Sufferer Ptsd From Childhood Surgery W/o Anesthesia

[Deadman]

I'm finding the stuff I'm doing helps but its surprisingly difficult. I have a hard time keeping the intrusive thoughts at bay when I just concentrate on breathing. The movement part helps with that. It does help me relax though.

I'd really like to hear how TRE works for you.

 

[Lucycat]

As an adult in the late 1980s I had surgery without anaesthetic! I had consented of course - but I was given a paralysing agent that was supposed to keep me pain free and memory free. It did neither. I felt everything but could not move or speak and was incredibly upsetting. The procedure did not work and I had the opportunity of going through it again - I declined!

When the paralysing agent wore off and I was able to move again I just sobbed my heart out - to no empathy or understanding from the staff. I don't think they believed me - or preferred not to.

This experience was not the cause of my CPTSD, but it certainly will not have helped it!

 

[Nico 1968]

Wondering if there are many others out here who had surgeries as an infant or toddler prior to the...

I have also had trauma from early childhood medical experience. I had to go in weekly for shots and I was too young to understand what was going on. From my perspective I was being forced to go to a terrible place (my my. Mom) where I was always hurt.

I am still figuring out ways that my experience messed with my perception. It seems like that trauma cemented my perception of how dangerous the world could be and that ant any moment I could be taken right back (and hurt again). Since this experience happened around the same time my memory was forming I did not have a "before" reference point. That had always been my normal.

And unlike other forms of trauma everyone knew this happened, meaning no one ever talked about it again or thought to look at this a cause for concern. I turned into an extreme people pleaser who had no self esteem.

This made me the ideal target for subsequent sexual abuse.

Often when I share my story people gravitate to the sexual trauma and want to ignore the medical stuff. I am wondering what your experience has been with people taking your medical traumatic experience seriously.

 

[Anarchy]

Welcome to the forum Nico

Often when I share my story people gravitate to the sexual trauma and want to ignore the medical stuff. I am wondering what your experience has been with people taking your medical traumatic expe

Absolutely
My T comes from a place where male genital mutilation is almost universal. They therefore have great difficulty seeing how it could be traumatic.

There's also the assumption that if it was done by a person who held special status (doctor, nurse, surgeon, cop) or with supposed helpful intent,
Then by some magical hocus pocus and trans-substantiation, it couldn't possibly have been traumatic:whistling: