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So i have been out of the army for a little over two years and out of combat for longer and never had any issues of PTSD at all but all of a sudden after three years i find my self only sleeping about two hours a night having nightmares and waking up violently at times just soaked in sweat and yelling out like im back in combat my girlfriend has made me start sleeping in the guest room not sure how to get rid of this just want to be normal again
PTSD
Support
Ranger
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 14
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there is nothing sudden about your onset of your PTSD issues. It just means that you have had it all along but your mind and body was suppressing it. My only symptom for the first few years was my anger/rage issues. I didn't realize I was having night time symptoms because my drinking and my job kept me suppressed. Get help now. The sooner you get some counseling the sooner you can get control, or at least more control. I used the Army One Source 800 number to get free private civilian treatment for 6 months, I do not know what they have now but you can try that first or just go to the VA and sign up for your benefits and start seeing some doctors. If you wish to ask more questions contact me via facebook and check these out too. https://www.facebook.com/paul.prevost https://www.facebook.com/groups/warfighterrightsmovement/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/ [login to see] 84216/?fref=nf
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SFC Mark Merino
Well done SPC Paul Prevost ! Keep providing those links and watching out for your family. You rock!
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SSG Robert Bramlett I would say get yourself to the nearest VA or Vet Center pronto. You are having active symptoms as are experienced by millions of your fellow veterans, and the sooner you are able to work with a competent clinician the better.
Sad to say, you will never be how you were before the military, but a competent clinician will be able to help you cope with the symptoms, identify/avoid the triggers, and move forward with your life.
Out of concern for a fellow veteran, I ask that you please give us an update when you have made contact with a clinician.
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/how-common-is-ptsd.asp
Sad to say, you will never be how you were before the military, but a competent clinician will be able to help you cope with the symptoms, identify/avoid the triggers, and move forward with your life.
Out of concern for a fellow veteran, I ask that you please give us an update when you have made contact with a clinician.
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/how-common-is-ptsd.asp
How Common is PTSD? - PTSD: National Center for PTSD
Find out how many people have PTSD and who is most likely to develop PTSD.
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The actual term is called "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder with Delayed Onset" Diagnostic Criteria 309.83 (if onset of symptoms is at least 6 months after the stressor). It is not strange at all. We are excellent at masking our traumas as human beings. It is yet another survival mechanism that keeps us going. If we aren't ready to deal with something, we just file it deep in the back of our memory and convince ourselves that we will deal with it later (or not). If we catch ourselves slipping, we change our lives to help keep it in the back. We drink, do drugs, avoid certain triggers like people we knew at the time, etc, etc, etc. But these are temporary fixes. Sometimes that "dam" needs to burst or something happens that overrides our ability to deal with it. Sometimes it is a smell, or a taste, a dream/nightmare, a story, or even something as simple as a word. What caused the onset of the symptoms IS NOT the problem. It is just a useful tool for the therapist to determine the underlying trauma. Get your butt to mental health. If you know what is really troubling you, write the things down that are starting to come to the surface, again, and again, and again. Talk them out with someone who you have trust in again, and again, and again.......and again. Your therapist will work this all out with you. Don't try to gut it out. You aren't weak. Strong men and heroes like Audie Murphy were plagued with PTSD all their life, by refusing to get help.
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LTC Paul Labrador
When I was in grad school I did my Palliative Care (end of life care) at the VA. My preceptor told me stories of vets who were great all their live until they entered the final stages of dying. That's when the floodgates of suppressed PTSD opened up.
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1LT Nick Kidwell
SPC David S. I am about a hop, skip, and a jump away from a MS in General Psychology. As part of my studies, I and several other fellow veterans have researched PTSD from several angles, and it was fresh on my mind.
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SPC David S.
LT in your research have you come across any studies on telomere length as a predictive indicator in ptst. I know that there is some research on this as with other mental health issues but I have not found anything in regards to ptsd. Also what do you plan on doing with your MS. I only ask as I work with a non profit called The Soldier's Project that offers counseling services for OIF and OEF families.
