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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Partner changes personality when I'm in hospital

115 replies

Jessie081984 · 11/12/2019 03:37

Hi I'm new here so please forgive me if im posting in wrong place. My partner is a fantastic loving man day to day,hes kind considerate,but unfortunately turns into a complete arsehole whenever I'm struggling emotionally/physically. For example when I was in labour with our daughter,he seemed to be uninterested,and completely lacked empathy to my pain and anxiety. he was rude to me,to staff so much so I was avoided for the most of my duration in hospital by nurses. He questioned everything and kept going on about his health problems and pain he was in!!
Obviously we've since realised he had some sort of mental episode brought on by stress,and lots of rowing and eventually talking things were resolved but it took months for his behavior even at home to be acceptable again.
I get that he cant cope with stressful situations,and I joked he'd never have to be with me in labour again. But after a recent miscarriage and subsequent d&c and short stay in hospital,he behaved the same way!! Obviously I noticed the signs and sent him packing,starting to talk about himself and his career choices, showing an interest in what to do with the fetal remains,but it was all bullshit,he just wanted an opening to talk about his sisters miscarriages and listen to his own voice. Sorry long winded post but wtf is going on? Am I unreasonable expecting my partner to support me when I'm in labour or waiting to have a procedure to remove a missed miscarriage? Or even just hold my hand and be fucking quiet about his shit for a couple of hours?

OP posts:
RhinoskinhaveI · 11/12/2019 10:53

He comes from an abusive background but really for your sake and his sack he should go and have some therapy, he can't expect you you to accommodate his dysfunctional behaviour it will make you damaged and dysfunctional

Lizzie0869 · 11/12/2019 10:55

Everything he says could be true, obviously we don't know. But it still isn't an excuse for his behaviour. A lot of us have suffered terrible abuse in the past, but we don't use it as an excuse to behave badly towards those people we're close to. His behaviour toward hospital staff was inexcusable.

He reminds me of my 10 year old DD actually. Hmm

Besidesthepoint · 11/12/2019 11:11

You can't grow old with this man, so why are you staying?

FreedomfromPE · 11/12/2019 11:14

He sounds awful. He can only take. Mutual support is what relationships are about but he obviously wants it all one way. Maybe he was raised in a way that failed to teach him to take on stress. But it's not your job to sort that out. Sorry for your loss Flowers

RhinoskinhaveI · 11/12/2019 11:34

Thing is you treat him as if he is important- when he has a problem you attend to him and you do what you can to help him, but he treats you as if you don't matter at all - when you have a problem he doesn't step up, he makes it all about him

Ginkypig · 11/12/2019 12:16

You can not control his damage
You can not manage his damage
You are not responsible for his damage
You can not cure the causes of his damage

Only he can
Only he can
Only he is
Only he can
Probably with the help of a professional but he can be the only person who makes a choice to make things different.

I am profoundly damaged, the reasons don't matter but think various separate abuses from early childhood into adulthood. I have long term complex chronic mental health issues including complex ptsd but I maintain my responsibility towards others in the world because it's my choice to start relationships (especially with people who don't know the "reality") so it's my responsibility inspite of my reality to take seriously my role and behaviours towards others in the word especially ones I have chosen to have an attachment to.
I have worked incredibly hard and Gained access to different professionals and learned tools and skills for nearly 20 years not only in an attempt to "get better" but because if I want relationships with people in the world then I need to show them the respect of learning how to be a person who can be in a relationship with them!

You deserve better than someone who isn't willing to try. I'm sorry but he is allowing you to take control which then gives him the opportunity to not take any responsibility for himself or his action, he is being incredibly unfair to you.

RhinoskinhaveI · 11/12/2019 12:37

He is treating you like a parent or a therapist.... someone who is obliged to to unconditionally be there for him and absorb his issues
What's in it for you?
You're not getting paid for this therapy that you're performing, you don't get any professional recognition as a therapist, do you want to act as parent for someone who is never going to grow up?

BreatheAndFocus · 11/12/2019 13:18

he saw a GP and a counselor initially after my labour fiasco which was awful! Gave him strong sedatives to help him sleep with a newborn in the house,and the counseling he seemed to spend criticizing me and my annoying anxious behavior. ..His sleeping and not being disturbed was paramount. Neither a crying daughter nor a shell of a partner should waken him!! He basically was a fucking tyrant.

Hmmm. I’d be very wary about believing a word he says. My ex was abusive and I thought going to counselling would help him explore the childhood issues he told me had caused his anger. It didn’t. He spun the counsellor a load of lies and made himself out to be the victim when he was the aggressor.

He also couldn’t cope with our newborn crying. He was vile about it.

You also mention conversations going off on a tangent. My ex did that too. A barrage of words that scrambled my brain and threw me off balance every time. It was verbally aggressive and relentless.

