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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

(TW SA) Continuing support & sharing things…

875 replies

PinkPoetAgaiin · 17/04/2026 12:04

Hi again everyone,

Making a new thread as some of the lovely ladies who have been supporting me for over a month now suggested I can continue to share my thoughts & feelings dealing with sexual & financial abuse (& other things) from my husband who I’ve been with since I was 18 (15 years).

Will be on and off for a bit as young DC is unwell at the moment and that’s taking all my energy.

I am not yet at the point of leaving - please don’t shout at me for being a bad mum. I did get a lot of criticism on my last thread for not getting them out immediately and I just can’t for reasons I explained.

Life feels heavy, but I’m focusing on DC at the moment ❤️

OP posts:
Thread gallery
13
RS1987 · 27/04/2026 17:18

I’m read Gisele Pelicot’s memoir. Her husband / rapist told her, when he’d photograph her in her underwear against her will, that she should be grateful he still found her attractive. Really reminded me of this situation.

ThisJadeBear · 27/04/2026 18:06

RS1987 · 27/04/2026 17:18

I’m read Gisele Pelicot’s memoir. Her husband / rapist told her, when he’d photograph her in her underwear against her will, that she should be grateful he still found her attractive. Really reminded me of this situation.

And when faced with the actual film footage of the rape, for some time Gisele refused to believe it was her husband, even though she could visually see it was him. Horrific.

shoppingred54 · 27/04/2026 18:19

I hope your therapy session was helpful today, Poet. You had a lot to cover. How did you get on with the new woman?

Walig54 · 27/04/2026 18:35

Hopefully you had a fruitful session with new therapist and you have a new perspective on your situation.

sunshinetimes · 27/04/2026 22:04

How are you doing Poet? Hope you are okay.

Muffinmam · 28/04/2026 14:10

PinkPoetAgaiin · 18/04/2026 12:09

I know I shouldn’t compare my situation to others but there’s a thread going on here at the moment where a lady is suffering emotional abuse, I’m not sure what exactly, and she logged it with the police hoping for support /advice. I have been told to do this by a few people but I haven’t - luckily.

She said the police didn’t ‘log it’ and turned up to arrest him!

I am petrified this will happen if I speak to my local women’s aid. Are you absolutely sure that they will not go ahead and report to the police even if I don’t want to ? Or social services? This has really worried me as this lady says she tried to retract her statements and they still arrested him.

Please be honest ! This has planted a seed of doubt as to whether I should discuss with any services other than anonymous hotline/chat which I’ve already done.

Would the worst thing be if the Police arrested him? Would that not be a chance to get out?

I called the Police on my partner. They didn’t arrest him. He ended up getting carted to hospital and was release that night. I had the option for an immediate restraining order which I didn’t obtain.

At the time I contacted every single member of his family and told them what was going on. They believed me.

I’m still here. There’s a severe housing crisis and I am a SAHM. I also have a legal background in family law and know that he would get partial custody.

It sounds like your husband has a personality disorder. His behaviour is that of an abuser and calling him neurodivergent is not a reason or excuse.

The Police told me that there usually is mental health issues in instances of domestic violence.

Something I did do was start writing the abuse down. The time it happened, what precipitated it, what I said and did, what he said and did and where we physically located. I have kept these notes on my phone. If possible I recorded the abuse.

A lot of the abuse was taking place in the car and one time I started recording in the car and my phone connected to the car’s Bluetooth and showed that I was recording.

The reason I kept evidence was so that I could use it for the Affidavit for ex parte custody. This would mean I could file for emergency custody. The evidence was also for permanent custody orders.

Leaving is the most dangerous time for you. So is pregnancy and immediately after child birth.

You need a plan to get away from him.

Years ago I met a woman who was being abused by her husband. She was a nurse and told me she was so broken by the abuse she started taking anti-depressants. One morning she realised that she wasn’t the problem and started putting her medication in his cereal. She said it absolutely worked. He would come home from work and not physically attack her and described to her how calm he had been at work.

I don’t advocate doing what she did - especially the drug she chose. Antidepressants often take months to work and sometimes people can have severe side effects.

In my case I pushed for my partner to be medicated and it has significantly changed his behaviour. The thing is he needs to take medication for the rest of his life. I insisted he see a psychiatrist and his GP. The GP was more help than the psychiatrist.

