Title: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: clydegriffith on October 21, 2014, 10:11:03 AM In retrospect, the very first instance that i recall being taken off the pedestal so to speak was when the BPDx all of a sudden became very upset with get this, my driving habits. All of a sudden she claimed that i drive to slow and/or braked too hard and she seemed really angry about it. Mind you i had driven places with her many times before so i was a bit flabergasted to say the least. It was all down hill from there. A couple of other compleltey irrational violent rages on her part stemmed from being unhappy with how i bagged the groceries one time and also from me driving a friend of mine somewhere as a favor after he had helped us move. I should have gone out sooner but she trapped me with a baby and i felt obligated to her and was trying to do the right thing. How i wish i hadn't.
Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: MrConfusedWithItAll on October 21, 2014, 12:14:22 PM Funny enough my ex started on me for the same thing - my driving was to abrupt, stop and start etc. She is the only one that ever complained about my driving. She could lose it over anything. I would drive to her place after work. On a good day she would be calm. But it was always a 50/50 thing and I was never the sort to put up with nonsense and often would leave as soon as I arrived. She would rage over the silliest of things. I sent a link once to a small people mover for sale - it was obviously below her standards and I had insulted her. The vehicle was actually a sound one and good value. The evening was blasted away just over that. Thank goodness it is now over.
Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Bak86 on October 21, 2014, 12:15:17 PM 4th date. I was asking where it was going... .She told me she wanted to take everything slow. Bad history with men, had to perform sexual acts against her will etc. Told me it could take a long time before we could have sex and she couldn't promise we would ever have sex. It was a HUGE red flag, friends told me to bail, but i simply liked her so much i would think we would have a future. Should've listened to my friends and my gut. lol
Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: AlwaysForgiving on October 21, 2014, 12:35:24 PM I was friends with my exBPD for 10 YEARS before we got into a relationship together and never suspected anything. I picked up that she was a little flaky or ditzy but nothing too out of the ordinary.
When we got romantically involved, it took me about 1-2 months to realize something was "wrong." We were both going through divorces at the time and it was a very stressful time for both of us, but she kept breaking up and getting back with me or break down and sob out of the blue. Even though it was a hard time, I knew that this behavior wasn't normal... .even under the circumstances. She kept this behavior up (plus throw in occasional rage fits) for the next 2 years while we were "together." Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: outside9x on October 21, 2014, 12:37:49 PM Well, after being married 34 years, I didn't really know too much what to expect out there, yeah my luck get hooked up with this smoking hot girl. She came on strong and very sexually too, like, is that a bad thing. Not really. I ate it up. I did everything I could for her.
But I really started to notice is when she told me she been engaged 4 times, married three (she was 58 at the time) but that didn't bother me a whole lot, But then after a month , I found she had no family. She didn't want to be with any of her sisters (3 of them) her brother, hated her Dad, and mom had many mental problems according to her, and only seen her maybe twice a year and that was a big deal to her.  :)Idn't associated with any aunts uncles or cousins, in fact she told me they act mean to her, and basically they are all either Yahoos, or jealous of her. Then the one friend she did have, someone very mild and meek, she was (my exBPD) smoking hot only friend in the world (smoking hot and pay for it with many surgeries) raged at her , over her choosing a lawyer for her house closing because she didn't like him because that was her divorce attorney and she felt he screw her. Believe me, she never ever walks away poor. Also some fits, and multiple pills, crazy bizarre stories and drinking, smoking, and pill popping. Yeah, beeep, beep, drove by all of those, until the sh$t fell all over me. DoaH! Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Fluff on October 21, 2014, 12:42:57 PM Subconsciously(looking at my dream themes) about 2-3 months in, consciously a couple of weeks after the "breakup" as the fog started lifting.
Do you guys remember if you were warned in your dreams before you really got it? OT, Speaking of dreams, I rarely remember my dreams but a couple of days ago I remembered one and I told my therapist about it and he analyzed it. I can't believe I didn't see it myself. The dream ended with me standing on the shore looking out at a big horizon. In front of me was an impossibly long cargo ship. My T told me, it seems you're about to leave this behind you, on a cargo ship. You're carrying a lot. I smiled. I knew it was true. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Zeo500 on October 21, 2014, 12:45:32 PM On the 2nd date when she told me that sometimes on 1st dates with men she would "bolt out" in the middle of the date, leaving the man trailing behind her asking "What's wrong?" because the man would either answer/or check their texts messages or mention an ex.
Even more when I said something once that bothered her (which was rather minor), instead of talking about it with me she sends me a text saying " I don't want to see you anymore. You are not my type." The next morning I called her and she had a rage attack. I let it go but I knew the relationship was done. And things were never the same. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Isa_lala on October 21, 2014, 12:51:33 PM after his first rage outburst (5 months after we started dating) on the phone because I asked a good friend (male friend) to babysit my boy when I was attending a diner at night with my colleagues, instead of asking him to take care of my son... .since then, it has been followed by many fits of anger or rage outburst for things that appeared to me as very insignificant.
Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Agent_of_Chaos on October 21, 2014, 01:03:19 PM When I met her she was a damsel in distress. She had just ventured off and finally rented a place of her own. I found it to be very noble of her. As the friendship unfolded and we delved deeper into each others history she painted a heartbreaking picture of her life. I was inspired by her, interested, and emotionally distraught myself.
