Trying to focus on work - but my mother *thinks* she has a SuperBug.

So here I am trying to focus on learning objectives for an imminent field course (yeah there is a reason I follow the LiveVenice blog - commence hating me), but I'm distracted. Distracted by worry mixed with a soucon of 'WHAAAAT!!'. Seems my mother (who has legitimately been ill) is now convinced she has 'fungal pneumonia' and not the usual viral sort. Except she lives in Ontario, spends way too much time alone / watching TV since losing her job last summer (this may be an important explanatory variable)- and all the cases of the so-called 'killer fungus' pneumonia being sensationalized in the media are in BC and a few in the Pacific NW states. My mother hasn't been west of Winnipeg in over 10 years. She and a friend have cooked up the notion that the fungus travelled in the boxes that move through the port of Vancouver from China to the store where said friend works (who was also ill). Except the fungus is likely from Australia and/or natural to Vancouver Island according to reputable online news sources. Neither of them have been hospitalized no matter how often they see a doctor, btw. Hmmm.

So - should I be worried a) that this is true, but somehow mishandled, b) that my mother is delusional and a now a hypochondriac, c) that she is so alone and depressed, now that she can't work and is turning 65 that she makes stuff up to make her life more interesting, or d) that this is taking up too much of my own energy as I'm just a bit pissed off at her for being like this. - i.e., crazy. There may be other possible scenarios here but so far that is all I have.

This is really throwing off my elusive 'work-family balance'. It can't be the fungal illnesses in BC or she'd be hospitalized as it would mean the spread had 'leapfrogged'. That really freaks out public health types so there is no way this can be. So she's spinning this to explain her apparent lack of an immune system or something. She does this 'create her own reality' in odd and freaky ways A LOT. Which makes me think - is her mental health really this fragile? aaahhh there goes my hopes for much concentration again...

Time to get outta here and head to campus. Perhaps I can find some focus in my office there. 'Cause I'm not sure I can do anything for Fungus Woman at this point. Which really I think is what eats me up. I'm a 'do-er' and want to help her feel better about herself and not be so gosh-durn crazy and depressed.

If I can trust my 18-year old son to live his own life and make his own choices, why is it so hard to do the same for my almost 65-year old mother?