Question:
Hi Rod, Thanks for your letter and welcome! >For those sufferring the syndrome i wish you all the best . you need >guidance and support NOT sympathy.
Guidance and support are important. I agree with Nancy about this and about the interesting, and sometimes not welcome (at first), twists and turns on the recovery road. What I’ve learned is that a commitment to wellness takes a lot of work. That’s been my experience. Empathy / sympathy can be very helpful in the dark hours. Only someone who has experienced the symptoms of PTSD we deal with (sometimes on a daily basis for years), can "get it". A word of encouragement from someone who has "been there" can mean a lot. >It seems from other Ptsd sufferers ive met that most suffer the most from >the "please believe me" syndrome.most of ythese havent as yet sought proper >help,instead theyre fighting an uphill battle from day 1.
Yes, it took many years before I was correctly diagnosed. Help is out there. Just hard to find sometimes. Now I’m off for another round of EMDR. (Part of my commitment to wellness). Take care, Rod, and thanks again for writing. Anne
Response:
Im an aussie. ive had Ptsd for over 10+ years, my Psychiartrist seems to think i’ll never recover, but i continue to go to his sessions.never missing one neither do i plan to. My flashbacks are as savage as the the very first, my medication is still keeping the chemical balance in my brain as close to normal as it can get. But i intend to recover, With direction [psychiatric sessions] and persistance i will make it. For those sufferring the syndrome i wish you all the best . you need guidance and support NOT sympathy. If its sympathy youre seeking then youre sufferring some other syndrome,maybe not Ptsd at all. Dont forget ,your intelligence brought you here to this ng,youre determination will see you right mate. Crikey,we have the ability as human beings to express ourselves here in the company of others.. It seems from other Ptsd sufferers ive met that most suffer the most from the "please believe me" syndrome.most of ythese havent as yet sought proper help,instead theyre fighting an uphill battle from day 1. See you all around the ng. good health ppl.. Rod
Response:
Hi Moose! First, welcome to the ng … I’m sorry that you seem to qualify! > ive had Ptsd for over 10+ years, my Psychiartrist seems to think i’ll never > recover, but i continue to go to his sessions.never missing one neither do i > plan to.
Good plan IME. > But i intend to recover, With direction [psychiatric sessions] and > persistance i will make it.
Yes, you will IME. But, in recovering, your life may take a few unexpected, unwelcome twists. I say unwelcome solely because I longed for life to return to ‘as before’; it did not, can not and will not. My life became something totally unexpected … I resisted that change for a long time. Embracing the changes is difficult for me. > For those sufferring the syndrome i wish you all the best . you need > guidance and support NOT sympathy.
Amen, I say amen. Often we confuse empathy and sympathy with support around here, IME sympathy merely keeps me in the same place, i.e. ’stuck’ in my symptoms, often in a pity party of ‘why cannot I get back to where I was’.. Support helps me in recovering and accepting the changes in my life as graciously as possible.. > If its sympathy youre seeking then youre > sufferring some other syndrome,maybe not Ptsd at all.
I am not sure that I would go this far. Sympathy can seriously retard recovery. OTOH, a little bit of sympathy helps everyone to not feel so ‘put upon’ IMO. However, when we only post sympathy and start flame wars over its apparent lack, then I believe that we do this ng a lack of support. > Dont forget ,your intelligence brought you here to this ng,youre > determination will see you right mate. Crikey,we have the ability as human > beings to express ourselves here in the company of others.. > It seems from other Ptsd sufferers ive met that most suffer the most from > the "please believe me" syndrome.most of ythese havent as yet sought proper > help,instead theyre fighting an uphill battle from day 1.
Acceptance of a new reality is very difficult. One of PTSD’s problems is that we suffer from distorted thinking as of the first day of our diagnosis. Accepting that distorted thinking is ‘normal’ for us each individually and that we need to find a new, less distorted thinking as reality requires ‘proper help’ IME. All the above is YMMV. > See you all around the ng. good health ppl..