We hit it off and things moved quickly. It wasn't until 8-9 months where I questioned things. She would do things that made no sense. It could be as simple as telling me that she vacuumed the carpet when she obviously hadn't. I really didn't think much of the white lies. I chalked it up to her being "silly". When I noticed she was texting with an EX... .I felt like that was the first breach of trust. Foolishly I looked past it and kept on moving. As our relationship went on there were white lies, awkward situations, but I just kept telling myself she'll grow out of it. It will change. If I can just show her how much I love her and how special she is... .I won't let her self destruct. She suffered from depression but she was taking meds for it. Prior to this situation I never realized how serious illnesses could be. Call me what you want but I was utterly clueless. Towards the end of our relationship red flags had been popping up more frequently and I found myself running dry with patience. I felt as if I were in a relationship with myself. No matter how often I told her I needed to feel like she was going to pull her weight, no matter how many times I asked her Why she did ____ knowing it would hurt me, I chose to hang in there. I genuinely believed things would iron themselves out if I just kept trying. 3 years later and she hauled @$$ out of state and I'm left here with my heart in my hands. I'm still scratching my head asking myself, "How the hell did I think this was normal". Odd as it may seem our relationship wasn't on the rocks. We weren't fighting. I was mentally exhausted but I wasn't ready to hang my hat up. I probably never would have because I believed in her. I believed in us. How messed up is it that a small part of me... .still does? Reading these boards and doing my own research seems bittersweet. While it definitely connects all the dots, in all honesty it cuts a little deeper. It makes me realize how broken my relationship truly was when all the while I thought we had a fighting chance. She truly had me fooled but I think the harder truth is, I had fooled myself. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: gentquality on October 21, 2014, 01:20:22 PM great question. It wasn't one thing that happened. It was many, I realized that every emotion she was feeling (stemming from her insecurities) were directly all blamed at me. How I "made her feel" like this and that. She had a huge sense of entitlement where she felt like she deserved all of my free time, all of my discretionary income and if I didn't it meant I didn't love her. Basically she was extremely emotionally immature, and often times she would say wow you're the best and you love me so much! the next day she would say you don't love me and etc.
Come to find out her mother is the SAME person as her. Often times her mother calls her 10-15 times a day when I'm with her. And if she doesn't pick up it's followed by nasty text messages saying "if you don't pick up again, I'll kill myself" I ran far far away. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: clydegriffith on October 21, 2014, 01:30:04 PM When I met her she was a damsel in distress. She had just ventured off and finally rented a place of her own. I found it to be very noble of her. As the friendship unfolded and we delved deeper into each others history she painted a heartbreaking picture of her life. I was inspired by her, interested, and emotionally distraught myself. We hit it off and things moved quickly. It wasn't until 8-9 months where I questioned things. She would do things that made no sense. It could be as simple as telling me that she vacuumed the carpet when she obviously hadn't. I really didn't think much of the white lies. I chalked it up to her being "silly". When I noticed she was texting with an EX... .I felt like that was the first breach of trust. Foolishly I looked past it and kept on moving. As our relationship went on there were white lies, awkward situations, but I just kept telling myself she'll grow out of it. It will change. If I can just show her how much I love her and how special she is... .I won't let her self destruct. She suffered from depression but she was taking meds for it. Prior to this situation I never realized how serious illnesses could be. Call me what you want but I was utterly clueless. Towards the end of our relationship red flags had been popping up more frequently and I found myself running dry with patience. I felt as if I were in a relationship with myself. No matter how often I told her I needed to feel like she was going to pull her weight, no matter how many times I asked her Why she did ____ knowing it would hurt me, I chose to hang in there. I genuinely believed things would iron themselves out if I just kept trying. 3 years later and she hauled @$$ out of state and I'm left here with my heart in my hands. I'm still scratching my head asking myself, "How the hell did I think this was normal". Odd as it may seem our relationship wasn't on the rocks. We weren't fighting. I was mentally exhausted but I wasn't ready to hang my hat up. I probably never would have because I believed in her. I believed in us. How messed up is it that a small part of me... .still does? Reading these boards and doing my own research seems bittersweet. While it definitely connects all the dots, in all honesty it cuts a little deeper. It makes me realize how broken my relationship truly was when all the while I thought we had a fighting chance. She truly had me fooled but I think the harder truth is, I had fooled myself. I'm seeing a trend here of "damsel in distress" and "things moved quickly" which is exactly what happened to me. She would tell me her x-husband used to beat her and now i'm thinking if he ever laid a hand on her she most certainly deserved it. That woman is fully capable of sending the pope into a murderous rage. As for the "the things moving quickly" part, she was pregnant wihin two months of us meeting. Everything with the future replacements has also moved quickly as she went from being engaged to one guy for a few months to getting pregnant by someone else shortly thereafter. She can't just date anyone like a normal person, there is always this immediate extreme that puts some sort of obligation on her victim. I'm just left wondering how long she can keep this up and what will happen when the currently relationship she's in ends in disaster just like all the others. She now has 4 kids under 6 years old by 3 different guys and is only in her mid 20s. If that doesn't make her radioactive towards anyone that would even entertain the possibility of commiting to her i dont know what will. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Pingo on October 21, 2014, 01:52:18 PM In retrospect, the very first instance that i recall being taken off the pedestal so to speak was when the BPDx all of a sudden became very upset with get this, my driving habits. All of a sudden she claimed that i drive to slow and/or braked too hard and she seemed really angry about it. Mind you i had driven places with her many times before so i was a bit flabergasted to say the least. It was all down hill from there. A couple of other compleltey irrational violent rages on her part stemmed from being unhappy with how i bagged the groceries one time and also from me driving a friend of mine somewhere as a favor after he had helped us move. I should have gone out sooner but she trapped me with a baby and i felt obligated to her and was trying to do the right thing. How i wish i hadn't. That's funny because my first red flag was about driving too. But not mine, his. On our 5th date. He had seemed like such a calm, relaxed guy (haha)... .we had gone on a road trip and met a lot of holiday traffic on the way back. He interrupted me mid sentence to yell at some drivers. Then continued to do so. No one was doing anything wrong, just a lot of volume. I remember feeling so disappointed, realising he was 'one of those guys' who rages at other drivers. Thought maybe I was being too nit-picking so let it go. It ended up being an issue, the first of so many, throughout our entire r/s. But I really started to notice is when she told me she been engaged 4 times, married three (she was 58 at the time) but that didn't bother me a whole lot, But then after a month , I found she had no family. She didn't want to be with any of her sisters (3 of them) her brother, hated her Dad, and mom had many mental problems according to her, and only seen her maybe twice a year and that was a big deal to her. DIdn't associated with any aunts uncles or cousins, in fact she told me they act mean to her, and basically they are all either Yahoos, or jealous of her. This is why I can't imagine how I'll ever find a healthy guy who won't run for the hills when he finds out that my story is so similar to this lady's. I have been engaged a total of 4 times. I am now going to be divorced twice. I am estranged from my parents for almost 5 yrs now. I don't see/speak to my siblings, they live 5000 km away. And I don't communicate with aunts or uncles, only a couple of nieces. I don't like that it is this way but that's what happens when you come from a completely dysfunctional family. Sucks. Who's going to want to date me other than needy, pathetic men? Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Tater tot on October 21, 2014, 01:55:25 PM Two things: When I mentioned that I had smoked a cigar with friends, he said, "you smoked a cigar, I don't want to hear that, I want to keep you on the pedestal." Literally said that. The other BIGGER was he talked about both his ex-wife and fiance cheated on him. When we reconnected I was still in the ends of my relationship with a previous bf. He didn't seem to mind that I was engaging in a relationship with him (not physical) while not out of my current relationship.
Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Agent_of_Chaos on October 21, 2014, 02:05:22 PM I'm seeing a trend here of "damsel in distress" and "things moved quickly" which is exactly what happened to me. She would tell me her x-husband used to beat her and now i'm thinking if he ever laid a hand on her she most certainly deserved it. That woman is fully capable of sending the pope into a murderous rage.
As for the "the things moving quickly" part, she was pregnant wihin two months of us meeting. Everything with the future replacements has also moved quickly as she went from being engaged to one guy for a few months to getting pregnant by someone else shortly thereafter. She can't just date anyone like a normal person, there is always this immediate extreme that puts some sort of obligation on her victim. I'm just left wondering how long she can keep this up and what will happen when the currently relationship she's in ends in disaster just like all the others. She now has 4 kids under 6 years old by 3 different guys and is only in her mid 20s. If that doesn't make her radioactive towards anyone that would even entertain the possibility of commiting to her i dont know what will. [/quote] Now that I am reflecting about the demise of our relationship there is an over abundance of EVERYTHING that I question. She always painted her previous partners or abusive, promiscuous, etc. While I was in a relationship with her it broke my heart to hear that. Noting this, I always strived to go above and beyond. I wanted her to feel loved, appreciated, RESPECTED. Now I question everything. I don't know if anything was the truth. I don't know if I knew her at all considering she doesn't know herself. I have my assumptions that she moved out of state to be with an ex. I am not 100% certain but the gut doesn't lie right? I can't believe this is where we are. I can't believe she would do this to me. I know I am echoing a thousand voices before me. I simply don't know, and that my friend is maddening in itself. This break up has turned out to be much more layered than I initially thought. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: outside9x on October 21, 2014, 03:19:36 PM Dear Pingo,
Please do not give up. Though I said those were red flags, I did hang in there with her. One never know since it does sound very unusal but, like I said, it was more about how those things happen to me as time went on. She proved to be the same person with me as with them. No one could help her. Her one sister would write and call but then something would set her off. SHe wasn't trusting at all. Like she told me her husband set her up and tape an espsiode of her screamming and raging but even that, know can be a setup though one could rage if under constant barrage, anyone could, so I just called that a toss up. But when all these things started happenning to me, and she shed her only friend like yesterday's news saying she doesn't need friends that badly (she has none) and the raging and out of the blue raging, like we be holding hands one minute in love sitting next to each other, then , bam, she go off. Maybe i didn't handle it all so well, but I never yelled back, or called her names, or made fun of her etc, but she never ever said after those events she was sorry which is almost uncaring and weird. After awhile, I did start emailing her after these events because she never took repsonsibility and blame me, so I remember saying, to her, just think who the common denominator is in all these outburst. IS everyone else wrong, and bad. It's always them never you. I probably shouldn't have said that but I was very hurt and mad, since I cared and loved her deeply. You will stand on your own merit. If you have these things, sure, they maybe a bit suspicious, you can't blame them but, over time, these should be dispelled. Sure everyone argues or disagrees , but it's how you work things out that's important. It's how you care for one another. It's never one sided, and like I said, if I knew more about SET, it could of been better but I doubt in the end it would matter since it was, and always has been just about her emotions, her needs, and no matter waht, you could never do enough. You'll be fine, sometimes, things just start off wrong, so you don't need to please the heck out of someone, just be yourself. You'll be oK. I know it! Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Pingo on October 21, 2014, 03:35:18 PM Dear Pingo, Please do not give up. Though I said those were red flags, I did hang in there with her. One never know since it does sound very unusal but, like I said, it was more about how those things happen to me as time went on. She proved to be the same person with me as with them. No one could help her. Her one sister would write and call but then something would set her off. SHe wasn't trusting at all. Like she told me her husband set her up and tape an espsiode of her screamming and raging but even that, know can be a setup though one could rage if under constant barrage, anyone could, so I just called that a toss up. But when all these things started happenning to me, and she shed her only friend like yesterday's news saying she doesn't need friends that badly (she has none) and the raging and out of the blue raging, like we be holding hands one minute in love sitting next to each other, then , bam, she go off. Maybe i didn't handle it all so well, but I never yelled back, or called her names, or made fun of her etc, but she never ever said after those events she was sorry which is almost uncaring and weird. After awhile, I did start emailing her after these events because she never took repsonsibility and blame me, so I remember saying, to her, just think who the common denominator is in all these outburst. IS everyone else wrong, and bad. It's always them never you. I probably shouldn't have said that but I was very hurt and mad, since I cared and loved her deeply. You will stand on your own merit. If you have these things, sure, they maybe a bit suspicious, you can't blame them but, over time, these should be dispelled. Sure everyone argues or disagrees , but it's how you work things out that's important. It's how you care for one another. It's never one sided, and like I said, if I knew more about SET, it could of been better but I doubt in the end it would matter since it was, and always has been just about her emotions, her needs, and no matter waht, you could never do enough. You'll be fine, sometimes, things just start off wrong, so you don't need to please the heck out of someone, just be yourself. You'll be oK. I know it! Thanks for the encouraging words, I know that we cannot put everyone in one basket, if someone presumes I'm too damaged to get to know then they are probably not the type for me anyhow. I definitely need room in my next r/s for making mistakes or being less than perfect, this was a big issue in my r/s with my exh and I'll be damned if I ever bend myself into a pretzel in order to try to please someone again! These days I'm happy to be single and maybe I'll just stay that way, not because I can't get something but because I just want to have a free and easy life for a change. Isn't it a little disturbing though how when people list their red flags, etc you find parts of yourself in different aspects? It always reminds me that we all have 'baggage', even the 'healthy' people. