I Am Cured!?!

[Lucycat]

errrr........ no I am not! and it really pisses me off when others say they are.

But it did make me wonder - what for you would be a definition of a cure?

For me it would mean symptom free for a considerable length of time - like more than a year - and for my T and husband to both agree I was symptom free as I know just sometimes I don't see it first!

 

[Angelwings]

I know what you mean! I feel better for a couple days, and then everything comes back. It's so confusing. I wish I could be symptom free for a year! Maybe then I could go back to work.

 

[illusionist]

I've got it down to a couple of bad bouts a year..roughly. I'd consider myself cured if I got past maybe four incidents of stress without falling into the hole again. When I say stress I mean unemployment, family problems etc....saying that, my coping skills will be needed for life, but don't mind that.

 

[shandemonium]

For me, PTSD is like a ghost that follows me around and always will. Sometimes that ghost is chill and will sit back and read a book in the corner. Then he turns all Scrooge's homie on me and he shakes and rattles chains in my face and screams in my head for years at a time! Can I get an exorcist already!?

Healing is an on-going process with ups and downs. I know there's been a few "i'm cured" posts and it's been pissing some of us off. In my opinion, there are a few possibilities of the truth behind those posts:

1. a language barrier; native English speakers might have a different idea of the word "cured" than someone trying to translate an idea into English and tell us about their experience
2. They are delusional and far from "cured"
3. They are doing a lot better and symptom-free long enough to declare "mission accomplished" but have used a poor choice of words
4. They are spammers trying to sell something
5. They are general spamming trolling jerks

I'm hoping for #3 and #1, but that's just me wanting this site to be pure of typical internet nonsense. I love you guys/gals... Don't let those "I'm Cured" posts get to you too much and let's focus on the all the great support we get from each other.

 

[Chava]

I think it would depend on our own goals at some point beyond obviously limiting symptoms. I got over suicide attempts. Lived pretty well for many years, so I thought (actually it was pretty good a lot of the time) but my relationship to my body was still off. I managed. But more stress and it went to crap. I'm mostly beyond panic attacks and self-injury. I don't live with others, so even if I'm a little nuts it depends on what I can live with and if I'm happy with where I'm at. I'm not. I'm not hurting myself but I'm depressed and can't imagine living many more years without some change. But it definitely counts to have perspective from others who are close or understand, like a therapist and a spouse if we have that.

At some point I don't know if I can perfectly un-do the early childhood stuff and relationship stuff. So maybe I work on it differently or accept different and less connection with others. I don't know. But I don't plan on doing therapy my whole life. I just don't. Though if I can get beyond current issues and more of the trauma, it still might be a bit of an in-and-out thing as needed. I didn't imagine going back into therapy a few years ago but I'm glad I did.

 

[KwanYingirl]

I'll be satisfied when I'm not suicidal.

 

[seedling]

I'd be happy not having to go to treatment All The Time to get somewhere I don't know where it is yet.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I think it really does make a difference in exactly how "cure" is used..... I don't like the word in general in relationship to PTSD, but some uses are just plain irritating.

"I changed my diet and am nearly cured of PTSD!" (only 28 days later...)

"I took this herbal and I am cured of PTSD!" (but I was never diagnosed with it in the first place...)

Would we be so offended if someone came here and said "After 10 long years of hard working on my PTSD through medication and therapy, I feel like I am practically cured!" Somehow I doubt this scenario would evoke as much reaction, but rarely do we see these sorts of posts as I happen to believe that's sort of the norm.....ie work on your issues and over time you may go into remission......NOT these one and done sort of "cures" like diet and supplements.

I've seen far too many posts where people shout "cure" from the rooftops after being symptom free for only a few weeks.....only to come back later with their tail between their legs, completely defeated because they had it beaten. I know that healing doesn't happen overnight. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Yes, sometimes we get unexpected leaps ahead in healing, but more often than not its a cumulative effect over time.

I'm not holding out for a cure. I know what this beast is, and I know what I'm up against. I fight every day to get better. Some days I fight harder than others, but it is always a fight of one kind or another. I will never stop trying to get better. Even if I go into full remission, I will still be VERY aware of what is needed to keep me there.

The one symptom I would like to see go away as much as possible is my need for so much rest. I have to plan everything in advance. I have to even plan my rest time! (A concept that completely baffles 99% of people out there, unfortunately.) Its the major thing that is standing in my way right now. Will it ever be perfect? Probably not. But I would love for my need for rest to decrease so that I can overall become more functional.

 

[falling_wave]

To me being cured would mean:

#1 having hope and being content with being alive - all the time despite struggles.

#2 Not falling into anxiety or deep depression for more than a day when something stressful happens (this could be proven through multiple stressful events)

#3 Being able to question all possibilities and my thought patterns without obsessing or over analyzing

#4 Staying present more often than not

#5 Having relatively normal sleeping patterns

 

[theotherside]

It would be so nice to be relaxed and not have my shoulders up in my ears. To be able to feel like, no big deal...easy going...chill.
Free of migraines and neck/shoulder pain, trembling, dissociating, anger....si, self hate, isolating...make it go......

 

[theotherside]

I forgot
Nightmares
Flashbacks
Insomnia
Panic attacks

 

[joeylittle]

work on your issues and over time you may go into remission.

This.

It's kind of semantic, but when you are writing, the words count more (because of the no-tone thing). Cure, no. Remission, yes. And remission means exactly that - the symptoms go away for a sufficient period of time to allow your body/mind to stabilize again. I'm trying to think why I have this knee-jerk reaction to "cure" - and I think it's just the same as any disease or disorder where once the damage is done (on the cellular level) it won't become un-done.

Something like that.

For my PTSD, I'd like to not have flashbacks, not have intrusive memories, not have nightmares, not have the beliefs that have grown up around my trauma, and be able to accept it as part of my story, but not the core of my story.