[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference quark::human_relations

Title:What's all this fuss about "sax and violins"?
Notice:Please read all replies to note 1
Moderator:QUARK::LIONEL
Created:Thu Jan 21 1993
Last Modified:Thu May 08 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:133
Total number of notes:1901

114.0. "Help! Will my Relationship survive?" by ELESYS::JASNIEWSKI (Your mind is in here and mine is also) Thu Mar 14 1996 14:19

    
	The following entry is being posted anonymously. You may contact the
author by mail, by sending your communication to me and I'll be glad to forward 
it on. Your message will be forwarded with your name attached, unless you 
request otherwise.

	Joe
				*	*	*


I was wondering what experiences other people have had with this
type of situation and how they handled it. 

My SO is divorced w/ kids and got totally nailed in the divorce
We were 'living in sin' in an apartment where he paid half of the
rent most times and really did what he could to help with the
finances.  His issues with me back then were other-men/trust
related (if he called and I was away from my office it meant that
I was out in the parking lot with some guy - if I looked at a guy
because he had a booger hanging out of his nose it meant I wanted
him - if I wore a skirt above my knees or black underwear it
meant I was out hitting the parking lot again).   We had some
rough going for a while but things seemed to mellow out and, not
exactly being the brightest person in the world, I buy us all 
this stupid house that I really can't afford. 

The house needs a lot of work and we (his family, too) thought
that would be just what he needed to feel like he was making a
real contribution to the relationship and we'd live happily ever
after, etc.  IT COMPLETELY BACKFIRED.  It's like living with
Hitler.  Now all his old issues with me have resurfaced, he is
always on my case about not doing my part, says *incredibly*
hurtful things about what a horrible person I am, every thing he
does is completely over exagerated and he is not helping me out
with the bills at all (he pays for living expenses). He goes out
of his way to make me do things that I don't want to do (like
having his kids every weekend).  Now he is telling me that he
isn't going to help with the bills or the mortgage at all unless
I give him half the house (he said he would take me to court for
"his share" if we broke up and presented me with a breakdown of
what he thought his labor was worth around the house and my car.
He insists that his paying our living expenses enabled me to put
the down payment on the house even though he *knows* that I
borrowed it). My lawyer had wanted us to sign a rental agreement
between us so that it is clear that I am the actual owner of the
house should his ex come after it (a likely possibility), we
haven't and I am afraid to bring it up again. 

The whole thing with him seems to come down to POWER which I
don't get.  Why can't it be okay for us both to bring what
we can to the relationship?  He really seems to have a problem with 
the fact that I have choices in life, too.  I can't believe that this is 
what our relationship has come down to?  I know that he has had a tough 
time of things, and I know that I am not the easiest person in the world 
to live with but I am just not strong enough to deal with this all anymore. 
I've had so much change/stress in my life over the past six
months it makes my head spin (My doctor was even impressed).  I
am literally at my wits end and the worst part of it all is that
I miss my best friend.  We used to have a blast together (what
really attracted me to him in the first place was his great sense
of humor) and now it seems to me that everything we had together
is gone and I'm in this constant struggle for no apparent reason.
I used to try and be positive and give him warm fuzzies but now I
just don't have the energy and have pretty much turned into a
clam, which I am sure isn't exactly pleasant to be around.  I am much 
better at not letting him push my buttons but I have a really hard 
time understanding how this guy can say he loves me one minute and 
that I'm the anti-Christ the next.  I don't see how anyone can
say they love someone that they think these horrific things
about?

He is starting a new job and will be making more money and I am
hoping that will make him feel better about himself.  But then I
have hoped things will get better before and they only get worse
and it is different now because I'm afraid. 

Has anyone had a relationship that survived something like this? 

thanks....


T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
114.1Anon replies...ELESYS::JASNIEWSKIYour mind is in here and mine is alsoThu Mar 14 1996 14:2036
    
	The following reply is being posted anonymously. You may contact the
    author by mail, by sending your communication to me and I'll be glad to
    forward it on. Your message will be forwarded with your name attached, 
    unless you request otherwise.
    
    	Joe

    
I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote the basenote and
I especially don't know why I was so surprised or allowed myself 
to get so upset by this behavior.

He is perfectly fine now and back to his usual self.  I don't
know how long it will last though.  If I had taken back and
really thought about it before, this is his usual pattern.
He flipped out like this last Spring and his Dr put him on
Zoloft.  It was like a miracle until, after 41 days of
being on it, he flipped like he never flipped before (I don't know 
how to describe exactly what I mean by 'flip' - he acts out of control; 
like he is the Supreme All-Powerful Being, increased amount of physical 
activity, everyone is out to get him, not living in the real world. etc.) 
He stopped taking the Zoloft cold turkey and hasn't seen his psychologist 
or his p-shrink since.  Things were, for the most part, fine with us - 
to the point where I had almost forgotten last year completely - until the 
past month or so when he started ramping up again. 

I don't know what to do about this; I love the guy but this roller 
coaster ride is really something I don't need.  I will not 
put myself through another one of these 'episodes'.  
Hopefully, in a few days I'll be able to talk to him and he'll 
get himself back into counselling. 