WallaceinAnderland · 28/04/2026 16:15

He doesn't need medication. He is able to not abuse other people outside the home or in work. If he had a mental health condition it would be apparent in other areas of his life.

missspent · 28/04/2026 16:25

He has also made choices that got to here that are not mental health related. He read a book on how to con women into being with him. He chose to remove Poet’s access to most of the money. He has chosen to rape her on a number of occasions.

Sadly he is actively choosing to be this person every day

bigboykitty · 28/04/2026 16:37

I don't think you can be too careful PP with your threads. Has he ever had access to the email address where MN send your notifications? I think he's very cold and calculating and could keep this a secret. He would use all your self-doubting comments as a defence if he were charged.

AsianBarbie · 28/04/2026 16:52

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AsianBarbie · 28/04/2026 16:57

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missspent · 28/04/2026 17:03

@AsianBarbieHe is a rapist who pins his wife down from behind, even when she is pregnant and puts it in wherever he can while she is asleep. He hurts her in this position and puts his hand on her neck. She is sore from these encounters, for obvious reasons. He is much more than a sex pest.

He has also convinced her all other men are unsafe and he is a saviour, while removing her free access to money.

WallaceinAnderland · 28/04/2026 17:04

@AsianBarbie Read the thread. Your advice is dangerous.

TreesAtSea · 28/04/2026 17:08

@AsianBarbie I haven't commented on any of OP's threads till now, but just have to now. What the hell !?! Telling an abused, frigthtened woman that it's up to her to "fix" her abuser?? Stop using infantilising terms like "sex pest", "boy" etc. He's a man who is physically much stronger than his wife, has used that strength to repeatedly assault her, and he alone is responsible for his actions.

AsianBarbie · 28/04/2026 17:19

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AsianBarbie · 28/04/2026 17:20

Albeit I had not gotten to the holding OPs neck part yet, I will go RTFTs

AsianBarbie · 28/04/2026 17:22

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WallaceinAnderland · 28/04/2026 17:26

AsianBarbie · 28/04/2026 17:20

Albeit I had not gotten to the holding OPs neck part yet, I will go RTFTs

OMG this is not a novel!

DoesthislookgoodOnMe · 28/04/2026 17:27

@AsianBarbie read the thread before giving such carefree advice. There is no reasoning or resistance when you are dealing with an abusing rapist sociopath.
It’s not the posters responsibly to “fix” him. Stop victim blaming! Kindly your advice is unhelpful and dangerous.

AsianBarbie · 28/04/2026 17:28

Although big difference in our situations OP - I totally got the ick with the constant ' I need it everyday, I can't control it, You should be happy I am so attracted to you, our marriage is so intense and sexy blah blah' - I could see through it by then to this man using sex as a crutch as he cant be a grown up and it GAVE ME THE ICK.

Do you genuinely not find sex with him repulsive at this point? I lost the attraction till I stood up then he changed, the attraction came back then. We were friends then and there was respect, it ignited affection if not the attraction from the 20s

DoesthislookgoodOnMe · 28/04/2026 17:30

@AsianBarbie please just stop.

AsianBarbie · 28/04/2026 17:30

Where did I say it was OPs responsibility to fix him

I said stand up to the way you are being treated, this was the best advice I got back then. Replace long emotional conversations about his rape with going out and living your best life and having no time for him anymore. This was the only thing that worked for me

He saw when I was almost strong enough to leave and was staying genuinely only for the kids not for him or any co dependency that is when he manned up. Yes when he stopped asking for sex , is when I actually felt he was manning up, ironically !!!! Because a real man, is focused on love and family not his dick

WallaceinAnderland · 28/04/2026 17:31

Do you genuinely not find sex with him repulsive at this point?

He is raping her, of course she finds it fucking repulsive.

If you bothered to read the thread you'd see that she has deleted this one and is not reading it any more thank god.

throwawayimplantchat · 28/04/2026 17:31

He raped her from behind while she sobbed and was heavily pregnant @AsianBarbie

You suggesting some of the things you’ve suggested she does is offensive and very dangerous.

Commenting on a thread like this with such extreme advice when you haven’t read all OP’s updates (but do know she’s being regularly assaulted and raped) is irresponsible.