food. When her daughters were young, she constantly lectured them about their weight. Even in college, their time at home during holidays included constant lectures. Both were thin at the time but just not thin enough for their mom. Both rebelled. One is extremely obese the other just a bit chunky. Her daughter mentioned to me that their mom was really eating now for the first time in their lives. They were stunned. She was eating constantly. I told her that I would suspect that she was on prednisone. She confirmed it. I shared some the side effects of the drug, something no one had told them, which includes an insatiable appetite. I also told her about not eating any carbs while on prednisone as it goes right to fat and that everyone gains weight while on the drug. Nasty Nancy was gaining a lot of weight. She was not happy. The daughter said how ironic it was that at the end of her life; she had no control over her weigh, something that she was consumed with all of her life. She and her sister were shaking their heads at the irony. I wished the daughter good luck. She was a lovely person. Imagine having a mother who constantly told you that you were not good enough or thin enough all your life.