I am new here and have read a lot on the forums. I think you are all wonderful people and just reading your stories makes me feel selfish for even asking the questions I am about to ask - we need more people in the world like you.
Basically I met my boyfriend about 2 years ago. He lives about 2 hours from me which is not a huge distance but makes seeing each other a struggle sometimes due to our work schedules. We got engaged about a year ago. When I met him he told me how he cared for his sick father (father had cancer 3 times and the situation was awful). My fiance cared for his father until his death, while at the same time caring for his mother who has congestive heart failure and scarring of the lungs. His father died just before I met my boyfriend.
My boyfriend is the type that doesn't express how he is feeling. He just keeps going - he says he's too crazy busy to be depressed. He gets up, cares for his mom, sees his kids (from another marriage) and maintains difficult work hours. Then he drives to see me a lot too which is 4 hours in the car, etc. He gets no sleep and has the attitude that until his mother is gone this is just the way it is (he moved her in with him a few months after we started dating).
I can't talk wedding plans with him. We can't buy a house closer to our jobs and live together (which we would eventually do) because he refuses to move his mom. He says a move like that would kill her. She has anxiety issues and is bipolar on top of her other health problems. I have a huge fear that my life will be on hold for years because his mother seems to sit in a chair and watch tv all day (she's on oxygen 24/7) and just live her life like that. It seems the meds and oxygen just keep her status quo and it's already been this way for 2 years. I know the diseases will eventually take her, but I feel guilty and horrible to be resentful the longer I can't be with him and start our lives together. If my job were closer I would move in and be glad to help (I really like his mother), but I can't commute 2 hours to work.
He wont' talk about our future (which would help me see a light at the end of the tunnel...make me feel we at least have things to look forward to) because it's "disrespectful" to talk about how great life would be if she weren't here.
I feel 2nd. I know I'm 2nd and I have to be. I try to be understanding but sometimes his moods and the stress he's under fall onto me. I have encouraged him to seek counseling and he just started. They gave him valium for when he feels over-stressed but lately he says the appointments cut into his time even more and compound the problem.
If I so much as complain it's as if i'm a bad person, or I'm wrong and not seeing all her does for me. I never get any credit for being patient this long, or supportive (which I believe I have been).
I'm unhappy all by myself 2 hours away (my family is far away and I would move back with them however I met this wonderful man). I do love him and I may just need to be more supportive and less selfish. Or maybe I am cheating myself with a problem that isn't mine. I welcome your advice and appreciate total honesty . Thanks everyone!
You don't mention FMIL's age or her prognosis. Congestive Heart Failure can last for decades (my husband has had it for about 25 years). Realistically, what is FMIL's life expectancy?
You are second. Whether that is appropriate or a good thing or a bad thing is a matter of opinion, life outlook, maybe even religious views. But it is a fact. You are second in the life of the man you are engaged to marry. And you aren't getting any credit for your supportive role and patience. Sounds like you are taken for granted. Does that seem to fit?
Your fiance has a serious mental disorder. I urge you to look into BiPolar disorder. There is a huge range of severity within the diagnosis. For some people it is mild and well-controlled. For others it is the dominant fact of their lives, and an ever-present challenge to all who interact with them. I have two relatives with this disorder. One is highly functional, creative, and a delight to be around. She is in a successful long-term committed relationshp. The other struggles daily with the condition. I love him unconditionally but I do not think anyone could have a successful intimate relationship with him. He is extremely self-centered -- which is common with the disorder. (He is generous and kind, but the world absolutely revolves around him and his needs.) I think you should at least know a lot about the condition and look at his behavior in that light. Maybe it is a non-issue for your relationship, but better to go into it with your eyes open.
Personally, I think you are cheating yourself waiting for the chance to be number one in his life. If you were my granddaughter asking for advice, I'd urge you to move on with your life. (And if you were my granddaughter and protested that you love him and you were going to stick it out, I'd respect that and continue to support you.)
Good luck.
