Sufferer Struggling With Ptsd And The Uk Nhs

[Lou82]

Hi I am 32yrs old and live in London and I got diagnosed with PTSD three years ago after being told I was cured in 2009 when I was clearly not and the NHS blaming me for my lack of progress!

After a lengthy process and me getting very ill and quite frankly my local NHS being totally useless dealing with someone with PTSD and me fighting for the right help I am now receiving treatment from a well known hospital that deals with PTSD. I am still learning all about PTSD, and looks like I've had this for 8 years! I have been housebound for that amount of time with what I was told by the NHS PTSD with Agoraphobia but now it seems it was a dissociation episode I had 8 years ago that started me not wanting to out, what nobody picked up on what it was until now and it may not be Agoraphobia at all!

I had another one I now no in 2012 which led me to get so ill I've had someone living with me since then and lost a lot of weight and symptoms just got so bad and was in crisis and the NHS was useless. I feel rather angry that so called professionals missed what I had for so long, and so confused about a lot of things to do with my condition and angry I've missed 8 years of my life living it the way I would have wanted to! I am receiving the right treatment now and put on weight and there have been little improvements but overall I have got worse or very up and down and some days it all feels too much, mood swings, symptoms etc I am told its normal and part of the process and it will get better!

I would love to hear others experiences, anyone that is going though treatment and someone hopefully that's gone through it and have got better!

 

[Emsy.77]

Hia Lou82 it is normally regarding syptoms but it is awful!!! I only got diagnosed this yr. But have suffered every since I was 16/17. You never cure PTSD you just learn to live with it better!!! So your health professionals were talking rubbish. I've only just joined this forum/group but had loads of positive feedback. Keep at it and all the best!!!

 

[Lou82]

Thank you for your reply, I have just joined also, funny enough I thought that at the time your never cured! It really is a struggle to live with it better, doing everything in therapy and just feel worse very up and down, didn't think it would be this hard! Sometimes I just think will it get better/easier?

 

[craigrio]

h
Hello I have just join this and I have only been having this problem for 5 months it's got really bad and I'm trying to fix it befor it gets to bad.

I all so have really bad anxiety I need sleeping tabs each time just so I can sleep with out worry in I'm trying to find away to stop it all and enjoy the time. I'm missing out on my to kids but after reading some stuff on here I kinda feel a bit better as I thought I was alone on this.

 

[Deleted member 20280]

@Lou82 welcome to the Myptsd family.

Dissociative episodes can last from few minutes to endless, in some cases even years and can manifest in Agoraphobic Symptoms.

With the right level of therapeutic input and being a part of this PTSD community you will start I am sure to feel much Calmer.

With the Forum you are no longer alone in your recovery journey. No one can I believe ever be truly cured of PTSD but as you say we can learn to cope better.

:hug:s if you accept them

Laurie

 

[Laura 2]

@Lou82
Welcome. There are a lot of good people here who know a lot of what you're going through.

I certainly know how the NHS people can cruelly blame you and turn it all round on you. Particularly when you're too afraid to leave the house...they just ignore you, at best. Like you I'm angry at this sort of 'treatment' and a wasted life. But really my anger pales into insignificance compared with how terrified I am of NHS staff now.

But well done you for hanging on and persevering so that you eventually got treatment that suits you. It seems to me that part of the problem of feeling worse is that it's taken so long for the NHS to understand and give you the right treatment. When it comes at last it maybe feels like a shock in itself that you're actually heard and that someone actually wants to listen...! There's a lot of awful traumatic memories to wade through too.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I started therapy in 1985 and had good therapists and bad therapists and I now look back at so many years of life that I wasted in false beliefs about my self. I had two young children and never felt like a good mother.

Now I just made another therapy appointment for a tune up and see a psychiatrist for meds that have stabilized me. My husband of thirty six years died last year and I have had to start over and build a new life for myself.

I worked so hard on my recovery and sure wished I had access to this forum when I first started because it would have saved me from a lot of needless grief from unsafe others I used to have in my life.

So it has been a very bumpy ride, but now I have more and more good days and now it is mostly about self care and managing symptoms. I still have bad days but not so many anymore. I believe I will never be cured of it but I sure am not locked in my closet anymore curled up in a ball of fear when I first was diagnosed.

I wish you the best on your journey of healing and recovery and commend you for fighting so hard for the right treatment. I experienced that too but not as extreme as you in being diagnosed after being misdiagnosed.

I was physically sick for so many years due to mismanagement and poor therapists. But now I have the best help I have ever had and I am learning and growing again. Hugs.

 

[Deleted member 20280]

Ps..... My personal experienes of the NHS here in the UK....... Diabolical !

 

[Lucycat]

My personal experience (as a patient) of the NHS - here in the UK- faultless, perfect, helpful,considerate, caring, compassionate, non-judgemental, available ..... I could go on but I think you get the gist?

My personal experience (as an employee) - somewhat different. (Bully for a boss as a starter)

 

[Laura 2]

Ps..... My personal experienes of the NHS here in the UK....... Diabolical !

Yes, diabolical - of the devil. Evil. If vets treated dogs how they treated me they would have soon been prosecuted by the RSPCA.

 

[Laura 2]

@Lucycat
It goes without saying that I'm deeply envious! May we send our NHS lot up to yours to be taught how to treat us properly?!! I'm glad you have that experience - it's obviously been so healing for you, but also it tells us that good treatment is possible.

More seriously, you mention your experience as NHS staff, which is horrible for you. Apart from stadd membership possibly impacting on the faultless quality of your treatment, it's well known via BMA and NMC research that up to 27% of junior doctors and nurses are routinely seriously bullied by senior staff and management. The sickness absenteeism in the NHS is way above the national average because of it. It's the culture (and there is shocking evidence that this was explicitly sanctioned from the top).

 

[intothelight]

@Lou82 Welcome to the forum!

While PTSD is not curable, it can be managed and treated to a point that a person can really start to live their life and find enjoyment and fulfillment again. This site can be very helpful with the information that is available and the support of other members.