About a year ago, Mom went to Ann's Bra Shop to be fitted for bras. After about a month or two, she said they didn't fit right. Then she went back to Ann's with my sister and was fitted again. Months later, same complaint...they don't fit right. So, we decided to go to JC Penney's and try there. She tried on at least 30 bras (I'm NOT exaggerating)! Finally found one that fit and seemed happy with it. You guessed it, not long after, she told me that it didn't fit right. So, off to Kohl's we went. She tried on 32 bras (count em...32!). She finally found one that she liked...whew! Here we go again....the bra is irritating her skin. I can't find anything besides fabric in the spot that she's pointing to. I'm not seeing an irritation, what I am seeing is marks from her scratching, which magically seem to disappear after a little while. No seams on her bra in the spot she's pointing to...nothing that feels like it might be poking her. HELP! I just don't know what to do to make her happy and find a bra that she's happy with. Maybe she just needs something to gripe about and wants the attention. ANY suggestions that you can give me to make her happy are greatly appreciated. I'm at a loss of where to go and how to deal with this.
Sometimes when my mom would say how much she liked an item of clothing she was wearing, just to make conversation, "I bought that for you". You would have thought I had just given her a birthday present! Her face would light up, and she would say, "Really?! That is so nice of you! How sweet! Thank you!". It turned into an easy way to cheer her up or even get her out of a "You're not the boss of me! You're ruining my life!" kind of mood.
All that to say, maybe your mom's bras can be seen as brand new again. You could put them away for a while (how long depends on how bad her memory is). Then, reintroduce the one she rejected the longest ago, saying something like, "I just saw this in the store and I thought you might like it". If this works, she could wear it for a while until it is no longer perfect, and then you could put it away and reintroduce one of the other ones. They could be recycled this way indefinitely and each time you could get a break from the itchiness thing. And she would get to enjoy them as a nice new item of clothing and as a nice thing you did for her.
Good luck and keep us posted!
But lo and behold I found SAS shoes (look them up on Google).... I call the shoes with laces my "nun shoes" but they are so darn comfortable to wear.... and for summer the open toe shoes. They aren't cheap, well made last for years, they come in all sizes from slim to wide.
I have to wear the same shoes everytime I visit because she goes rabid if she thinks I have new shoes.
Last time I visited, she had giant blisters on a bunion from insisting on wearing some old, run down, too narrow shoes she won't let anybody take away. I suggested she stick to slippers until that all heals up, but I'm an idiot who knows nothing about the world.
I refuse to waste my limited free time going from shop to shop having her try on pair after pair after pair for no reason. Mom had about 250 pairs of shoes in her house, as part of her OCD hoarding. She is limited to about 3 in the semi-private room now, and it's really bothering her not to have shoes covering the whole floor. (And she wondered why she fell so much at home.)
This isn't about shoes in reality. But...
I am looking online at different velcro slipper shoe choices, that might pass as more shoe than slipper, fit around her instep, bunion, and let that be the end of it. Going to stores is not an option. I can leave these and remove the old bad shoes "to have them fixed". Wink wink.
@Kedwards - I feel your pain! I agree, the "perfect" bra just isn't out there. Or I should say, it's out there for a week or a month, then it's just a horrible bra!
Instead of bra or camisole try a stretchy yoga tank or exercise bra, which support but don't bind.
Realize that she's obsessing about this- fixated on it. If there's no problem you can find she may have skin sensitivity from irritated nerve endings. Perhaps medicine from Dr can quiet those nerves.
You've done all you can, so it may not be best to reinforce the fixation by another try on session. How about changing the activity completely. Try to divert her attention, not that it will be easy, but getting her to focus on something outside of herself may help. Good luck!
go on lline " google jc penniek hane, pennies, fuite of lume. jpw tp ,,measure check and bust sizek pants shoes, and hat. Tak her ta 2nd hand stoe store. OR Hire some one e;se to help her. These specialty bra stroes shouel hav dome one out to hlep you.
Skethcer and Acorn shoes. fuzzy slippers wit non grip bottoms. Who cares aht shw werars at theim time/ Sory ambian bpard/ gpt tpgp tp sp[[;e mpw/// oops.
She's become somewhat obsessive. First it was her nails...she filed them constantly. Then she obsessed over her hair loss. Next, she was on to she needed new rubber gloves for the kitchen. The bras came next, now it's new shoes.
I have to keep reminding myself to be patient. :)
Try Big 5 or a sporting goods store, golf shop, tennis shop...yoga shop, then take to yogurt treat. Or try an ace bandage around her girls, or a tube top.
There are undies that we both like and it was a couple years ago that we actually found them at a store. Recently I found the identical product on a website.... YES, everything is right with the world.... at this moment :)
My own mom has stated she likes something and then will turn around and kvetch about it.
Some of the problems are things we have no control. Underwear is made by different companies each time I buy them so there is quite a variety. However mom had the notion that it should be exactly the same each time she buys a pair. Ain't gonna happen. So I refused to get into the rut of rummaging through countless underwear and the endless cycle of buy/return buy/return.
two cents ¢¢
two cents ¢¢
@ freqflyer - no zippers on her shirts or tags that are in the area she's complaining about. We've been applying hydrocortisone to the area as well. I've "inspected" the area, and there is no redness, dryness, or rash. The mystery of the phantom itch continues!