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Mr. Solo on October 21, 2014, 03:38:43 PM In retrospect, the very first instance that i recall being taken off the pedestal so to speak was when the BPDx all of a sudden became very upset with get this, my driving habits. All of a sudden she claimed that i drive to slow and/or braked too hard and she seemed really angry about it. Mind you i had driven places with her many times before so i was a bit flabergasted to say the least. It was all down hill from there. A couple of other compleltey irrational violent rages on her part stemmed from being unhappy with how i bagged the groceries one time and also from me driving a friend of mine somewhere as a favor after he had helped us move. I should have gone out sooner but she trapped me with a baby and i felt obligated to her and was trying to do the right thing. How i wish i hadn't. After fourteen years of marriage. dBPDw cheated with a girl twelve years younger, told me she was a lesbian, decided to leave, was very cruel, revised our marriage history, decided she didn't want all our kids (just the youngest), started smoking cigarettes, started smoking marijuana, started drinking, started spending money we didn't have, etc. But if I had to pick one moment for sure, it would be when she was hanging out with her new "friend" and I needed her to come home because I literally could not move (disabled veteran with back problems). I wasn't able to take care of our three children very well and she refused to come home. She came home the next morning about 7am. That's the first time I remember thinking, "What the **** is going on?" Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: DazedAndConfusedinNC on October 21, 2014, 04:13:21 PM I was friends with my exBPD for 10 YEARS before we got into a relationship together and never suspected anything. I picked up that she was a little flaky or ditzy but nothing too out of the ordinary. When we got romantically involved, it took me about 1-2 months to realize something was "wrong." We were both going through divorces at the time and it was a very stressful time for both of us, but she kept breaking up and getting back with me or break down and sob out of the blue. Even though it was a hard time, I knew that this behavior wasn't normal... .even under the circumstances. She kept this behavior up (plus throw in occasional rage fits) for the next 2 years while we were "together." Your story sounds eerily similar to mine. I was told that BPD seek out weak people or people when they are weak and leave if they get strong. You can't control and strong and healthy person. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Mr. Solo on October 21, 2014, 04:44:08 PM I was friends with my exBPD for 10 YEARS before we got into a relationship together and never suspected anything. I picked up that she was a little flaky or ditzy but nothing too out of the ordinary. When we got romantically involved, it took me about 1-2 months to realize something was "wrong." We were both going through divorces at the time and it was a very stressful time for both of us, but she kept breaking up and getting back with me or break down and sob out of the blue. Even though it was a hard time, I knew that this behavior wasn't normal... .even under the circumstances. She kept this behavior up (plus throw in occasional rage fits) for the next 2 years while we were "together." Your story sounds eerily similar to mine. I was told that BPD seek out weak people or people when they are weak and leave if they get strong. You can't control and strong and healthy person. Yep. After my wife flipped out I put up with it for 3.5 years but as soon as I started standing up for myself and our kids, it got ten times worse. And, of course, she said the problem was she stood up to me. HAHA. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: DazedAndConfusedinNC on October 21, 2014, 09:22:35 PM I was friends with my exBPD for 10 YEARS before we got into a relationship together and never suspected anything. I picked up that she was a little flaky or ditzy but nothing too out of the ordinary. When we got romantically involved, it took me about 1-2 months to realize something was "wrong." We were both going through divorces at the time and it was a very stressful time for both of us, but she kept breaking up and getting back with me or break down and sob out of the blue. Even though it was a hard time, I knew that this behavior wasn't normal... .even under the circumstances. She kept this behavior up (plus throw in occasional rage fits) for the next 2 years while we were "together." Your story sounds eerily similar to mine. I was told that BPD seek out weak people or people when they are weak and leave if they get strong. You can't control and strong and healthy person. Yep. After my wife flipped out I put up with it for 3.5 years but as soon as I started standing up for myself and our kids, it got ten times worse. And, of course, she said the problem was she stood up to me. HAHA. I learned too late that my ex was busy building a case of "abuse" with her Facebook "friends" and portrayed herself as a "survivor." It amazes me how they can so easily turn what they do onto us and people line up to believe them and so easily, whether it's driving complaints, fights that they start and twist or whatever. It makes me sick. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Mr. Solo on October 21, 2014, 10:42:07 PM I learned too late that my ex was busy building a case of "abuse" with her Facebook "friends" and portrayed herself as a "survivor." It amazes me how they can so easily turn what they do onto us and people line up to believe them and so easily, whether it's driving complaints, fights that they start and twist or whatever. It makes me sick. That happened to me as well. The last 6-7 months we were together dBPDw had been grooming her friends for what she apparently was planning to do (leave/take the kids). She even convinced a mutual friend of ours, who has known me since I was six years old, I was crazy. She isolated me from her friends so they had no idea what was really going on and every time she hung out with them she filled them full of bull. When we went to court she had the friend I mentioned draw up an affidavit against me and it was basically like my wife typed it for her. The first time I saw this friend after court I leaned in, looked her in the eyes, and said, "You know better." She hung her head and walked off. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Lion Fire on October 22, 2014, 04:15:06 AM I knew something was wrong when we were "friends". She was flakey and mercurial and although she was in a relationship she was intense with me, telling me that she wanted to be with me and was only with her bf because I was not available to her. tbh, this was a huge red flag for me and I distanced myself from her at the time. She kept probing at regular intervals, just checking out my defenses. I was being well groomed... .
