"at rock bottom" stories

[mom35]

How about telling your personal "at rock bottom" stories. Maybe a time in your life when you thought all was lost, but you turned it around, a Rocky-type underdog rises type story. I always find such inspiration from allnurses. It is amazing how we hold the power to create our destiny through pure intention, hard work and dedication.

[whipping girl in 07, RN]

My rock bottom story is not quite as dramatic...

I was in nursing school, second semester. I had gotten pregnant during the first semester of the first time I'd tried to go to nursing school, and I ended up making a D in nursing assessment, so I was going to have to sit out a semester, repeat it and then start third semester. But my husband took a job in the oilfield and we moved out of state. I had to repeat a couple of classes and finally was able to start. Ian was almost 3 at that point. My husband was in town on my Mardi Gras break, and he tried to get me to buy a car. I did not want to bite off a payment while I was in school if I could help it. So he went back to work in Texas, and he didn't call me for a week. Finally, I called his parents to see if they could get ahold of him. I knew his work cell was working, he just wasn't answering my calls. Finally he called me after his parents had called him, and he told me he just didn't love me anymore and did not want to be married to me anymore. I was devastated. I still went to school every day, but I'd sit on the couch every night and just cry. I'd call his cell phone and leave a message saying Ian wanted to talk to his daddy so he'd call back, just to hear his voice. After about a month, when my almost 3 year old was patting my face trying to comfort me, I had had hit rock bottom. I could not let a child take care of me! So I pulled myself together, packed all his stuff and put it in the spare room and quit feeling sorry for myself. I found a summer job, went to counseling, started looking at smaller places (we were in a gorgeous 3 bedroom condo and I was afraid he'd quit having his check deposited in our joint account), and started making plans to finish nursing school and raise Ian on my own. I would never be financially dependent on a man again.

Fortunately we were only separated for 6 months and we worked out our problems. We've been married now for 15 years this June. But I will never forget how low I felt when my baby was trying to comfort me. Thank God he doesn't remember it.

[meluhn]

Ruby, Wow, that really was a bad situation. Glad to see you came through it and are doing well now. Nurses are so resilient!

[meluhn]

You have all inspired me. This thread really puts things in perspective.