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Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Hi Just joined this forum yesterday been a bit hestitant to post 😞 ..... I would like to say before I post that I totally understand that there are many people going through what iam at the moment with their friend or wifes and partners , i dont think for one moment its just me ......

My wife and I found each other about 4 and a half year ago and fell in love and got marriaged to years ago this month so known eachother 5 years this November 2020 .

My wife turned 60 years of age last Dec 2019 and ive just turned 65 years of age this Jan 2020 ...... when I met my wife i didnt know at the time she was suffering any symptoms that anyone else would go through after coming out of a previous marriage two years before me .

I realized that she was quite spoken and very well mananned and beautiful .... but after knowing her for six months or so i started to realize there was more to her life and past issues that were effecting her quality of life .... I wante dto know more from her but soon found out she was not able to give me answers or communicate about her past at all without breaking down and crying ... she woul djust say I cant talk about it ... and that she was ok it was just her.

I knew it was more than that i sugested that she go with me to see her local GP to talk about the way she feels ... she said to me straight out I wouldnt get in to get an appoitment ..... I said just wait I will ring now and of course I was able to get in within two hours time.

The negativity that has been enforced or that my wife had grown up with was intense and she would not want to do anything about anything she was faced with going through her life ......once we got to her doctor he said how are you and my wife just broke down crying saying shes not coping very well ........so then her asked me what i was concerned about and I told him what I thought without knowing to much detail ...... she did tell me eventually prior to doctors .... that she was dumped by her parents at age 5 at childrens refuge alomg with her siblings 3 others .

The doctor knew this as well cause she had mentioned to him a long time ago .... he advised her to seek a proffesional to discuss all of her past .... it was very overwhelming for me to know about her history and Ive been trying to understand while any human would do that to anyone especially a child .

So for me living and dealing with my wifes illness has been very challenging and sad at the same to to see her not get enjoyment out of little things like just waking up in the morning and saying wow ..what a wonderful day outside it is and excited about what we are going to do today..... my wife doesnt feel any emotions joy or happiness from life from those things ...... but she does get enjoyment from her 3 daughters and her grandchildren which i love to see her smile and laughter and also a lady friend she met just before I met my wife 4 years or so ago .

The last 2 years Ive realized through been councelled myself that I cant make my wife happy around me if she doesnt want to be 😞 what hurts me is the fact she can laugh and smile and enjoy conversation with her daughters and her friend but not me !!!!! ........ this is becoming the norm now and i feel on the outer in our marriage and feel nothing Ive done or try to share and encourage her has made any difference to her outlook on life with me .

Iam not a jealous person i love her children and my wife and her friend I just dont get why there's no conversation quality time with me ..... its non existent .... when i try to engage my wife with a conversation .... I get stop nagging me !!!! dont talk to me !!! Iam with you 24 hours a day !!!!! and with a lot of Anger in her voice and have been told to get out of her life if I dont like the way she is !!!!!!! and also she said ive been like this all my life Iam not changing for you or anybody so go !!!!! .

Dispite doctors saying to her they understand what shes been through and that nothing can change that ..... she sits and listens to them and comes away with no intention of doing whatever they may have suggested ......

So I just wanted to share this hoping others might be or are having similar things that they may be going through that could maybe help me see any other avenues I could take to help me through this time iam suffering with Anxiety and high blood pressure and my doctor says I need to look after myself at this time ... but still would like to share my life with my wife if she willing too .

Look forward to recieving any positive advice anyone has regards..... Songs58

34 replies

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In response to: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

@Songs58

There are some resources on helping someone with PTSD such as the link below.

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/helping-someone-with-ptsd.htm

It is so hard to get the balance right. I found doing things Mr Darcy appreciated but not. smothering him was difficult (especially after his attempt). I found myself in a spot where I had lost myself and had given up all my hobbies and it took me quite a while to get back on track.

Your wife quite possibly appreciates the time out when you go fishing or play bowls, particularly if she had been on her own for a while beforehand.

In response to: Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Hi yes its very hard to get the right balance ..... my wife could go out herself to her friends place or one of her two daughters that live nearby but prefers to stay home ......... I know I cant be home with her all the time but ive been out before fishing or gone for a drive .....and when i return its like well itok for you to be out doing what you like i dont go anywhere ? i say ut darling you can go anywhere you would like to go i ask you everyday but you say theres no place you want to go so I cant win if iam at home iam around her to much but if i go away do to things i like i get told what i mentioned before ....... iam out of ideas ......

In response to: Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Hearing you @Songs58

Mr Darcy would say "you go out and have a good time without me"

When you feel you can't win = ☹️☹️☹️

Fortunately things are a bit better and if he says it now I smile and say "I will my darling"

In response to: Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

@Former-Member @Songs58 just catching up on this thread after work to see how Songs is tracking .. I checked out the article links Darcy put in her replies below as MsS struggles with I believe a lot of PTSD - the article was very helpful and had links to other articles below it on PTSD that were more specific to types of trauma - this was very helpful and had great easy to read summaries ... lots of helpful hints practical ideas - I will be revisiting these articles a few times I think .. many thanks Darcy and I hope they r useful for you too Songs

In response to: Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Thanks Sophie i will check them 🙂

In response to: Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

@Songs58 welcome, and you've done the right thing by reaching out for support here, everyone is wonderful. I'm so sorry to hear about what you're going through. As partners we end up feeling so helpless at times and try so hard then get frustrated and upset with ourselves that we can't "fix it". My partner has bipolar and also a big trauma history as well, and the best advice I can give is that whilst it's hard and feels personal, it's often not. For my partner, she feels most vulnerable around me but can put on a front for others so they think everything is fine and I often have to remind myself it's not because she doesn't love me, it's because the trauma has wired her brain to push away those she loves most to try and protect herself from being hurt.

Keep checking in, there's always someone here to listen!

In response to: Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Hi Jay

thanks fo ryour comment everyone dos help me realize that each of us are dealing with different situations at home and I appreciate your commentsa nd everyone that has contributed on here ... thank you.

I feel exactly what you so ia sure its a front too but its frustrating at the same time to know that 5 mins agao shes not talking with me but now talking with her girlfriend or daughter and hasnt given me two words all day.

I learnt not to take it personally but at the same time it does become hard to handle when basically you become a stranger to your wife or isolated in your own home 😞 and another thing too with my wife she seems to turn my comments comments postive ones I use to her all the time ..... but she turns them around and says she i know iam at fault all the time your the good person and its always my fault ???? .. but thats not the case ive supported her metally and emotionaly all th etime we have been together and she seems more anger now because doesnt have interest like i do and its like jealous of what i can do or can do but ive gave a lot of those away to find interest of what she wants to do but she cant com eup with anything ive suggested many things and she says no dont lik ethat or i cant do that ........ its a very difficult situation to be in .......ive aske dto go walking with me with our two little dogs ... once she did has happened again ........... just doesnt want to do anything ........ thanks for listening to all this .

In response to: Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Checking in @Songs58 , how are you going?

In response to: Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

In response to: Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Re: Husband dealing with wife suffering PTSD !!! suggestions on how to cope please !!!!

Hi @Songs58 just checking in and seeing how you are travelling this week - hope your week is ok and that you are being gentle and kind to yourself - sleep well 🌠

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