ooops just recognised PTSD

[CreviceSucker]

I just realised i have PTSD from the bushfires.

I consider myself as tough as ironbark timber but hit me when i was at work yesterday and i couldnt motivate myself to start work , i just lay down on the factory floor and curled up for a sleep with the sense that there was a heavy weight on my shoulders and pressure pushing in on my brain , even now my face is quivering like i need to cry but nothing is dripping yet :|

The fires came through our place 2 weeks before christmas but we didnt even lose anything , we had 4 - 5 waterbombers filling up from the dams in the paddock behind us and flying low right over our heads for 4 days non stop dawn til dusk and for 2 days more intermittently , the fires came within 600 metres of us. we would have probably lost everything if not for the choppers , there was around 300 homes lost in the suburbs around us and 4 deaths.

I think looking back at my behaviour since then i didnt get much work done because i could barely sleep at night and then when the morning came i would sleep half the day so my body clock and metabolism is pretty messed up.

I have been trying sleeping tablets , valerian tea , beer , wine , nothing helps me to sleep at night so i will have to pull rank on myself and do something about it.

Does that sound familiar for anyone else here ?

I am guessing the bushfire trauma counsellors are probably flat out busy with people who went through more serious shite like losing everything they owned or losing friends or family.

hows you other peeps doing ?

 

[Reg Wilson]

It might seem weird, but a couple of vitamin C tablets before bed helps me sleep. I've been told that cannabis oil helps with insomnia.
I lost my East Gippsland property, but it is the animal situation that brings me undone.

 

[xcvator]

CS , glad your talking about it, not glad it happened , ptsd is like depression, the more you can talk about it , discuss it, the easier it is to deal with it. Don't compare yourself with other people that may have lost everything with yourself, that was lucky enough to not lose anything, get in and talk to counsellors as soon as you can. Everybody reacts different, some of those people can just pick themselves up and keep going, others, like yourself it can come down as a crushing weight.
Go and talk to your GP and tell him about it too, mine put me onto Melatonin , helps slow the brain down at night so you can relax, sleep can be the enemy of PTSD, tired minds play tricks on you, good part of that stuff is your body actually produces it, so this is just a boost to it.
Good luck mate, "nil illegitemi carboundum"

pm sent

 

[nucopia]

You need to have a talk with your local GP and let them know whats going on.
We all hqndle the effects of stressful situations differently and after they are over the consequenses of that stress can manifest itself in different ways.
Best thing to do, is talk with a professional as soon as you can.
You may find that early intervention will produce a better outcome than doing nothing, self medicating (valium sleeping pills etc ) or trying to handle the situation on your own.
You have taken the first step by talking about it here and thats great :Y:
Now follow through and talk with some one that knows how to help you to deal with this situation.
All the best mate .. erfect:

 

[Tathradj]

Had a lot of crap including the fire situation down here at Bega.
Yep, Stressed to the max coping with everything.
I have a list as long as my arm with call outs to deal with and
am booked solid now for about 2 weeks including the weekends
trying to catch up.
I ensure that I get a good nights sleep so that I can cope with the situation.
It is not a lot of fun.

 

[Manpa]

CS, people react differently to different situations, as the others have said seek counselling and talk to your GP. You have identified the issue, now you need to seek treatment / help. The earlier you tackle this the better.
Regardless of whether you lost property or not, what you and many others have been through is traumatic.
Wishing you all the best.

 

[RM Outback]

Mate if you recognise your not yourself go and see your GP and get a referral to a psychologist, it doesn't cost when you organise a mental health care plan with your GP 10 sessions or similar are included in the plan. Don't for one minute think you're situation is less important than others, there's nothing selfish about it, it's the right thing to do and the most important thing you should do. The most positive thing from all of this is that you recognise your not yourself (1st step out of the way :Y by visiting your GP and creating a care plan things will fall into place and have you back to your good old self sooner rather than later. All the best :flowers:

 

[goody2shoes]

You have made the first step by recognising you have a problem.....

Second step by starting to talk about it...

Now time to see your GP to get you back on track again...

Don't expect miracles straight away as it take's time to heal...

Goody

 

[Flowerpot]

Crevicesucker Your post made shiver and feel heavy in the pit of my stomach and almost tear up.

I have felt some of those same things but we had no where near the horror you had.

We were evacuated and didn't know if we'd have our home to come back to.. and thanks to a favourable wind change our town was saved.
We all experience things differently, there is no right or wrong and a lot depends on what we have already been through in the past.

Our past makes us stronger. You can get through this and then you will be stronger for it. In the meantime you are allowed to feel sick, to cry, to feel like laying down on the shed floor. Go out and lay under a tree in the shade instead and do nothing, go to sleep, look up at the sky.

Good job for talking about how crap you are feeling too, that's a good thing to do too.

