While not the same - everyone’s experience would be unique - I can relate somewhat to your after accident/injury experience. Last year, I was the teacher of a violent and abusive student and I had minimal leadership support. The child threw chairs and other objects at me multiple times everyday, while verbally abusing me (vile, often sexual content including death threats) and destroying the classroom. I tried my best to keep going for the sake of the other kids, but after six months I physically collapsed and had to take leave. My claim was accepted by WorkCover and I was diagnosed with ptsd. It was a huge shock to me because I don’t associate teaching with ptsd. Since then, I’ve been seeing a psychologist twice a week and a psychiatrist once a month. Prior to all this, I had no mental health issues so this has been really challenging. It’s been eight months since I collapsed. I attempted a gradual return to work last year after nine weeks of leave (it was way too early, but I was determined to return), however just recently I’ve had to stop work again. The exhaustion, nausea, cognitive issues and shaking increased when I returned for the new school year. Like you, I still suffer a lot with nightmares, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks and anxiety. I also dissociate and have panic attacks. You can’t see my injury so people don’t understand that I’m still battling every day. And dealing with Workcover…oh boy! They need staff trained in supporting people with ptsd as they trigger my trauma responses more often than not! I don’t know what this year will look like - whether I’ll get back to work, whether I’ll be allowed to continue teaching my current class or whether I want to or am capable of it. Everything is up in the air and I’m supposed to focus on resting and healing, but none of it is easy. I don’t know if I can give any insight, but I felt compelled to post (this is my first post) to say you weren’t alone and sometimes that’s more important than anything else in this journey.
