ptsd Triggers...do You Know What They Are?

[halos2]

Triggers...wow what a common subject brought about to us, especially those with PTSD(other mental/behavioral conditions).

So you are diagnosed with PTSD. You put in your va claim because you can't take it anymore...you wait...maybe get a c&p with-in a year, if lucky.

Then wait ...tension builds, you become more irritable, this does not just effect your mental status, but all of your body systems. You go through all the gambits, depression, maybe addictions, laugh/mostly cry, yell, fight, avoidance, introvert, or extrovert s/s, secrets abound you, paranoia sets in...you wait... scream, isolate yourself, demand to others"I am not crazy!"...you don't sleep, or you lock yourself in a room and try to use sleep as your coping mechanism...waiting for a reply, you check the mail, call the va#'s but it just increases the anxiety. Still waiting on your claim..grant/deny/low ball/appeal/bva/etc.

There are so many symptoms we all go through but how we can try to cope with these is something we all have to hopefully find to HELP us along the way. To have some type of sanity in our disturbed life. Finding some solace.

I think here at hadit I personally can find some peace, even if a brief moment..I find "friends" who don't really know me but care about me...care to listen/read and mostly offer encouragement, in a very private place where I can be me, no judgements/no phoney bologna just me. They can be frank and direct and still show kindness and compassion.

I had some issues at the VA yesterday, and as it progressed my B/P and Pulse rose...thump thump thump my head was pounding and I could feel my pulse abounding in every nerve/muscle of my body...I requested the policy and procedures they were trying to use with me...after 30 minutes they gave me a copy"I was right there was nothing in them that validated what they were doing/why they were doing it...I won, but I lost as they say"We have the right to change blah blah blah...But I made it known to put in addendum of exception rule? Who know...

My point I contacted Pete53 prior...can I change it/probably not...is it worth it to let them with "their triggers"(or as I chose my triggers at that moment) make me physically and mentally and emotionally sick? No...I stepped away cried, got more pissed off, then took his advice, don't let them make you sick! Yes I know easier said then done, but the more anxious I got the more it dawned to me..."Let it be and Think of me!' Went to a 3 hour pain group after this...did a relaxation exercise and told EVERYONE ABOUT HADIT!

I think I get caught up in the system and let the "triggers" run me instead of stepping back and "letting it be and thinking of me." That I will try to use as my new motto, at least sometimes/maybe/hopefully. What can I change/not/accept and LIVE.

Today I will try to avoid some triggers, if not I will try to choose to accept what I can and breathe...breathe...deeply breathe...BTW I have known the techniques for years but application has not been practiced.

Thanks to so many friends here at hadit letting a hard headed right person vent!! :D

Edited October 27, 2009 by halos2

[Commander Bob]

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"...and then you will have some peace. I'm sorry you have to deal with this recent denial, let us know if you need any support". ~Wings

Thank you for your support, Wings, I appreciate your understanding and knowledge in this matter. Hadit is truly a port in the storm, and you are a jewel in it's crown.

Edited November 2, 2009 by Commander Bob

[john999]

Halos

I was rated 30% and retired on disability and SSD and the VA was still telling me I was only moderately disabled. Right.....those numbskulls. It took me almost a year after getting SSD to get IU. The VA squirmed and slipped and wriggled, but I had the evidence. Here I am on SSD for the exact same thing as my SC condition, and the VA is trying to find NSC reasons to not pay IU. It was not a mistake or honest attempt to make a good decision. The VA strove to find a way not to pay me. They looked over my two IMO's to find any phrase or sentence fragment to deny my IU claim.

[halos2]

John, I too had 2 IMO's ignored and the case is at BVA. More triggers.

Oh my gosh...the Fort Hood murderous rampage is the ULTIMATE PSYCHOTIC TRIGGER ACTION orchardstrated/carried out/ performed by a psychologist! Where can one be safe? No where. When one acts out on their triggers with aggression and VIOLENCE. Prayers for those murdered/injured and their families for stregnth and courage are desperately needed too.

Were there any warning signs/signals? In this Fort Hood massacre? Who really knows. What happens in one's brain that causes them to snap? No one really knows, that's why so many people are treated in the mental health industry and in prisons, for many times impulsive actions overrule any form of logic, in reactions to "triggers."

We all need to seek assistance when unable to "handle" triggers and be aware of the consequences if acted upon. Easier said then done, right. But awareness is imperitive.