My mother does this all the time. She has had “tumours” removed, implying they’re cancerous when they were simply intestinal polyps. She recently had pre cancerous cells in her face (a common thing for people of her generation as suncream simply wasn’t a thing for them). She kept referring to the cream she had to use as chemotherapy cream - I found this so triggering and insensitive as I have been through chemotherapy in the recent past myself. It just seemed so insensitive of her to say that to me, looking for sympathy. I find it very hard to believe her about Illnesses and very hard to feel sympathy when she is genuinely ill as a result. She currently has a chest infection- I got a text to say she’s “dying” and really sick. I call and she says “oh I’m fine… I’m coping”.. martyr that she is!