When nobody takes your birthday/swollen feet seriously

How to shut up a birthday girl/hypochondriac

Dear Emily,

I have a dear friend who repeats herself. Often it’s the same story I’ve already heard or it’s a chronic complaint EVERYONE is aware of and even when I try to cut her off, she railroads through to completion anyway.  It doesn’t matter to her if she’s told, “We’ve heard that before” or “Right, you said that the other day...” She trudges right …