geo said:
G2G & 48th
Mea culpa - to a certain extent.
I do understand what PTSD is about, I do not begrudge anyone for the pension that they have been awarded by DVA - I have absolutely no interest in meriting one for myself, under any circumstance.
Those friends I have that do suffer from PTSD, and there are several, were AND ARE wonderful people who have a long road ahead of them as they work at putting their lives back together again - thank the lord that they have the support they do have.
My post may have appeared to be broad brushed, it wasn't nor was it intended to be.
If I offended anyone - my apologies
Chimo!
Geo,
no apologies necessary.
1) Medication- there is awhole spectrum of stuff they try and prescribe. You have to stay on it for three to four months before any effect is felt. If not they try something different and you wait another three to four months. Then something else and another three to four month trial. The side effects of some of the drugs are as bad as the PTSD itself. Myself and a few others I know have gotten off the drug regime and are using physical exercises( long walks up mountains, down beaches etc) but the caveat here is you have to be able to do it. Physical injuries limit this in some respect.
2) Support- yes it is getting better. Is it what it should be, not even close yet. Mostly I think be case yet again the medical professionals here are again behind the learning curve. Often what we have figured out what works for us is "not suitable" as the professionals have not finished studying and researching it to death.
3)PTSD- from the studies recently done PTSD is the new buzz word for I believe three or four different psychological conditions. In my case I am PTSD. Two years of
me paying a shrink and psychologist out of my own pocket to get the testing done and some initial counselling. As for the finnical aspect you can do math, a psychologist is 120.00 per hour minimum, two to three times a week when you are in one of the valleys, times 52 weeks in a year. Add in the costs of the weekly to monthly visits to the shrink again per hour, Top it off with the costs of what chemicals he/she has decided to put you on. You can also figure in loss wages from what ever job you happen to have when you have a periodic meltdown. Most disability plans do not cover this as it is a "preexisting injury". Also you have the loss of hours worked due to the visits back to the medical professionals.
4) Testing- A battery of tests, if done in one session would take you eight to ten hours straight. Not only due they test for PTSD but they also test you in some of the symptom areas. For example depression, anxiety, the desire to kill some ignorant SOB that really deserves it. Also covered is alcoholism which is intresting as again recent studies and I mean real recent studies have shown that we are no more predisposed in this area than the general public. In addition to the alcoholism is the drug abuse(this one always kills me given all the crap they legally perscribe). Then we move on to personality testing, pain syndrome and the list goes on. Then ever so often you are back in to do the whole process all over again.
5) Most of us that have it can spot fellow suffers in a room full of people. We recognize similar traits, habits, mannerisms kinda hard to fool us. Oh yeah and the vivid dreams, flashbacks that you get from time to time make a John Carpenter movie look like a Walt Disney production. It is interesting going to into work after an interesting night at the 'movies'.
48th if I have missed anything feel free to add.
RANT OVER
ps: please excuse the spelling I am a little pissed right now
