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Undiagnosed Hi, Coastguard Officer, Bit Of A Mess.

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Privateer

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Hi, guys.

I'm not sure about posting this. I know I'm probably going to come across as a complete drama queen and a time waster, but I need to let this out. It'll most likely be my only post, so please bear with me.

I'll give you a bit of background first:

I was a very sickly kid. Was all but dead at least once and spent a lot of my early years in hospital. Of course, I grew up thinking this was normal, so I had quite a happy childhood until I was about eight.

At that point I was raped by a close friend of the family. He seemed to like it and rape became a regular feature of my life until I hit puberty and he lost interest.
Secondary school was fairly hellish, as I was bullied mercilessly. Looking back now, I can see that I was a really creepy dork and kinda deserved it.

Anyway, I finished school, went to university and had a great time.

After that I joined up and did five years as a Squaddie. I did three years in the Royal Corps of Signals and two years infantry. Sadly, at that point I picked up a leg injury that left me practically useless to the Army. I became obsessed with the idea that a medical discharge was coming my way and got very, very depressed. In the end I resigned in the hope that I could go away, get fixed and come back. It hasn't worked out that way just yet, but never mind.

I went to work for Her Majesty's Coastguard and have been there for a few years now, largely because my application to the Royal Navy is taking rather a long time due to my medical history.

Anyway, here's the thing:

I was doing pretty well until recently when two RAF Tornado aircraft collided over my patch of sea.

I've never been so upset by a SAR mission before. I'm a pilot myself and the aviation community where I live is pretty small. That and the fact that I work very closely with the RAF everyday seemed to make this one particularly stressful, even though we've had much 'worse' since I've worked here.

Sadly only one of the four aircrew survived.

I don't feel like I've been quite right since then (about two months ago). I keep crying all the time and can't stop think about every SAR mission I've been involved in that didn't have a happy ending. I keep remembering the voices of casualties on the radio.
Other stuff from years ago keeps bugging me, too. Stuff from when I was a kid, a few things from the army.

I sometimes think about shooting myself. It's not that I want to die, but there's so much stuff and so many dead people bouncing around in my head that I really feel that a little hole in my skull would make me feel much better. I know that's crazy talk, which is why I hope letting it out here will help.

Anyway, I'm really sorry for wasting your time with my silly hysterics. I won't bother you again, but thanks so much for being here so I can post this somewherw.
 
Welcome to the forum. :) I also love aviation.

Sounds to me like you have a lot of demons from the past. Have you thought about getting help? I know from the NHS there is a waiting list, but it is well worth it, especially if you can get a diagnosis. Possibly the recent events caused some of the stress of the past to rear its ugly head.

There are some great threads here in the PTSD section. I really recommend contacting your GP and trying to get referred, the wait is long but it is worth it.
 
Welcome to the forum. :)

I am very sorry that you are having these problems. Do you have any support? Thinking about suicide is always serious and should be taken seriously. There are ways to get help.

There are a lot of helpful and supportive people here that can help you learn about PTSD and ways to manage it. I hope you come back to see us.

Best wishes.
 
You sound a lot like I did at the beginning. I knew something was wrong, I cried hysterically a lot which was hard for someone who never cried. And yeah, hard when I knew I'd seen worse. There were demons at every turn and yes, all I wanted was for it to stop, I sat down, put a cord around my neck and leaned forward. I couldn't do it, I like living too much.

Get a professional who can help you work through it. You are not stupid, whining or weak, this is the sign that is telling you enough is enough. Your cup is overflowing and you need to find a balance again.

It can be done, I know because I'm still here.
 
Thanks for the replies. I worry that I'm getting worked up about minor stuff, you know? Being a cry-baby and all that. I kind of expected to be told I was being hysterical and to go away. I'm sorry.

I just feel sometimes like there's all this pressure in my head and I just want to let it out.

I have just started seeing a private therapist, but it's going to be a long road, I think, and I can't afford many sessions on a government wage.

Thankfully I have my wife. We just celebrated our first anniversary and she's being so supportive it's incredible. Still, I don't want to tell her all the things I've seen or done or been on the receiving end of. She, like everyone, has troubles of her own, after all.
 
I worry that I'm getting worked up about minor stuff, you know? Being a cry-baby and all that. I kind of expected to be told I was being hysterical and to go away. I'm sorry.

We would never say that or give you that impression Privateer. Many of us had had that happen to us. Crying, feeling hopeless etc. is a part of trauma and PTSD.It does get better or I would not be here. But it took a lot of work from me and my husband.

It is a long road. Between sessions join in the threads here. They are very helpful. Reading about PTSD and gaining knowledge helps.

Did your therapist talk about PTSD with you?

Here are some good threads:
[DLMURL]https://www.ptsdforum.org/c/threads/understanding-ptsd-by-anthony-parsons.13878/#post-174285[/DLMURL]

[DLMURL]https://www.ptsdforum.org/c/threads/the-ptsd-cup-explanation.13737/#post-173960[/DLMURL]

Ayesha
 
Thankyou. The doc hasn't said anything about PTSD specifically, but I can see the cogs turning in her head, if you see what I mean.
 
It's all right. :) We all make mistakes. The paragraphing and spelling make it easier to read and you will also get more replies.

I had the same problem when I first signed up too. I got lots of warnings. You will learn. :)

Take care.
 
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