The biggest red flags were when she had a failed suicide attempt last year, was sectioned by the mental health authorities and she told me that she was in therapy for BPD. Strange thing is, that's when I decided to actually make a go of it and commit to having a r/s with her, I went ahead despite the treacherous indications. This says as much about my mental state at the time as her's. In hindsight, I was off my head :) I completely ignored all warning signs, my inner voice and dove head first into an insane r/s. I still shake my head when I reflect on this. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Infared on October 22, 2014, 04:53:56 AM I learned too late that my ex was busy building a case of "abuse" with her Facebook "friends" and portrayed herself as a "survivor." It amazes me how they can so easily turn what they do onto us and people line up to believe them and so easily, whether it's driving complaints, fights that they start and twist or whatever. It makes me sick. This was the most upsetting part for me as well. My ex hooked up with her new supply and just told lie after lie to everyone to set up moving out on me behind my back. She set up this whole victim situation and told people God-knows-what about me to get what she wanted and never mentioned the new supply to anyone. I really loved and respected both her and her parents and the last time I ever saw them was on Christmas Day, knowing she was leaving me and that I would never see them again... .and I can't tell you how confused I was at the time and then... after she ran off and I see how I was duped and abused I just could not put into words how much it hurt. All the time as soon as she was out from under our roof she seemed to be enjoying how well her plans worked out and how much she was able to hurt me. It left me so empty and jaded. It was the sickest thing that I have ever been through and if I had not actually lived through it. I could not believe that a person could be that unbelievably selfish and knowingly hurtful and deceptive to someone that she shared 5-years of her life with. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: DazedAndConfusedinNC on October 22, 2014, 06:52:57 AM I really can't believe how all our stories sound so similar, like we dated the same person. My ex was working the angle for months too, even convincing my best friend's wife that I was abusive and that I called her the "ice princess."
I wake up at night and think she's still next to me, but she was already with someone new, 4 short weeks after we ended. She was probably already with him when we ended. Who is on a help website and who is out "enjoying" their "new life?" Who is struggling to come to terms and who has moved on? I think the actions and what we're all going through speak to who the true victims are. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Agent_of_Chaos on October 22, 2014, 08:45:17 AM I really can't believe how all our stories sound so similar, like we dated the same person. My ex was working the angle for months too, even convincing my best friend's wife that I was abusive and that I called her the "ice princess." I wake up at night and think she's still next to me, but she was already with someone new, 4 short weeks after we ended. She was probably already with him when we ended. Who is on a help website and who is out "enjoying" their "new life?" Who is struggling to come to terms and who has moved on? I think the actions and what we're all going through speak to who the true victims are. I had to take the extra pillows off the bed because it was too painful. It seems so silly but the unforgiving ache is inexplicable. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Silveron on October 22, 2014, 10:31:49 AM I was friends with my wife for a year and although she told me a couple of things about her past I felt she had a really good head on her shoulders. We became a couple a year later (she had a bf who literally never was around for her). She pushed for engagement and within 10 months were married. Things went way downhill from there. Living in my house with me, being married and new job... I thought that would be causing the stress that she was snapping so much at me... Found out she was in contact w her ex as well. She was not the same girl I knew, and honestly I didn't know anything about BPD until a few weeks ago and she has just about all the signs of it. Married 10 years now with a daughter and I've become numb to her daily verbal assaults. I'm on empty. I now just concentrate on our daughter.
Her dad is the same exact way as her. It seems like people with BPD had a bad family life when they were young and they are emotionally stuck at that age when the damage started. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Isa_lala on October 22, 2014, 01:57:58 PM Her dad is the same exact way as her. It seems like people with BPD had a bad family life when they were young and they are emotionally stuck at that age when the damage started. My BF had a very bad childhood. I think that a lot of BPD have had a difficult childhood... . Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: RedDove on October 22, 2014, 02:18:32 PM Yup, same here, my ex BPDbf sent me a "Love Letter" for my Birthday 13 days after our first date. The letter described his painful childhood, he wasn't loved nor did he feel cared for by his parents, and a burden due to being a sickly child who almost died at the age of 6.
