Do You Think PTSD Is A Terminal Illness?

[texaskitty]

Don't have to apologize ISupportHer. I understand. I was really deep into the depression well when I made my original post.

Hope is possible. I lost hope somewhere along the way. I mean to find it again.

Good thoughts to you and thanks.

TexasKitty

 

[strugglingdad]

Irton, I'm a little confused. Please don't take offense to what I say. Are the vipers in my post, the PTSD, the carer's feelings? Honest, I just want to understand. Sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain and I don't want that to happen here. If you could straighten me out on this I would really appreciate it. Thank you.
Strugs. :)

 

[Irton Pike]

Oops! sorry! No I was just empathising with the fact that we all spread the poison around onto our nearest and dearest! I wonder why my wife bothers with me sometimes. A lot of the time to be honest. Makes me feel very guilty!

I did not in any way mean to cause you any upset and if I have then I apologise. Sorry.

 

[strugglingdad]

Irton, it's all good. Just wanted to be sure I didn't say something wrong. I TOTALLY agree with you. And no need to apologise.
Take care, strugs.

 

[ISupportHer]

I really think, no I know, that my wife feels bad about how everything affects me. I do my best to not let it show too much. (Another topic discussed just this morning in therapy) In a "normal" marriage, I'd be able to express myself but I walk a fine line. If I would be honest with her it absolutely would add to her guilt and feelings of depression.

In another post I talked about how hard it was for me in our anniversary dinner when I opened up about how I love her and don't regret marrying her. She responded that she was sorry she put me through hell. No "I love you" back. In my "carer" thread, I talked about how that hurt. Someone, maybe someone on this thread, pointed out that the fact even she said that was a way of opening up a little and admitting the PTSD. That helped me.

In this discussion, hearing how those of you who have and are experiencing PTSD, I realize that her admission of concern for me was really an "I love you", maybe in her only way she could say it at that time. As I said elsewhere on this site, sometimes I have trouble seeing the forest for the trees. Thank you all for an anniversary gift! I was not able to see that until this very minute!

 

[Tinyflame]

Dear Support,

You are right, that was her way of telling you that she loves you.

Likely she cannot use the "regular" words, because it is very hard to "love yourself", with PTSD (due to absolutely no fault of yours).

May you both receive many more "gifts". :smile:

 

[becvan]

From Wikipedia on Terminal Illness:
"Terminal illness is a medical term popularized in the 20th century to describe an active and malignant disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer or advanced heart disease than for trauma. In popular use, it indicates a disease which will end the life of the sufferer.
A patient who has such an illness may be referred to as a terminal patient or terminally ill. Often, a patient is considered to be terminally ill when the life expectancy is estimated to be six months or less, under the assumption that the disease will run its normal course."

PTSD is not a terminal illness. We can survive it and even get better. I have never heard of someone being told they have 6 months to live because they have PTSD. Yes we can die of complications of PTSD, which can take years, or suicide however there is a lot we can do to avoid that fate. The terminally ill have no such options.

bec

 

[Grama-Herc]

Bec

I wanted to say the same thing but did not know how to phrase it and did not want to seem argumentitive. Your explanation is perfect and right on.

Sometimes we feel like this mess is going to kill us, but only if we let it so to speak

 

[Tinyflame]

Yes, I've been torn on how to respond to this. Frankly, I find thinking of it that way as kind of a "downer", yet another part of me wonders if/ when one day it (may) kill me, for good.

I agree with Bec, by that term.

I believe that PTSD is a dangerous illness.

 

[Irton Pike]

Yeah, OK, I'm changing my mind to the more sensible view offered by Becvan.

Gotta stay flexible!

 

[Deleted member 541]

I don't think that texaskitty meant *terminal* literally.....as in, does it cause death like a disease does.... I took it as she was asking about PTSD and the depression part of it LEAD to possible death.....

I could be wrong, but that was my take on the question......

 

[Luthien]

By definition, there is no cure or adequate treatment for terminal illnesses, and they end up causing death.

So, do I think PTSd is a terminal illness? No. It doesn't have to be a death warrant. There are treatments available, and I have to hope that it can be cured (in a way). I guess the better word is overcome.

That said, PTSD can definitely be life threatening, especially when it is left to fester untreated, and stressors keep popping up.

I've almost died three times, and though it would have been deemed suicide, I believe PTSD would have been the cause, and that my abusers, and the jerk who was pushing me over the edge each time, would have been responsible....