Hi Everyone. I signed up here in September (that's what the site said the other night but now it's saying December ... either way it's time to say hi lol) and haven't said a word till now. It's true that I've worried about being judged. I suppose most of us know that feeling, if not all of us.
I have a hard time at this site because I'll read a few lines and end up crying, not wanting to think about what I try to run from every day. However, I need a support group. I can't recover alone or by continuing my total avoidance. Honestly, I have serious doubts about being able to have a full recovery, but I'll take any improvement I can get. A few years ago I was told there was no treatment for PTSD and no specific medications, let alone any hope of recovery. I wouldn't have learned any differently if I hadn't decided last Fall to see if there was a book about it, hoping that maybe the medical community had learned something in the last few years. Finding the book gave me the idea to see what was on the internet about it, and here I am. :)
I don't really want to go into all the details of what caused PTSD in me, because it's extensive, beginning with my infancy and followed by so many traumas throughout my entire life that one psychiatrist told me that most people that experience what I've been through don't make it. He told me that even if I were to somehow win the Nobel Peace Prize, my greatest accomplishment will always be having survived so much trauma. I believe him.
I've been continuously sober for 16 years and nicotine free for 5 years and 9 months. :) I don't use illegal drugs and I don't abuse my medications. I even take vitamins and fish oil every day, so physically I'm doing pretty well. I'm a spiritual person that prays every day, but I'm not at all religious. I don't mind if others are, but I'm not one to preach to. lol
Ok, that's enough for now. I'm feeling skittish, but I do look forward to getting to know others like me and what can be done about PTSD.
Peace,
Lavender
I have a hard time at this site because I'll read a few lines and end up crying, not wanting to think about what I try to run from every day. However, I need a support group. I can't recover alone or by continuing my total avoidance. Honestly, I have serious doubts about being able to have a full recovery, but I'll take any improvement I can get. A few years ago I was told there was no treatment for PTSD and no specific medications, let alone any hope of recovery. I wouldn't have learned any differently if I hadn't decided last Fall to see if there was a book about it, hoping that maybe the medical community had learned something in the last few years. Finding the book gave me the idea to see what was on the internet about it, and here I am. :)
I don't really want to go into all the details of what caused PTSD in me, because it's extensive, beginning with my infancy and followed by so many traumas throughout my entire life that one psychiatrist told me that most people that experience what I've been through don't make it. He told me that even if I were to somehow win the Nobel Peace Prize, my greatest accomplishment will always be having survived so much trauma. I believe him.
I've been continuously sober for 16 years and nicotine free for 5 years and 9 months. :) I don't use illegal drugs and I don't abuse my medications. I even take vitamins and fish oil every day, so physically I'm doing pretty well. I'm a spiritual person that prays every day, but I'm not at all religious. I don't mind if others are, but I'm not one to preach to. lol
Ok, that's enough for now. I'm feeling skittish, but I do look forward to getting to know others like me and what can be done about PTSD.
Peace,
Lavender