On the 3rd date he told me "all" of his exes had cheated on him, including his wife (separated 3 years, not divorced). Being a caretaker and rescuer, I fell for his victimization hook, line and sinker! Glad to be out of the FOG now for 4 months and dealimg with my FOO issues and recovery! Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Tater tot on October 22, 2014, 05:05:28 PM On the 3rd date he told me "all" of his exes had cheated on him, including his wife (separated 3 years, not divorced). Being a caretaker and rescuer, I fell for his victimization hook, line and sinker! Red Dove, I'd be curious to see how many of our exes were cheated on by "every one" of their exes- probably every ex, of everyone on this board. I know mine was, or so he said. I am also the rescuer that felt like I could save him. I wanted to save him from (1) the hurt that all these terrible woman who truly didn't appreciate how special he was and cheated on him (2) painful childhood of not being appreciated by his father (3) the toxic life he led (for some reason it never occured to me that the toxicity was his own doing) (4) the boss that didn't value his work ethic (5) the finacial ruin the divorce caused him (5) the learning disability that prevented him from being confident enough to finish his education (6) to be the mother figure to his child that his child deserved and to create a stable family life... .oh the list could go on. Seriously, so happy to be out of the FOG and into the light. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Pingo on October 22, 2014, 05:09:51 PM On the 3rd date he told me "all" of his exes had cheated on him, including his wife (separated 3 years, not divorced). Being a caretaker and rescuer, I fell for his victimization hook, line and sinker! Red Dove, I'd be curious to see how many of our exes were cheated on by "every one" of their exes- probably every ex, of everyone on this board. I know mine was, or so he said. Maybe you should start this thread! I can attest that mine told me within the first month that all his exes had cheated on him... .which became his excuse for his suspicious jealousy... .and stupid me I figured that I would just be open and loving and he would see I was trustworthy and everything would be just fine! Haha! He invaded my privacy reading anything personal he could get his hands on throughout our entire r/s! Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Tater tot on October 22, 2014, 05:15:23 PM On the 3rd date he told me "all" of his exes had cheated on him, including his wife (separated 3 years, not divorced). Being a caretaker and rescuer, I fell for his victimization hook, line and sinker! Red Dove, I'd be curious to see how many of our exes were cheated on by "every one" of their exes- probably every ex, of everyone on this board. I know mine was, or so he said. Maybe you should start this thread! I can attest that mine told me within the first month that all his exes had cheated on him... .which became his excuse for his suspicious jealousy... .and stupid me I figured that I would just be open and loving and he would see I was trustworthy and everything would be just fine! Okay, we are up to three people in less than 5 minutes. I'd also be curious to see if this more common in men wBPD or females? I know it certainly tugged about my heartstrings that he was wronged by so many females in the past and I could show him what true love and commitment really looked like... .yep, hook, line and sinker :) Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: clydegriffith on October 22, 2014, 05:29:32 PM On the 3rd date he told me "all" of his exes had cheated on him, including his wife (separated 3 years, not divorced). Being a caretaker and rescuer, I fell for his victimization hook, line and sinker! Red Dove, I'd be curious to see how many of our exes were cheated on by "every one" of their exes- probably every ex, of everyone on this board. I know mine was, or so he said. Maybe you should start this thread! I can attest that mine told me within the first month that all his exes had cheated on him... .which became his excuse for his suspicious jealousy... .and stupid me I figured that I would just be open and loving and he would see I was trustworthy and everything would be just fine! Okay, we are up to three people in less than 5 minutes. I'd also be curious to see if this more common in men wBPD or females? I know it certainly tugged about my heartstrings that he was wronged by so many females in the past and I could show him what true love and commitment really looked like... .yep, hook, line and sinker :) The BPDx also calimed she had been wronged by all her Xs. Her former husband supposedly beat her, the boyfriend she had before that cheated on her with her cousin, etc. All lies. She went as far as to fabricate some BS about her being the way she is because she was raped in High School by one of her classmates. I do not believe that either. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Pingo on October 22, 2014, 05:42:37 PM The BPDx also calimed she had been wronged by all her Xs. Her former husband supposedly beat her, the boyfriend she had before that cheated on her with her cousin, etc. All lies. She went as far as to fabricate some BS about her being the way she is because she was raped in High School by one of her classmates. I do not believe that either. Yeah I have to wonder if there is any truth to any of the cheating mine said all his exes did to him... .because frankly I was terrified of the consequences if I should ever cheat (not that I was tempted at any point). I always felt he'd be capable of violence or kill me if I ever cheated. Can't imagine these other women wouldn't have thought similar things. And for him to not have sought vengeance in ALL these wrongdoings? Doubtful. Makes me wonder what he's saying about me to everyone lol Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: OV-105 on October 22, 2014, 05:43:25 PM It was fairly early on, but I chalked it up to "one of those things". She needed me to do some video work for a client of hers. It took several tries to schedule a day with the client, and with each new turn and twist she would call or email, increasingly agitated. She finally found a day that worked for her and the client - a day I was already booked, so when we next spoke, I told her that it might have been a good idea to check with me first... . You'd have thought I had slapped her in the face. "I'm just crushed," she said. I spent the next several hours trying to make amends. But that incident stuck in my mind long after things started to fall apart in more obvious ways - being taken off the pedestal, having her get snarky about lots of things, and the beginning of an ever-increasing cycle of push/pull.
I can look back now and spot where thing went wrong, and then wrong again, almost to the day. But I'd never even heard of BPD and had absolutely no idea what I was dealing with, and how these people can turn our self-esteem and self image completely inside out, and have us questioning our own sanity. And no, I'm still not over her. Recovering, enlightened, sadder and wiser... .but not totally over her. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: SickofMe on October 22, 2014, 05:47:13 PM WOW! All of my x's exes cheated on him, too! lol
Wonder if it's because he didn't ever want to have sex... .like, ever. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: SickofMe on October 22, 2014, 05:51:18 PM Excerpt Okay, we are up to three people in less than 5 minutes. I'd also be curious to see if this more common in men wBPD or females? I know it certainly tugged about my heartstrings that he was wronged by so many females in the past and I could show him what true love and commitment really looked like... .yep, hook, line and sinker smiley Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I hope it's okay, this made me LOL. Gallows humor. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Blimblam on October 22, 2014, 06:46:27 PM The film Rashoman is 1 story from 4 perspectives. The observer sees all.
