Chronic/painful Injury Assoc W/trauma - How To Cope?

[Deleted member 35429]

I have an old injury to my neck/throat from severe strangulation associated with rape. I'm emotionally doing well, but I have an injury to my trachea and thyroid so perplexing and pervasive that it seems possibly life threatening and feels like I'm constantly being strangled. I'm on prednisone now to get the swelling down so I can have exploratory surgery in the next couple weeks. As I taper off the steroids the pressure/swelling on my throat is getting more severe and this triggers PTSD symptoms for me. I have to get through another 4 days before I go back to the hospital and right now I'm doing everything I can think of to distract myself.

I keep wondering what veterans or others with chronic painful/triggering injuries associated with trauma do to get through the low points?

I'm trying to focus on work and pack my social life full so I keep talking to people and staying out of my dissociated mind. When I'm alone, I am starting to drift off to a separate place, feels half way to dying but it's just dissociation.

What are your best grounding techniques?

Actually, I don't think I want to ground myself into the present because then all I feel is the pressure on my throat. I want to distract myself away without dissociating. Any tips?

 

[chant2012]

That sounds really difficult. I have some injuries from my abuse as a child too. And sometimes when they flare up it causes me to have a lot of emotional and somatic flashbacks. Sending you well wishes and support as you get through these next few days. Hope your exploratory surgery goes well. All the support to you.

 

[GrayOwl]

When I have nothing left, all that I have is what I can give to others.
When there is nothing left in my life, be it through emotional or physical pain, trauma, depression, poverty, I turn to others.
I find a way to give, through service work of some kind. If I can bring a smile to someone else's face or ease their pain, that may be all I have at that given moment, or day.
Often times when next I think about myself, my situation has changed, time has passed, or my burden has eased. Sometimes not. But usually it gets me through until my crisis has eased.
Sometimes it's a phone call to a friend or someone ill or hurting, a hospital visit, a support meeting, helping someone move.... taking time to listen to others.
In a way it's almost selfish - but in a kinda positive way. I distract my mind and amazing things come from it sometimes.
I don't know if that helps.
I'm so sorry for your trauma. I'll pray that something can be done to relieve your discomfort.
Glad you posted. Sounds like you're doing a really good job.

I just finished a round of prednisone. It has some amazing results, but I didn't want to overdo it.

 

[Friday]

My Pain Relief :

Painkillers, other people's problems, work, gravity sports (the kind where if you aren't paying attention the ground reaches up and smacks you hard for it), good fiction (books, movies, tv), driving with music, art, rage, laughter.

 

[Deleted member 35429]

These are all really helpful, thank you so much! I love the idea of giving to others. I'm in a position of power at work and it's easy to see talking with the staff as a burden of a time-suck. I will try and listen to them to hear their concerns and really focus on them. That's the least I can do. I think that is probably the best advice. Put the energy outward instead of inward... I can do that more. Good fiction is another must have, too

 

[BlueOrange]

When my leg hurts (the bones healed within months, the mind isn't quite there yet, 30 years later), it helps if I rub it & get some sensations going that mean that the "I'm broken" story doesn't add up anymore. Grounding my leg in reality instead of my mind.

My throat closes up sometimes, and that's harder for me to cope with, but I do find myself progressively more able to receive kind contact from myself there. I don't like having my throat touched (even though my experience is way less horrible than yours), but I find that the base of the skull & the top of the shoulder are close enough that they make a difference.