Has THIS affected your health?

[SteveColo 0]

4 months ago, my beautiful wife and step-daughter got on a plane and headed back to Ukraine. Since that time, my health has steadily declined. I have had chest pains, headaches, serious bouts of depression, stomach pains, arthritic flair ups that my regular medicine can't seem to fix, even dizziness at times ...

My stress level has got to be at the heart of it I guess. On top of the immigration stuff, I lost my job a few months ago. I was able to find work again, and at a salary above the magical 125% line, but all our savings are gone. Even IF we got our approvals today, there is no way I could bring them home.

You all know the costs ... If I follow through with the CR1, I'm looking at close to $1000 ... round trip air fare for me to go to the interview is around $1200 ... 2 one way tickets for them to come back around $1800 ... plus medicals, etc.

I don't know how I'm going to do it. I can't find a 2nd job to save my life. Her parents might have been able to help with her ticket back here, but now 7 banks in Ukraine have shut down and my in-laws have lost everything they had saved.

Anyway, sorry to ramble ... I was just wondering if anyone else here is physically falling apart through this whole process. Obviously, the emotional toll of being separated from the one you love is terrible and gut-wrenching.

Have you noticed a difference in your physical health?

Thanks for your input ... and best wishes to all

[chris&barbie 0]

4 months ago, my beautiful wife and step-daughter got on a plane and headed back to Ukraine. Since that time, my health has steadily declined. I have had chest pains, headaches, serious bouts of depression, stomach pains, arthritic flair ups that my regular medicine can't seem to fix, even dizziness at times ...

My stress level has got to be at the heart of it I guess. On top of the immigration stuff, I lost my job a few months ago. I was able to find work again, and at a salary above the magical 125% line, but all our savings are gone. Even IF we got our approvals today, there is no way I could bring them home.

You all know the costs ... If I follow through with the CR1, I'm looking at close to $1000 ... round trip air fare for me to go to the interview is around $1200 ... 2 one way tickets for them to come back around $1800 ... plus medicals, etc.

I don't know how I'm going to do it. I can't find a 2nd job to save my life. Her parents might have been able to help with her ticket back here, but now 7 banks in Ukraine have shut down and my in-laws have lost everything they had saved.

Anyway, sorry to ramble ... I was just wondering if anyone else here is physically falling apart through this whole process. Obviously, the emotional toll of being separated from the one you love is terrible and gut-wrenching.

Have you noticed a difference in your physical health?

Thanks for your input ... and best wishes to all

I'm so sorry to hear about this. But i guess we all go through the same similar bout with the recurring depression (talking about most people who undergo this long stressful process). I've been worried before my medical exams because stress might manifest in some of my lab results in any manner but good thing it didnt. Everyone's going through and trying to battle this economic failure. I'll be having my interview soon but we haven't paid our ITR yet because we're still trying to come up with the sum to pay for it. Anyway, i'll just try to arm myself with as much documents as i can. After which, if God will be so kind to me and have the US government grant me my visa, i will still have to wait until hubby gets to pay for my tix. it'll be a long process until we can be together. It's not just you. there's a lot of us who have to go through physical, mental, and financial stress just to be with our beloved.

Hang on and pray harder.

[notime4haterz 0]

In a nutshell - YES!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

In a nutshell - YES!

Steve:

I am sorry to hear of your ills. Certainly you have enough stress to bring on these classic symptoms. However they are also classic symtoms of more serious health problems. Please, get yourself to a doctor and check these things out for your sake and that of your family. Rule out the serious stuf and then maybe they can help you with the stress also.

Hope you are feeling better soon and that things look up for you.

[sara..... 371]

wow i am very sorry for all the problems ur facing, we are praying for u and ur family i hope that soon things work out put ur faith in God and pray is about the only thing we have to hang on to when going thru this long visa process

im not married but this process has effected my health in ways i didnt even know it could......i went from a healthy person to someone that almost died last nov. if it had not been for my bad wisdom teeth my heart condition would not have been noticed until it was to late......the stress raised my blood pressure so high and something that was healed when i was a small child became a problem again.......how old am i? 22!!!!!!!! i have a letters from my doctors that state this prolonged visa journey has effected my health and is still effecting their fight to keep my blood pressure down.

i do not think that even the government understands how stressful all of this is and the effects it has on its own citizens while trying to wade thru this murky and at times seemingly maze of ridiculous hoops they put us all thru!!!!

good luck to u and my prayers and good wishes are with u

sara

[amberdima 6]

i feel alot of stress for similar reasons...lonely....can't find a job to meet poverty line with 2 BA's... struggling to keep an apartment and car...sick amounts of student loans that i can't pay...working 2 jobs...feeling fat....i've had chest pain for 3 days now, but i don't have health insurance so i can't go to a doctor. a few months ago my doctor prescribed me meds for anxiety/ depression, but i can't afford to buy them. prayer doesn't work for me. nothing does. i wish the best for all of us in this situation.

