Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

          At work, we have an executive that was burned by a project gone bad and her fear is that history will repeat on my project. She often refers this past mess, although she says she is over it.  I couldn’t believe this ghost of years past came back up, again, so a joke was made to forget about what this executive said because she has “PTSD” from the last project. We all got a chuckle over it, but it reminded me of a time where there PTSD was not funny.

Years ago, I applied for an individual insurance policy and was questioned about a diagnosis that I didn’t even realize was reported to insurance, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly known as “PTSD”.  My Dad died of a heart attack and we had to call an ambulance, do CPR, and it was very traumatic, quite honestly my worst nightmare. I relived that day and those moments, over, and over, and over again. I could not sleep. I could not eat. Every time I shut my eyes, all I could see was my Dad dying. I was feeling pain throughout my body that I cannot explain. The sheets hurt me. My clothes hurt my skin. It was a bad time.

It took months of this before I finally went for help and was diagnosed. I actually thought the therapist visits were cash only, as it was quite expensive, but apparently they still submit a claim to insurance as is in their contract unless you tell them not to do it. (HITECH laws allow for you to tell your providers not to send claims to insurance if you don’t want to exercise your health benefits, and really, psychiatric care is an example of something you may consider). Regardless, I was not denied the new insurance policy, so it all worked out fine.

I learned a few lessons, starting with PTSD is not just something war veterans get. People in terrible car accidents, rape victims or other abuse, and any shock to the system that was traumatic can bring on PTSD. Symptoms include flashbacks like I was having, difficulty sleeping, eating, and daily functioning. The other thing I learned is not to wait to see a doctor if you don’t feel well. I knew for a long time something was wrong with me. The pain alone was terrible! By the time I went to the doctor, I was a whopping 98 lbs! Extremely underweight, and as lab tests showed, dehydrated and a host of other problems. My doctor even mentioned testing for fibromyalgia, a disease thought to cause pain due to over active nerves (I didn’t pursue this test). The bottom line is that I waited to long to ask for help, and I encourage all Caregivers to take care of themselves and make sure it doesn’t get to that point where your health is compromised.