Glad that you are here, Rod. Smile and there will be something to smile about! Nancy
Response:
G’day Mate, I’m a US ‘Nam vet. Between meds and a good shrink (psychologist) I’m doin’ pretty well after 30 years of pretty dysfunctional living. I have to watch my moods, and back off before I go "there," but my wife likes me a lot better now, and I even have a couple non-vet friends now. The understanding of brain chemistry is in its infancy, but they’re discovering new stuff all the time. The last couple of years have been a BIG improvement for me. Brighter days ahead. Welcome, -"Elrod"- "M00SE" <bigskydrif…@comcen.com.au> wrote in message
news:3e1d7277@nexus.comcen.com.au… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Im an aussie. > ive had Ptsd for over 10+ years, my Psychiartrist seems to think i’ll never > recover, but i continue to go to his sessions.never missing one neither do i > plan to. > My flashbacks are as savage as the the very first, my medication is still > keeping the chemical balance in my brain as close to normal as it can get. > But i intend to recover, With direction [psychiatric sessions] and > persistance i will make it. > For those sufferring the syndrome i wish you all the best . you need > guidance and support NOT sympathy. If its sympathy youre seeking then youre > sufferring some other syndrome,maybe not Ptsd at all. > Dont forget ,your intelligence brought you here to this ng,youre > determination will see you right mate. Crikey,we have the ability as human > beings to express ourselves here in the company of others.. > It seems from other Ptsd sufferers ive met that most suffer the most from > the "please believe me" syndrome.most of ythese havent as yet sought proper > help,instead theyre fighting an uphill battle from day 1. > See you all around the ng. good health ppl.. Rod
Response:
TY Elrod, Yes i have severe mood swings too. Controlling them is near impossible for me but im still working on it. Im finding if i use my breathing techniques [psychiatrist taught] i can get it in time. but after i snap ,thats it . i made an error in traffic the other day i unintentionally cut a lady off changing lanes,now blowing her horn at me was acceptable cause it was my fault ,but,then she pulled up in front,screamed offensive stuff then ran me into the gutter. No damage to either but then i lost it and i put her car up over the gutter. I need work harder on my moods.no one was hurt and no damage but my behaviour was over the top. My psychartriast is finding good results by varying dose of schitzo meds along with my normal stuff. I certainly sleep well now. You might know it as Zyprexa,i reckon its a sleeping tablet only but im continuing the trials with him as agreed. I can understand you being a vet.You must have gone through hell mate. Youre doing well. Im NOT a VET as in armed forces i was meaning how long ive had the disorder sorry for any deceit . I got burnt 30% of my body in a explosion that blew me through a set of doors that has "lever" type knobs [door handles] they broke my back in 2 places which is wired together now, but im active so thats good. I was interrested to read youve got some Non vet friends now,im surprised you tolerate ppl that couldnt possibly understand youre dilema. I tolerate existance but i dont outwardly look for friendship , im not sure if i feel comfy here cause youve a direct understanding or wether im improving some,im hoping the latter. But i do feel at home in here In Conclusion i have never been outwardly contankerous with the wife n kids [today theyre adults in their own right,but still live at home by choice] we do however have the usual disagreements over trivial things,but hey thats life.. Cheers Mate. Good Health.. Rod "Elrod" <fl…@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:j_oT9.1636$Ak3.196265164@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> G’day Mate, > I’m a US ‘Nam vet. Between meds and a good shrink (psychologist) I’m > doin’ pretty well after 30 years of pretty dysfunctional living. > I have to watch my moods, and back off before I go "there," but my wife > likes me a lot better now, and I even have a couple non-vet friends now. > The understanding of brain chemistry is in its infancy, but they’re > discovering new stuff all the time. > The last couple of years have been a BIG improvement for me. > Brighter days ahead. > Welcome, > -"Elrod"- > "M00SE" <bigskydrif…@comcen.com.au> wrote in message > news:3e1d7277@nexus.comcen.com.au… > > Im an aussie. > > ive had Ptsd for over 10+ years, my