Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder Email Volunteers
The
people listed below have volunteered their email address for
information and/or support. Feel free to write them. If
you are interested in being an email volunteer, write me at with a short autobiography about yourself as these folks have done to be posted, and the words
"PTSD Email Volunteer" in the Subject.
Disclaimer
Self-help
is useful, but it is not a substitute for professional assistance.
Emotional and behavioral problems can be debilitating and dangerous.
Please seek professional help:
if you have thoughts of killing yourself or harming others;
if you feel depressed, anxious, guilty or down on yourself frequently;
if you are abusing substances;
if your performance or interpersonal relationships are impaired.
"Our purpose is to give information. We cannot, and are not,
assuming the role of your physician or therapist in any of our
replies.
We also do not know your other medical problems and psychiatric
diagnoses, which usually have a dramatic effect on medication
(and other treatment) recommendations. You must make a medical
and treatment plan with your physician and therapist(s)."
Volunteers
1)
Hi, I am Cathy. I am the mother of two boys and married
for a long time. But, before I was married, my life was a living
hell. I was abused physically, mentally and emotionally
by my family. In addition, I was sexually abused by my father
and many of his friends and "uncles", from the time
I was three until I was 19 and left home. After that brutality,
I didn't know how to have a normal relationship with anyone, so
I fell into relationships that were equally abusive and horrific.
Thus, the alphabet soup of PTSD that I live with now and have
for most of my adult life.
PTSD
is an "interesting" series of ups and downs, ins and
outs, but it is survivable, can be healing, but we all need someone
to hear us out and listen to what we have to say. I want
to be able to be that someone for those who have no one else to
talk with. I answer all mail, and check in with you to make
sure that you are doing okay. clbj_36@hotmail.com
2)
My name is Rachael and I am a 34 year old married woman. We don't
have children, but we have a cat named Isaac. I work as
a grant writer/fund developer at a substance abuse agency.
I am diagnosed with PTSD, Bi-polar II, EDNOS, and Personality
Disorder NOS. I have been hospitalized five times, and have
been on a host of medications to try and stabilize me. I
have tried DBT (bad experience) and a Women's Trauma group
(good experience), in addition to twice weekly talk therapy.
On PTSD: About 9 years ago, my husband and I were attacked in
our bedroom by an intruder. We were both stabbed multiple times
and hospitalized for several days. After the hospitalization,
we spent a month recovering in my parent's house. We then
returned to NYC to try and live and work again. It didn't
work. Although we moved to a different apartment (one with a door man),
my husband slept with a baseball bat and I had to tour the entire apartment
when I would come in to make certain no one was there. Eventually, I
got fired from my job because I just couldn't concentrate on it
anymore. We next moved to Vermont and took whatever jobs
came along to try and forget.
A few years later, we moved to New Haven, CT as my husband was
accepted at Yale Divinity School. My PTSD symptoms had mostly
disappeared. Then they came back with a vengeance. I wanted
to die. I wanted to kill someone. I spent a lot of time drinking.
A friend recommended a therapist who specialized in PTSD
and I made an appointment. I have been working with her ever
since. In our last session, we talked about the stabbing, how
I locked my self out of the apartment as I went to get help
from the neighbors, as my husband struggled with the intruder,
alone. It is the one thing I will never be able to forgive
myself for doing. It's the one thing that probably prevents
me from moving on.
Bi-polar: As my PTSD symptoms raged, I was referred to a psychiatrist
for meds. We started with all the usual. An anti-depressant
(Paxil) which I hated, then Trazadone, which was okay except
for the thirst. Then, I went on a spending spree, became
hypomanic. Was diagnosed BP II, given depakote. In between,
I got addicted to Klonopin, smashed my car up because I fell asleep on
the highway on the way to Law School. I also fell asleep in therapy,
was taken to the hospital, and then institutionalized for
a few days as I slept off the Klonopin.
I am a rapid cycler, and my moods are mostly down. I had a psychotic
episode and was "papered" and put on zyprexa. I gained lots
of weight. I have been hospitalized five times. Twice by
my own doing with my therapist for suicidal ideations and
three times -- Klonopin, Psychotic episode, Suicide attempt
(lithium overdose) against my will.
Now, I take Effexor, Lithium, Klonopin, Sonata, and Synthroid
for my underactive thyroid.
Eating Disorder: Two years ago, I was diagnosed with EDNOS when
I stopped eating and got down to 110 pounds. That incident
may have precipitated the psychotic episode (my therapist
would say yes, I don't think so). The Zyprexa made me gain
back the weight I lost and then some. I was seen by a counselor
at the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, and later
a nutritionist.
Today, I eat less than 1000 calories a day. I am back at the Eating
Disorder Clinic. Because my metabolism is all screwed up,
I have lost much weight. I am in starvation mode, and my
excessive exercise doesn't seem to be helping me lose weight,
either.
I am fortunate to have a supportive and loving husband and family.
I have a supportive work environment. I have a fabulous psychologist,
a great psychiatrist, an interesting eating disorder therapist,
a great nutritionist. Somehow, I have managed to put together
a great treatment team.
I struggle with my illness everyday, but with self education,
therapy, medications, and the support of a loving husband
and family, I manage to get up everyday and go to work. Write
me and I'll respond as fast as I can.
EMAIL me at: rachaelba@yahoo.com
Thanks
6) Call me Doc O. I am 55 years old, married, have two children, three
step-children and seven grandchildren.
I was an Army medic. (For those of you who were not in the military, all
medics and corpsmen were called Doc). I was drafted in 1965, a week after I
turned nineteen. The Army decided I should be a medic. This was during the
time of the build up in Viet Nam. One third of my training company went to
Viet Nam. I was assigned to headquarters of a helicopter battalion as an
ambulance driver. My duties were to provide medical support during
operations at the airfield, in case of a crash. We also held clinics at the
local villages (hamlets). Those were known as MedCAP clinics. Medical
Civic Action Program.
After I left Viet Nam I worked on Recovery Ward at an Army hospital. As a
medic I saw quite a few people die. Most of them did not bother me at the
time. For the next thirty five years, I felt that nothing bothered me. In
August of 2001, I started having problems with my memories. Everything was
bothering me. Much of it was caused by “survivors guilt”. Why did I live,
when so many others died? I got counseling at the local Vet Center and
after five months I was able to handle my life very well. I’m one of the
fortunate ones, as most vets don’t come back that quickly. I knew I had to
talk, so I didn’t wait until the problem got too big to handle. I will
always have the memories, but now I know how to handle them. I have learned
the importance of being able to talk about the past. That is one of the
problems of the vets of all wars. When we returned, no one wanted to talk
about it, so we kept it inside and moved on.
The reason I’m here as a volunteer, is that I care about people. It’s just
the way I am. If I can help make anyone's life better, that is my reward.
It’s worth more than any medal given for service by the military. I don’t
care if you are a vet or not. If you have a problem and need to talk, I’m
here. We should all be able to sleep through the night.
doc145thcab@hotmail.com
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