How do you carry on?

I lost the love of my life my wonderful husband 10 weeks ago. He was my absolute everything, my best friend always and my reason to get up every day. I just loved being with him and never tired of things to say to him.

His death was cruel and traumatic as he died suddenly and unexpectedly while we were out. The day he left home neither of us realised he would never return.

I have never cried so much in my life and tears are never far away. I dont know how I am going to carry on without him and everything in my lifeI feel hopeless and every day is just a struggle to get through. I will never be able to do the same things or go to the same places and feel so sad for him too being taken so cruelly. He will never see the grandchildren he adored grow up and Im saddened.

As he left the house expecting to come back he left things to return to but I am unable to move anything of his his yet and want to leave it where he left it. I dont know if anyone is the same but I dont want his things touched at all.

Devastated is how I feel and I am so glad I found this site with others in the same boat and feeling the same pain thats unbearable. It is comforting to share others experiences in the same situation.

Im doing my best to get through each day ā€¦

Rosa

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Hi Rosa

So sorry you have suffered the traumatic loss of your husband. It has only been a short while and you are probably still in shock. My husband died in October. He went to bed and didnā€™t wake up. We had been out the previous day and there was no warning. I also had several more shocks at the same time. I was absolutely in pieces. My doctor wanted to give me antidepressants but I didnā€™t want to take them. What helped me was hypnotheraphy. The therapist taught me breathing exercises and gave me different techniques to use when I was feeling sad, fearful or anxious. I still use meditation on a regular basis and I find it does help. The realisation that we will never do some of the things we used to or go to some of the same places is very hard. Awful as this is, we have to be grateful for the time we had together and the love we shared - not everyone gets to experience that. We were very lucky.

You are doing well to get through each day. Donā€™t worry about his ā€˜thingsā€™ there is no rush. It is something you have to do in your own time. I was able to let my husbandā€™s clothes go after three months but there are still lots of personal items that I havenā€™t touched yet.

This site is brilliant. There is always someone who is ready to listen and offer help and advice. Just take it a day at a time.

Sending you a hug

Yvonne x

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Hi Rosa.

I am so sorry for your loss. Itā€™s 7 months for me and I had a couple of years warning that my husband would not be around for long as he had serious heart problems , and was in heart failure and would have hated being stuck in a chair on oxygen and me having to look after him, but itā€™s still a shock to lose him, but for you it must be worse I think.

I havenā€™t sorted out yet the case with his clothes in as we were on holiday, just canā€™t face it, and I havenā€™t moved anything either . It would have been our 46th anniversary on 22nd I have no idea how I will be, at the moment I take one day at a time. Iā€™ve been awake since. 4 am thinking about things and in tears , I am still devastated and feel alone , even though I see the family and friends . The thing is when I am having a bad day I donā€™t want to burden the family or friends with it so I just keep myself to myself and when asked if I am ok I say yes. I feel mentally and physically exhausted and fed up with feeling sad, making decisions that only I can make, sorting endless stuff out etc but I know I have to get on with it. I miss the laughter, and the love and miss us, we didnā€™t need to go out and about we were happy just doing nothing or anything but I am glad we had that, some people never do.

I think we all have to be kind to ourselves. I was speaking to someone the other day who reminded me that years ago people would wear black for a period of mourning, and it was out of respect for the departed but also so people would know and be sympathetic for those who were going through the terrible loss. I remember my mum would never wear black tops or coats as she wore black for 12 months after my man died.

Take care and I agree that this site is a good outlet

J xx

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Thank you Yvonne as your words are comforting and I am interested in Hypnotherapy to help me with the trauma of the day he died in front of me. I am on tablets which help me get through but I do need some other help to stop going over and over everything. A friend had suggested hypnotherapy as it had helped her (although with something completely different).

I do try and look at the positives of how blessed I was to have spent a long time with such a special man and shared such wonderful happy times together but its the sadness that we will never be able to do any of those things again or the things we planned together.

The sun is shining which makes me sad as heā€™s not here to see the spring and summer but I will get through another day.

