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Grief & loss - may be triggering

Grief & loss - may be triggering

@ lapses
Early last year 2016 my Dad died after a long painful illness (cancer), which he had been fighting for 6 years.

He survived that long only because of continuous treatments, otherwise he would have been gone in 6 months (they said).

My relationship with him had been somewhat distant at times - due my living in a different state from my entire family for the past 22 years.

Also due to my tumultuous upbringing & family background - which is why I could not stay in the city where I grew up, & chose to live here (3000 kilometres away) instead.

Also wanting to start anew 22 years ago, with needs for greater independence.

Yet those hopes to start a family of my own have never been realized. My marriage ended abruptly, & took my cherished plans & hopes for the future with it.

Then I was confronted with the memories of my SA only 3 months after the end of my marriage - which again turned my life upside-down. My gender identity was shaken, & I no longer felt secure with the sense of identity that I once had.

Followed by a severe health emergency - with 2 emergency bowel surgeries, a stoma & bag for 6 months.

Then a 3rd major bowel surgery to try to put things back together. I almost died twice in hospital they told me.

My siblings & I had found Dad to be emotionally distant & scary right into our adult lives - yet in the last few years we found him to be a kind, intelligent & very caring man. So it was so much harder to lose him.

Due to the stress of having to find a new job, having complex PTSD, & not coping well with the conditions of this occupation (carer) - I've been unable to effectively come to terms with my grief & loss.

It seems that my grief has been largely on hold for the past 14 months since Dad died. I don't feel in touch with it, despite my best efforts to.

I see a psychologist, yet we've been unable to do grief work, or help me to come to terms with the loss of my Dad.

I've remembered very little about him in the past year, which makes it harder - as I have so few memories to draw upon.

Adge

596 replies

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In response to: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

In response to: Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Hi @Former-Member

How I wish I knew the right words for the grieving person - after all these years I have yet to work that out

"I am sorry for your loss" sounds so trite - possibly that's stanard and useful but it has become worn-out to me already

I had to write a letter to my relatives when their son died and I chose to write this

"There are no right words and nothing I can say to console you except that I know what it is like to lose my own son to such devastating circumstances"

Maybe something similar can let the grieving person know how we care and how helpless we are in the face of such grief - I don't know

But we are helpless - in the long run we might know something of their circumstances - we can say that and how sorry we are to know what they have endured and continue to endure

As I understand something of your loss and you understand mine -

Actually a deeper understanding develops over time and I am glad you and I have had the chance to share so much

Dec

btw - Decadian5 is me - on my mobile phone - I forget how I actually got that to happen and I don't know how long it will last and sheesh - it takes me ages to send such a message but let's use it while it lasts

In response to: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Thanks for thinking of me @Former-Member No not better yet, but getting there.

I can relate to what you said about experiencing nasty comments, & feeling silenced (not able to write or say anything).

I have had that happen to me 3 or 4 times at least.

I don't feel as comfortable writing or expressing myself recently.

I feel like walking on eggshells, in some forum threads.

Adge

In response to: Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Hi @Owlunar,

Umm, yes I see that you have just mentioned having two accounts. You can post from multiple devices using a single account so I'll send you an email about it. P.S. I am slow when posting from a mobile too!

In response to: Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Hi @Adge,
I am sorry to hear that you've not felt comfortable recently on some of the threads. No one wants to be treading on eggshells when logging on to the forums. It is really important to us that members do feel this is a safe space for sharing. If you or any other member feels that there some troubling interactions going on then I would encourage you to be in touch with us on the forum email team@saneforums.org

In response to: Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Thanks @Former-Member

Adge

In response to: Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Ooo Ooo @Adge, looks like we found some eggshells again. I have a post taken down (for appearing to target someone in a picture which certainly would not be my intension - wish i could remember ehat it was and hope i didnt offend YOU). And you have a really nice caring response from bigwig.

THIS WAS MY POST

LOL Sorry you've felt that way too @Adge, I thought u were doing really well, my 'bpd blackdog' parts were even feeling a bit left out lol, not really. I've learned to not care what happens here, just focus on & care for individual people, in the moment, and not giving too much of myself. If that makes any sense. When I first came I gavegavegave. But they nocked me into shape in knowing I had little to offer really.

Just only in the moment as best I cancan now, that's all I can give. Some are really good at it - I'm not. A lot of people are hurting here - bruised and sensitive, and some angry and some so empty needy its draining, so we just plod along as best we can and hope not to hurt anyone as we fumble through our own pain. I'd miss you if you weren't here. Wish you were here in real life sometimes when I see a bird I want to turn to you and saw "look at that! Wow! Actually, today I saw an eagle and a flock of corella squarking like cockatoos. Yep, thought of you xox

@Dec I don't understand what about the two accounts business. Thought you had them merged. I remember when you were Decadian.

Thanks for your grief empathy. You are so articulate with heart issues.

I'm slowslow here using mobilemobile too (its all i got atm), lose a lot of good posts hitting wrong buttons...

Takes longer.

gotta go help dad to bed. Don't get to sit long.

In response to: Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Loss of health is a cause for Grief (something to grieve).

Loss of childhood innocence (being abused or neglected) is grief also.

Trying to come to terms with having had a childhood of severe neglect, emotional & physical abuse - as well as SA.

All are causes of CPTSD, even without any SA.

As my psychologist reminded me (several times), severe long-term childhood neglect has long-term consequences. Perhaps worse than my SA (she thinks).

Because the neglect & emotional A went on for over 20 years.

Someone on another thread has just reminded me (by their story) that I sustained a serious head injury at primary school (about age 10).

I was knocked unconscious by a another student for several hours - yet no Dr was ever called (to the school). No tests for concussion were ever done.

Adge

In response to: Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

You OK tonight @Adge, where did that post come from? You are really working through your grief. You probably had concussion after being an unconscious 10yo, wonder if anyone noticed 😞 I'm Dorty you had these neglect & abandonment wounds to your fragile self bavl then. How lonely you must have felt. How strong you must he to press on thus far, in spite of it.
You OK?

In response to: Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

Re: Grief & loss - may be triggering

I'm okay thanks so much for asking @Former-Member

When someone else writes about a similar experience (eg head injury) it reminds me of my experiences.

Then I feel a need to write or talk about it.

Yes I was head injured, knocked unconscious for several hours. I was definitely concussed, vomited everwhere when I finally woke up.

They did know & see it - because they put me in the staff whilst unconscious.

They never called an ambulance & never took me to see any Dr.

Adge

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