Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to question things after husband frightened me while I’m recovering?

102 replies

PeopleThatYouThoughtYouKnew · 05/08/2026 06:01

Detail change for reasons that’ll become evident…
So me and DH have been together 20 years give or take, no break ups or anything- just a few issues. No unfaithfulness on either side- I’m pretty certain about that- just difficulties.
The latest being I severely broke a leg bone falling down the stairs and have had to spend about 6 months in hospitals and rehab (open fracture) so we have had to be separated (not in a marital way- in a physical way, hospital etc. was a long way from home).
It’s been really tough on everyone in the family- I just got home about 4 weeks ago and his attitude for the first 2? Perfection.
I realise this has been tough for him and our doggie too of course!
I’m still in a cast- a lot of pain- and unable to do a LOT- not allowed or able to put weight through my leg as it’s still healing SLOWLY- so he’s been asking me what I want for meals and I’ve been trying to make it as easy as possible for him.
We don’t really have any family support so I just go with whatever he wants mainly- but today I had a really upset stomach due to the medication I have to take for the leg wound- it comes and goes- so I was a bit more specific (still easy food for a 40 year old to make- but specific). He was having a spicy chicken breast and I asked for mine to be plain- that’s all. I thank him SO much even when he brings me even a cuppa and honestly don’t expect a cooked meal every night- just the amount of time I’ve been in hospitals and the like I can’t face another ready meal and would happily sit down to a plate of cauliflower or whatever.
Tonight I got just that. And I thanked him a lot as usual. I actually didn’t mind it one bit to be fair- I just slammed on a load of pepper!
Anyway the point of the tale was that he got really really drunk- something I’m also not against and would want to do myself if I could (no children just my medical situation right now doesn’t allow for it).
I felt vulnerable and he started being quite angry towards me. He turned off lights that I can’t reach and was shouty and telling me to do things physically that I can’t still when basically all I can do is sort out my own toilet/cleaning/medication/water needs on the crutches.
He was fully backing me coming home (I know because the rehabilitation place rang him first)- and like I say he’s been wonderful the huge majority of the time.
But he made me scared. Scared because I am still so unable to do things for myself- scared because I don’t know how long this cast is going to have to stay on (I have a lot of other health conditions making this the flake in the ice cream)- scared because when I think back a month or whatever when I got back the place was in total disarray (apart from the dog)- scared that he has some sort of carer burnout that I haven’t known was going on because I literally was not here- and selfishly scared of what impact it will have on me.
We have an opportunity to move by the end of the year to somewhere I can access more independently- we’ve already tried carers and they cost so much and are not allowed to do so much of what we as a couple actually need to help us.
Here I am after 5am in the morning, DH is passed out in a drunken sleep- and I have a nurse coming in a few hours to check in on me.
AIBU to be questioning everything?
I feel for and tell DH how much I value him and all he does- and I really do- but I know I need to look after myself as much as I can too.
Sorry for the long post, any advice or suggestions or criticism is appreciated

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Livingthebestlife · 07/08/2026 09:39

It sounds like a difficult situation. I'm not sure if I'm following correctly but it sounds to me that he's been your carer longer than the broken leg situation? So does it mean he was aware that he would be your carer when you met? If so then he'll be aware of your needs and that of the house. Obviously with a broken leg his 'job' will be extra work .

As a full time carer myself to my adult Dd it's difficult at times when you would like to do things that you can't because you always have to factor in their needs first but when you are doing it from the beginning when you know them no differently it is easier to work out plans and ways to make things work, whereas if a new carer you know the other person differently and it can be difficult seeing them like that and harder to accept they need this extra help.

I'm not sure how things will be when you're recovered from your break, are you able to do everyday things normally ? If he has family near it would be ideal if they could be there for him mentally, asking them to invite him for lunch is nice, although phoning his doctor to ask him to invite him for lunch is a little strange.

Surely your health system has something in place, you say they can't do the things you need, is there not a system in your country where someone can cook your meals or help you wash ? I know here in Ireland where we have a dreadful health system there is a few hours a week available that be applied for where someone will help with feeding and washing.

TheSunnySwan · 07/08/2026 09:31

I can't help but think it's emotional abuse on your husbands side or it could be burnout . Or he is scared of something happening to you and him ending up on his own but as he is stubon and male he obviously isn't the best at communicating his thoughts and feelings regardless of that he had no right to turn the lights off and not feed your properly that's just plain nasty as for the not sharing a bed a lot of couples have separated bedrooms as they sleep better don't disturb eachother etc

PeopleThatYouThoughtYouKnew · 07/08/2026 08:57

Dorothyperky · 06/08/2026 08:35

OP do you have autoimmune conditions?
If so there are new winder drugs.

