Medical Honorable Mention Medical Diagnosis, Disease And Ptsd

[Recovery4Me]

A little info quoted from
http://www.medicinenet.com/posttraumatic_stress_disorder/article.htm

"Although almost any event that is life threatening or that severely compromises the emotional well-being of an individual may cause PTSD, such events usually include experiencing or witnessing a severe accident or physical injury, getting a frightening medical diagnosis, being the victim of a crime or torture, exposure to combat, disaster, or terrorist attack, enduring any form of abuse, or involvement in civil conflict."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wanted to open a thread to thank those seasoned members and staff that helped me connect the dots to my current medical condition triggering my long standing bout with PTSD. Had I not been so gently guided, I might not have been able to ‘justify’ why my stress cup filled so quickly thus opening the door to symptomology and/or traumas that I once had felt confident, I worked through in prior therapy.

If you wish to share your disease or medical condition or diagnosis as well as those steps you have taken to face your life change, please feel free to add to this thread, as this community is a fountain of practical ideas and mindsets to aid along your journey.

For myself, I am re-learning many areas such as balance, life with sever hearing loss and my new limits as I have Meniere’s Ear Disease. Rotational vertigo is definitely humbling and redefines one’s perspective on success. I am grateful to be able to walk and drive many days and take extra caution for myself as well as others when I cannot. I have had to call my husband to pick me up several times and leave my car unattended.

On a good note, I have found our health threads quite motivational for building courage as well as exploring my new goal sets. Other members have been authentic as well as vulnerable allowing opened communication on their journey with life threatening diagnosis or conditions. I have been very humbled, inspired and blessed to have met our folks.

So as PTSD certainly appears to have long reaching tentacles into many aspects of life- I just wanted to give honorable mention to an area that some people may not be as familiar with insofar as trauma and PTSD. Medical yet another frontier.

 

[Seasounds]

Such a sweet posting; your gratitude, for those who have helped you, have brought a tear of joy to my eye. The staff and long-time members have been helpful to me too!

It sounds like you've really grown. Congratulations!

My helping souls include my first boyfriend, who gave me a book that gently discussed how sexual abuse and PTSD often go hand in hand. One decade later, a Provider pointed me to a therapist, who suggested the diagnosis..Two decades later, an MD offerred the idea, in a very caring, non-defensive voice. Feeling held and accepted, I finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Thank you for pointing out how helpful this forum has been to you! I share that joy.

 

[Recovery4Me]

@change :hug:'s if you accept them.

Thank you so much for your share, honesty as well as the warmth of your response. Your time line offers serious dedication to healing with focused investment of energy, finances plus introspection. Courageous journey!

Although, I am sorry for your pain, it is of some comfort to know that there is another person who can use the words 'decades' and therapy (plus MD) in close proximity. As therapy conversations are not a traditional social icebreaker for conversation, I have often been hesitant to ask anyone. So again, I appreciate your candor as well as your grace within the thread. Nice to meet with you. :)

 

[Friday]

The vast majority of my medical issues owe a wink and a nod to PTSD.

I was always a competitive athlete. Before the military and PTSD? I wasn't an adrenaline junkie, and I didn't push through pain beyond injury into pure dum(b) stupidity. I self harm through sports & exercise & stupid effing risky decisions where the only way I wouldn't get hurt was if this were a movie and not real life.

I joke that I want my Orthopedic Surgeon to have a whole fleet of boats.

My left knee, alone, has over 40 individual injuries to connective tissue. My right is a little bit of an underachiever. I've only got 30 or so, on that one. I knew I was in for a bad time when the surgeon suddenly looked interested. And, moreover, wanted to do a series of MRIs "On my dime, of course, I'm just curious how many other injuries you've got on the same scale" :O_o::nailbiting::facepalm: Lots, come to find. I hurt everywhere. I haven't broken that many bones, a rodeo rider's xRays are sexier than mine, but I hands down win in the connective and soft tissue events.

I joke, so I don't cry. My body is pretty mangled.

Conversely? If I can't be moving... When I'm "down" or benched following an injury, or needing to not not not be doing my athletic stuff because I'm in self harm mode? I get pretty depressed & suicidal. And fat. Which is just oh so useful when depressed and struggling with ideation. :wtf:

Trying to find that "line" between healthy & active, and between acting out / seeking oblivion? Is hard. Because being healthy & active helps keep my PTSD symptoms in major check. So it's not something I can just cut out of my life as 'bad for me'.

 

[Recovery4Me]

@FridayJones There is always conflict (nothing really new) inside me when I read your post. I often stifle a burst of laughter as your crafted wordplay simultaneously delivers a raw honesty that forges an rapid body flush of gut impulse connecting in soulful empathy to that of your content (or pain). I become amazed at your skill set and then slowly, carefully absorb your material in your share. Light bulb moments!

