Human Connection

[SjMel]

Before I read what you wrote, I was going to ask about any addictions, even cigarettes, as that is an addiction. There are groups in US such as Adult Children of Alcoholics, and not everyone in the group has or had an alcoholic parent, but they did have a parent with those characteristics. Some had a parent that was a narcissist. Also, co-dependency groups might be of value. Either of these groups you could attend to explore if you relate and if you dont, no harm done. I know that you said that a work accident caused your ptsd. I am not disputing that, yet most people that develop ptsd in adulthood from a recent trauma, are later told by professionals that they were pre-disposed to it due to trauma at an earlier age. Again, I say most.....not all.(at least in my experience). Just as most adults who become abused in a relationship have a background that supports/predisposed them to abuse. There are so many groups in the US, I am just brain storming here. There are also meditation groups. I hope you get the face to face that you need, and if any of what I said is helpful, great, if not, just disregard.

I also found an in person CoDA meeting

And possibly a faith based mood disorder support group.

It will be a struggle to get to these meetings but worth it.

Tomorrow I have a Counselling appointment and then a structured grief support group.

Maybe things are about to improve for me

 

[SjMel]

I went to my first CoDA Meeting today. I think this is something I could attend on a more regular basis.

There's an arts & crafts place located just down the street from me a couple blocks I can go to for drop in work shops. Something to do. It's better than just laying in bed all day.

A legal Advocate says he is hopefully that I will be sent for a Psychiatric Assessment for my injury claim. And if all goes well I will be able to get assessed and receive a diagnosis for both PTSD and Autism Spectrum Disorder which I can add to my medical file for Disability and Shelter.

If all goes well...

Any and all positive vibes and/or prayer are welcomed.

 

[Midnightmoon]

I went to my first CoDA Meeting today. I think this is something I could attend on a more regular basis.

There's an arts & crafts place located just down the street from me a couple blocks I can go to for drop in work shops. Something to do. It's better than just laying in bed all day.

A legal Advocate says he is hopefully that I will be sent for a Psychiatric Assessment for my injury claim. And if all goes well I will be able to get assessed and receive a diagnosis for both PTSD and Autism Spectrum Disorder which I can add to my medical file for Disability and Shelter.

If all goes well...

Any and all positive vibes and/or prayer are welcomed.

Really pleased for you

 

[SjMel]

Really pleased for you

I'm not celebrating just yet. There's a couple things that need to happen. I need for my GP and Counsellor to help. Question is if they are willing. I hope they are. I have an appointment with my GP tomorrow and my Counselor on Monday. I have to get through the next few months.

 

[user56253]

I don't know where people are located but I live in Canada.

We have 811 resource for mental health
We have 211 resource for all kinds of resources including mental health.
811 referred me to 211 and 211 referred me to a Crisis Line. Crisis line redirected me back to 211. I called 211 and my call went unanswered so I called the Crisis Line back. After almost an hour of searching the navigator directed me to the Canadian Mental Health Association. I am expecting that they too will turn me away. Somewhere between bouncing back and forth I was directed to this organization but they declined to help. The same problem over and over and over again is that I don't meet the criteria for them to help.

I have spent this past year looking. In the process of looking for In-Person support group the Crisis Line navigator directed me to organizations that help people with addictions (I don't have any addictions) and then there was this one person who offers In Person Support Groups but he doesn't facilitate. All other In Person support groups out there are for Mood Disorders and I don't think that PTSD is a Mood Disorder? This organization has a Support Group for PTSD but they are not accepting any new members. All other Support Groups out there for PTSD is for First Responders. While I am not a First Responder I have was the one always present at those emergencies dealing with the chaotic scenes before First Responders arrived on scene, this includes active shooter events, bomb threats, being threatened by people weilding knives, saving a young girl from getting kidnapped, getting physical with members of the public as part of my job, the night clubs and events. I should be considered a First Responder with the horrors I have been subjected to over the years. I came to realize that I feel like I have lived in the middle of a war zone the last 20 years and because I don't meet the criteria of any help out there that exists I get turned away. Literally. I went to this walk in health centre this morning and because my PTSD is related to a work place accident they refuse to provide me with any help or resources.

Nothing is turning up in my searches online for any support groups.

I have reached out to the Canadian Mental Health Association and requested to connect with their Peer Assisted Care Team. I don't know what good that will be because every other place has declined to help despite the fact that currently I am at risk of becoming homeless. I am telling everyone who will listen that I will end my life before I become homeless. What keeps me from not ending my life? I want to live but being on the streets is not living. Being on the streets is basically a slow death... at that point it will be more like put me out of my misery.

