Understanding Ptsd - By Anthony Parsons

[ronnalee]

Oh, I am so grateful for this document Anthony. Thank you so much. This is helping me to understand about the anxiety that drives my sufferers' behavior. I am slowly learning to not take this so personal. Your simple explanation is so nice and such a relief to me.

 

[Aurick]

Thank you, this will be very helpful to me.

 

[LittleHugger]

This was a very informative piece for me Anthony, for two major reasons....
1- SLEEP - no wonder I haven't been able to handle anything in regular day to day life ( I have restless legs, insomia, periodic limb movement disorder, and sleep apnea) Sleep studies show almost 700 arousals from sleep in a 6 hour period. No wonder I wake up, exausted and stressed, and ready to cry when I was at work by 10am)
2 - DEPRESSION - I kept decreasing what was in my life...hobbies...housework...and doctors said I was depressed and needed anti-depressants. I tried over and over to explain...I want to do these things, but I can't...I am too exausted and stressed to even try to keep up with what I used to do in my life. I did not stop painting because I am depressed. I am depressed because I had to cut the painting out of my life. I am getting depressed because I am losing my life! That difference is important, I thought! They didn't. The anti-depressants never worked, and I am off of them. But it has been 7 years without any treatment for PTSD, because they waisted all this time trying to treat the depression. I kept asking, "How will the 'depression' go away, if the symptoms of PTSD that is causing the depression remain ?" They said that treatment would be ineffective if I was depressed. Today is my first appointment with a therapist who specializes in trauma therapy. I am grateful, to have a real shot at getting better....

Thanks for the information Anthony, It helped me a lot.

 

[Gayle]

Anthony, your insight and knowledge has been very helpful to me. Thank you for taking the time out to pen such a clear and concise article. I've just reconnected with a friend who has PTSD and I now feel I am able to see a little more of what he needs from me as a supporter. The world must look darker through his eyes, I hope I can shine some light on the shadows for him.

Thank you again.

 

[Girl3]

I have always had horrible muscle pain and body pain. I never felt like I could relax, so I am on some scale of tense. When my muscles are fatigued they will actually twitch or if I am stuck in a social environment. At night, it's almost impossible to go to sleep because my body is like a board! When I took medication it helped some, but I never really brought attention to the pain. It has been with me so long that I thought it was normal or there was no way to lessen it.

The pain can be a feature as can the inability to relax (hypervigilance.) I remember my father telling me he couldn't relax and couldn't sleep. I knew that I couldn't - but thought his was different than mine. He had a terrible childhood and so probably had PTSD also.

Clonidine has helped me immensely with the inability to sleep and relax - as well as the nightmares. I still have nightmares, however, they aren't so bad somehow. Not like they were before the clonidine.

Hope you find peace and comfort and healing.

 

[Girl3]

I don't have any physical pain... physically, I am fit and healthy. I just did 20km's this week, speed walking and starting to throw in running again, which I haven't done in many years.

Some people have pain for different things though, ie. from accidents or genetic issues, and that is vastly different and legitimate. There is also somatic pain, which whilst rare, can be debilitating only due to symptoms based on trauma..

Pain - chronic pain - is from many sources. Genetics - where the collagen is bad for instance and you get severe osteoarthitis, erosive arthritis is fairly common and rears it's ugly head typically by the age of 40. But substance P is also caused by windup from injury as well as from mental anguish. Those of us with PTSD have a sympathetic nervous system on speeddial - and that predisposes us to signals being interpreted as pain.

Typical pain meds - like opiates (morphine, Demerol, Dilaudid) often fail until we get huge doses that render us nearly senseless. NSAIDs like ibuprofen and acetominophen don't work for the kind of pain associated with mental anguish.

Exercise helps because it releases endogenous endorphins, affects cannibis receptors and while endogenous endorphins have been compared with opiates, it isn't the same. People who get nauseated and vomit from morphine and such don't get nauseated from their own endorphins.

I run about 25 miles a week plus other workouts - including free weights - but I have pain constantly. I am thin and physically "healthy" but there are no common pain meds that help me. NSAIDS don't do anything, opiates make me vomit horrifically, neuropathic meds like gabapentin just make me sleepy. The only thing that made the pain stop was for 24 hours last year when I underwent the ketamine study in NYC at Mount Sinai.

The other time I felt great was with my epidural for labor. That was an incredible 3-4 hours. No pain, full relaxation - wow.

 

[no mans land]

The idea of this document is to help those surrounding PTSD; it’s based on theory I have learned and the experience I gained whilst walking my path to recovery.

Download the attached PDF document for a no nonsense outline of what you are dealing with as a sufferer and carer.

Fully Revised as at: 18 Nov 2011

Anthony,
Thank you so much for what I can only describe as a sensational article,it has helped me no end.

 

[scattered]

Dear Anthony, I printed out your article and I haven't got up the courage to journal yet--I wanted to say thank you for writing it though, I am going to try to apply it.

You said-
[If you define a negative in your life, then your work is to change and define that negative into what you want it to be in your future, today even... some people are happy with some negatives, as we all have those as well. The scale and measure is what affects you negatively vs. what doesn't. If something has a constant and deliberate negative impact upon you, then you either change it to a positive or you continue the way you are... but you cannot be who you used to be. Aim for new or improved, not past.[/quote]

I also wanted to respond to this because for me it has been all about getting back to normal. Waiting for all this to be over and getting back to who I am.

 

[anthony]

Most think that way, I was no different. The reality though, that is impossible... so the truth is, aim for who you want to be. The truth about life is we're never the person we were yesterday, as we now have 24hrs more life experience. Personality is evolving second by second within every person, subtle but there.

 

[scattered]

Most think that way, I was no different. The reality though, that is impossible... so the truth is, aim for who you want to be. The truth about life is we're never the person we were yesterday, as we now have 24hrs more life experience. Personality is evolving second by second within every person, subtle but there.

I was a person who felt safe.....could laugh it off but not this thing I'm in. I don't like who I am but I want to become a better person, I think I will, I hope so. Thanks for responding.

 

[Girl3]

I guess in some ways maybe I am lucky - as someone who was abused so early in life and for so many years - I have no clue who I am or what the normal me might be. I can create myself - the version I like best.

Truly - I wouldn't know what the normal me is - so I shoot for 'good' and competent. I try not to be so scared, to be a better friend, to do healthy activities. Failing those, i call, text, or email my psychiatrist.

 

[anthony]

Truly - I wouldn't know what the normal me is - so I shoot for 'good' and competent. I try not to be so scared, to be a better friend, to do healthy activities. Failing those, i call, text, or email my psychiatrist.

You couldn't ask for any better than that...