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- Path: sparky!uunet!newsgate.watson.ibm.com!yktnews!admin!larissa!pooder
- From: pooder@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (Don Fearn)
- Subject: Loss and how to adjust
- Sender: news@rchland.ibm.com
- Message-ID: <1992Jul21.191115.12686@rchland.ibm.com>
- Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 19:11:15 GMT
- Distribution: usa
- Reply-To: Pooder@vnet.ibm.com, but I can't receive e-mail, so forget it.
- Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
- References: <y#=mv6n.noring@netcom.com> <1992Jul20.150434.18199@genie.slhs.udel.edu>
- Nntp-Posting-Host: larissa.rchland.ibm.com
- Organization: IBM Rochester
- Lines: 58
-
- This looks like a good place to find some suggestions of how to get on with
- my life after having an almost unbearable loss. I hope it is.
-
- Just over a year ago my fiancee, Bonnie, her son, and I were returning from my
- high school's 20 year class reunion. I was driving. As we left her folks' place
- I somehow failed to see an approaching train. It hit the car on the passenger
- door at about 40mph. Her son and I were severly injuried. Bonnie was killed.
-
- I have recovered physically and my mental abilities are mostly coming back,
- but despite all I have been trying, I can't seem to get on with recovering
- emotionally. I've been in a grief support group, I've been seeing a
- psychologist (one with whom I had been working before the accident, so I
- know and trust him), I'm in a group for divorced and widowed people, I have
- friends and family, and I talk and talk and talk.
-
- It seems like just when I get to feeling ok, everything comes crashing back
- down and I can't keep on. My job is suffering, my kids don't get the
- attention they need, and most things I used to enjoy have lost their flavor.
- So many things remind me of her and I just fall apart too often. Or I go
- on autopilot and bury all my feelings with a frenzy of activities. Neither
- works well.
-
- I met (well, I knew her before, but just socially) someone new and got into
- a relationship within two months after the accident. Deborah is good for me
- and very supportive, but I'm afraid of hurting the relationship with all I'm
- dealing with. We've talked about just being apart for a while (how long?) to
- give me time to get through this, but that would feel too much like another
- loss and I couldn't handle that now. Besides, I like our being together too
- much. It's getting more and more serious and I like that, but I'm so afraid
- something is going to happen to her, too. We went to Winnipeg and back and
- had a wonderful time, too, but I still worry.
-
- I'm living with so much guilt. I caused the accident that killed Bonnie. I
- should have seen the train and stopped. I got involved with Deborah right
- away; it know must look like I didn't even care about Bonnie that much. I'm
- not keeping up with my job like I should, because I can't handle the logic
- due to brain injuries. My new job should begin next week, but I don't know
- if I'll handle that, either.
-
- I'm reminded of what happened so often. I drive past the house we were
- going to buy on my way to work. Every time someone does something dumb
- on the road and I mutter "stupid ^%$*" I'm brought up short with the
- thought, "But they didn't kill anybody on the highway; I did." I even fell
- to pieces when I found a broom that was Bonnie's in the laundry room.
-
- I spent most of this morning in the men's room crying because of a letter I
- saw posted on the misc.kids newsgroup. Any ideas on how to go on? It won't
- stay this hard, will it? I can't keep on much longer if it does.
-
- Please suggest anything that may help. Thanks,
-
-
- Pooder - Don Fearn - Rochester, MN
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- Quid tibi (est) opiniones aliorum: What do you care what other people think?
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