I live on the other end of Canada. Have lived in three Atlantic provinces. There are no resources here whatsoever. The image of Canada as a fair, prosperous place to live has become an undeserved one. Sorry to hear your story, I am in much the same situation (PTSD, heart disease, diabetes and mobility)…

 

[SjMel]

I thought I would give an update for anyone interested...

1. I have received an official PTSD diagnosis. Now I have to fight for compensation. I know I will get some sort of compensation through car insurance (ICBC) the fight is with Workers Compensation (WorkSafe) who absolutely refuse to acknowledge there could potentially be psychological injury with my work related accident. I am currently fighting to get back money they have already withheld because of erroneous reasons. I am now having to file an appeal to an independent review board. My worker should have understood the mental and emotional strain at the time and with or without PTSD being part of my claim injury it was way too soon to expect emotional and mental stability to complete the task being asked of me. It was an impossible situation. Anyways, I am about to file to include PTSD to be a compensable injury with my WorkSafe claim.

2. Having tried Al-Anon, the group didn't quite fit or I didn't fit in the group. I didn't feel very welcomed and besides which they were all dealing with spouses or partners who were alcoholics. I found that Adult Children of Alcoholics/Dysfunctional family was more suitable for me.

3. I am also still part of CoDa. I started working with a Sponsor. This is the first time in a very long time I have felt this supported in my healing journey. It has been good to be able to sit with various groups of people, share with these groups and my Sponsor, be heard, and feel like I have some kind of human connection. When I initially started this thread I was feeling a real disconnect.

4. I have adopted a new puppy. I have named him Koa. The hope is that I will be able to train him up to do certain tasks as a Psychiatric Service Dog. He's been proven to be a challenge. But this is the first time in a very long time I have felt like I had purpose. If nothing else Koa has been a nice distraction as it's coming up to the first year anniversary of my sister's passing. I still sometimes find it hard to believe that my sister is gone. I still sometimes think about wanting to meet up with her. There is this coffee shop called Laughing Bean that was located right in the middle between where she used to live and where I live. My nickname for Koa is Koko Beans. Koko nickname from Koa and Beans after that coffee shop. I was hoping to spend more time with my sister, to have more visits with her at the coffee shop but that was never meant to be. So in tribute to my sister Koko Beans is a way to still have that. I can't always go to Laughing Bean Coffee but I have Koko Beans. He's so much of a distraction I am so busy taking care of him as he's still a puppy. He's a very big puppy. He's also the most challenging temperament I have every worked with in a dog. He is a Border Collie Cross mixed with German Shepherd, Black Lab, and Great Pyranees. He is a 25 pound 12 week pup. He doesn't know his strength. I have battle wounds from his sharp teeth and his claws. I mean, he's teething and he also had an explosive upset stomach that lead me to needing to wash him in the bath tub. I might have traumatized him with the shower and blow dryer lol but here's what he has done for me so far... First, I am more active. I am using the arm I broke more so the atrophied muscles are being strengthened. I haven't been using my electric wheelchair as much. I just use it strategically for grocery shopping. I might lose enough weight where I can get an actual mobility scooter for grocery shopping. Other than that I am now walking most places. It's not always good to be alone with your thoughts. It's been good with Koa distracting me. The other night he was having a difficult time getting sick from both ends. He had it rough and so I picked him up and allowed him to sleep on my bed. Problem is, my bed is too high and is unsafe for him so I can't sleep with him on the bed. When he gets older he'll learn to use these steps but anyways, as he laid sleeping next to me while I held on making sure he didn't fall off my bed it just felt wholesome. He is gonna be a big dog. When he plays I see the German Shepherd in him. I will soon be putting him through some obedience training so that we can bond more and so that we can work better as a team. I will be training my Psychiatric Service Dog where he will create space for me, be a barrier. I have had people come right up beside me while I am having a personal medical conversation with a Pharmacist. Like who does that to people? So he will be positioned in a way that gives this extra added barrier. He will also train to do crowd management. That shouldn't be a problem. People are naturally afraid of big dogs lol so people will naturally keep a little bit of a distance. I don't know why but people just don't see me. It is like I am invisible. Like they don't understand I need a bit of room and that it's not appropriate to be breathing on my neck or in my ear. He will also serve to make visible my invisible disability. I need to be able to access the reserved seating on the bus without being verbally assaulted because I am accessing the seating area. My cane alone didn't tell people I needed the seat. And I just don't have the patience anymore. I am afraid I might actually snap one day. I have snapped and it was ugly. It was a good thing I was too physically injured to get physical otherwise I might have. Anyways, here's hoping that Koa is successful in his candidacy as my Service Dog. In my Province I will need to get him Certified. It's a lengthy difficult process. Having the PTSD diagnosis means I can possibly qualify to get this certification. At the end of the day I have this companion and I am not so alone anymore but I am hopeful that I will have a means to mitigate my disability and I will have fewer hardship that comes with having my disabilities.