As I reread, trying to understand your empowerment as well as ownership behind the humorous vulnerability, I slowly draw breath and take in your lessons offered. You are to me, one h3ll of a Professor, no question about it! Yet more than that, I consider you a valuable & needed human being on so many levels. The intellect alone is an athletic display.

So Obi-Wan...oblivion is a concept for others. The universe would still find you and make you fight the dark-side. No rest for the weary. And thank you again for taking the time to offer your experience. :hug: s and light sabers

 

[Mit]

I know I am replying to an older thread, I read it soon after I joined the forum but didn't feel confident at the time to contribute. But I just wanted to say thank you @Recovery4Me for the giving voice to this source of trauma and the hope conveyed, that it is possible to heal. I have described my own medical issues in my introduction so won't repeat it again. But having endured repeated surgery (on my genitals) throughout my entire childhood and adolescence (from age 3 to 16) I have slowly come to realise that medical trauma really counts.

For decades I have lived with the trauma and impact of the years of surgery on my development into an adult. I have carried the fears, anxiety, shame, humiliation and unwanted behaviours all my life, they just became subsumed into my character, and I accepted it as 'just the way I was', a bit weird, a bit different yes, but I just had to get on with it.

Then four years ago my secret shame was exploded and exposed, to my loved ones, my friends and the authorities. My loved ones stayed, my friends deserted and the authorities denied my childhood experiences could have resulted in the issues I had lived with since childhood, their interpretation was something much more sinister. It was a hurt upon hurt, a trauma upon trauma. We are together as a family four years later, and make a good fist of it I think, but the damage was immense and is still on-going.

For all those decades I didn't feel able to say anything about how I felt, either when I was a child or when I was an adult. I wasn't abused in the accepted sense, because this had all been done for my own good, hadn't it...? When I finally did speak up, it was discarded, humiliating, painful, shaming, crushing.

When I came to this forum I was very, very frightened to tell my story, for fear of the same response. But I was desperate to talk to someone, and made a leap of faith. The response I received was overwhelming, in kindness, compassion, understanding and support. I had never experienced anything like it before, it still affects me now, very strongly.

Posts like yours, and the replies, and responses to my own posts and this forum as a whole has dared me to hope, that life for me and my family can be better.

For that I am very grateful.

 

[Recovery4Me]

@Mit Thank you for adding such a courageous & vulnerable share.

I am sorry to have missed the alert and not offered the respect due sooner to such effort! :(
I am glad you are among us to share the journey to heal and look forward to reading your future posts.

And yes, the acceptance by this group is indeed a powerful motivator. :hug:'s if you wish

 

[WildMermaid]

I can't read all of this right now as I'm making minestrone, but I'm coming back here and reading every word. As a human that has had surgery since childhood and spends 90% of my days in a wheelchair this is a needed (and still fraught/scary) topic. I'm so glad it exists, and that so many are sharing.

 

[Recovery4Me]

@Glitterkitty :hug:'s if you accept.
Please feel free to share as felt led by your heart.

 

[darrenS]

The vast majority of my medical issues owe a wink and a nod to PTSD.

i can certainly relate, broke my tail bone at 12 and told no one...couldn't sit straight for 2 yrs, then found out i herniated L1 TO L3 , which led to me going sideways and not being able to walk , this started at 15 , then broke both hands , then a clavicle , then broke both my feet at different times, and further on 3 toes on each foot with judgement issues, 18 stitches in my head from a piece of angle iron ladder that i hit at full force, then another 4 herniations (middle to upper) along with severe pain issues , torn meniscus x 2 and cuts and bruises galore, Fibromyalgia and several other disc and spine issues due to degeneration, 3 x malaria (type 4), hostage situations x 2 , intimate mouthplay with AK47's more times than i can remember and several other things. I could never list them all...complex ptsd has made me love danger

But i am alive , i am alive and will throw humor into even the most gut wrenching things...its the only way i can cope and be damned if im going to miss life because of this illness.

My way of just working way to hard and then playing harder - I have no doubts all ptsd related - im terrible at making minestrone , but make a good lasagne :)

 

[Recovery4Me]

@darrenS

Definitely a courageous share! I think what strikes me the most is the way you authentically & carefully hold a distance from attempting to elicit unwanted pity but yet offer the unabashed raw facts with deep feeling. Freakin' awesome and quite the strength of character.

intimate mouthplay with AK47's more times than i can remember

Hostage situation or suicide (full throttle) ideation? If too difficult...do not answer until you are ready and/or wish to share. No expectations: somethings takes time to share if at all.

 

[Sighs]

@FridayJones - are you sure you are not my vet's female doppelganger??? ;):hug: