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Any Advise welcome

Discussions and general chat about PTSD. Feel free to introduce yourself or if you need help, please reach out and ask.
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Ex-Tiger
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Any Advise welcome

Post by Ex-Tiger »

Hi, i left the Army in 2006, brought a house, good job had our 3rd baby, all was going well, or so i thought, over the last year i have slowly been getting more nad more short tempared, altho i have good days, i hought nothing of it, one day in november last year i sat and watched a DVD of my tour of Iraq in 2004, and by the end i was a shaking mess, i visited the doctors the foloowing week and i was just gonna ask a few questions when i just totally broke down, i couldnt get any words out at all.

He eventually got out of me the details of the dvd i watched and imediatly diognosed me with PTSD. This was the 1st week of Dec, and i was signed off work till after xmas and placed aon anti depressants, i went back to work last week.

i still dont really understand what is wrong with me, as i have totally good days and then days where i just cant be bothered to do anything, including get out of bed, and other days where i just have a very short temper, and no one can talk to me.

i have some one from combat stress coming to my house on the 15th of this month, but im nervous as i dont know how to be, i worry that im having a good day and so he will pass me off, or i have a bad day and he thinks im putting it on just for his benifit. My other worry is im not sure i want my wife there if i have to talk about things from my Army days , theres things i have never and will never tell her or my kids, but she wants to be there for support.

I' going totally mad with all sorts of thoughts in my head, and to top it off im averaging 4 hours sleep anight.

anyway im not sure what i'm asking i just though id type and see what came out.

sorry if none of this makes any sense.
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ofens
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Post by ofens »

Hi,
Sorry to hear you are having a bad time.
I have lots of experience with Combat Stress and they are great! 8)
Don't worry about the visit, just treat it as a chat.
You don't have to do anything, and if you are uncomforatble they can come back another time - no pressure, no problem.

I do not suffer PTSD myself but my father does and I am with him everyday, so I have a good understanding of what a sufferer goes through.
You are not alone, you are not strange or different - it is normal for veterans and there is help in various forms - including some extremely clued up people on this fourm ;-)

It is common for PTSD sufferers to also become (or already be) alcoholics, I can only hope and pray for your sake that you are able to avoid this.

My very best wishes to you and feel free to PM me, if I can help I most certainly will.

Best regards
ofens
[i]Hangover is temporary, drinking lasts forever![/i]
[b]IT WILL COME[/b]
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Tab
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Post by Tab »

It appears that PTSD can catch up with you at any time of your life. A chap in our Association came down with it some sixty years after he had been at Arnhem. It hit him so bad he booked him self into hospital for treatment although he he is a lot better he can no longer face any thing of a military nature even his old friends.
BigStevie
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Re: Any Advise welcome

Post by BigStevie »

First off Tiger, well done on having the guts to come out and say how you feel. That is a good start. The next thing is for you to understand that you are not the only person who feels like this - there are many who have felt, or will feel, the way you do.
I don't know your background but what is very familiar is the way it has shown itself - this is very typical of people who have been out for a while.
There is no hard and fast rule or reason why PTSD 'comes alive' - as Tab says it can occur even decades after leaving. It can be anything, like a traumatic event, even something simple like a tune on the radio or a programme on the tv, a sound. Anything can trigger these things to start to affect our lives and those around us.
You've getting yourself good advice and help - CS will be able to help you start to deal with the background, and the coping mechanisms that you will develop for yourself to be ready for the times when this will re-occur.
And if you need to then come back on and talk - that is the best way of giving yourself a chance at working things through.

Take care.
Ex-Tiger
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Re: Any Advise welcome

Post by Ex-Tiger »

Thanks to everyone for advise, has been helpful.

Just a quick update, I'm still on medication which is keeping my head straight, I've had a meet with combat stress people, and they say they see all the symptoms and want to take me in for a week to start off with, but can't take me in for 6 months due to high demand for beds. So I'm just plodding along at the mo.
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Tab
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Re: Any Advise welcome

Post by Tab »

Stick to it Tiger....and keeping talking to every one about it, even if you have to come in here to do it, well at leat you can let it out here and most of the people here know what it is all about.
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Hyperlithe
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Re: Any Advise welcome

Post by Hyperlithe »

Glad they came round and will help you, shame it takes so long, but I guess it shows the demand is high, and you're not alone.
I have a lot of dealings with military wives and girlfriends, and I understand completely that there are things that you don't want to tell your wife about, but please please do talk to her if you can, and let her support you.
If she would like to talk to someone who understands, you can point her in the direction of www.britishforcessweethearts.co.uk - we did a calendar last year in aid of Combat Stress, and several of the ladies on there have other halves dealing with PTSD.
You can have peace.
Or you can have freedom.
Don't ever count on having both at once.
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