Maybe your DP isn’t like that, but if I was you I’d try to find out more about the ex-wife and more info about your DP. Don’t believe anything he says. Check privately, keep your own counsel - and don’t hesitate to leave him if you have to. Some problems you can’t solve - and you’re under no obligation to try. Your priority is you and your DC, not him.

Jessie081984 · 11/12/2019 15:54

Iv known him since school but we only reconnected less than 3 years ago,I know his family well and to be honest they all pretty similar,very me me me!
His abuse from his ex is well known within his family,and they've all confirmed alot of it,but when it went to court she basically got a record for assault and nothing more! I'm not convinced as to why he didnt push for full custody,but I got the impression he was so broken by it all he hadn't any fight left! Iv also saw the abusive texts and emails she sends,demanding money before he can have phone calls with his son....its not a pretty sight!
However this is no excuse for his behavior to me. Think iv just tolerated it in drips and drabs I didn't realise how bad it actually was. All your advice hasnt gone unnoticed,and as he collected me from hospital and talked about how bold our daughter had been,how tired he was and how sore his ear was,I realised he never even asked me how I was!! Not once!! Be having a conversation with him tonight,and il show him this conversation with you guys! Thanks for your advice and helping me wipe the shit from my eyes!! Lots of love xx

OP posts:
Lizzie0869 · 11/12/2019 16:45

It might be the case that his ex was abusive, and that he has PTSD. But he still has to take responsibility for his behaviour; there's never an excuse for being aggressive towards hospital staff. He should have been supporting you.

Things can be triggering for me as a result of my childhood abuse. The only way to handle it is to remove yourself from the situation until you're in control of yourself, not to abuse hospital staff and cause extra stress for your wife who's in labour or, worse, going through a miscarriage.

BertieBotts · 11/12/2019 16:48

Don't show him the thread FGS Confused

RhinoskinhaveI · 11/12/2019 16:54

if he reads this thread he will see it as an attack

MitziK · 11/12/2019 16:55

The tosser sounds too much like hard work to bother with anymore, tbh.

RhinoskinhaveI · 11/12/2019 16:58

if someone has been in an abusive relationship would you not expect that to leave them a timid people pleaser, rather than a person unable to empathise or show sympathy for others?
Or do you think he now hates women and is punishing you for what his ex put him through?

CSIblonde · 11/12/2019 17:18

How is he when you are getting attention at other times ? Say birthdays, work or family thing? Because he sounds like a narcissist. People who can't cope under high stress don't usually just show no interest & change the conversation back to them etc: they panic, often visibly (shake, sweat, feel faint for example) , or leave the room, or cope by doing something else to distract themselves etc (eat, smoke, clean etc). His response really doesn't seem like that, sorry. Also once you were home you say it took months to get better, so new baby prob meant he felt he wasn't your centre of attention any more. You sound too nice & you're telling yourself it's MH as the reality is really not good.

TowelNumber42 · 11/12/2019 17:22

No do not show him what we say! Keep MN for yourself.

He is not like you. He is not a people pleaser. So showing him that loads of people are not pleased will have exactly zero effect.

If he is a narcissist he will have a huge backlash at you for letting anyone hear about his behaviour, even anonymously. He will start stalking MN to see what you are saying. Don't go there.

Look, you are doing the thing of trying to use the magic words that will stop him being selfish. You can say words. Say them. If he doesn't care it isn't because you didn't say it the right way. It's because he is a selfish fucker at heart.

Showing this thread will not be a magic bullet. He is not a people pleaser. It can only hurt you.

Snugglemonster84 · 11/12/2019 18:02

OP if you love this man and want a future with him, the first thing you need to do is realise you can't rely on him for support in medical situations. You need to ask a friend or a family member to be there for you so he's just not in that situation at all. You need the support and you don't want to have to spend all your time at a hospital focusing on him rather than yourself.
Ive had similar experiences with my husband and also my dad.
My husband is very caring at home, and was amazing to me after I'd had 3 c sections, he looked after me brilliantly. But when we were actually in the hospital he becomes mute, he won't speak to me or any of the staff. He had to go to a&e once with chest pains, i couldn't go as got the kids so he went alone. I heard nothing from him for 12 hours so I went up and managed to find him. He was sitting silently in a chair in a room with other patients. I tried to ask him what was happening and he wouldn't even answer me because we were in front of other people. I went off to find a nurse and spoke to her and everything was fine and we left straight away. He would never have asked anyone and I think he'd still be sitting there now!
My dad is similar to your partner. Hates the lack of control and anything that is medical, he just can't cope with it. He does admit it but it's difficult at the time.
I remember when it was my nanas funeral and we were waiting at home for the funeral cars to arrive and he was going on and on and on about nothing in particular, noone wanted to talk, we were upset!