When did you realize something was wrong? When did I realize something was wrong? Wrong was something. Realize you did. When? Wrong was something. Realize I did. When? Yin yang Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Tater tot on October 22, 2014, 06:59:57 PM Excerpt Okay, we are up to three people in less than 5 minutes. I'd also be curious to see if this more common in men wBPD or females? I know it certainly tugged about my heartstrings that he was wronged by so many females in the past and I could show him what true love and commitment really looked like... .yep, hook, line and sinker smiley Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I hope it's okay, this made me LOL. Gallows humor. Oh I can totally laugh at the absurdity of it all now... .What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall in some of his previous relationship. Especially with the one the supposedly stabbed him in the leg with a screwdriver :) Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: anxiety5 on October 23, 2014, 12:17:33 AM I realized immediately when she wanted to see me all the time. Like, every day. I'd pay 1000.00 to be the me of then, now. I would blow her off, and didn't care.
One of the blessings is having a mac and iMessage archives to my computer. I have gig's of text messages archived by day automatically. This was one of the drivers to make me break things off in the end (which was literally 48 hours ago) I see it now. Reading those old messages. The ego centric nature of our "conversation" Every part of the conversation had to do with extracting affirmation. Plus the laughable (to me now) things she said to me that made me feel so good. I do 100x more for her a year later than I did obviously as a perfect stranger yet she treated me better then. I can honestly say my tone is pretty much the same then as it was now. I see the times she started pulling away. I see the days the texts stopped coming back to me (probably cheated on me those nights) I see her get agitated more over time. I see her sexuality begin to subside. I see how the things I told her where met with equally loving replies began to go unresponsive or "thanks for saying this stuff to me" I can see the desperation in me as I try to figure out why she's so upset with me. I have an archive of our relationship for reading at all times. It's helpful but also sad. I know I need to love myself more and better. I read the texts from me in those early month(s) and can recall the feeling of absolute joy I had. I feel terrible for that person, the former me. Did I stay in too long? Yes. Does that mean I'm not a victim? Yes, I can accept the fact I made choices. Does it make it hurt any less? No. I can honestly say, my intentions were the best. I saw a future with her. She was the one for me. She made me feel alive and that all those cliches about eternal bliss could be real. Even in the end, even today if she really needed me critically, I would be there for her. I loved her. And part of me always will. But it's not so much her, as much as the idea of who she presented herself as. I really feel the turmoil these people put you through is worse than any physical pain possible. It's invisible. It's omnipresent. You not only feel pain, it's unidentifiable to where it comes from therefore there is no way to treat it. A gaping wound that can reopen at the sound of a song, driving by the place we first met, it lingers on with you. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: camuse on October 23, 2014, 02:39:16 AM On the 3rd date he told me "all" of his exes had cheated on him, including his wife (separated 3 years, not divorced). Being a caretaker and rescuer, I fell for his victimization hook, line and sinker! Red Dove, I'd be curious to see how many of our exes were cheated on by "every one" of their exes- probably every ex, of everyone on this board. I know mine was, or so he said. Maybe you should start this thread! I can attest that mine told me within the first month that all his exes had cheated on him... .which became his excuse for his suspicious jealousy... .and stupid me I figured that I would just be open and loving and he would see I was trustworthy and everything would be just fine! Okay, we are up to three people in less than 5 minutes. I'd also be curious to see if this more common in men wBPD or females? I know it certainly tugged about my heartstrings that he was wronged by so many females in the past and I could show him what true love and commitment really looked like... .yep, hook, line and sinker :) Well mine had a terribly sad story - she was abused by a boyfriend, and another man came along and saved her, took her to another city and away from all that abuse. But this man changed, he started to abuse her too! He hated her, and she had to be saved by another guy, who took her away again to another new city! The old guy tried to get revenge, for no reason - she didn't do anything to him , but you know - this latest guy, he turned out to be an abuser too! Such a sad story. I remember feeling so sorry for her falling into the hands of all these abusers. Of course, now I see she didn't include the terrible things she almost certainly did to these guys - and the fact they probably didn't abuse her at all. Now someone will be hearing the same about me, how I abused her and she had to be saved. ANd that guy will feel sad for her ... .until he is the latest "abuser" she tells the next one about. and the next, and the next, and the next... . Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: camuse on October 23, 2014, 05:45:38 AM Excerpt Okay, we are up to three people in less than 5 minutes. I'd also be curious to see if this more common in men wBPD or females? I know it certainly tugged about my heartstrings that he was wronged by so many females in the past and I could show him what true love and commitment really looked like... .yep, hook, line and sinker :) Well mine had a terribly sad story - she was abused by a boyfriend, and another man came along and saved her, took her to another city and away from all that abuse. But this man changed, he started to abuse her too! He hated her, and she had to be saved by another guy, who took her away again to another new city! The old guy tried to get revenge, for no reason - she didn't do anything to him , but you know - this latest guy, he turned out to be an abuser too! Such a sad story. I remember feeling so sorry for her falling into the hands of all these abusers. Of course, now I see she didn't include the terrible things she almost certainly did to these guys - and the fact they probably didn't abuse her at all. Now someone will be hearing the same about me, how I abused her and she had to be saved. ANd that guy will feel sad for her ... .until he is the latest "abuser" she tells the next one about. and the next, and the next, and the next... . Looking back, the stories didn't quite add up - for example, in one case he cheated on her, then to hurt her told someone about his replacement - but how would he have known about him unless she had "overlapped" the relationships. All total lies. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: borderdude on October 23, 2014, 07:55:07 AM Do you guys remember if you were warned in your dreams before you really got it?
