Question:
Thanks Lea, While I dislike pushing for something that my doctors are reluctant to do, for reasons not completely clear, I’ll ask/demand it at my next appointment. The Loma Linda Medical Center, which is affiliated with the VA Hospital has one of the few trauma centers in the area. I have heard that there is an advanced CT scan now available. Perhaps the VA has to pay more than they like to use it. They push the MRI since they have one at the VA Hospital. Hope everything is going well with you. Larry L. "Lea15" <le…@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20021119225200.04048.00000021@mb-de.aol.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> >I tell them that and they say I could have a CAT > >scan but it might not show enough detail to be of much use unless it was > >something very obvious. > so do the CT. it will show you more than you know right now and you aren’t > going to get a MRI. i’d be much more worried if the VA was going to let you > get a MRI.
Response:
Hi Eli, Boy, both you and Denise have touched on something that I worry about. While I have full blood work-ups on a regular bases, I’m somewhat concerned that there is something physiologically wrong with me in addition to the PTSD and my meds. Several of my doctors have suggested an MRI to, if nothing else, ease my fears. Trouble is I can’t have an MRI. Too many metal fragments still in my body, five of which, though small, are imbedded in my upper sinus up against my skull. I tell them that and they say I could have a CAT scan but it might not show enough detail to be of much use unless it was something very obvious. So the question is always there. I keep asking but no one seems to be able to give any advice as to other options or if the VA is giving me a partial snow job. I am glad that you both of got something positive, if that’s the right word, from your tests. Larry L. "Eli" <oh_chocolatenos…@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:hr0C9.842$ZI1.30432425@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> BTW, they thought I had ms until my mri. It was actually overactive > neurotransmitters brought on by reflex neurovascular dystrophy. It’s a > fancy name for one of the mechanisms behind fibromyalgia… which just > happens to be more common after severe or long term trauma. > Eli
Response:
>I tell them that and they say I could have a CAT >scan but it might not show enough detail to be of much use unless it was >something very obvious.
so do the CT. it will show you more than you know right now and you aren’t going to get a MRI. i’d be much more worried if the VA was going to let you get a MRI.
Response:
i think it depends on how much you like what you are doing. i work in the er and have to deal not only with child abuse but sexual assaults. it does trigger but i love what i do enough that i can’t imagine not doing it. i’ve gotten to the point where i can put aside what gets triggered until i am in a safe place to deal with it. yes it does make things more difficult but i love what i do too much to quit. it took a lot of systematic desensitization to get to where i am-repeatedly exposing myself to triggers until i didn’t outwardly react and could contain what was happening.
Response:
Hi Kevin, Good responses from both LEL and Lea. I would caution against both immersion in and avoidance of triggers. Immersing myself in triggers was my plan A. Nothing was going to stop me. Eventually, immersion can be like dragging yourself across a bed of nails– won’t toughen you up, the scar tissue isn’t useful, and being on edge tends to drive any potentially helpful friends and family underground… and the whole point of getting over PTSD is not being in survival mode forever and ever, so why do this to yourself??? Avoiding triggers was my plan B. I didn’t get smart. I cracked. I couldn’t hold up plan A any more. Couldn’t drag the baggage & leap over tall buildings at the same time. Eventually I found that eventually everything had a potentially awful association. End result = having something like agoraphobia & being seriously housebound. Desensitizing to unreasonable fears is the goal, of course, but to do this you need to learn to recognize that you are safe. If I had it all to do over again, I’d go for the safe stuff in life and glory in being able to enjoy it (including vacations from hard stuff), WHILE working through the desensitization. Balance & 360 degree range of humanity for yours truly & all other terrestrial munchkins. If you like your work, you may find that your sensitivity to kid-type situations makes you better at your job. If you don’t like it, it may be time for a switch to something that you enjoy more. Don’t run from the fears. Do embrace YOUR life. When I manage to get my own brain chemistry under better control, I’ll be out there, too. BTW, they thought I had ms until my mri. It was actually overactive neurotransmitters brought on by reflex neurovascular dystrophy. It’s a fancy name for one of the mechanisms behind fibromyalgia… which just happens to be more common after severe or long term trauma. Eli "Kevin McGuire" <kevi…@frontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:ut35dtf10ag2d5@corp.supernews.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Recently diagnosed with ptsd (thought it was ms until mri on friday!). My ? > is – I work with abused children, and much of the abuse I suffered was as a > child. It brings up constant "reminders" for me. Was brought to my > attention today at neuro appt. that I might want to make some "life > changes." Is it better to avoid these kinds of triggers – or immerse > yourself in them? > Thanks! > Denise
Response:
"Eli" <oh_chocolatenos…@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:hr0C9.842$ZI1.30432425@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi Kevin, > Good responses from both LEL and Lea. > I would caution against both immersion in and avoidance of triggers. > Immersing myself in triggers was my plan A. Nothing was going to stop me. > Eventually, immersion can be like dragging yourself across a bed of nails– > won’t toughen you up, the scar tissue isn’t useful, and being on edge tends > to drive any potentially helpful friends and family underground… and the > whole point of getting over PTSD is not being in survival mode forever and > ever, so why do this to yourself??? > Avoiding triggers was my plan B. I didn’t get smart. I cracked. I > couldn’t hold up plan A any more. Couldn’t drag the baggage & leap over > tall buildings at the same time. Eventually I found that eventually > everything had a potentially awful association. End result = having > something like agoraphobia & being seriously housebound. > Desensitizing to unreasonable fears is the goal, of course, but to do this > you need to learn to recognize that you are safe.
