Trauma – PTSD

Question:

have you told any of your docs about your pain and how much pain meds you are getting?  the level you described in a previous post is ridiculously low given the surgery you just had.  hell we give people more pain meds than that to people who come into the ER with a pulled muscle!!!!  i know how reluctant a lot of docs are to prescribe adequate pain meds given the whole stigma around narcotics but quite frankly undertreated pain does a lot of damage just by itself.  i guess my thought was that your doc may not realize you’re needing your days worth of pain meds just to get out of bed.

Response:

Hi Rick! > have you told any of your docs about your pain and how much pain meds you are > getting?  the level you described in a previous post is ridiculously low given > the surgery you just had.  hell we give people more pain meds than that to > people who come into the ER with a pulled muscle!!!!  i know how reluctant a > lot of docs are to prescribe adequate pain meds given the whole stigma around > narcotics but quite frankly undertreated pain does a lot of damage just by > itself.  i guess my thought was that your doc may not realize you’re needing > your days worth of pain meds just to get out of bed.

As PTSD symptoms include isolating, I’d like to support your discussing your pain with your MD also.  I ended up on narcotics for 6 weeks after my last major surgery.  It turned out that a nerve got caught under one of the stitches, and until the stitch resorbed there was constant pain. My surgeon kept me on narcotics for the entire time.  As long as I wasn’t getting a narcotic buzz and the pain was kept to an absolute minimum, her concept was that pain slows down healing. YMMV Smile and there will be something to smile about! Nancy

Response:

In article <shpont2qgjd…@corp.supernews.com>,   "Need Advice" <Need_advice> wrote: Boy am I glad i found you! I am in the process of applying for disabiltiy retirement form the State of California STRS.  On grounds very similar to yours. I’d love to keep in touch and share whatever we can on this one. You’re the only other teacher iv’e seen on the net with this. RSVP on line or by e-mail. Artemesia ********** Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

Response:

Hello everyone. It’s been a HORRIBLE day but, thank God, I’ve got a great employer. I learned, last year, that I’ve got a whopping case of PTSD, in addition to depression, anxiety, and ADD (which they found through brainwave testing). Furthermore, I was just diagnosed with a severe case of sleep apnea. I’m beginning to feel like a medical dictionary. Anyway, I was subjected to some extreme horrors, as a classroom teacher, several years ago (and for an extended period of time), in a HORRIBLE school district (they harmed kids as much, if not worse, than the teachers). I quit that job when I was vomiting every morning before going to work. I found a new job, in a completely different teaching assignment, in a GREAT school district elsewhere. Well, the horrors of the old job have continued to haunt me to the point where I can barely function (everyone thinks I’m a great teacher and most haven’t a clue as to the torment that resides inside me). Anyway, things have become so bad that, my doctors have told me that I need to go on disability. My new (good) employer is also being very supportive and agreed that this will kill me if I don’t. Here are my questions 1. Have any of you been placed on disability? If so, were you able to ever get back into your line of work? My doctors think that I MUST change professions – the stress will kill me if I don’t. 2. Are there vocational retraining programs available to people with PTSD? If so, what are they? 3. Are there any good resources (brochures, etc.) that I can give to my current employer about PTSD? They really don’t understand it.    While they are very supportive, they can’t understand "why can’t you just let it go?" (Hey, even my own mother doesn’t understand that!) Thanks. Right now, I’ve GOT to take some very hard time off in order to get my stress level DOWN. This is all very scary as I’ve never been in a place like this before. Thanks.