===================================== Yes I was ... . The dream was strange did not understand it at first Me and my BPD ex was sitting on a bed , in other side of the room , a unknown person sat and spoke with us. This person seemed nice , I got the impression he suffered from alcohol problems that's all. Later on I understood the dream, that person tried to warn about this RS. After this I was a little more aware about red flags. A friend of mine , been in RS 15+ years of BPD misery , he is sitting drinking every day , cannot forget her , still tries to save her, but he cannot save even himself. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: antonio1213 on November 01, 2014, 07:36:41 PM I knew there was something corky within the first month of talking to her. She told me she was very impulsive, talked like she had no remorse or empathy for things she had done to people. Ex) she went up to this guy and told him his sister was ugly and didn't really think anything was wrong with it. And she said she didn't do relationships well. In fact our first date was I picked her up and we went to a party, she danced with some guys when I wasn't there. Though in her defense we weren't really dating but we liked each other.
The fog lifted about 3 months in, she told me she had impulses to break up with me all the time and blamed things on me, her anger and bitterness really started to come out. It is amazing I got her to move in with me and we dated for 2.5 years. Don't know how I did it... . Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Blimblam on November 01, 2014, 08:07:25 PM Do you guys remember if you were warned in your dreams before you really got it? ===================================== Yes I was ... . The dream was strange did not understand it at first Me and my BPD ex was sitting on a bed , in other side of the room , a unknown person sat and spoke with us. This person seemed nice , I got the impression he suffered from alcohol problems that's all. Later on I understood the dream, that person tried to warn about this RS. After this I was a little more aware about red flags. A friend of mine , been in RS 15+ years of BPD misery , he is sitting drinking every day , cannot forget her , still tries to save her, but he cannot save even himself. Interesting I've had reoccurring dreams my entire life of chasing or being chased. When I met my ex i started having dream of my ex in an angelic light telling me she had been waiting for me. She would sort of open her arms and become pure light that sort of embraced me in a sort of reentering the womb feeling. Then I become 1 with the light Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: borderdude on November 01, 2014, 09:38:24 PM Do you guys remember if you were warned in your dreams before you really got it? ===================================== Yes I was ... . The dream was strange did not understand it at first Me and my BPD ex was sitting on a bed , in other side of the room , a unknown person sat and spoke with us. This person seemed nice , I got the impression he suffered from alcohol problems that's all. Later on I understood the dream, that person tried to warn about this RS. After this I was a little more aware about red flags. A friend of mine , been in RS 15+ years of BPD misery , he is sitting drinking every day , cannot forget her , still tries to save her, but he cannot save even himself. Interesting I've had reoccurring dreams my entire life of chasing or being chased. When I met my ex i started having dream of my ex in an angelic light telling me she had been waiting for me. She would sort of open her arms and become pure light that sort of embraced me in a sort of reentering the womb feeling. Then I become 1 with the light I have a history , had several phsycic experiences, still got dreams about future true events, I usually read people very good. I told my BPD ex early on, that I saw a child inside her afraid of being abandoned. She became supriced, and I was right , more than I realized after figuring out later on her BPD and arrested mental development. Anyway you do not have to phycic to being able detect people with BPD, just avoid getting blinded by their idealizing, manipulative behavour. I think ppl should live toghether some months continously before making a serious rs out of it. I detected a range of red lights, but still I was blinded, still wish her to change and get back to me, and this is still a fantacy and codependent behaviour. That dream I mentioned , I believe that person trying to warn was in fact myself, only I had developed alcohol related problems, atmleast this is my closest match, anyway that dream helped me detect red lights. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Raybo48 on November 02, 2014, 12:33:44 AM Pretty much the first date... .I knew she was off for sure. It didn't help that I determined she was drunk when I got to her house for dinner. Aside from that it was all just very odd. She was texting her friend when I was there that she was "undecided" about me, even showed me the text. She always had a strange habit of me sitting there eating and she would walk around and not sit down and eat. I know none of this is what you'd call BPD behavior, but I could tell things were not right... .Then on the second date we went mini golfing and I jokingly said the girl that rented us the clubs was flirting with me so we didn't have to pay... .That's when I got the typical BPD EXTREME jealousy... .Not just for that evening, but she talked about it for DAYS and accused me of wanting to F*** her... Then I knew I had a dysfunctional person on my hands... .After that there were more and more signs... .Insert anywhere in this post 'get in car and leave'! I should have bc all the signs were there very early on.
Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: camuse on November 06, 2014, 10:04:08 AM Just thought I'd share a story of a very early red flag.
My ex was telling me about how, when she was 15, a friend of a friend told her she was about to go and kill herself. My ex talked her out of it, spent ages persuading her not to do it. I thought, that's very kind and empathetic of her :) then she said "Yeah, I did it because I didn't want to be the last person she spoke to - that would have really upset me. I didn't give a **** about her, but didn't want anything to mess me up at an early age." :D ALL ABOUT THEM. Title: Re: When did you realize something was wrong? Post by: Deeno02 on November 06, 2014, 11:30:12 AM Just thought I'd share a story of a very early red flag. My ex was telling me about how, when she was 15, a friend of a friend told her she was about to go and kill herself. My ex talked her out of it, spent ages persuading her not to do it. I thought, that's very kind and empathetic of her :) then she said "Yeah, I did it because I didn't want to be the last person she spoke to - that would have really upset me. I didn't give a **** about her, but didn't want anything to mess me up at an early age." :D ALL ABOUT THEM. Lets see: 1. Mommy, Daddy, Sister issues 2. Spent 5 years with a drunk while in college 3. Stalked her ex on FB and instagram while with me, probably still does 4. Non stop talk on how great an athlete she was 5. Fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety 6. How she built her husband and now he goes and abandons her and the kids 7. Had 5 kids, stay at home mom. I dont know, I was so wrapped up in it I repressed bad stuff I knew was dingy, but I had no idea what BPD was until after I was dropped. Now since removed, I see stuff that was so odd. Wish I could have found this out earlier... . |