Just to play devil's advocate...do you think there is anything he can really do to make the situation better? I feel as though I can't expect him to change anything in all fairness to how he sees the situation. Every holiday is "probably going to be mom's last christmas/birthday/easter, etc." I can't tell him to ASK doctors how much time she may have because I sound like a selfish person just wanting her out of the picture.
I'm not exactly sure why he sounds bipolar. He's actually so even-keeled that it bothers me....his bad moods are subtle when I wish he would just communicate and talk about how hard it is, or how he wishes it was different.
Sigh....I am not the caregiver and the situation is exhausting. Also, I think it would be really cool to be your granddaughter. Thanks for the help.
Realistically, I don't think he can change anything. He is who he is. The pertinent question is, is who he is the person you want to tie the rest of your life to?
If I were your fairy godmother and could sprinkle fairy dust over him, this is what I would like to see changed:
1. He would recognize your patience and value you for sticking by him. He would express this often.
2. You would be number one in his life, at least sometimes.
3. He would be open to building some holidaytraditions and memories with you. Yes, this might be his mother's last christmas/birthday/easter, etc But you know what? It might be your last one, too. Or his. None of us know what the future holds. Deferring living our lives until some event happens (in this case, his mother's death) risks not having a life at all. My magic sprinkles would make him suggest that Christmas Day is Mother's, but here is a wonderful thing you can do together on Christmas Eve. It would make Ground Hog's Day a Big Deal for the two of you.
4. He would be exicited (or at least enjoy your excitement) about planning your wedding. He would discuss your future together. It is disrepectful to talk about these things until his mother dies? What a load of nonsense! How long after she dies will it continue to be disrespectful, in his very strange veiw of protocol?
I think I misread your statement that FMIL is BiPolar and thought you said he was. Sorry.
Why did his first marriage fail? What has he learned from that experience? That is not related to his mother's health, but it could be related to the health of your relationship, and might be worth exploring a little.
Good luck to you!
CHF (Speaking as a nurse) is a catch all diagnosis for lots of things. A lot of the people are wrongly diagnosed frequently. Most people think that CHF is a terminal diagnosis... in reality, like someone else said, they can go on with it for years, even decades.
You need to assume that this could go on for another 10 years. (My mom has o2 24/7 as well, and has had for about 15 years. She used to do like you said with the getting tired after walking from one room to the next, wheezing, short of breath, etc. She rarely does that anymore now! We have recently had to turn her O2 way down, as her need for it has diminished considerably over the last 2 years!) You never know! What if it is another 2 years? Assuming this could go on for another 10-15 years, are you willing to wait that long? I think you need to decide now if this is going to be a deal breaker, if this is something worth waiting for, or if you will end up resenting him after all is said and done for his role in caring for his mom….
This is something only you can determine. Follow your instincts. I think you already know what you should do. Just make sure you weigh out all your options carefully. Once you decide, you may not get a second chance to change it. Either you are committed or not.
Remember that your fiance's mother brought him in the world and cared for him until he grew up. He is acting like a real son and caring for family. This is not the kind of man who would run away if you ever got to be in the condition his mom is in.
Try to have a quiet dinner together and tell him that it will be beneficial to his mom and even his kids for the two of you to be married and have a home to welcome them to and that they will then have two people to rely on and he will have half the burden. What a fantastic loving man he is!
I care for my mother, although she is in a NH I see her all of the time (since I got laid of in June2011) and still have all the legal matters, medical matters and decisions to make. I am divorced and had one engagement after divorcing and a few wonderful significant relationships. I am a giving person but there is no way that I could put into a relationship what is needed to keep it thriving because my focus is my mother. That doesn't make me (or him) callus or mean it just means we are too involved in something very important that we lack the time, energy and devotion to sustaining a relationship.
I would let this go for now and move on as hard as that might be. Falling is love is beautiful but timing has also got to be right. The timing in your situation is not right, it just isn't.