The thing that really scares me here is that his 9 year old son has
been under evaluation for the same symptoms his Dad exhibits. 

114.2bi-polar?EVMS::MARIONSo many fish ...Thu Mar 14 1996 14:469
    Is it possible this guy has bi-polar syndrome (otherwise known as 
    manic depression)?  A friend's spouse was like this when on his 
    "high" phases.
    
    If you haven't already, please check with a doctor, and try to get
    him to take his meds.  
    
    Good luck,
    Karen.
114.3ELESYS::JASNIEWSKIYour mind is in here and mine is alsoThu Mar 14 1996 14:5777
    
    Hi Anon,
    
    	It sounds like he has control issues. Someone who feels
    fundamentally that things are out of control will *over* control to try
    to compensate for the feeling.
    
    	Unfortunately, the circumstances which lead this person to feeling
    out of control often have more to do with their past history, than they
    do with the actual reality of the moment.
    
    	- His suspecting you of having affairs or cheating, if you look
    the wrong way or wear attractive clothing.
    
    	- His inappropriate and degrading comments directed toward you.
    
    	- His threatening you and issuing ultimatums to you.
    
    	- His untruthful claims against you.
    
    	- His struggle for "POWER", his trying to be the "all powerful
    being".
    
    	- His problem with the fact that you do have choices in your life.
    
    	- His creation of a constant struggle for you in your life
    together.
    	
    	- His inconsistency in how he views you and holds the idea of you
    in his mind.
    
    	- His pattern of holding it in - and then flipping out.
    
    	- His paranoia and being "out of it" with regard to reality.
    
    	Are all manefestations of someone who feels out of control, for
    reasons - I'd guess - of undifferentiated childhood issues. An example
    of a 'childhood issue' which could render someone this way, might be
    that Dad was a drunk and would come home all hours and turn the house
    upside down. So you never knew what was going to happen to you or your
    reality, all the time you were growing up. That would have an impact
    which could possibly form the same patterns this fella is exhibiting in
    adulthood.
    
>He stopped taking the Zoloft cold turkey and hasn't seen his psychologist 
>or his p-shrink since.  Things were, for the most part, fine with us - 
>to the point where I had almost forgotten last year completely - until the 
>past month or so when he started ramping up again. 
    
    	Well, anyone stopping their medication and their therapy on their
    own is bound to eventually go back to their old mechanisms of coping.

>I don't know what to do about this; I love the guy but this roller 
>coaster ride is really something I don't need.  I will not 
>put myself through another one of these 'episodes'.  
>Hopefully, in a few days I'll be able to talk to him and he'll 
>get himself back into counselling. 
    
    	Even if he does get back into counseling, that doesnt guarantee
    that you wont be going though another of his episodes if you stay with
    him. "I will not put myself through it" sounds like you're taking a
    stand for yourself. Sometimes love means letting go, allowing someone
    to go on to whatever it is they're here to experience, while you do
    the same. Sometimes love means realizing "I was not born to experience
    this", as in having to *necessarily* co-endure someone else's difficulty.
    As in taking a beating from someone. As in allowing your life to wither
    away, while you wait for someone else to get around to "straightening 
    themselves up".

>The thing that really scares me here is that his 9 year old son has
>been under evaluation for the same symptoms his Dad exhibits. 
    
    	They say it can be "generational". In that the dysfunction, the
    disease gets passed on from generation to generation. Part of me wants
    to say "of course".

    	Joe
114.4CHEFS::HOPE_TWed May 22 1996 11:4340
    I  am sorry to hear that you are going through this.
    
    I myself recognise exactly what you are going through.
    My ex-husband was diagnosed a manic depressive, We were together for
    8 years in total. I put up with being accusted of having affairs with
    everyone for my work mates to my neibours.
    
    He seemed Ok most of the time and the crashed about one a year when we
    all went though hell. I thought it was a problem with insecurity so we
    got married (it did not help) 
    
    I made excuses to everyone for his behaviour lost most of my friends
    and nearly lost my family. I lost my self respect.
    
    We started a family (adds security) bad move thing went from bad to
    worse to the point of violence, When things desolved to the point of
    him nearly choking me and me blacking his eye in front of our daughter
    I had had enough, we split.
    
    It was the best move of my life I now realise what I thought were the
    good time were infact times of walking on egg shells tip-toeing about
    waiting for the next explosion. They were not good times they were
    waiting times.
    
    I was alone for 2 years after him in that time I discovered or
    rediscoverd myself, my pride and my self respect. which is odd because
    I had not noticed that it had been eroded !!!.
    
    I now get on very well with my ex, he is married again and I suspect
    that he puts his new wife though the same thing.
    
    I dont know it any of this will help, but you are not alone.
    
    If there is one thing that I learnt it was that I count. I deserved to
    be treated better than I was and if nobody else will give me that
    treatment I'll give it to myself ....because i do deserve it!.
    
    Mail me off line if want.    
    
    Tracey