Best wishes to you Yvonne.

Rosa

Dear Rosa, I am so sorry to read your post, its heartbreaking, as others have commented, its still early days for you.

Its strange, but I fretted so much about moving his clothes and personal belongings ~ way before it was necessary. There is no time-scale, just wait until the time feels right for you. Its five months for me now, and I still have quite a lot of his beautiful clothes in the house. He was the smartest most stylish man I have ever known, and I miss him so much that it hurtsā€¦ā€¦

I keep coming back to this website, especially on difficult days like today.

I hope that you will find some comfort in sharing on this website, I certainly have done. Take care and a big hug x

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Thank you and it is comforting to share these things as until you are in this situation you cannot imagine how bad you are going to feel. I sometimes feel my chest is going to explode and I feel so bad when I get upset. Its so hard loving someone so much.

Thank you Sheila for sharing how you feel and how you have coped with your terrible loss.

At this time I cant ever see a time when I will want to get rid of anything of my husbands. I feel guilty driving the car that I always thought of as his and he loved it especially as driving was the last thing he did before he parked the car.

I feel pressure from others to do things and to make decisions which I feel unable to make. I have dealt with some of the paperwork but really I am clueless about alot of things as I just let my husband deal with them

I too have gone to bed night after night hoping and praying it was all a bad dream and feeling hopeless and so sad when I realise it isnt and this lonliness I have to try and get used to but dont think I will.

There are times I take comfort for all the wonderful happy memories we have shared. I know we were blessed to share what we did together but it all ended in such a painful and traumatic way. He was such a kind and lovely man and I miss him so much it hurts. x

Hi

I know exactly how you feel and I donā€™t think I will ever feel totally happy again. I too am trying to concentrate on the good memories but itā€™s hard because none of us want to be in this wretched situation of having to live a different life, we were happy with our old life.

I also have decisions to make but everyone has different opinions and so in the end my family say to do what I want.! Someone said the other day to me that I could do what I wanted now , go,where I want, choose what I want but thatā€™s no compensation for what I have lost, I think they were only trying to make me look at things differently.

I hope we all manage to get some sleep tonight itā€™s exhausting.
Jx

Hi Everyone

Itā€™s been an emotional day for me. I didnā€™t sleep too well and I too have so many decisions to make. Finding it all a bit overwhelming. This morning I kept making silly mistakes which upset me. It didnā€™t take long to dissolve into tears. I decided to spend some quiet time at the cemetery this afternoon. Not going to accomplish much today so have decided to leave everything until tomorrow.

Today has been a setback but hope I can get going again in the morning.

Yvonne

Everyone grieves differently. I havenā€™t kept my husbandā€™s clothes except for 2 jackets and a few waistcoats. But I do have his glasses, wallet phone and the last KitKat I bought him. They stayed by my side for many months but now in a memory box beside my bed with photos. I miss him more than words can say we were married 43 years and his passing was traumatic as it was unexpected (as probably a lot the same with many of you) his ashes have yet to be scattered. I take each day as it comes now. Some good some bad. I have my children and they are a boom to me. Take care all.

Rosa,

This is so awful for you- the suddenness makes it so hard to bear my partner went out and never came back. In our wildest dreams weā€™d never have imagined this could happen. I constantly yearn for him to return as Iā€™m sure you do for your husband.

I struggle to get through the day as well and go to bed knowing Iā€™ve got to do it all over again the next day.

There is nothing I can say to make you feel better, even knowing the same thing has happened to others doesnā€™t help me.

Best wishes and take care of yourself.