Edited February 18, 2009 by amberdima

[sara..... 371]

i feel alot of stress for similar reasons...lonely....can't find a job to meet poverty line with 2 BA's... struggling to keep an apartment and car....working 2 jobs...feeling fat....i've had chest pain for 3 days now, but i don't have health insurance so i can't go to a doctor. a few months ago my doctor prescribed me meds for anxiety/ depression, but i can't afford to buy them. prayer doesn't work for me. nothing does. i wish the best for all of us in this situation.

never give up on prayer and ask those that know u to pray for u as well

i hope ur situation improves, and i will add u to our prayers

sara

[amberdima 6]

i feel alot of stress for similar reasons...lonely....can't find a job to meet poverty line with 2 BA's... struggling to keep an apartment and car....working 2 jobs...feeling fat....i've had chest pain for 3 days now, but i don't have health insurance so i can't go to a doctor. a few months ago my doctor prescribed me meds for anxiety/ depression, but i can't afford to buy them. prayer doesn't work for me. nothing does. i wish the best for all of us in this situation.

never give up on prayer and ask those that know u to pray for u as well

i hope ur situation improves, and i will add u to our prayers

sara

thank you

[queuedup 1]

i'm just flat out stressed with this process, especially since its required so much running around for my wife.

[Old Dominion 26]

I have a hunch that you are trying to handle your feelings alone. They are all bottled up in you, right? The whole process is traumatic at best, and without a close friend to help you vent your gloomy feelings, those are often the physical results. A visit to a good doctor is necessary for some of your ailments, but how about trying your pastor, if you have one, for your gloom?

[bryb 0]

Yes I have noticed a difference in my physical health also went to the doctor several times did stress test for chest pain that came back ok one good thing for me i was able to quit smoking cigarette 6 weeks and counting. This is a very stressful for all of us all the best and good luck.

[GS4EVER 0]

Yes same here...sorry to hear about all your hardships. Just over the weekend I had a breakdown at the tax place when the accountant told me I owed money and he couldn't answer my question about how to file this year's taxes. So I called my lawyer and he didn't know either. And I just felt the whole world was crashing down around and my husband wasn't even here to support me through it all... The poor old man looked at me and wondered why I couldn't contain my emotions and why I was so frustrated. He kept telling me to control my emotions but he obviously had no idea what this process can do to you. No one can imagine how bad it is unless they have been through it or are going through it now. Even my own sister will ask me why I am having a lot of bad days and feeling depressed and I try to let her see it my way by telling her how would you feel if you couldn't see your fiance for a whole week? And then she gets it...but soon forgets again, for you see she is not going through what I am going through.

I was just telling my husband how hard it is to wake up every day and muster the strength to go to work, but one thing that keeps me going is knowing he is alive and hoping we get that magical approval!

There is this woman at my job who lost her husband this year and she comes to work every single day and was barely given 5 days to mourn his death...so if she can make it, then I owe it to myself and my husband to be strong. But it takes strength to even remind myself of that every single morning through the tears I battle to keep hidden from the rest of the world and the emotional toll this process is weighing on us.

Hang in there for every journey is bound to come to an end and soon this one too shall be behind us

It also helps to vent in these forums since we are all going though the same thing. Writing (typing) your feelings out is a healthy outlet.

[LucyLovesRicky 0]

God yes, me and my husband both are about to crack! I had severe health problems the first year but was somewhat relieved of them after I got to spend six months with him. But now that it has been 1 1/2 years since I've seen him, the cost, the waiting, the loneliness, and college, and a daughter, not to mention the stress of wondering when and if the embassy will ever produce that magical Visa. I just feel so helpless and hopeless, I can barely function at this point. I had to drop one class, and am seriously thinking about quitting entirely and sittling and stewing in my depression.

So, now im wondering when all the other health problems will begin again due to this excess stress.

Lord help us all throught this insanity.

[taj'samericanwife 0]

everyone her ein Vj is going thry some stress one way or another. look at me, i am away from my husband and son...sometimes i hate my job and i have to drag myself to go to work each day...plus im also studying for my boards...and i cant afford to fail it because everything will be much better when i do pass it. i can make it to the 125% poverty line for 3 people but how can i let my family live on 23,000 dollars a month? what will i feed my baby with that kind of money? i dont want him to chew on the cheap cuts of meat from the supermarket! NO WAY! so i have to be strong...but sometimes i have relapses and it goes on for days...

[Y's_habibitk 2]

sometimes i have relapses and it goes on for days...

This, I can relate to.

Some days are better than others. Sometimes I get angry,upset,resentful, or depressed. Other days I can accept it and go on.

Has it effected my health? probably, stress has always effected my health, so Im used to it. I left a super stressful job and my ulcer and IBS calmed down only to have this thrown at it. ha!

btw taj's.

- your son is absolultely adorable!