Yes I do. I’m in the extremely vulnerable group in the UK so I have to be extremely careful and unfortunately that means DH has to as well- and if and when he catches something “normal” he has to stay away from me until it passes as what is a cold for him- and most people- is an oxygen mask and and a few weeks in hospital for me.
how did you guess? His sister uses this site so I was trying to not give the game away- oopsies

OP posts:
Ponoka7 · 06/08/2026 09:32

pinkandwhiteroses · 05/08/2026 09:10

You see threads from women at the end of their tethers on here all the time.

Who are looking after children, usually teenagers, then have older relatives to look after. Not when just cooking every night. As asked, are there any single people who are cracking up just with normal life, to the point that they find someone to be abusive towards?

Dorothyperky · 06/08/2026 08:35

OP do you have autoimmune conditions?
If so there are new winder drugs.

PeopleThatYouThoughtYouKnew · 06/08/2026 07:41

ApolloandDaphne · 05/08/2026 06:12

Is the drunken anger episode a one off? I imagine your DH is as frustrated by everything as you are and this was maybe his misguided response to this? Have you both been able to sit down and work out a longer term plan for your recuperation? Is he having to work full time whilst caring for you or is he at home all the time? I imagine both scenarios have their stresses and strains. Could you mention to the nurse that the situation is causing massive stress for you both and ask if there is any other support that could be available to you? Have you any friends or family local to you?

Yeah the drunkenness is a one off. He doesn’t work as he is my full time carer but this is the longest I have been away and we basically haven’t been able to share a bed since January…
it does make a difference if this isn’t your usual- it’s not the intimate part obviously it’s just the closeness we both missed and birthdays and special occasions that came and went- me spending them on my own in various institutions- and him spending them on his own with the dog.
he came to visit me as much as humanly possible and I tried everytime to be the woman he fell in love with- doing my make up and hair and putting on the most appropriate but attractive clothes I could.
i also tried not to mention how utterly rubbish I felt- keep up with what was going on in his life- he has a lot more family locally than I do- but there was no getting around the constant chats the medics wanted to have or the scans or the drips i inevitably had… or the constant moving me from hospital to rehab etc or the highly visible and apparent drips for various incidents like I ended up getting a hospital acquired infection for example so I was moved to my own room briefly as I ended up having a fit I was that unwell with infection and then came the drips to make me better- this kind of thing happened sadly more often than a person might think.
because of all of my pre-existing health woes we are well experienced in going through this together- I think this last time was just so very long- and obviously as my DH he’s my NOK so when I was particularly unwell they called him and he came no matter what. Sometimes I could hardly stay awake when he came as I was that poorly. I did try though- and I would try and discourage him from visiting as frequently and encourage him to do things I know he likes like going to the pub with his mates or taking the dog for a walk or seeing his family- but he knew what I was doing was to protect him so he just would arrive anyway- like people have said- grown man- his choice- not much I can do about that.
i even rang his doctor a few times and his parents and sister to ask if they could invite him for Sunday Lunch or something but that didn’t work either.
i honestly think we’ve both got a bit of PTSD from it all- it was just such a long time and I know this sounds very selfish but I literally watched people dying or die- which was particularly hard when you have struck up a bond with that person or their families. He saw that too a couple of times which obviously had an impact on him- but most so because he knew I was semi grieving people I’d seemingly just met. He understood that when you have to spend 24 hours a day with Betty and see Bob her DH frequently and then Betty dies and Bob is crying it’s just horrific. I don’t know if he could picture himself in Bob’s shoes and that’s why he didn’t want to not visit or whether it was to support me or what. He doesn’t want to talk about that side of things- I think probably not to scare me- but often it’s all I can think about anyway.
I learned a long time ago that DH is made of strong stuff- but he’s also stubborn.
I wasn’t expecting our home to be cleaned from top to bottom and filled with candles and flowers when I got back- I just wasn’t expecting the aggression. I’m not sure who said it so my apologies but I do think it’s unfair he has been expected to just pick up the slack now- and I have asked several times for help- I just haven’t managed to get any for either of us yet- but we obviously need it.
I know this nightmare injury will end- the scary thing is I’m feeling- at the moment at least- when the next one will be and if we will be able to cope with that- because with my health conditions this isn’t a one and done type situation sadly. So I guess I am scared about that too- and so is DH probably.

OP posts:
Thepeopleversuswork · 05/08/2026 12:34

chocoluv · 05/08/2026 12:15

would happily sit down to a plate of cauliflower or whatever.
Tonight I got just that. And I thanked him a lot as usual. I actually didn’t mind it one bit to be fair- I just slammed on a load of pepper!

He did give her a plate of cauliflower but it sounds like OP asked for it and so that alone wouldn’t be evidence of abuse.

