8 Months Later, Does the grief change? Options

[Daisy's Mommy]

I was thinking about if there was any difference in my feelings now that it has been 8 months since Daisy passed away. I was also wondering how people think the grief changes over time.

In the days following her death, my grief was horrible and acute. Now, it is horrible, but generally less acute. At times, I can even think of her with joy in remembering her, but then waves of pain still hit me. I almost never come home without thinking how she is not there to greet me.

In the days following her death, I could not believe that she was really gone. I still cannot believe it.

I think that the main difference is that now, when asked, I can say that Daisy passed away without breaking into tears.

I will always miss her - my first pet of my adulthood, my true friend, my soulmate, my tiny terrier. There will never be anothe like her. Like in the rose in the "Little Prince", she was unique to me because I loved her.


Daisy's Mommy

[boatlady13]

I guess we all progress through the stages of grief different. One must remember that these stages can rear their ugly heads at any time after you lose your beloved. You will vacillate between the stages. Unfortunately I haven't hit denial and don't think I will since I was there when Miss Ellie passed.

ryancat, I certainly understand about nightmare deaths as poor Miss Ellie had one. She struggled to breathe and i stroked her head with water and blew in her face, she finally started to quit breathing at which point I gave her mouth to mouth and she came back, but had stroked her two front legs wouldn't move. I was agast at what I had done and the guilt of bringing her back to suffer one more minute is haunting me. I did take her immediately after the resusitation to the vet and we put her down. Vet said her kidneys and heart were shot and i was making the right decision.

It was awful and i cry everytime I think of how she stuggled so hard to breathe at the end and wish we both could have spared that by me not listening to my husband about being mean and putting her down on christmas day. She suffered so much on Christmas Day and I just want to put her out of her misery but no one else would agree so she could only wait until 1:00 am Dec. 26th. This haunts me and I can't get the image of my dying dog out of my mind. I waited too long to help her and the guilt is haunting me.