I feel for you Rosa .My partner died on the 28th feb after 23yrs together .W were to be married this month .But a Deep vein thrombosis killed him he died in my arms .i will never get over this.so I no wat u going through life is so cruel sylvia

Rosa.
There is no right or wrong approach to parting with your husbands clothes only what feels right for you. You may never want to part with them. Iā€™m fortunate to have a spare bedroom. Bit by bit all but the most treasured things have gone into the spare bedroom as a half way house. I didnā€™t have to make any immediate decisions; they were there if I wanted to see them. I quickly came to realise that ā€œclothes donā€™t make the manā€ or, in my case, the woman. I have what I want in my heart.
I donā€™t go in that room, I donā€™t need to and Iā€™ve reached the stage where Iā€™m ready to let them go. Youā€™ll find that most charityā€™s will collect and they will ensure that your donated items are not sold in your local shops if you specify this. Iā€™d like to think that someone else will find the same pleasure that my wife felt when these were hers.
I wonā€™t need to agonise over every dress, every pair of shoes. Iā€™ll simply point them toward the spare bedroom and tell them to empty it. Iā€™ve learned a really important lesson that I thought I knew but only now does it feel so true, these are only material things, they donā€™t matter. My wife left without them so why should I hold on to them now? I have my memories.

Hi Kester

I lost my husband on a cruise ship last September and have stil not unpacked his case. I canā€™t ā€¦ I have tried so itā€™s still a spare bedroom. I know I will have to do it sometime but even the clothes in our bedroom are still there . I think you have given me an idea and I may follow your lead, maybe not tomorrow but itā€™s a good idea.

Thank goodness for this forum, and I am so sorry for your loss. Itā€™s 8 months for me so still a bit raw.

Regards

June x

Hello June

I completely understand how you feel about your husbands case as my husband died suddenly too on a journey. I have not touched anything he was carrying or anything he left in places before he went out of the house that awful day. I just canā€™t move anything of his yet although everyone says I will in time.

I think because he went so quickly and I had no chance to tell him how much I loved him and I keep going over that day and could anything have been done differently. I just canā€™t make any sense of it and his things are my ways of feeling close to him.

Have you been able to come to terms with the shock and trauma and did you have any help. Iā€™m nearly 13 weeks of my darling husband leaving me and itā€™s all so painful.

Thank you everyone on here as reading your letters and feelings help you not feel so isolated from everyone just going about their daily lives and how no idea of the devastation in your life when you lose your husband or wife.

Rosa

Hello Rosa

My partner died suddenly 8 weeks ago and like you I had no chance to tell him how much I loved him or say goodbye to him. The shock was horrendous.
I go over and over the week and day he died, wondering if I could have done anything to change what happened, wishing Iā€™d talked to him more, asked him if he was ok.

Iā€™ve started going for counselling and I hope it will help, itā€™s good to have somebody to talk to , I canā€™t talk to my family about it because they are upset as well and there are things I couldnā€™t say to them that I can to a counsellor.

If you go be careful to find somebody you feel comfortable with, try to meet them first you will soon know if it helps or not.

I could never imagine this happening to me or how terrible I would feel .
All best wishes. J x

I feel also for u .i donā€™t think we will ever get over losing our love ones sylvia

My husband has only been dead for two weeks and the grief that I am feeling is beyond description. Believe me, I know exactly how you are feeling. We are two of thousands, if not millions, trying to work our way through grief and it is comforting to know that we are not alone. I just wish that we could be told a date when our pain be over but, sadly, we all have to tread the minefield of grief until strength comes to manage life without our spouse.

Dear Sheila,
You are an amazing lady to be tackling jobs like you are, you should be very proud of yourself.
Love & Hugs ~ thinking about you
Elaine xx

Hello Sheila,

What a powerful statement you have made ā€˜When you are a couple you are a part of society when you are on your own, you are a nuisanceā€™. How completely true! I have long said that I feel like an outsider now, looking in on everyone else carrying on with their lives. People who I considered good friends are now strangers to me or else invite me to something because they feel they should or they feel sorry for me. I hate it and would rather be on my own.

Yesterday I asked my brother-in-law to help me with some small task in the house. He ā€˜showedā€™ me what I had to do and then quickly left. The expression on his face was ā€˜Iā€™m not going to get sucked into doing this sort of thing for herā€™. Like you, I will only employ someone from now on and refuse to demean myself to ask for help. If Derek could see all this, he would be horrified.

Hope youā€™re managing ok.

Ann x