This seems like very wise advice. Feeling (and being) safe is probably the single most important factor in my recovery. Almost everything else has been secondary to this in the sense that, without it, nothing else would have mattered. > If I had it all to do over again, I’d go for the safe stuff in life and > glory in being able to enjoy it (including vacations from hard stuff), WHILE > working through the desensitization. Balance & 360 degree range of humanity > for yours truly & all other terrestrial munchkins. > If you like your work, you may find that your sensitivity to kid-type > situations makes you better at your job. If you don’t like it, it may be > time for a switch to something that you enjoy more. > Don’t run from the fears. Do embrace YOUR life.
The only caution I would add is to be careful about how you (Denise) process your triggers, should you decide to stay in the work that you currently do. I’ve discovered within myself a tendency to use stressful situations in life now as proxys for things I couldn’t work out in my childhood. This is probably okay and helpful to me as long as a) I am aware I am doing it and b) no one else is getting hurt. The main way it manifests itself for me is in opportunities to stand up for what I believe when there are abusive dynamics going on– I get to assert my boundaries and speak out against abuse, rather than cower in fear and try to make nice-nice. But you work with children, and they are delicate. There’s no reason to suspect that your situation in working with the children would bring about the same sort of thing (I would imagine that in Lea’s case the triggering brings out nurturing and empathy toward the children, and this would probably be the same for you), but do take care to be mindful of this possibility. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> When I manage to get my own brain chemistry under better control, I’ll be > out there, too. > BTW, they thought I had ms until my mri. It was actually overactive > neurotransmitters brought on by reflex neurovascular dystrophy. It’s a > fancy name for one of the mechanisms behind fibromyalgia… which just > happens to be more common after severe or long term trauma. > Eli > "Kevin McGuire" <kevi…@frontiernet.net> wrote in message > news:ut35dtf10ag2d5@corp.supernews.com… > > Recently diagnosed with ptsd (thought it was ms until mri on friday!). My > ? > > is – I work with abused children, and much of the abuse I suffered was as > a > > child. It brings up constant "reminders" for me. Was brought to my > > attention today at neuro appt. that I might want to make some "life > > changes." Is it better to avoid these kinds of triggers – or immerse > > yourself in them? > > Thanks! > > Denise
Response:
Recently diagnosed with ptsd (thought it was ms until mri on friday!). My ? is – I work with abused children, and much of the abuse I suffered was as a child. It brings up constant "reminders" for me. Was brought to my attention today at neuro appt. that I might want to make some "life changes." Is it better to avoid these kinds of triggers – or immerse yourself in them? Thanks! Denise
Response:
Hi Denise, You ask a good question. All the therapy that I have received says that it’s ok to deal with a trigger in a therapy session but to avoid then as much as possible the rest of the time. My trauma came from months of intense combat. Yet I have talked with servicemen both still active and retired that had only minor problems with triggers, at least until they retired (those still active I may find out about someday). Staying within the environment to a large extent, made many reactions that would be very inappropriate in civilian life, were taken as fairly normal reactions of a seasoned soldier. Of course that environment ended when they retired. They, of course, received no therapy during the time they stayed in the service so their experience may not apply to other causes. Plus, many of them were never in heavy combat. I’m not sure if enough experience and research data has been gathered in this area to say yes or no. I really wanted to be a counselor or social worker until it was made very obvious that I couldn’t handle strong emotions, mine of a client’s. I hope that you can find a compromise between PTSD and what you really want to do. My opinion only but keep in mind that your mental well being has to come first. A compromise that leaves you worse off 10 or so years from now is not what you want now. My best, Larry L. "Kevin McGuire" <kevi…@frontiernet.net> wrote in message
news:ut35dtf10ag2d5@corp.supernews.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Recently diagnosed with ptsd (thought it was ms until mri on friday!). My ? > is – I work with abused children, and much of the abuse I suffered was as a > child. It brings up constant "reminders" for me. Was brought to my > attention today at neuro appt. that I might want to make some "life > changes." Is it better to avoid these kinds of triggers – or immerse > yourself in them? > Thanks! > Denise
If you like this post and would like to receive updates from this blog, please subscribe our feed.