Response:

Thanks Rick and Max. I have just found, on the net, that I am eligible for disability from the California State Teacher Retirement System (STRS). Apparently, they will even pay for retraining. (I am [was] a teacher.) The stress has just been soooo horrible. From the limited reading I’ve done (I just printed out a lot of materials), STRS will, apparently pay for Vocational Rehab and possibly even allow me to go back to college to acquire new skills. I learned some of this from another teacher who I met on the ‘net that has been on disability for the past 5 years due to PTSD. From what my docs tell me, it looks like I’ve got a rip-roaring case of it and that if I don’t get out, entirely, it’ll kill me. My body is in a constant state of massive tension. Also, they’re running out of drugs to give me – I’ve tried just about everything. At the worst point of my depression (which I’ve suffered from for years), I was on 375 Mgs of Effexor. Right now, I’m down to 75 Mgs. of that but I’m also on Klonopin and Zyprexa. The Zyprexa is a new one for me (just in the past month) – I’ve been on Xanax, Depacote, Ambien, and many, many others. I either don’t respond to some of the drugs or have side effects. Right now, the Zyprexa has made me gain weight at tremendous rate (about 20 pounds in a month). Because of that, as of last Monday, I’m supposed to take it only as needed. Things have been so bad that I’ve had several "Zyprexa moments" this week. I’m just so torn up about this whole damn mess. As you noted Rick, disability services in this country REALLY are horrible. I was put in this position because the union also refused to help me. I’m finding MANY others who are in the same situation. Also, I’ve had MAJOR ongoing problems with insurance (haven’t we all) which only makes things even worse. "Rick Harle" <rha…@athens.net> wrote in message

news:da4shs8sf39119flc4s1bhn6ibk3dpoajh@4ax.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> That varies from state to state. I just found out in this state, Ga, > WC offers no money for any retraining. Believe here one must be out of > work for a good while before Voc Rehab kicks in. Disability services > in this country have really been gutted by the right wing Congress. > ADA has no teeth, unless all the circumstances are just right. In this > state, no ADA unless at least 15 employees. I don’t know that may be > federal. I know, I’m cranky today. Lots of pain, not enough meds. > Rick > On Sat, 13 May 2000 17:31:33 GMT, "MaxHax" <hrdware…@email.com> > wrote: > >x-no-archive: yes > >It sounds to me that you should qualify for voc rehab though > >workers comp. You need to file a claim and get a lawyer. > >__MaxHax__ > >"Need Advice" <Need_advice> wrote in message > >news:shpont2qgjd149@corp.supernews.com… > >> Hello everyone. It’s been a HORRIBLE day but, thank God, I’ve got a great > >> employer. I learned, last year, that I’ve got a whopping case of PTSD, in > >> addition to depression, anxiety, and ADD (which they found through > >brainwave > >> testing). Furthermore, I was just diagnosed with a severe case of sleep > >> apnea. I’m beginning to feel like a medical dictionary. > >> Anyway, I was subjected to some extreme horrors, as a classroom teacher, > >> several years ago (and for an extended period of time), in a HORRIBLE > >school > >> district (they harmed kids as much, if not worse, than the teachers). I > >quit > >> that job when I was vomiting every morning before going to work. I found a > >> new job, in a completely different teaching assignment, in a GREAT school > >> district elsewhere. > >> Well, the horrors of the old job have continued to haunt me to the point > >> where I can barely function (everyone thinks I’m a great teacher and most > >> haven’t a clue as to the torment that resides inside me). Anyway, things > >> have become so bad that, my doctors have told me that I need to go on > >> disability. My new (good) employer is also being very supportive and > >agreed > >> that this will kill me if I don’t. > >> Here are my questions > >> 1. Have any of you been placed on disability? If so, were you able to ever > >> get back into your line of work? My doctors think that I MUST change > >> professions – the stress will kill me if I don’t. > >> 2. Are there vocational retraining programs available to people with PTSD? > >> If so, what are they? > >> 3. Are there any good resources (brochures, etc.) that I can give to my > >> current employer about PTSD? They really don’t understand it.    While > >they > >> are very supportive, they can’t understand "why can’t you just let it go?" > >> (Hey, even my own mother doesn’t understand that!) > >> Thanks. > >> Right now, I’ve GOT to take some very hard time off in order to get my > >> stress level DOWN. This is all very scary as I’ve never been in a place > >like > >> this before. > >> Thanks.

Response:

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