I’m struggling to understand how it’s so demanding that he cooks every day.
Surely he cooks half of the meals anyway.

He gave her a plate of cauliflower presumably a pass-ag response to her asking not to have spicy chicken, I am going to guess it was some sort of not so subtle dig because he was resentful about having to do something other than a ready meal.

Its not a sackable offence on its own but along with the other behaviours described it paints a picture of an entitled, angry bloke who is seething about having to do some domestic work and a bit of planning in the arena of what he would consider his wife’s job.

WhatNoRaisins · 05/08/2026 12:17

I can see how this would be tricky if you're a couple where one is happy to live off processed food and the other one wants proper cooked meals.

chocoluv · 05/08/2026 12:15

ALovelyPinkUnicorn · 05/08/2026 11:37

This, and also the part about not being able to turn a light back on. If op doesn’t have the dexterity to use a light switch, need level id assume is very high.
why do posters keep using the cauliflower as evidence of abuse?
the op posted like I can’t face another ready meal and would happily sit down to a plate of cauliflower or whatever.-
he hasnt cacklingly given a plate of cauliflowers!

would happily sit down to a plate of cauliflower or whatever.
Tonight I got just that. And I thanked him a lot as usual. I actually didn’t mind it one bit to be fair- I just slammed on a load of pepper!

He did give her a plate of cauliflower but it sounds like OP asked for it and so that alone wouldn’t be evidence of abuse.

I’m struggling to understand how it’s so demanding that he cooks every day.
Surely he cooks half of the meals anyway.

pinkfondu · 05/08/2026 12:02

How he is today will tell you everything you need to know

WhatNoRaisins · 05/08/2026 11:51

I mean we could all pile on condemning this man for his abusive behaviour but it will change absolutely nothing. It's not going to somehow make him have a change of heart.

The only change is going to come from trying to seek more support and options for support.

pikkumyy77 · 05/08/2026 11:43

Om83 · 05/08/2026 11:24

I’m not sure questioning your relationship is the right thing… it is perhaps scary as you are physically powerless, but it doesn’t sound like he was aggressive to you- just mean and frustrated- he is only human after all.

he obviously struggled while you were in hospital if the house was a state when you got home, perhaps he thought when you were home you would be able to do a bit more than what you can and things would be a bit more normal again?

have you talked about expectations of your recuperation? Is that what the move is about as you will have difficulties long term? Have you asked him how he has been coping- it’s a lot to deal with a future that has been thrust at you, moving house when it’s perhaps not what he envisaged?? it sounds as though he is harbouring a lot of fear and anxiety also if it is only coming out when he is drunk.

What can you both do to ease the burden, ie get a cleaner, a dog walker, buy some better quality convenience foods etc? Therapy?

OMG women are literally killed every day by men and yet this man gets a pass for reenacting MISERY after his wife needed care for a month?

ALovelyPinkUnicorn · 05/08/2026 11:37

This, and also the part about not being able to turn a light back on. If op doesn’t have the dexterity to use a light switch, need level id assume is very high.
why do posters keep using the cauliflower as evidence of abuse?
the op posted like I can’t face another ready meal and would happily sit down to a plate of cauliflower or whatever.-
he hasnt cacklingly given a plate of cauliflowers!

Om83 · 05/08/2026 11:24

I’m not sure questioning your relationship is the right thing… it is perhaps scary as you are physically powerless, but it doesn’t sound like he was aggressive to you- just mean and frustrated- he is only human after all.

he obviously struggled while you were in hospital if the house was a state when you got home, perhaps he thought when you were home you would be able to do a bit more than what you can and things would be a bit more normal again?

have you talked about expectations of your recuperation? Is that what the move is about as you will have difficulties long term? Have you asked him how he has been coping- it’s a lot to deal with a future that has been thrust at you, moving house when it’s perhaps not what he envisaged?? it sounds as though he is harbouring a lot of fear and anxiety also if it is only coming out when he is drunk.

What can you both do to ease the burden, ie get a cleaner, a dog walker, buy some better quality convenience foods etc? Therapy?

Happyjoe · 05/08/2026 11:04

My mum used to call booze truth juice, where real issues came to a head.
While it's never ever ok to have someone frighten you, if he's never done this before I would take it as a person who's getting burned out. Caring is a hard thing, just as it is being incapacitated and sounds like both of your lives are unrecognisable at the moment.

Would he talk about it? If so, can both of you sitting down and talking calmly? He needs to know his behaviour was abysmal and never to be repeated but also looking at more help for you both to take some of the strain off him, even if it's just a cleaner to take chores off him, getting all shopping delivered, perhaps a dog walker if your personal care isn't forthcoming. I know it's expensive but I really would consider it for a short while, until you start to heal more.

