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• February 8, 2010 7:04 p.m.

  I have been married to a Vietnam vet for 42 years. He came home with PTSD but was only diagnosed with it in 2005. No one would listen before that. I'm sorry for all who deal with this the vet and the family. It affects both deeply. It has been 5 years since he was first diagnosed but just recently he has finally accepted that he has it. My advice for help is to get in contact with DAV (Disabled American Veterans) for help with the compensation appeals. Find a Vet Center where they really care for the help in learning to cope. And finally read the book "War and the Soul" by Ed Tick. You can get in touch with his organization online at soldiersheart.org My husband feels he has the best hold on what PTSD is. They have retreats for vets and their family around the country. It costs but that is where my husband had his first major breakthrough! That was after only one day too! Don't forget the wife. I have been through alot too. Work together on this. One more thing that helped more than anything else, many will not like this, we studied with Jehovah's Witnesses and learned that God is doing something to end war completely (Daniel 2:44). Also his purpose was that man live in peace on a paradise earth (Psalms 37:9-11,29) That gave us the hope and courage to keep on. We want to see that and enjoy it.

  - Pam

• February 6, 2010 10:51 p.m.

  i dont have ptsd i dont get nightmares or shaking hands but my sister gave me this link just because i said i wish ti hell i was back in afghan i was apart of operation kanjar into the helmund river valley i fell like i belong back their not chillen but back with the explosions and the gun fire

  - ryan

• January 27, 2010 1:23 p.m.

  How do you help someone who was a VA counselor and got vicarious PTSD? they know the drill, have done it and are still in major trouble!

  - Flo

• January 20, 2010 9:01 p.m.

  Let me tell you something about ptsd and how it will affect you if anyone finds out you have it. First, everyone will be sympathetic to your face, but will talk about you behind your back. I have experienced this first hand. Second the govt. says they will help you, but when you apply for the benefit they say is available, they put every roadblock they can in your way, to insure you don't get any help. I have done everything i could to handle my own problem for 40 years and have been able to put most of it behind me, by staying away from anything and anyone, who might brign up the memories. But then when you start to get old and need ssome help, they want you to prove everyhting and supply them with all the info about everything that happened to you when you were 18 years old and in a combat area. For most of us it just isn't possible, so they deny you, and you are right back where you were, except you have all the old memories and nightmares, back again, and you have to try and deal with it again. So why bother, just go off and die, you are old anyway and no one cares.

  - Ed

• January 18, 2010 8:06 p.m.

  I am a Veitnam Vet and have just recently been diagnosed with PTSD--my wife said she new something was wrong for years--I show all of the symptoms and have for years--my family has truly suffered. It came to a head when I became violent in my sleep reliving events..The next day we would talk about how I grabbed her, swung at her, would be vocal, have even fallen out of bed blooding my nose on various occasions. Hence we have started sleeping in seperate rooms. for 40 years my family has suffered. I became angery or irritabile at the drop of the hat, and the slitest noise recevied a reaction of startlement. I have haunting dreams with no recollection of them or what I have done in my sleep. Watching old reruns of the war and even watching current events will trigger a reaction--hence stay away from them..The VA tells me that my criticial situations in Nam, and symptoms don't even reach the minimum for compensation. How much mayham must some one go through. This is what our young warriors are facing. I find comfort in close friend share in our blackhol recently visited our oldest grandson (19) at La Juene Marine Camp, and I can see in the young marines eyes who has been there and whose not--we live outside Fort Carson and I see the same thing there--and as strange as it sounds I am most comformable when I'm with my love--the military..If this comment reaches one young warrior I will be happly--you are our most true possession and we care--those of us that have been ther

  - Tim

• January 16, 2010 8:04 a.m.

  My son is a Vet who has Post Trumatic Stress Disorder. I'm wondering if there is any info/groups I could join to help him cope with this in my area? It is very difficult on all involved, and realize to be more helpful and effective, I desire to know more, and perhaps find a support group.

  - mary

• January 13, 2010 3:21 p.m.

