What Do I Do With The Nightmares

[WyomingMarine]

Hey im kinda new to all of this and trying to be more open about these things but how do any of you deal with your nightmares? I just got out of the Marine Corps back in May and I realized that while I was still in was still in the barracks with people I trusted and people who had been there too. got out and had an amazing girlfriend who helped me deal with the stress and helped make the nightmares go away. Well since she left me things have gone downhill. I know vets in this town but so far i feel like the only combat vet and the only one who cant sleep because of the nightmares. I cant sleep because of them, i wont sleep most nights cause im afraid of them and it feels like the only way i can get over the non stop tears afterword is to open a new bottle or before i go to sleep. How do any of you deal with sleep problems, either before sleep or after the nightmares i feel like ive tried everything.

 

[Tim Cake]

From a fellow Westerner -- welcome to the forum.

You need to get some competent psychiatric help. Don't fart around with self diagnosis and treatment. Take it from this old Army dog -- they don't work worth a damn. The clock is ticking on the rest of your life...

Get in touch with VA -- they will help you connect with some local help facilities provided at no cost to you.
Get with it Marine!

You have earned the RIGHT to treatment by way of you combat service!

 

[WyomingMarine]

thanks bro, but the VA has done squat for me so far and ive been looking for help. Im seeing a shrink from the vet center and that kinda helps but so far all the shrinks ive seen i only made it through a couple appointments before i decided i hated them. they called me an alcoholic when at the time i only drank on the weekends....with every other marine in the barracks. or theyve just been stupid, like dont tell me you dont know what to tell me or that youve never dealt with someone with ptsd or that your not quite sure what i want or how to help me. yeah this new guy drives up here from the vet center but i can only see him every two weeks so it helps but kinda dosnt and to see a shrink with the VA i have to drive almost 2 hours away to see him and it was the same with mil one source. so the therapy helps but it doesnt, gives somewhere to kinda vent but not enough. lets face it, theres 2 shrinks here in my town but they dont deal with PTSD, nice being in a town with almost no problems but it gets annoying feeling like the only messed up one out here.

 

[Tim Cake]

Gyrene:

Don't give up on the VA. Explain your situation to the VA medical people and administrators. You also need to meet these folks halfway -- don't expect miracles in the short term with minimal effort on your part. I walk the same road as you -- I was a career soldier and just as f*cked up as most ptsd sufferers. At first I didn't want to talk to frigging' civvie P. Docs. It took a while, but the VA connected me to a P. Doc who is a three tour Marine from the Vietnam War. He knew the score.

In short, "the cure" (or at least the mitigation) of ptsd is worth the effort and pain. It won't be easy! Hate or love for your P. Doc is moot-- they are trained to deal with our types of issues. Give them a chance to help -- even if it feels like crap or a waste of time. My P. Doc tuned me into Dr. Herbert Benson's (Harvard Medical School) relaxation techniques -- they are a god-send when a panic attack sets in. Talk to your P. Doc about them.

The march of a thousand miles starts with a single step. The key to success on that march is L,R,L,R -- repeat, repeat, repeat... The Marines in my joint command never quit on me. Neither should you.