 

[Ded Driver]

Its good that you can see the problem CS, & can talk about it, now to make time to get some counselling/help.
Wishing you well. Hope you recover soon

 

[Tathradj]

On my side of things,
Many Thanks for those who have sent me well wish's.
I am quite fine no problems
I do have inbuilt copeing mechanisms that make me go
to sleep when things get rough.
I learnt how to do it years ago.
Can be embarressing when I am out and about when I can
get there. LOL
I did come unstuck at Tuena a few years ago though. That
caused about 16 hours straight sleep. :8

Tomorrow is another day,

 

[Digger58]

CreviceSucker, I am sorry to hear that and hope something good happens to if not fix it, then at least lessen it.

I have some knowledge medically and you have done the correct thing already by acknowledging it and then talking about it.

Be very careful in case it impacts anyone. See your GP and ask for a referral to a Psychiatrist or a Clinical Psychologist.

Medication may be helpful and is certainly not something to be ashamed of or embarrassed taking.

A Clinical Psychologist I recently had a conversation with told me that there are many people she is seeing now that have issues with this climate change thingy even if they are not in areas affected. So you certainly are not alone, this appears to be a common thing now, probably as the fires and droughts and flooding have been a daily occurrence in Australia for quite a while now, and also the media reporting 24/7. Maybe having said that you could stop watching the news or reading anything negative.

I wasn't going to say this again, because I believe I was targeted by some here, but you touched me being so open and honest, so you don't know me from a bar of soap but if you need to talk, then PM me at any time and I'll give you my number. Talk to anyone and don't try holding it in. Yes a professional is best, but anyone is better than not talkingTimes have changed, it isn't manly to try and be tough and not cry, it's actually harmful and irrational. I cry when I read about how deserters used to be shot and called cowards when in fact they suffered severe PTSD. Many have passed at their own hands too. There are dark days for some who won't open up, so please, see your GP. Make an appointment now.

Sincerely wish you the best :Y:

 

[Digger58]

Hey Tath, I haven't read anything about you yet, but whatever is affecting you I wish you the best to overcome it. :Y:

 

[Tathradj]

Thanks Digger,
Just showing my way on how to deal with stress.
I run a business that looks after quite a few customers
in a 200 klm radius.
Corporate IT if you wish.
I shut down for 4 weeks only doing crtical infrastructure
only.
Now playing catchup. :Y: :Y:

 

[Digger58]

You are a busy boy by the sounds of that, good luck. Look after yourself. :Y:

 

[Goldtarget]

RM and Digger make excellent points.

A Doctors refferal to a Clinical Psychologist if you are indded suffering PTSD and/or another mental condition requiring treatment.

3 experiences in my immediate circle, including myself, seeing a Clinical Psychologist has rebuilt 3 individuals.

If for some reason your intial referral does not work out, then continue to ask until you find someone you connect with properly, as this will enable you to understand the tools available, and the proper practitioner to openly support you through the work. Those 10 sessions should allow you to assess how long the journey might be, for some its enough, for others more are needed.

At this point it would be unwise of me to speak about mine or others details, but I can say that everyone can and should benefit from attending. From my own experience I think it was a bad decision to wait as long as I did, the change it made to me was truly beyond my expectations and a complete turnaround. Obviously Im a huge advocate for that reason and can only hope those that need the help they deserve seek it and receive it.

I wish you all the best with your journey and finding your way forward :fistpump:

 

[Guest]

Excellent advice from everyone.
You know we're all in this together mate and from time to time the wheels get a little wobbly.
Stop ,have a break,tighten your nuts and recoup,that's what I do,plus Plenty of VIT B helps me get through the day/week/year
[don't take after midday,may keep you awake if you take it in the evening].
All the best CS

 

[CreviceSucker]

Excellent advice from everyone.
You know we're all in this together mate and from time to time the wheels get a little wobbly.
Stop ,have a break,tighten your nuts and recoup,that's what I do,plus Plenty of VIT B helps me get through the day/week/year
[don't take after midday,may keep you awake if you take it in the evening].
All the best CS

I have ordered some herbal teas too that are know to boost immune system , and aid with trauma / stress , will assess which ones work best and let people know that outcome.

Food , herbs ,vitamins , exercise . They can all help.

 

[happyenough]

No matter who or what we think we are we all have our braking point with the world piling on the pressure today if you are looking in the wrong direction for too long.

I am finding that regular exercise (1 hour a day 3 times per week) is good boosting confidence and the good chemical serotonin (?)

I wish everyone well.

 

[AussieChris]

I have struggled with PTSD for quite a while after a dickhead on drugs tried to kill me at work, all I can suggest is to get onto it right away, it's not deep-rooted yet and you need to find a psychologist that uses EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing as therapy. You can get a mental health care plan from your GP and get 6+4 free sessions with a psychologist. I dare say that will be enough with EMDR to get you back on track, it will basically reset your brain.
Good luck, you can get past this :fistpump: