ptsd I Need Help!

[Kerry]

Hi I am not sure where else I can possibly turn, but I know I need help. My Fiancee was deployed for 15 months from Aug 06'-Nov 07'. He got out over a yr ago in Sept. 08'. He has been suffering badly from PTSD, he feels worthless, he's very cold, can't make up his mind, generally he just doesn't seem very happy. He does everything alone.. bike riding, fishing, hunting etc. It breaks my heart because I know who he was before war. Well recently for the first time in 2 yrs he's been looking up, he starts school in Jan, he knows what he wants to do for a living, he's finally talking about kids/family and everything has been going pretty well, until last Wed. when he recieved a letter saying he was going back for another tour. My problem is since this letter the PTSD is showing signs worse then ever and I'm horribly scared for him to go back! He's been so mean, and yesterday he was saying things like "you can't value your own life in war" and I brought up about going back to his Dr. but the problem is his Dr. told him that there is no cure for PTSD, and there isn't much he could do, he also said he could take medication but it will be very hard for him to get a job as a firemen, and that's what he'd like to do more then anything. He told him that it will be on his record forever that he was on "anti-depressants." What I'm most afraid of though is that a mentally unstable soldier will be back in war. I'm afraid he doesn't care about himself enough to care what happens to him. He's very very hot & cold. I don't want him to ruin any chance of a normal life, as it is now it will be years before he could ever have children because he's just not there. Please help. Is it okay to send a soldier suffering with PTSD back to war? Please feel free to write back here or email me. Any help would be very much appreciated.

-Kerry

[carlie]

bump

[LarryJ]

Hi I am not sure where else I can possibly turn, but I know I need help. My Fiancee was deployed for 15 months from Aug 06'-Nov 07'. He got out over a yr ago in Sept. 08'. He has been suffering badly from PTSD, he feels worthless, he's very cold, can't make up his mind, generally he just doesn't seem very happy. He does everything alone.. bike riding, fishing, hunting etc. It breaks my heart because I know who he was before war. Well recently for the first time in 2 yrs he's been looking up, he starts school in Jan, he knows what he wants to do for a living, he's finally talking about kids/family and everything has been going pretty well, until last Wed. when he recieved a letter saying he was going back for another tour. My problem is since this letter the PTSD is showing signs worse then ever and I'm horribly scared for him to go back! He's been so mean, and yesterday he was saying things like "you can't value your own life in war" and I brought up about going back to his Dr. but the problem is his Dr. told him that there is no cure for PTSD, and there isn't much he could do, he also said he could take medication but it will be very hard for him to get a job as a firemen, and that's what he'd like to do more then anything. He told him that it will be on his record forever that he was on "anti-depressants." What I'm most afraid of though is that a mentally unstable soldier will be back in war. I'm afraid he doesn't care about himself enough to care what happens to him. He's very very hot & cold. I don't want him to ruin any chance of a normal life, as it is now it will be years before he could ever have children because he's just not there. Please help. Is it okay to send a soldier suffering with PTSD back to war? Please feel free to write back here or email me. Any help would be very much appreciated.

-Kerry

First of all, his doctor is a schmuck! And a putz!

It won't "be on his record forever", and, besides, even if it was, it would be a "medical record" and protected by HIPPA, and the Privacy Act, and nobody will find out IF HE DOESN'T TELL them. You can't just access someone else'd medical record without their EXPRESS permission!

He, of course, needs to request counseling with the branch of service that he is in........they are seeing a lot of this problem......and, if it is as you say with his PTSD, then, of course he has no business being RE-deployed.

Did his doctor diagnose PTSD? Apparently he did, given his comments to your loved-one.

Was this a private sector doctor?

[stillhere]

This has got to be a private doc!

Is he still AD if so he needs to get with a MH doctor in the military and get this DXed and taken care of with treatment and meds.

when is he due to deploy? like Larry asked what branch of service Army,Marine. Is he reserve and his whole unit going out again??

I really support those guys and know exactly what they are going through. Although I am a Vietnam vet I am still a war vet with 50% PTSD his symptons spell trouble and you are right to worry about him.

Give us a little bit more info and maybe we can help.