To be strong....Not to be strong
Should I or should I not??? I AM a spouse of an injured federal contractor who served in Afghanistan. It was not combat related but still was hurt in theater. Been over 2 yrs since injury occured and we are STILL on that horrible rollar coaster called Federal Workers Comp. Have a great attorney who specializes in these types of cases which is a plus. Finally a court date....the 2nd one but still have months till that happens.
In the meantime, I go day to day in total frustration watching my spouse deal with extreme pain, loss of feeling in extremities, and off and on depression. Has been given some pain meds and nerve meds but they don't help. Know there is damage but what is causing the damage is unknown. Hell, no one will own up and pay for the additional tests. We offered to pay and they said we could not do that. Mood swings are horrible.
So I have to stay positive and strong but all along deep inside feeling very sad, depressed, and totally frustrated. I try to keep everything together. My spouse is trying so hard to keep it all together. But when you take someone who has worked hard for a living and break them and expect them not to work for over 2 years....well that is like a death sentence. Just rip all the life out of that person as well as their caregiver.
I now totally understand how hard it is on spouses of injured employees or soldiers. I know some people would not put contractors in the same category as the military. I have heard it all....we made good $$$ to go there to help build camps for our soldiers. Well the $$$ is not worth it when you work for a federal company that 1) does not take care of their employees when injured and 2) hides in a foreign company (yes the owners are US) to get around the conracting rules and requirements.
I love my spouse very much. Just very hard to see the pain mentally and physically. Total frustration but I can not show it. I needed somewhere I could go to vent or just communicate with someone else in my shoes. I searched all over the internet and could not find one support group for spouses of injured federal contractors. NOT ONE! Maybe just don't know where to look. So came across this webpage and thought maybe I could put my thoughts on paper per say.
In the meantime, I go day to day in total frustration watching my spouse deal with extreme pain, loss of feeling in extremities, and off and on depression. Has been given some pain meds and nerve meds but they don't help. Know there is damage but what is causing the damage is unknown. Hell, no one will own up and pay for the additional tests. We offered to pay and they said we could not do that. Mood swings are horrible.
So I have to stay positive and strong but all along deep inside feeling very sad, depressed, and totally frustrated. I try to keep everything together. My spouse is trying so hard to keep it all together. But when you take someone who has worked hard for a living and break them and expect them not to work for over 2 years....well that is like a death sentence. Just rip all the life out of that person as well as their caregiver.
I now totally understand how hard it is on spouses of injured employees or soldiers. I know some people would not put contractors in the same category as the military. I have heard it all....we made good $$$ to go there to help build camps for our soldiers. Well the $$$ is not worth it when you work for a federal company that 1) does not take care of their employees when injured and 2) hides in a foreign company (yes the owners are US) to get around the conracting rules and requirements.
I love my spouse very much. Just very hard to see the pain mentally and physically. Total frustration but I can not show it. I needed somewhere I could go to vent or just communicate with someone else in my shoes. I searched all over the internet and could not find one support group for spouses of injured federal contractors. NOT ONE! Maybe just don't know where to look. So came across this webpage and thought maybe I could put my thoughts on paper per say.
Replies