I am a 70-year-old male who met a wonderful woman in February of 2019. Much to my own surprise, I proposed marriage three months later. She moved in with me and we've had a great year together. Oddly enough, if I had it to do over again, I don't think I would have proposed. The few bad times, as rare as they are, usually found me wishing I was alone. But I thought I had matured out of that. The worst possible event has convinced me otherwise.
She recently had hip replacement surgery that has left her in chronic pain and with uncertain prospects for recovery. I have become her caretaker 24/7. In addition to all the usual issues ("what happened to MY life..."), I have some experience with this. I tried to serve as a full time caretaker to my late mother afflicted with dementia some years ago. It nearly killed me. LITERALLY! I wound up in the hospital for five days.
Naturally, I would prefer not to repeat that history. I think I can do the extra laundry, clean the house and wait on my finance hand and foot. What I CANNOT do is watch her suffer in agony while waiting for the next dosage of semi-ineffective opioid pain medication. I could not watch my 92-year-old mother go through that either and when the option came to allow her to die peacefully in palliative care, it was a comparatively "easy" decision.
This is far different. Karen is only 67. Living with sexual impotency is one thing. Living with the practical circumstantial impotency of being unable to deliver a loved one from chronic pain is MY emotional disability. I want very much to end an engagement I should not have entered into much less enter into a marriage under conditions I would never ordinarily consider were I just beginning a dating relationship.
I wouldn't think of doing it at this point, however. What little family she has is several states away. And I have none. I am committed to trying to facilitate whatever recovery she might realize over the next several months. Assuming something like that happens, however, I am strongly tempted to break things off at that point so that I never have to face the possibility of something like this again.
I, myself, would rather die totally alone and racked with pain in my own bed. I would no more wish my dependency on another than to have it imposed on me.
Am I wrong?
Did she go to rehab? Is she getting physical therapy? How long ago was the surgery?
I think you might be wrong about your fiancée's prospects. How recent was her hip replacement? And why did she need it? And whatever happened with her rehab???
It is not surprising that having been through one protracted caregiving ordeal the thought of another makes your blood run cold. But there are obvious and enormous differences between the two care receivers concerned; and caring for an elderly mother with dementia is in no way comparable to supporting a much younger lady who has just undergone a violent but routine surgical procedure.
It shouldn't, normally, take a 67 year old "several months" to recover from hip replacement (unless there was some difficult underlying condition that made the operation necessary?). What do her doctors say? What is she getting in the way of PT and other support?
In hindsight asking her to marry you within 3 months may not, as u said, have been a good thing. You really need to know someone for a longer time. I do understand where you are coming from. U have not married so you have no responsibility to her financially. Morally, maybe. But not to care 24/7 for her. Help her find the right resources.
What are her finances. If she is low income, she may be able to get Medicaid in home help. That would give you some time away. Your income will not count. Office of Aging may be of help with resources. If she is in pain even with meds, there are doctors who specialize in pain management.
For now, maybe just wait this out. Be there for her now. When her health improves then see how u feel. Its really overwhelming at this point. Maybe there will be a time you can talk to her about how you feel. Don't marry unless ur 100% sure.
Good Luck Charlie.
It's going to hurt no matter how you do it, but you're both better off being honest about it now vs. later.