This si a very interesting thread indeed! I have just sat here and really thought about why I did start dating Alex...
I found Alex had PTSD about 3 weeks before we got together, and I had no idea what that meant and I didn't really care. I fell for Alex because we both loved to laugh. I was going through a hard time being pregnant and just about to leave a relationship with my baby's dad, and Alex helped me so much during that time. Also, I was still grieving for my Nana and Alex was the only person I felt comfortable enough around to talk about it and cry about it. Alex and I connected on such a level that it didn't matter where we were or what we were doing or who we were with, it seemed it was just us.
Alex was so much fun when we first met. We used to go the pub and play pool for hours, and he introduced me to other people my age who were expecting babies, or had babies, some single Mums some not.
We had only been together for a few months when Alex had to go to the PTSD course and they invited me to come along. That's when I learned a lot more about PTSD and the nightmare it was. Speaking to other partners I thought I was mad for being with him because their stories terrified me! I was actually ready to walk away from the whole lot. But then I realised that every relationship had bad parts and if these couples could stay together through it all that Alex and I could make it work...
After Jackson was born I suffered from Post Natal Depression, and it was Alex who noticed the warning signs and told me I needed help- of course I didnt listen at the time; but eventually after he told my Mum his concerns, I sought the help I needed. I believe that had it not been for Alex I would have never have gotten the help I needed and in all honesty would probably be dead right now.
Alex has helped me just as much as I have helped him. We are always there for each other and we respect each others alone time when we need it, and when we are together and te boys are both asleep it is almost like we are the only two in the world again. I know it sounds really sappy, but I owe a lot more to Alex than he does to me. And most days, he is still that same person I fell in love with knowing he had PTSD- we deal with the bad days together; and it is weird actually, with me still having depression and Alex's PTSD, we never have a bad day at the same time! It really is like we equal each other out.