I honestly have no idea what I’m doing or if anyone will be able to read this I just want to get some feelings out. I’m 32 and my mom at me when she was just 15 years old she did everything she could to raise me and my brother by herself ( our father is a crackhead who repeatedly abused her, she was forced to marry him due to her age). No matter what I went through from falling out of a tree when I was 7 to my multiple surgeries on my knee and my failed back surgery on my back which led to pretty severe depression (major depressive disorder) and sever anxiety. She stood by me and never judged me and loved me the way I was. When I was a bit younger I would sled mutilate which she didn’t know about until I got older I worked through that on my own and haven’t done it in some time. When my mother was 35 she had bypass x5 and her mitral valve repaired and she came out of that very well but then in January of 2008 she started having a lot of problems breathing after many tests and ct scans and catherizations they found that her mitral valve had become completely calcified and she needed another open heart surgery but because she was so high risk nobody around us would perform it. We researched ourselves for the best doctor and we went to NYC where we found out if she didn’t have this surgery she was looking at 6 months to a year max. We went through with the surgery she ended up being on a vent for 5 days it was the longest 5 days of my life and I was never so scared. She did come too and felt much better afterwards but she kept getting these pains in her chest we would continue to address them with the cardiologist and pulmonolgist and got no answers. August 13 2012 we found out she was stage 4 lung cancer and that it was seen in 2008 during all those tests and we were never told. My mother suffered every day till she passed away on January 3rd 2013 and my life has completely fallen apart. Me and my mother were closer then most mothers and daughters I lived with her my whole life and she was the other parent to my 2 sons. My oldest son now suffers from depression and sever separation anxiety and I can’t seem to make them feel better. I try not to fall apart in front of them when she first passed away I couldn’t help it but I’m pretty good at hiding it now. I just miss her and having someone who was always there for my kids and me. I do think about suicide regularly but I am all my children have and I could never intentionally put them through that pain of losing another parent again. I guess I just need a friend I really don’t talk to anyone because of my anxiety and fearing nobody will understand what I go through everyday the internal struggles are just so much. Well I hope I did this right and thank you for listening.
3 comments
Sorry to hear what you’ve been through. I’m 27/male and I’ve been thinking lately that as rough as parts of my life have been so far, my parents are still here which means the worst is still waiting in my future – trying to cope when I lose them. I’m close with my mom too and she has been my support through my darkest times like you experienced.
We have mitral valve issues in our family, my mom has a weak valve and when I was in high school I started to feel my heart beat jumping around and after a bunch of doctors told me it was just anxiety I found out my mitral valve is messed up too.
That’s really horrible to have dealt with all the heart issues and then find out there was cancer all along.
I fear that when I lose my mom eventually I will really struggle with it too.
I can’t think of much to help you but I’m glad you already realize that if you leave this world you’d just bepassing that same pain onto your children. Try to live for them the best you can. I’m worried how I’ll handle losing my parents because I don’t have a relationship or kids of my own or really any support system to help me deal with it.
I’m sure the pain is incredible. Male sure to let yourself grieve as long and as fully as you need to because trying to bottle it up or pretend it isn’t there will make it worse. If you don’t have anyone you can talk to maybe look for support groups for coping with loss. I know how corny and annoying that type of advice can be but you never know maybe being in a room with a bunch of people going through similar things could help or lead to making new friends.
I’m sorry for your loss. I guess this is how life goes and now it’s time for you to be a good mom to your kids and keep your mom with you in your heart and let her spirit and memory help guide you as you raise your children.
Thank you very much I have thought about support groups and things of that nature but public is a very scary place for me. My anxiety is so severe I can’t even go shopping without a panic attack (another thing my mom did for me). I just couldn’t make her feel better and I couldn’t take away her pain and literally till her last day she was worried about me and the pain I feel everyday she would say to me and her boyfriend that she doesn’t know how I do it everyday. She is buried directly across the street from my house but I can’t even bring myself to go there. Mitral valve issues are horrendous to deal with if you need a doctor there is Dr Adams at mount Sinai hospital in NYC he really is the best and will do anything to save his patients life just a recommendation. I keep thinking that I want some normalcy in my life but then I think if my new normal is everyday without her I don’t want it. There are people who say it will get easier over time and then there are others who say I will never get over it and that aching, nagging constant pain and feeling of loss will never go away and those are the people I believe. I just want and need to know she is ok and is not in pain anymore. Everyone has their own beliefs and I wouldn’t push mine on anyone else but I do not believe in a god or a higher power so I have no comfort in her being gone just a lot of questions. Thank you again for listening to me it really helps.
You’re a strong women and you should be proud for being so strong for your kids, be strong I can’t promise it’ll get easier and you will miss her less but you know that your mom would be happy your still going