He swears he loves me. He swears he was stupid and lost. I. Don't. Care. We'd been together for 20 years, married for 13, have 6 year old twins.
I am getting angrier by the day. I have lost 50 pounds, can't sleep, and have severe shoulder pain because of the stress. I want to have an affair just to escape the pain, even though that isn't like me. If someone had told me 10 months ago, I would even be considering this, I would have scoffed.
I am a wreckage of my former self. I no longer wear my wedding rings because they are a symbol of a broken promise. I am now a cynic, where I used to be a romantic. I no longer believe in marriage, where I used to consider becoming a wedding planner. I no longer believe in soul mates.
Marriage counseling didn't work. She couldn't give me the tools to get past this. I don't want to hurt my children, but I am no longer the person I was. I don't want him to touch me. I don't want to talk. I want him to go away and let me curl up into a ball. BUT IT HAS BEEN 10 MONTHS! I am also drinking too much. I can't do that with my children. They are my life. I will do almost anything for them, but I can't get over how much this hurts.
I will 'suck it up and deal' for them, and only them. But when will this hurt go away?
I understand.
It's a lot like dealing with the grief over losing a close family member. The pain intense, in the beginning, but lessens with time. The average time frame for healing is 2-5 years.
You need to see a Dr. and get your blood pressure checked especially with the shoulder pain! They may also be able to help you with the anxiety.
I went anorexic and the Dr. put me on Paxil, so I'd be able to eat. Not being able to eat was making me very sick. My blood pressure was through the roof, too, so I went on meds for that.
I took off my rings seven years ago and they have stayed off. We ended up selling them because the sight of them enraged me.
I'm sorry you have to be here, but I'm glad you found us. This is the best place you never wanted to be. Lots of compassionate, understanding people here.
Please see your medical doctor and also find a good individual counselor to work with, and at some point a different marriage counselor.
Your children need you. Please take care of yourself.
She couldn't give me the tools to get past this.
It's ok (((hecheatedonme))) - you are going to get through this. Re-framing it that way my help your heart. Anger is one of the phases of healing that you go through too, what you're feeling is normal, especially 'round these parts yes, get to a Dr. for some help and don't be ashamed. Lay it all out. They've heard it all and will help.
(((((((Hugs)))))))
Get yourself into IC and if that one can't help you, you see another one, and another one, and so on until you are able to think clearly and make choices that will not haunt you for the rest of your life.
There is no way YOU having an affair NOW makes the situation any better, RAs only makes it worse. Sucking it up and dealing is what is keeping you in a bad place. That's not how you handle this or any other major trauma in life.
These kids need a mom. They are not old enough to fend for themselves. You can't be an emotional guide for them if you are quitting therapy, drinking, and planning to throw another bomb into the mix via an RA.
You need to get some help. The kids need you to get some help. We all understand the pain you are in. You've got to fight to get in a better place mentally for these kids. I'm very concerned about you.
If your child was sick and the first doctor couldn't help you, you'd see another and so on until you found an answer. Your children are sick right now. They have a mother who has gone through a very traumatic thing and she's having a hard time making good choices for herself and her kids. You are no good to them if you are making things worse because of your pain. If you can't fight for yourself, fight for them. They need a healthy mom, they need you.
[This message edited by BtraydWife at 7:10 PM, March 8th (Saturday)]
Do you have a support system? My brother and father and a few very close friends were mine. I could not have made it through without them. It's my hope that you have a selective group of friends and family members that you will allow to help you.
Yoga helped me SO MUCH with anxiety. I can't emphasize this enough. 2-3x/week. You will probably feel a real sense of inner peace after about a month.
Also learning and practicing the deep breathing techniques to get you through times when you feel the anxiety.
Stop drinking.Now. It doesn't help. It just makes things worse. Have you been to individual counseling? Is your WH in individual counseling.
Have you considered antidepressants? You might want to talk with your GP or Internist about a small dose to start out with. It really sounds like you are depressed (with good reason). It's worth a try to see if living better through chemicals will help. I was very resistant to it but I am so glad I did go on them after a good friend of mine who suffers from chronic depression urged me to try something.
Reading helped me too. The books I found most helpful were:
NOT "Just Friends" After the Affair How to Help Your Spouse Heal from Your Affair No one is perfect. I have come to realize that even though I did not have an affair and am not responsible for the affair, there are things in my relationship that I am responsible for that lead to the affair taking place. This doesn't excuse my husband. Rather it helps me understand myself better and lets me understand what happened. None of us can accept something unless we understand it.
Good luck…keep coming back and reading and letting us know how you are doing. You will find a lot of wise souls here.
