Posted by Greg on May 29, 2003, at 14:20:49
In reply to Spousal Support, posted by mair on May 29, 2003, at 13:21:05
Wow Mair...Hi.
I didn't realize that my support was as unique as it might be until reading yours and some of the other posts. After thinking over what you said, I found myself wondering if my level of support by my wife is so much unique in its substance, or, is it that women are naturally better at moral support than men are? The hunter vs. nurturer? Just a thought, and please be kind all if you beat me with this one :).
Anyway, to your questions. My wife has been supportive from the very beginning. She's attended couple's therapy with me to help her better understand where I'm at with my Bipolar and Anxiety disorders. She's done lots of reading about them and even went to a seminar all on her own once. She wasn't impressed, said the speaker had a real "me" complex :). It's not unusual to find her during her free time, of which she has very little, doing research on the web (when I let her use MY computer, God, she hates it when I say that) She watches my meds closely. I think that's because she watched in agony while I went thru one med after another trying to find something, anything that worked. We really celebrated after finding my current combo! I started having the ruminating thoughts a few months back (one of my biggest monsters) and it was her who suggested that I talk to my Psych about a small dose increase of my Zyprexa. I did and it worked. It's kind of like having your own pdoc at home.
These are not totally unselfish acts Mair. She has seen me at my best, and my worst. She's come home from work to find me balled up in a corner crying and asked what was wrong and I couldn't tell her. She's had me blurt out that I wanted to die for no apparent reason. I can walk around the house happy as can be one minute, and biting everyone's head off the next. Part of the things she does is a matter of survival, for her as well as for me. Without the meds and the therapy, and all the other things we do for me, I don't think she could live with Hurricane Greg. And the fact that she does all these things, shows me that she wants to. That makes me feel special.
I'm curious Mair, have you ever thought of asking your husband to take a more active role in your therapy? Of course, he might say no, and that would hurt. But you never know until you ask.
Greg
poster:Greg
thread:229950
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030517/msgs/229966.html