Things had been looking up for so long and I hadn’t logged onto this forum for months, but this past week my first responder with cPTSD lost a fellow provider from a neighboring station with whom he had run a few calls to suicide and 2 days later lost a very close firefighter friend. I’m not sure of the cause of death for the second friend and didn’t want to push my guy on the issue, but I heard from other sources that it was at home and unexpected, especially for such a young person. I expected the pulling away and loss of communication upon hearing the sad news, but after we were doing so well, it hurts to see my sufferer in such pain and to not be able to do anything about it except for wait it out for however long it takes and to reassure him that I love him and am here for him when he is ready. Either way, it’s a sad reminder that PTSD can get better but never really goes away. Even though I’m used to the push and pull, I’m finding it a little difficult to determine how much I need to check in on him and be sure that he is okay versus giving him space to grieve on his own or with other first responder friends. I don’t want to hover, but I want him to know I’m here if he needs me. Any suggestions from other supporters or sufferers?
During all of these rough moments, I have found this forum and the people on it to be an extraordinarily help and support system. Honestly, I’m not sure that I would have the same strong relationship I have with my sufferer today without the encouragement and understanding of other amazing supporters and sufferers on this page. However, sometimes I wish that I could talk to someone who understands what it is like in person. I know in the Washington, D.C. area there are very few resources available for PTSD sufferers let alone loved ones of sufferers. However, I wanted to reach out to see if there would be anyone else in the D.C. metro area on here who might be interested in organizing a support group for supporters similar to Al Anon to give each other a safe space to share stories and talk when needed, share resources for sufferers and supporters, and learn with how to cope and adjust to life and relationships with a PTSD sufferer. Give me a shout if you’re close by and want to set something up or if you know of anyone who might be interested or has some connections to help form a group in the D.C. area. Thank you guys for all of your support as always!
During all of these rough moments, I have found this forum and the people on it to be an extraordinarily help and support system. Honestly, I’m not sure that I would have the same strong relationship I have with my sufferer today without the encouragement and understanding of other amazing supporters and sufferers on this page. However, sometimes I wish that I could talk to someone who understands what it is like in person. I know in the Washington, D.C. area there are very few resources available for PTSD sufferers let alone loved ones of sufferers. However, I wanted to reach out to see if there would be anyone else in the D.C. metro area on here who might be interested in organizing a support group for supporters similar to Al Anon to give each other a safe space to share stories and talk when needed, share resources for sufferers and supporters, and learn with how to cope and adjust to life and relationships with a PTSD sufferer. Give me a shout if you’re close by and want to set something up or if you know of anyone who might be interested or has some connections to help form a group in the D.C. area. Thank you guys for all of your support as always!