It’s Not Pandemic Fatigue that Killed Their Marriage – Doctor Got Tired of Wife Denying How Bad the Disease Is

“She had always been an empathetic woman, so sweet and understanding. I loved and cherished every second married to her. But it’s like when covid hit, a switch flipped.”

This was among the things that were revealed by the emergency doctor who posted his story on Reddit’s r/TrueOffMyChest forum. He’s been so exhausted, body and spirit, from attending to COVID-19 patients since the pandemic hit in 2020. But what made his burden even heavier was his wife’s being a denier.

The original post has now been deleted by Reddit moderators for being “off-topic” according to Newsweek. But prior to it, there were already thousands of online commenters who have expressed their support for the Original Poster. They understood how he felt, and they agreed with his decision.

Newsweek shared the following details from the post made by OP, whose username was u/1234anonythrowaway. According to OP, his wife, who’s unvaccinated, also got infected with COVID-19. He and his mother-in-law took care of her intensively while working full-time as healthcare personnel.

But, much to his disappointment, his wife didn’t change her attitude at all in spite of her bout with the coronavirus: “She still has fatigue and shortness of breath, but oh no, covid is nothing, and I don’t deserve to be upset that she listens to Joe Rogan podcasts, and other sorts of media, with me right beside her in bed for hours after bedtime. Seriously. It’s bad enough she keeps me awake, but for that is something else.”

And so, the inevitable happened. This ER doctor gave up on his wife and is now seeking a divorce to regain his peace of mind. In the past, he well remembered how his wife used to hug him and comfort him due to the physical and emotional toll that working in the ER was taking on him.

“It’s throwing that entire period and especially our entire marriage into stark relief. The woman I married is there somewhere, buried under ‘I don’t need to wear a mask or vaccinate for other people,'” said OP, who’s reached the end of his patience. “She could say right now that she understands the severity and she’d promise to change, but it’s too late. I dealt with snide comments, with her mocking my contribution to public health, the dismissal of my entire profession, for too long.”

Yes, sadly, it was not the pandemic fatigue that pushed this doctor to the edge but his wife’s loss of compassion and false, dangerous beliefs about the pandemic. As RansomandRansacked wrote, “I heard something midway through the pandemic that has stuck with me: ‘Odds are we will get over the pandemic, but we may never get over what the pandemic has revealed about the people closest to us.'”

Likewise, dawng87 shared a similar ordeal, “I’m sorry. That’s how I feel with most of my family members who have this behavior about covid. I have a medically fragile toddler. I remember fighting with extended family when my sons and I got vaccinated. It still feels like I’m living in an episode of the twilight zone. I have family that still runs around when they have covid and could care less about others getting sick because they believe ‘covid isn’t that bad, and the media is lying.'”

Meanwhile, Ughgrr wrote the following heartwarming words: “I can’t imagine going through 4 years of med school, residency, and fellowships just to share a life with someone who doesn’t believe in everything the profession entails. That’s crazy. I hope you find peace.”