Emerg Services Lack of energy - leo

[Peaceful Warrior]

If you were in law enforcement and developed ptsd, have you experienced a lack of energy? If so, did it improve or are some days just better than others?

 

[LilyRose]

i always thought (and was told that) my lack of energy was because of my tbi, i didn't know yet i had ptsd too. but i have coworkers with ptsd without the tbi who also experienced lack of energy. for me it did improve some... but i have relatively good days, and very bad days or weeks/months. i can have some weeks, maybe even months feeling ok, and then out of the blue i can be crashing hard again.

 

[BigLeuch]

Peaceful Warrior,
Stress is a bitch! It will screw things up and affect you in bizarre ways the doctors can't explain but will refer you to another specialist.
My therapist has pounded me on knowing my triggers and doing the best to avoid them or if I can't start preventative measures. My primary care physician says my lack of energy is depression and refers me to a therapist and psychologist........when I push that it is physiological because I have never felt like this. After endocrinologist visit they told me that my blood works and glands are working at the lower end of the spectrum but okay for a male my age.
Assholes, I don't think they take into account the type of person we we're before injury and try to raise us back above the average person sitting behind a desk!
I have a bunch of friends that went down range and say they had to find things to excite them and work hard keeping hobbies to make it worth waking up for.
It helps to have a brotherhood to go do team activities (shooting, hiking, sports) to boost your desire to keep moving and validate the righteousness of what we do.

 

[Peaceful Warrior]

i always thought (and was told that) my lack of energy was because of my tbi, i didn't know yet i had...

Unfortunately I expected others to have the same lack of energy. My personal belief is the trauma short circuits the sympathetic nervous system and that may be the cause of fatigur

 

[Peaceful Warrior]

Peaceful Warrior,
Stress is a bitch! It will screw things up and affect you in bizarre ways the doctors can't explai...

I too think Docs are quick to label lack of energy on depression. It is one of the symptoms, but it isn't the only one. I'm a firm believer the mind and body are connected and when your stress or a trauma effects your brain, it also effects the body.

 

[BigLeuch]

Absolutely, the mind controls all other functions other than cell/tissue break downs, it observed by people every day. Most just see slow brain function when extremely tired, mood swings when emotionally stressed, saying odd things when physically stressed and the brain is trying to do other things.
My brothers hair turned grey after eight years as a Green Beret and he will have physical reactions to smells, noises and his own thoughts. Stress can be countered in short term but years of continued high stress with spikes off intense stress will do things to our whole being.
I use to wake up with the storm in my blood and run hard all day long. Now I have to talk myself up to do things, if I sit down I fall asleep. I know the things I want to do are worth it but there is no excitement and joy so that ruins motivation.

 

[Peaceful Warrior]

Absolutely, the mind controls all other functions other than cell/tissue break downs, it observed by people every day...

I had a hard time accepting that new part of me. I use to put 120% into everything and worked hard being a cop. The cumulative stress plus one major event did me in. Funny thing is I worked with it for about 6yrs because no one told me what to look for after the incident. I started calling in sick a lot because i didn't have the energy to work. I went to work one day and had to go home mid shift due to fatigue. That's when I started the process to see what was wrong. I accept I'm no longer that same person, but I wont lie, at times it's difficult. I just try to manage the best I can and look for ways to stay at peace.

 

[LilyRose]

I had a hard time accepting that new part of me. I use to put 120% into everything and worked...

I am still having a hard time with this.
I lost the job because of it and i miss it, the way it was before. No i am behind a desk and i hate it. I am not aloud to go back to the old job again. I feel like i lost it all. I lost my second family.
At first i kept working too. After the incident that left me with a tbi it took almost 4 yrs to find out i had ptsd too.

 

[Peaceful Warrior]

I went through a mourning period too, which is normal. One day I was at work then the next day I wasnt. Closure was challenging because my retirement was unexpected and I didn't want the retirement ceremony. You'll make it. Allow yourself to mourn the loss and make friends with your new self.

 

[Freida]

My personal belief is the trauma short circuits the sympathetic nervous system and that may be the cause of fatigur

My nautropath says this is a real thing -- she has me on some weeds and twigs to help my adrenal glands because they've been burned out for so many years. so you are on the right track!

 

[Peaceful Warrior]

Prescription or natural? I can't function without a mega B vitamin daily and a monster energy tea. And sometimes that doesn't work.