Praying for a Refuah Shelayma
Question
How sick does a person need to be to have his name mentioned in Refaenu?I ask this because I vaguely recall hearing that one shouldn't pray for a sick person right away so as to not "establish" that person's status as being truly and seriously sick. Rather, one should wait a few days before praying for this person. Would you please tell me what's the halacha?I've also heard of sick people and/or their relatives who won't publicize their name for prayers, unless they are "close to death bed", because publicizing their sickness will make them "choleh" with Heavenly consequences, minimizing their chance of healing. (They say it has nothing to do with being embarrassed about people knowing that they're sick.) Is this true or superstition? Thank you.