Psychiartrist seems to think i’ll > never > > recover, but i continue to go to his sessions.never missing one neither do > i > > plan to. > > My flashbacks are as savage as the the very first, my medication is still > > keeping the chemical balance in my brain as close to normal as it can get. > > But i intend to recover, With direction [psychiatric sessions] and > > persistance i will make it. > > For those sufferring the syndrome i wish you all the best . you need > > guidance and support NOT sympathy. If its sympathy youre seeking then > youre > > sufferring some other syndrome,maybe not Ptsd at all. > > Dont forget ,your intelligence brought you here to this ng,youre > > determination will see you right mate. Crikey,we have the ability as > human > > beings to express ourselves here in the company of others.. > > It seems from other Ptsd sufferers ive met that most suffer the most > from > > the "please believe me" syndrome.most of ythese havent as yet sought > proper > > help,instead theyre fighting an uphill battle from day 1. > > See you all around the ng. good health ppl.. Rod
Response:
"M00SE" <bigskydrif…@comcen.com.au> wrote in message
news:3e1e3d13@nexus.comcen.com.au… … > Im NOT a VET as in armed forces i was meaning how long ive had the
disorder PTSD is PTSD. Sure doesn’t matter how we acquired it. I thought maybe you were Gulf&Great Western War vet, but MY error. Vet means Veterinarian to most people, but not me. Ha ha. I’d rather get cut 10 times than burned once! YOU’VE been through hell I don’t ever want! OK then ,on with it then: My grown children also live with us! It’s an economic necessity in this area (plus they’re handy to have for chores I don’t want to do: I figure: let the HEIRS work on the house, yard, etc 
I’ve painted and reroofed enough! Yes, driving can be a challenge. I take Paxil and Wellbutrin (Paroxetine & Bupropion), and it helps me wait a second before exploding, but if that woman didn’t back off I’d have done the same thing. Sounds normal enough to me! G’day, -Elrod-
Response:
Rod; Glad to have you aboard. We’ll probably have a few misunderstandings among us, due to our ‘common’ language 
No sweat. I used to have a good friend that lived in Tas, until his untimely demise a couple of years ago— mostly due to PTSD, and the after effects of same. It is something that we all deal with here, and that is ‘why’ we’re here. We have a good group, and a lot of good information from the members. If you don’t feel comfortable posting a lot, that’s ok, as we’ll be here when you do. You can help us as much as we can help you. That’s what it’s all about for me, anyway. My particular incident happened a couple of years ago, due to being stabbed five times with a sword in my store, and then having to dispatch the culprit. Lots of bad nightmares, anxiety attacks, temper tantrums, ‘going off ‘ on people, ect. Meds help me a LOT, but only so much. If I took as much med as I really needed, then I’d probably just be not able to function as a walking human being. It is something that I deal with daily, and sometimes at a minute at a time. I have good days, and not so good days. Sometimes, I have good minutes, and not so good minutes. Right now, I’m in my office in the back of the store at 1:00AM on Saturday morning, as I cannot sleep, and am in one of my ‘anxiety’ modes of behavior. I put the wife, and the dog to bed, and came in here to load up some ammo, as I’m a ’shooter’. Finished that, and still aren’t the least bit sleepy. Doesn’t make a lot of sense, as I’ve been up since five yesterday morning. ugh. So, I can understand what you are going through, as I’m sure you can relate to my situation. We all handle our ‘problem’ differently, and with a certain uniqueness, but with a lot of similarities between us. Hell, I don’t know if I belong here or not, but I have no where else to go:-) As others have stated from time to time, I have a HARD time dealing with so called ‘normal’ people I meet everyday. That alone tells me I have a problem to deal with. Adding with problems dealing with my ’self’ , then here I am . I wish you well, and hope you find something here that helps you in some small way. If you find help here in a big way, so much the better. Take care of yourself, and hope for better days. J. David Florida, USA flmf…@tampabay.rr.com "M00SE" <bigskydrif…@comcen.com.au> wrote in message
news:3e1e3d13@nexus.comcen.com.au…
Response:
