PTSD Tdui now what?

[bassrunnin]

It's been awhile since I'be been on this site but I need some guidance and knew this was the place to get it. HADIT helped me so much with helping me to win my claim.  I am 100% for MST and was also in the Navy and female. I received TDUI due to my symptoms and I don't know how to handle it. At first I was elated, now it's been awhile and I have guilt about getting 100% when so many people are fighting the system. I guess it's winner's guilt? But here's my real problem with all of this. Because I'm 100% I have Disabled Vet plates and I don't work. People ask what do I do and some closer friends know that I am on disability and some are ex military. I served in Hawaii and was in the Navy and was a female. How do you handle telling friends and relatives that your a disabled vet under my circumstances? They probably think I'm scamming the system because I don't have an answer for them. How can somebody who was on shore duty, a yeoman, in the Navy and a female possibly be 100% disabled. It would be so much easier if it was a back injury or something like that. I guess I'm ashamed of getting disability for PTSD and if I told them it was for PTSD there's no way that they would understand. And the ex military people would probably figure out it was MST and that is my worst fear.  How can I tell people why I'm disabled? I feel like I should hide the fact that I'm disabled because I know they are thinking "how could I get TDUI". I'm just really at a lost about all of this and would like any advice you can give me. It's been bothering me for awhile and it's getting to the point where I have to tell my close friends and family something. I can't avoid it much longer. How have others handled telling people close you have PTSD? It's one thing if I would have served overseas then there wouldn't be an issue, people would be more likely to understand, or at least it would make sense to them. Anyhow I am starting to ramble...any advice would help...thanks. 

[Tbird]

Susan Avila-Smith who started VetWow.org has some video's here's a link to a playlist. I found these videos helpful. You may be past filing a claim but I think all the videos would be worth viewing. They are not long and sometimes I watch them to remind myself I'm not alone and my experiences are not isolated. It helps me. 

 

[rwskitch]

...thank you Ms. T ...!

[Silent Uproar]

PTSD comes in many different forms. Some of the worst is when you are severely injured. In your case MST is a severe trauma and you should have no guilt whatsoever.