I have also learned since being divorced and engaged that we can fall in love more than once;
You will be living your life on hold until his mother passes and by the time that happens the two of you may have changed quite alot and may no longer be suited for one another.
I urge you to move on with love and compassion. let him do what his heart calls him to do.
Bless you and good luck.
I told him I admire and love him for what he's doing and I try so hard to not add to the difficulty of the situation that I am not making it known that it is affecting my life too.
He listened and was very understanding to my feelings. He explained that he is really stuck right now, and he finally acknowledged that it's not fair to either of us to not be able to move on with our life together because he is waiting for her to die first. He said he will NEVER lose me over this and that he will be more open to talking about our future and making things happen.
We have decided to start planning our wedding...it could take a year and at least we can have something positive to focus on. We also discussed finances, etc. and are starting to house hunt. He said he will get a house with me closer to my job (before this had to wait until she passed away) and he will talk to his mom when the time comes about moving in with us. He also said he didn't want it to go that way because it doesn't feel like we are coming together and starting our life together - it feels like a new couple dealing with a horrible situation and he didn't want to drag me into it.
He said I'm his future and he will work to focus more on us while still being her caretaker. I know it can't be perfect, but I just love him so much. I'm going to stick by him and enjoy our house searching. It does help that his mother is a lovely person and I really do like her company. I'm scared and not happy about any of it, but am going to take it one day at a time and give him credit for his kind response to me.
May I ask how old you and your man are? Have you ever been married before? How long has he been divorced? You will be sharing his mother and his children. You said he has difficult work hours. Can you explain that in more detail? How will a change in location (new house) affect his commute and working hours. What will happen if mom gets worse and can't be home alone? How old are his children? I would assume they spend some weekends with him.
This could be a wonderful story of the two of you coming together and finding happiness, working as a team and sharing burdens; mostly his burdens, but forming a family unit including his kids and his mom. It could also be very difficult with mom's continuing needs, his children's needs, his job requirements, etc.
Some things to think about as you move closer to marriage. Best wishes, Cattails.
I wasn't totally surprised by all of the comments telling me to run for my life from my fiance. I know those of you here know better than anyone the stresses that being a caregiver bring into every situation. It is so hard for me to leave him over this. I am young at 35, but not THAT young where I haven't dated enough men to know that a really great man is hard to find (at least it has been in my experience). This man has so many great qualities (obviously why we are in this situation) and I don't know that I could find another like him. I know that if I was ever sick he would be there for me just as he has been there for his father and now his mother.
I want to stick it out. I don't want my life on hold but I realize it's my choice and if I choose him that his baggage comes with him. I am not saying I'm willing to deal with the situation as it is for another 5 years (no way!), but his mother seems to be declining in some ways recently. The hardest part is not knowing how much longer she will be here, and not knowing how bad her health will get. She could pass any day now, or she could decline into a state of not being able to do anything for herself....I do know things could get worse before they get better.
He tries to do the right thing. When I told him I felt second he came over all dressed up with flowers and took me out for dinner and told me he would change the situation in any way possible to keep me...there's just only so much he can do.
I guess my next question would be, if he suggests moving in together and bringing his mom should I say I'd rather wait to live together until after she passes, or should I take her with him? Any thoughts on that part? Thanks everyone. I may look back with regret, or I may be happy I stayed by him....only time will tell and i'm sure it has much to do with how much longer she is here.
You said you like Mom. Why not give her the pleasure of seeing her son married before she dies? I don't mean you have to take her to pick out your dress or ask her what your colors should be. But wouldn't it be good for her to see you happily planning this event, and then to attend the event?
I am definitely not opposed to unmarried couples living together. I have young relatives raising families who never plan to marry. That's OK with me. But in this case, since you plan to marry, I wonder why you don't do that first?
I'm a little confused about the mom issue. If you want to be with him, why not just accept that his mom is going to be with you both for some time. It sounds like his desire is to keep him mom home until she passes. Does he still feel that way?