I do truly hope you can get through this together because other than the horrible drunken episode, it seems like you guys are a good team.

PensionPTake · 05/08/2026 10:57

Is it just your leg making you temporarily out of action or does he care for you for other reasons all the time too? It's not clear from your post as you only really mention your leg but then also say about moving house so you can be more independent which suggest something more long term.

Loopylalalou · 05/08/2026 10:41

StupidCupid50 · 05/08/2026 07:01

You need to have a serious chat with him when he wakes up. Tell him how you felt. It might be he’s struggling more than he’s letting on

I’d agree. I spent 4 months non-weight bearing on my right leg four years ago, but did have a knee scooter so could get to the loo etc. I didn’t reckon on the pressure it put my DH under, doing what were unfamiliar jobs as well as work a farm. We relaxed into it after the first few days, made an effort to keep tidy, but put up with the dust and ate easy stuff. No one will die from fish fingers and chips now and again. I think do address it, but move forward without judgement. All these posting abou

Missj25 · 05/08/2026 10:39

Bikenutz · 05/08/2026 07:20

Poor you.

His behaviour is not acceptable at all, but at the same time, he sounds burnt out. Is he still working too, and do you have children or pets?

Definitely see if you can get a care package in place, you might have to pay for it but it could be money well spent.

One dog , no kids yet

Megifer · 05/08/2026 10:38

Thepeopleversuswork · 05/08/2026 09:36

Yes but they tend to have been doing it for years and manage not to get steaming drunk and then deliberately turn lights out which their disabled partner can’t reach just to goad them.

Let’s call a spade a spade; this guy may be suffering from carer fatigue but he is also an abusive drunk.

Maybe it was a cry for help, hes depressed, its been just as hard for him, cauliflower is pretty stressful to prepare, the dog knew something was off and needed daily soothing, yadda yadda yadda

DemelzaandRoss · 05/08/2026 10:36

I’m so sorry you’re having to put up with this unkind behaviour when you are at your most vulnerable.
Sending you good wishes.
His actions will remain with you & it will be difficult to view him in the same way as you have always done.
If you have sufficient funds it would be worth investigating private care in your own home. Otherwise contact the Rehabilitation centre as other posters have suggested.
Be assertive with your definitely not DC. Explain his actions whilst in the drunken state have caused you to seek alternative help. He promised presumably to be your (D)H in sickness & health but has fallen extremely short of this promise.

Otterloverfrenchielady · 05/08/2026 10:32

CarbonAtom · 05/08/2026 10:10

That's quite an extrapolation assuming that this is the first time something like this has happened.
Whilst not condoning the behaviour, he is presumably working a job, looking after the house and now looking after a disabled person (including, I would assume, feeding, medication, bathing, toilet duties, etc) and is increasingly burnt out.

Op has stated in her post she is managing her own water, toileting, bathing needs etc

So, on your assumption he is working and cleaning the house (of two people and a dog, which he isn’t actually doing as she said she came home to a tip) and making dinners (which he isn’t cos he served her cauliflower last night and she mentioned several ready meals).
Is that not just being an adult? Is that not what millions of people do every day for themselves? Is that not what millions of parents do, as well as looking after children as well.

what is he actually burnt out from.

Both me and my dh are disabled. We are both carers for each other. Just us and a dog like op
He works full time, cleans and we split cooking (when I am able). He also does a lot more physical actual care for me. Neither he or I have ever behaved in this way towards each other. He is neurodivergent and gets easily overwhelmed. He would NEVER purposely put me in an unsafe position or scream at me. This is abuse. Let’s not excuse it.

CountessBinface · 05/08/2026 10:30

I have nothing but sympathy for both parties. Some people are simply not cut out to be carers. If I had to do it, I would lose my temper about ten times a day and probably drink like a fish.

Cheese55 · 05/08/2026 10:26

How much is he doing for you day to day as you only mention cooking.?

Mumtotornadoes · 05/08/2026 10:26

Carer burnout 4 weeks in and women just go years caring for their whole families without anyone giving them a passing thought. Ok.

I'd ring the rehab place, tell them what happened and ask if you can go back

BillieWiper · 05/08/2026 10:24

I'm not sure I quite understand what lights he turned off that you can't reach? Surely you're the same height as usual just on crutches? But he sounds like he was being an arse in drink. Losing his patience.

I think you should try and explain you were upset and frightened by his actions last night and hopefully he'll apologize. It's true it's really tough having to suddenly be a carer. But he shouldn't be acting a bully or threatening. I hope it's just a one off outburst of frustration. It's not your fault you're injured and you deserve support and sympathy.

Would you think counselling together might help? Or separately even?

Swipe left for the next trending thread