Hi David, Youre a fine man my friend,Ty for taking the time to respond to my post. As you say dealing with public is the most difficult thing,maybe cause its in my mind they have no idea why im behaving a little different . I DO feel comfy here as i know other ppl are having the same troubles from DIRECT experience. My Psychiatrist tells me "i know what youre going through" ,i tell him youve NO idea. but you might have an understanding from your patients talking to you . I dont know if you are getting professioinal help but im experimenting with "Zyprexa" [its used widely for schitzo stuff] but it DOES put me to sleep. Im hoping you might have access to a doctor who might prescribe some. You know one thing thats kept me from going bananas completely is my kids growing up around me. Going to music classes with my daughter,or to the model airplane field with my son ,kept me from hiding in my bedroom. In My case i was hiding where i couldnt be hurt anymore,in my bedroom. But as my doc says "thats merely existance,NOT living a normal life" . I cant explain why im different in as much as ive NEVER gone OFF at the family,we get along really well,i have God to thank for the little piece of reality [family life / love] that i have.. For those of you reading these posts of mine.i wish i could impress on you that professioinal help is the better way to go. It took me yonks to get the Embarassment of being treated by a Psychiatrist out of my head an actually go. Ive not looked back,my bedroom is empty cause im doing what i could never have guessed possible before. But i assure you all of this you’ll never be judged or have your dignity degraded from me because of the difficulty of not seeking help.Locking yourself away only degrades your own quality of life and possibly hurts [unintentionally] your families quality too by doing it. well im off to bed,its late here saturday night,the zyprexa is kicking in . night all. God Bless ok. Rod "J David Phillips" <flmf…@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message news:7uOT9.56409$Sa3.1463396@twister.tampabay.rr.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Rod; > Glad to have you aboard. We’ll probably have a few misunderstandings > among us, due to our ‘common’ language No sweat. I used to have a good > friend that lived in Tas, until his untimely demise a couple of years ago— > mostly due to PTSD, and the after effects of same. It is something that we > all deal with here, and that is ‘why’ we’re here. > We have a good group, and a lot of good information from the members. > If you don’t feel comfortable posting a lot, that’s ok, as we’ll be here > when you do. You can help us as much as we can help you. That’s what it’s > all about for me, anyway. > My particular incident happened a couple of years ago, due to being > stabbed five times with a sword in my store, and then having to dispatch the > culprit. Lots of bad nightmares, anxiety attacks, temper tantrums, ‘going > off ‘ on people, ect. Meds help me a LOT, but only so much. If I took as > much med as I really needed, then I’d probably just be not able to function > as a walking human being. It is something that I deal with daily, and > sometimes at a minute at a time. I have good days, and not so good days. > Sometimes, I have good minutes, and not so good minutes. > Right now, I’m in my office in the back of the store at 1:00AM on > Saturday morning, as I cannot sleep, and am in one of my ‘anxiety’ modes of > behavior. I put the wife, and the dog to bed, and came in here to load up > some ammo, as I’m a ’shooter’. Finished that, and still aren’t the least > bit sleepy. Doesn’t make a lot of sense, as I’ve been up since five > yesterday morning. ugh. > So, I can understand what you are going through, as I’m sure you can > relate to my situation. We all handle our ‘problem’ differently, and with a > certain uniqueness, but with a lot of similarities between us. Hell, I > don’t know if I belong here or not, but I have no where else to go:-) As > others have stated from time to time, I have a HARD time dealing with so > called ‘normal’ people I meet everyday. That alone tells me I have a > problem to deal with. Adding with problems dealing with my ’self’ , then > here I am . > I wish you well, and hope you find something here that helps you in some > small way. > If you find help here in a big way, so much the better. Take care of > yourself, and hope for better days. > J. David > Florida, USA > flmf…@tampabay.rr.com > "M00SE" <bigskydrif…@comcen.com.au> wrote in message > news:3e1e3d13@nexus.comcen.com.au…
If you like this post and would like to receive updates from this blog, please subscribe our feed.