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well i just got back from the meeting with the support group and i have to say it is a nice feeling to know that there are other people that understand exactly what i going and are willing to help a fellow sufferer even when they are still suffering them self's they seem like a good group of guys and i believe it will be beneficial to spend time with the group and hopefully i will be able to get through this with some Semblance of normality
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SFC Mark Merino
SSG Robert Bramlett Outstanding! I was always socked to see how many clients thought they were alone in their struggles. PTSD is affecting AT A MINIMUM 20-25% of all returning combat troops.One thing I know about statistics and the military is that it is safe to take the figure they admit to and double it. After you factor in that self-reporting keeps troops from answering questionnaires accurately/completely, you can see why the numbers are reported lower than they are. YOU ARE NEVER ALONE. I was a SFC with 18.5 years in, a strong infantry/cavalry background, and a masters degree in PSYCHOLOGY. Doesn't matter!!! I am a PTSD survivor. No one is immune. Grunts, doctors, nurses, chaplains, enlisted, officers, truck drivers, cooks.........Even the professionals who have been studying PTSD for decades agree to why people develop it.......they agree that they just don't know. It isn't weakness! Keep talking it out in group. Keep writing it out in a journal. Talk to us here. Talk talk talk talk until you are comfortable wearing your own skin again. I spent 4 months in the inpatient PTSD VA PTSD clinic in California. If I had a nickel for all the Vietnam vets that were in there. They put off getting help and had to live in anguish for 40 years! They would hug us "cherries" and "PTSD FNGs" and thank us for dealing with it so we had a chance at happiness! That is love!!! We are in a culture that allows us to deal with our war pains. They couldn't even acknowledge their service without subjecting themselves to ridicule! Rant over. Keep in touch. Stay Strong and be patient with your doctors and counselors. DON'T DRINK IF THEY GIVE MEDICATION OR MEDS DON'T WORK!!!!!!
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Find help where ever you can whether it be the VA or through any other provider. You shouldn't try and do this alone.
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How goes things SSG Robert Bramlett ? Are you hanging tough? Continued prayers from AZ. Mark
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I think the most important thing I do is reassure you. The symptoms you suffer may make you feel like you are broken and dysfunctional, Press through them, like the guys are saying, reach out and talk to a buddy when ever you feel the desire or need. There are hundreds of thousands of people who suffer the same way we do, and I have learned that talking with others that have been there and gone through some of the same things helps almost as much as all the head shrinking. The first few years I fought to fit back into my old life, I even get married again, nothing worked. Even 2 stays at a PTSD clinic did not help much until I found Boone Cutler on line and started following him. His message to all of us is simple, We are not broken, we have been injured but we are still Warfighters and we do not need to assimilate into the civilian world. We can lead productive lives as Vets with PTSD without having to give up who we have become. I am proud to be a Warfighter who battles PTSD, I will prevail and one day I will find a balance in my life that will allow me to live with my PTSD instead of battling it every day, I know now I will most likely live the rest of my life with PTSD but I still go to therapy and every month I make progress towards a better life. Finding a cause to work for has made a big difference. Every warfigher needs two things to survive, a mission and a battle buddy. Reach out to your battles and find a mission.
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SSG First thanks for sharing this with all of us here. Also kudos in recognizing that something different is going on. PTSD is very real and is something that should be handled in the same way as if you had a broken leg and that is by a health care professional. As what you describe your current sleep pattern you could be dealing with PTSD. Please get this checked out. I had a Ranger friend that wasn't as open minded as yourself and in my opinion made things much harder than they needed to be so again thank you for sharing this. As you will find you are not alone in this and we're all here for you. If you ever need to talk hook up with me here or on facebook. Also stay away from phones and tablets before trying to hit the rack as the light from them can be disruptive with trying to get some sleep.
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