Janet sat in her car in the driveway of her mother’s house and eyed the front yard, which was completely taken over by a

[answerhappygod]

Janet sat in her car in the driveway of her mother’s house and
eyed the front yard, which was completely taken over by a vegetable
garden. It was possible that somewhere in there her mother was
hidden, picking over her prized vegetables. Her mother was a bit
eccentric. Actually, the word crazy sometimes came to Janet’s mind
when considering her mother. But she never said it out loud. This
was her mother after all. Janet took a deep breath and then grabbed
the door handle. It was time for another lunch with her mother, a
meal that would inevitably turn into an argument, as they always
did. Audrey greeted her daughter at the door even before Janet had
a chance to knock. “Why, hello, darling.” Janet was carefully
unhooking a tomato vine from her foot before her mother noticed.
She looked up and greeted her with a sense of apprehension. “Hello,
Mother.” “Oh, Janet, it’s so nice to see you. Isn’t it just a
gorgeous day today?” Her mother was bubbling over with her usual
happiness and high spirits. “It’s hot,” Janet grumbled, “too hot.”
“Well, come on in. I’ve just put together a delicious salad for
lunch.” Salad again, Janet thought to herself. She was glad she had
stopped at McDonalds on the way over. She forced a smile and
followed her mother into the house. Lunch went well, until Audrey
decided she couldn’t hold her idea back any longer. “I was reading
that magazine you got me the other day.” “Oh, really,” replied
Janet, pleased. She had gotten her mother a subscription to Time
magazine for Christmas. It was her attempt to get her mother on the
same track as the rest of the world, or at least aware of what was
happening. She knew her mother used them as coasters on the coffee
table more than anything else. “Yes, and I came across this really
interesting article. It was on acupuncture.” Janet sighed. Her
hopes evaporated. Of course, the only thing to interest her mother
was an article on some sort of nonsense. “As I was reading it, it
began to make a lot of sense. It mentioned that arthritis was one
of the things that it helped. And seeing how you’re always telling
me that arthritis is why my wrists bother me, I thought it might be
helpful. My wrists have been acting up a little. I couldn’t garden
the other day. My poor tomato plants are going to wither away in
the sun if I don’t get to them soon.” “Mom, you don’t want
acupuncture. The whole thing is ridiculous. It’s a big scam. There
is no way that putting needles in your body is going to stop your
pain. What you need is to see a doctor.” Janet’s frustration level
was quickly rising. “I had a feeling you would say that,” Audrey
sighed. “So I think you should read the article.” She handed her
daughter the magazine. “No, Mom,” Janet said pushing it away. Janet
knew she had the final say in this situation. After all, she worked
for her mother’s insurance agency and had pulled some strings to
get her mother covered. She felt strongly that she had a say in
what treatment her mother had. Audrey had reluctantly accepted the
insurance, knowing that Janet would have some control over her
life. She solved the problem simply. She avoided going to doctors.
“Mom, I really think you should go to a doctor about your
arthritis. If you don’t, it will just get worse. This could become
serious. I’m sure there are tons of different medicines you could
choose from to help the pain,” Janet preached. It was a speech she
had given many times before, yet as before it got nowhere with her
mother. “Janet—don’t start that again. You know that I’m not
putting any drugs into my body, especially when there’s no good
reason.” “No good reason? Mom you’re in pain,” Janet responded with
a touch of sympathy entering her voice. Audrey sighed. She looked
down and realized she had been massaging her wrist the whole time.
She knew she was being difficult. Her daughter was right, at least
about the pain. “Ok—what if we compromise,” Audrey began. “What if
we talk to a doctor about acupuncture? Will you be convinced to let
me try the treatment if you hear from a doctor that it is
beneficial?” “Fine,” Janet replied. She knew no sensible doctor
would agree to stick needles into her mother to get rid of her
pain. The whole thing was ludicrous. It was two weeks later and
Janet and her mother were on their way to see a doctor. Audrey had
already jumped out of the car and had headed into the doctor’s
office. Janet dragged herself out and followed. They sat in the
waiting room for what seemed like hours. Janet, in her business
suit, was hiding behind the New York Times, trying not to imagine
what people were thinking of her mother. At least her mother had
taken off her apron, but she was still in gardening clothes, straw
hat resting in her lap. The nurse had seemed amused when she
collected the initial data. She now reappeared. “Audrey Baker, you
can come in now.” Janet was glad to escape the eyes of everyone in
the waiting room and followed her mother into the doctor’s office.
Moments later, Dr. Ramirez walked in as they were getting settled.
“Hello, how are you two doing today?” Dr. Ramirez asked. “Great,
thank…” Janet began. “Just wonderful,” Audrey interrupted. “The
reason why we’re here today is that my daughter can’t seem to grasp
the concept of acupuncture. I have some pain in my wrists, and I
understand it can help that. So, I was wondering if you could just
take a couple minutes to explain it to her.” Janet scowled, but
before she could say anything, the doctor answered. “What kind of
pain do you have?” “Oh, nothing serious,” Audrey said. “I’m just
getting old and my bones aren’t what they used to be. When I’m
pulling weeds they tend to get a little sore.” “Oh, you’re a
gardener,” Dr. Ramirez said, pleased. “You know, I have a garden of
my own.” “Really!” said Audrey. “Flowers or vegetables?” “Both,
actually.” “OK,” Janet interrupted. “I’m sorry to be rude, but I am
on a tight schedule. Can you just tell my mother that acupuncture
will not work on her pain, so that we can set up a suitable
treatment?” “I see,” Dr. Ramirez said. He could see how this was
going. He looked at Audrey’s chart and paused as he thought how to
most effectively approach this case.
1. Offer an opinion on Audrey’s care, and/or her daughter
Janet’s point of view.