Since I can remember, my mother has been sick. When I was younger she would pull me aside, say shes dying and having a heart attack. This occurred all the time. She was always fine.
As an adult I have lost patience and sympathy for her. She could get a paper cut and say she was stabbed. Or she says she has a stroke and is talking and communicating perfectly.
She is always in the ER, constantly dying, and every organ in her body has apparently shut down.
I have always thought this might be something psychological.
So maybe your Mom has anxiety, try and think of what is gooing on in her life that may be triggering her health episodes.
I know exactly what you go through & are dealing with my mother was in hospital for 18 days in Feb. she was always calling me to come up & visit. But since then she was going to Emerg. Every Sunday for 9 weeks & last time she was in & out of hospital & on a Sunday, Monday & Tues early April after seeing the same Emerg doctor each time he finally admitted my mom to the hospital for a 4 day stay this time & they flushed out her bladder & they called in a specialist to see why her catheter was not working. So it has been 3 weeks without going to hospital on a Sunday, but today is not over but have fingers & toes crossed that there will be NO hospital visit today. I wish you luck .. I do have to agree sometimes I have back & watched my mom & she seems more active at hospital then at home... So that is where I think it has something to due with wanting More attention even if she doesn't realize it.
I feel your pain. I've dealt with this kind of thing for many years. It's very difficult to get help for those person, because, you really need everyone in the family to be on the same page AND be in unison with the doctor. Even with that, it can be very challenging.
If your mom has a good Primary, I'd write down your observations and provide it her Primary, so he can properly evaluate her and rule out any actual ailments. It's highly likely that he already knows what the situation is. Some people call it "thick file syndrome." I'd be very sensitive about what you say to your mom, because, you aren't likely to convince her that she is not having these medical trauma's that she is reporting.
My LO's Primary, after running all kinds of tests, ruling out actual conditions, explained to my LO that her anxiety was causing her symptoms. He also prescribed medication to treat it AND referred her to a psychiatrist, who was very sensitive to the situation. With seniors, I think they take a very light approach, of encouraging medication and supporting the patient through their difficulties.
I'd keep in mind that even though they may have psychologically induced ailments, to THEM, it's quite real. Trying to convince them that it's not real, is pretty useless.
I would research Somatic Disorder and Conversion Disorder and ask your mom's doctor or psychiatrist about these types of disorders. It's very hard on the family, when someone has that kind of thing. It also tends to run in families.
I hope that you can find some answers.
She got an ok from hospice to go to the dentist on her own dime so of course she had all her fillings replaced. You would be surprised how junkylike your parent might behave if they are addicted to a social life based on their doctors visits.
Breathing techniques for her panic attacks.
I'm sure you're right, that there is an underlying psychological condition behind your mother's behaviour. But if she's been doing this for as long as you can remember, it might have gone a bit too deep by now to be easily unearthed. Still! - Never say never. If you can find a likely-sounding psychologist or therapist near her, you could do worse than introduce them to one another and hope that it's a start. The worst that can happen is your mother says no and you're no further forward.
With the medications, by the way, my extremely resistant mother agreed to an SSRI to "regulate her brain chemistry" which even she recognised had got seriously out of hand. Talking in terms of brain health, organic disease, chemical regulation and so on reflects the physiological roots of every condition, and can help to avoid the stigma many people still associate with mental ill health.
Best of luck with this. You may also find it helpful to research techniques for not letting her stress you out, while you're at it! :)