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Relationship I ruined my relationship and i can't get over it

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Sunshine702

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I was with my boyfriend, a two-time Iraqi combat veteran, for three years. When I first met him, he was suicidal, his roommate was stealing from him, and he was one payment away from foreclosing on his house. I helped him with all of that and I began to fall in love with him.

When we first got together, I found out he had a woman living with him. Apparently, their relationship was over, but he has a difficult time being alone and I guess was lining the next woman up in me. He did not know that our relationship would blossom into what it did, and so I let it go.

A few months after we began dating, he moved in with me.

A few months into our relationship, I found him messaging an old date on Facebook, making plans to get together. When confronted, he said that he knew they never would, he was just saying that. He apologized, told her he had a girlfriend, and removed all former women from his Facebook. I thought we were making progress. A year or so later, I found out he was having lunches with an old coworker. He said they were just friends, but he was secretive about it and it made me concerned. He removed this person from his life as well to stay faithful to me. Every time we would fight, he would get on online dating websites, but we would always reconcile and I would go back to assuming he was trustworthy and loved me.

Most recently, I found out that he was texting a coworker and having inappropriate conversations about how he wanted a threesome, how he and I didn't have sex enough, and she was saying they should get together outside of work and he was agreeing. He never mentioned this friend to me and this had been going on for three months (during which time, I became pregnant and unfortunately had a miscarriage). When I found this out, I became furious and ended up kicking him out. I really lost my mind. I thought after three years of being together, being engaged, trying to have a baby, that we were secure in our relationship. He had been telling this girl (and others) how unhappy he was with me but never telling me any of this unhappiness. Turns out, he also had an escort's phone number in his phone.

Since he left, he has completely shut me out. Apparently, he ended up going into inpatient care at the VA, presumably for psychiatric care (no one will tell me). He is now out and still will not respond to me. I have sent so many texts, called, sent emails apologizing, trying to get him to communicate with me, and he absolutely won't. He has been in touch with my parents over some obligations and that has now caused a riff between myself and my parents because I feel like their communication with him is betrayal. I am still caring for his dog; he will not respond to any emails asking about when he wants the dog or how long I should be expected to care for him.

I feel like I am being punished for reacting to something he caused by his behavior. I love him so much and I can't imagine my life without him, but he refuses to speak to me, and I know I should not be okay with his ongoing behavior. Not a day goes by that I do not cry over this. I honestly do not know what to do. He has previously just shut people out in his life who he feels have wronged him with no remorse and I feel like I am the next one on that list. Everyone tells me I am better off without him, but when we were good, we were so good. He is now on dating sites calling himself "newly single" but I can't seem to accept that we can't work through this even though he always has one foot out the door.

Can anyone give me some advice? I don't know what to do anymore about anything.
 
I think it's best to move on.

I don't think this is a PTSD thing.

It seems like most of us with PTSD who cut and run do so because we are overly stressed and just need to be alone.

This cheating/relationship jumping stuff is not typical of someone with PTSD IMHO.

I'd also work on your self esteem. Don't you think you deserve better? This guy has been cheating on you the whole time. A guy who is truly into you won't be looking at other women every chance he gets.

In other words, you have a serial cheater on your hands. This has nothing to do with PTSD.
 
I'm sorry you are going through this:hug:
I know you care very much about this man and want to continue the relationship, but you may want to consider his treatment of you. It sounds like he has continuously behaved disrespectfully and unfaithfully towards you, and you deserve to be treated with more respect from your significant other :hug: Im not saying don't have a relationship with him, but I think he needs to realize some things, first of all your worth and how to respect you. You don't need to apologize to him, you were only standing up for yourself. Maybe don't contact him for a little while, take some time for you and if he contacts you, don't let him bully you, don't be afraid to stand up for yourself or hold him accountable for his actions. I wish you the best :hug:
 
Thank you for the replies. I know I need to work on my self worth. I realize I lost a lot of myself in trying to make him happy but now I feel empty without him. I never considered his behavior wasn't because of PTSD. I assumed he couldn't handle the "love" that I gave him as a result of his PTSD.
 
Well now Anthony has an article posted that speaks to this - how someone with PTSD often gets overwhelemed and stressed in the relstionship and so will jump from one relationship to another. I was just reading it the other day.

Also, I think dating site usage are an easy way to interact and flirt without the stress of a relationship. It's always new and exciting. Well, until it gets old. I think the article is titled The PTSD Relationship. I'll look for it if you're interested.

All that being said, I'm not sure you should be trying so hard and also, he has really shut you out here. So there really isn't much you can be doing at the moment.

I know it must be very hard to accept and to deal with. I'm sorry you're going through this pain.
 
:hug: I have PTSD and although the trust issues and other things can make relationships more difficult, it's not PTSD that makes someone disrespect and cheat. :( it's a choice to disrespect someone it's a choice to cheat. It's very possible to have wonderful relationships with PTSD sufferers, but the person has to be committed to the relationship, to know boundaries- the PTSD has nothing to do with that part, it is like I'm any relationship regardless of PTSD. It sounds like you have put a lot of effort and caring into this relationship and you need someone who will do the same:hug: Feeling empty without him might just mean that you need to spend some time doing things that you enjoy and working towards goals that you have, spending more time taking care of your needs.
 
I want to also add - it will be so helpful to you if you stop looking at his dating profiles, social media, checking on him. That is the biggest thing that will prevent you from placing your mind and attention on you and taking it off of him.

I know it's hard not to look (as my friends and I call it "internet or cyber stalk"), but you must start there. Believe me, it will make it much easier for you.
 
Thank you for the article. It's just so hard right now because I've never been completely shut out by anyone like this before. Like how could he ever love me if he can just flat out refuse to speak to me? I just want to talk to him and get closure and know what happened to make it all fall apart. I know it wasn't all my fault, in my heart of hearts, but I don't know how to deal with it at all. I just cry and imagine that he is moving on and I'm here absolutely broken. Thankfully I have found this forum. Thank you all for your replies.
 
How are you the one who ruined this relationship?

Seems like, from very early on, you were clear about your desire for a completely monogamous relationship and even clear on what your definition of monogamous was. You gave him more than one chance and each chance you gave him, he threw it back in your face. It's not your fault he messaged other girls, it's not your fault he keeps things secret from you, it's not your fault he is "unhappy" but never brings it up to you, and it's not your fault that he has since declined and has been hospitalized.

The only thing you could have done was enforce your "I'm the only one" boundaries more strictly early on, but that would have just meant this would have happened two or three times ago. Still wouldn't have been your fault.
 
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