Jessie081984 · 12/12/2019 00:48

Iv taken your advice and decided against showing him these posts,but there has been a long discussion tonight about our future. He has agreed to joint counseling so I can actually hear what's being said in his sessions and not just what he tells me.
Il also know straight away if hes spinning bullshit to the counselor all this time!
I agree iv taken this too long,its clear to see he has no coping mechanisms to deal with stress,but it's not up to me to resolve
Personally I think its mental health and narcissism 50/50 now and I had always made excuses for his behavior because "hes not well"
Iv also noticed a link between his erratic behavior and moods and his smoking (weed) or when hes lacking it more so...I know its linked to MH but I thought it was when it was smoked not when he wasnt? Sorry if that's naive of me,iv no experience with drugs tbh

OP posts:
Jessie081984 · 12/12/2019 01:01

Sorry someone asked how he was when I got attention...he really doesn't appreciate it, not like hes jealous but like hes really uncomfortable. He has an autoimmune condition which gives him chronic pain so he usually has a bad pain and holds himself and zones out usually!
After our child was born he was a disaster tho,he hated people calling to see her with gifts and scolded me for dressing her in the outfits that my family had bought when we went to visit them! He had no idea this was the decent polite thing to do and had me in tears over it. He also commented I find all this baby talk boring,why do people not want to talk to us about anything interesting any more? Is this what iv yo listen to from now on? It was humiliating seeing him rant on to family and friends about nonsense when all they wanted to discuss was our new baby!Although that was back in the pre counseling sedative days! Sorry that all came flooding back to me there,and had to get it out!!

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 12/12/2019 03:30

He also commented I find all this baby talk boring,why do people not want to talk to us about anything interesting any more? Is this what iv yo listen to from now on?

So he is jealous of the baby too. Attention to the baby means none for him. He can't deal with it.
This is a huge red flag.

I am sorry, but this isn't MH issues. This is pure narcissism.

And that verbal tactic when he just goes of on random tangents about things too sometimes,so much so I have no idea what the original conversation was about in the first place,but generally this only happens if hes stressed too,but once he starts it's like hes talking at me not too me.
Depending on context (in an argument or serious discussion about the relationship) that is called narcissistic word salad.
In a normal conversation it is purely a matter of erasing you, behaving as if you weren't there.
Either way, it's narcissistic.

The thing with the presents when and if he feels like giving them?
He is erasing you. He decides when you will experience the pleasure of receiving a gift. Your birthday doesn't matter. You will give him the pleasure of responding to a random gift on a day he chooses instead.

.............
What sort of 'boldness' was the DD up to when you had your MC and he was left looking after her?

I don't want to spook you, but I would not leave him alone with the DD, especially as she gets a little older and into the argumentative phase of early childhood.

Does he pay child support for his child with the previous wife?

As many others here have suggested, look very closely at his story of abuse at her hands and his reason not to pursue custody of his child, or at least establish a court ordered visitation schedule.

mathanxiety · 12/12/2019 03:35

It was humiliating seeing him rant on to family and friends about nonsense when all they wanted to discuss was our new baby!

And he used the verbal salad tactic to silence family and friends, out of jealousy.

He is functioning at about the level of a 3 year old in emotional and psychological terms.

Make sure he isn't alone with DD.

Start a serious re-evaluation of the relationship.

Booberella9 · 12/12/2019 04:10

Read up on cannabis psychosis.

His behaviour will get worse if he tries to stop smoking weed. A heavy user will experience withdrawal symptoms which are incredibly scary. This is why people end up smoking "to feel normal". Because as the drug leaves their system they start to experience low mood, anxiety, paranoia and it can even escalate to full blown psychosis requiring detainment because the person becomes a risk to themselves and others.

He has a drug addiction which is causing and contributing to severe MH problems. I would not trust him with a tin of beans

aveenos · 12/12/2019 06:21

As many others here have suggested, look very closely at his story of abuse at her hands and his reason not to pursue custody of his child, or at least establish a court ordered visitation schedule.

this!!!

Stooshie8 · 12/12/2019 07:00

My DH doesn't want me giving my time to others. Wants all the attention on him. So eg elderly DM failing , he never showed interest. I think it's because his DM was quite cold. He is needy for my attention.

How did he end up with an abusive wife, what is his DM like.
Hospital antics - fear of you dying? Fear of lack of control as medical staff call the shots. I would think there is some reason.
My DH is a puppy in hospital, I'm more critical. But DH is rude to people in uniform apart from police - his DF was in army.

Are narcissists born or made?

Stooshie8 · 12/12/2019 07:02

Hadn't finished- more counselling def needed to thrash this out.

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