How Have You Struggled?

I’m not the Veteran but I am the sister and POA for a Viet Nam vet. I have been trying for 5 years to get his benefits. Some of the problem was my fault, some was the pandemic but now it has been since Dec 29th 2022 since I filed the last time. Yes, they are in touch but this is ridiculous. I can see why veterans get so despondent if they are going through this. His pension is not nearly enough to cover his expenses and I am going broke helping him. Thanks for letting me rant.

The Mission Continues, Team RWB, and Irreverent Warriors are amazing Veteran Led organizations working to connect veterans in many communities across the nation.

Yes, I've had terrible PTSD, depression, vaccine injury, loss, peace-time accidents, combat, and exposing who funds all wars has taken it's toll on many levels. I have used Qi Gong from ancient Shaolin Mountain which treats it very nicely. And you know there's something to it, because the Navy Seals stole their Kung Fu training from traditons from thousands of years ago from the same place!

Mental health treatment is a crucial service. It can be pretty hard to get connected with care at the va for it. Lots of hoops to jump and lines to wait in. Hiring lots of people to fix this is costly and takes time. Building software is hard for the government. Maybe try just offering free access to mental health apps like Unwinding Anxiety or similar for all veterans could be a quick and affordable mitigation. https://unwindinganxiety.com/

Long after I left the service (USAF) I attended a massage school (SBBTI.com) and became a certified massage therapist. Not only did I benefit from the training but then I helped many others. It has changed my life in many positive ways.

I mean, it's kind of problematic that the VA "provides" mental health benefits but they are so understaffed, you can't get an appointment with your provider for sometimes up to 6 months.

What has worked for me is involvement with a community that knows how to support me. Hard to find and family is left to deal alone. I am indigenous and ceremony, talking circles, drumming, sweat lodges have all been helpful in healing the one thing VA doesnt talk about the spirit that was cracked during our service to make us machines and then left us to stand alone in that. Getting them back to school and or getting a jobe is not intigrating anything just puts them in a spot to feel normal. Spirit is not religoin it is part that has impacted the deepest part of us and medications only silence things doesnt heal the issues. The issues vets deal with just to participate in the system can be enough to go over the edge. Soo many rules and reasons to not get help. It takes 10 minuets to get through making a phone call. Child support and VA pensions or disability is a big problem because they dont talk to each other and I have seen vets owe thousands unjustly and no one can help. Its those kind of things that affect vets. Many dont hold a job because they exceed standards and are let go for actually having a mission attitude. Civillian really dont know how to deal with us especailly county jobs. the housing phone numbers dont work anywhere so its a facade as well. Many family members do not know englisgh and dont understand why their veteran has changed. VSO are not equiped to handle these things. All programs should allow pets regardless sometimes its only thing keeping a vet going. So much to say but enough for now. I hope youall share what works. Ive taken ceramony around the united states and it has helped veterans who have participated.

You want to know how you can help veterans? Stop talking and start doing. My health is getting worse but the VA Hospital only jerks me around and refuses to do anything. My pain level keeps getting worse and does make me sometimes think of just giving up. I'm trying to be my sisters caregiver but can barely keep myself going. I also did 8 years in prison for a crime I didn't even commit because I didn't want to risk 22 years of my life with a public defender who seemed to care less. While locked up I met many other veterans who should of been in treatment centers instead of prison but hey if it's easier to lock people away instead of helping, congratulations for winning that battle. I for one if had the resources to leave this country and not look back I would. But since I'm stuck here how about raising a little hell to get Veterans actual help instead of just saying we should do this or that. Words with no action are hollow. It's time people step up and start doing.

I have no thoughts of suicide.
I have experienced many times helplessness a sense of being ignored, being dismissed and not taken seriously about my health needs.
That has been the biggest of my mental health challenges. I can't think about tomorrow when I have problems today. I have had an issue, and nobody can tell me what it is, for 3 years this month. I have had extensive testing from neurology but can't get anybody to tell me what those tests were. I have primary doctors who don't seem to give a shit, escalating it can't get any help from human resources patient advocate nobody. I sit daily with no answers. I can only call so many people they're tired of hearing from me and I'm tired of not having answers. Example. I was informed November 2022 need to see urology. I needed a procedure. I was finally able to get that procedure less than a month ago. Gentleman, think about going a year not knowing if your manhood is going to be okay. Think about going that long not knowing what's wrong with you. Think about the lack of physical pleasure for that long and don't have a idea why. These are the things I've experienced that ain't all that's just this. I had a mental health provider, a very good one, doctor Jeff Gilliland. Everybody since for me have been less than. So I sit everyday thinking about my health and still can't get any answers. Please don't get me wrong VA is going to a whole lot of things for me. A lot of the things were enacted too late to be of any good for me. They moved to the next step. Took so long to get there they needed the next step. There does not seem to be at least for me a way to talk to anybody above the levels I'm at that's not getting the attention. After 3 years I still don't know why I cannot walk why my legs don't work. Mental health and physical health go hand in hand must have them both working properly. My mental health is suffering greatly because of my physical condition with no answers. I believe unfortunately VA is just waiting for me to die. It's so crazy. Most of my test come back fine still don't know why or what's wrong with me. Frustration anger conflicting information or lack of information is what's weighing me down. I can only imagine my fellow vets going through this and so tired of it. I can understand why they do what they do. The VA hospital in Las Vegas it's a beautiful structure. There is so much space that was used for aesthetics instead of taking that money and getting more doctors. I mentioned this once I don't remember who I sent it to but they had a suit and tie. The comment they made was you have something nice to look at you have these comfortable seats to sit in while you're waiting for a doctor. I prefer to sit on the floor and have a 20 minute wait and have a nice chair to sit in for hours. Too much is spent on looking good and not enough on being good. Want to help vets from blowing their brains out? Stop the frustration, stop the long waits for medical. Because something goes wrong on the medical side appointments are dropped back sometimes. I know that cannot be helped, but hell waiting 3 months for appointment to find out the day before it's been canceled it's a bitch. And then being told you have to wait another 3 months for the next appointment is insane. People were losing their minds having to wait three and four weeks for their AIDS test results. This is the same thing. Veterans having to wait for months to get an appointment and then get put back months more for some reason. It is the same mental anguish, frustration, fear, that that caused. Makes people not want to be around them makes them not want to be around people it's got to be a better way hell I'll settle for a different way. Just got to be something better that can be done for the people who stood up for and laid down for their country.

Finding a therapist that was supportive, not as simple as it sounds, and not through the VA although I receive services there saved my mind and my life. I also found education helpful, both formal and informal, I learned as much, possibly more from colleagues, patients, and supervisors as I did from academia. I also find spending time with my dogs restorative. The demons remain, but they no longer rule my life. And I do not long for oblivion but I remember how it felt, like a sirens call, promising freedom from terror and crushing pain, it could be seductive in its lure. How the world had no color, looked flat, without dimension and sound was discordant noise crashing in my head. Days would pass when all I could do was sleep, eating was too difficult a hill to climb.

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