  When I read these posts all I can do is cry, You see all this just takes me back to when I came home, I have been fighting PTSD for almost 40 years not. Was den s/c disabitly over 7 times in that 40 years. For years I could not go near the V/A that I would come home a mess. They have diag me with every sym of ptsd in the 4o years, Even to the point that they called me a degenrat befor I went into the army, How could a 17 year old be A deberate. Yes that is right I went in when I was 17. I knoiw I have put my wife and two sons through hell just to be near me. My frist denial said nerves and mental condition is not a desease or injury and would not help me because I was not s/c per them. Last month I was granded s/c for PTDS based on the same things in my records that was there all along! Now I would like for them the pay me back to 1970 But we all know that will not happen and there is nother fight I must do. I do not beleave I could have got it this time if was for my wife . I would not fight this last time I had enough.60 years old now and 3 heart atacks, years of depression and had the feeling that I did not have enough time left! But I got it with the help of my wife . Don't know if these feeling will ever go away. don't know if the night mares will ever go away But I tell you young guy Don't give up! Us old vets do not want you to go through what we have and will help you in any way JUST ASK! Guess what I still love the USA

  - hotrod

• January 7, 2010 9:15 p.m.

  I too suffer from PTSD, not from war experiences, but from prolonged stress and trauma suffered as a child. Over the years, it has been most helpful to talk to a counselor on a routine basis. I also do vitamin, mineral, and adrenal gland support therapies to prepare my body to cope with fright, flight mechanisms. To overcome specific anxieties such as a fear of heights, crowds, water, and bridges I have availed myself to an alternative therapy called fusion therapy. This has enabled me to conquer fear of bridges and heights and has made my life quite a bit more bearable. There is hope out there for PTSD. Barbara A "Cry Depression, Celebrate Recovery."

  - Barbara a

• December 21, 2009 7:55 p.m.

  I got out the Navy back in 2005. I did two deployments over seas. It`s now 2009 and i have a few friends who suffer from PTSD and are disabled. My mom and twin brother always say, I dont know what the navy did to you but your not the same person. I figured yea what ever. I picked up 3 DWI`s since i been out. I got those right when i left Virginia. I came home, I was scared, nervous, no job, living back with just my dad because my folks seperated. My girlfriend is always telling me i should get help. I turned to the bottle for that numb feeling. I know deep down inside now, it is not me. I am learning now that I have been suffering from every sympton of PTSD every since i looked into ways to calm down because i fly off the handle. The amount of stress i feel on a daily bases is unbarable. If you are reading this you know that feeling. Reach out! I know its hard and you just dont want to be bothered. Yea this country owes us alot more than they give. But unfortunally it`s just how it works. Dont live another day like i have the past 5 years. One more DWI and im going away. Im not a murderer, burgler, nothing like that. Just a kid who saw 2 planes fly into the WTC and decided to fight back. Reach out!

  - joe

• December 21, 2009 9:09 a.m.

  what about family members coping with family members who love the those suffering with ptsd how do we cope????

  - judy

• November 20, 2009 11:05 p.m.

  My heart goes out to each and every one of you ... I want to start sobbing when I read of the HELL many of you have lived, including the letdown and neglect of this country and your VA. PLEASE know you do have people out there who are your friends and pray for you - I am one of them. I don't blame any of you for the feeling you have, and cannot imagine the isolation you feel. Please know that I am reading every word, and listing you all in my heartfelt prayers. Thank you for sharing your stories - people do care. Jean M - Very Grateful Civilian

  - Jean

• November 20, 2009 11:56 a.m.

  Hi O, I shared your experiences and have been back for a year and a half. I am just now dealing with the "fall out" related to deployment. Much like you, I have a positive and happy disposition and never one to rock the boat. When I got home I was angry. I had never been that way before, particularly to my family members. Not abusive, my expectations were pretty high and I lost my temper quickly. I was a different person. I thought I was very resilient as well, however, I ignored the greif that came along with everything from deployment and since then. As far as particulars to the deployment that trigger fear and startle responses to hit the the deck, I probably experience that on average about once a week. Those moments, I don't call them debilitating, but for some reason I feel stress of life as overbearing more often than not. After talking with a few buddies that I had not deployed with recently, who are veterans themselves of Iraq and Afghanistan they both unhesitantly mentioned PTSD. Since my first buddy mentioned it, I actually went to clinicaltrials.gov and looked up studies on anxiety, and there was one related to PTSD. Some offer treatment and some are just studies. Either way, it offers an opportunity to talk to a trained professional in some capacity about your experiences. I hope that you find peace of mind and return to what you know as normal as quickly as possible. All my best, -S

  - No name given

• November 19, 2009 7:26 a.m.

  So I have been back from Iraq a few months and I am not me. My wife says she misses the old me. I am sooo numb to everything around me. I can not focus. And I am horrible when it comes to memory. I use to be the one who would think positive and motivate people. Now I am short tempored. I experianced many things out in Iraq. I did not lose someone close and I did not get injured. I was mortard, shot at, and seen some nasty explosions. My question is could this be PTSD or is it just stress. I dont stop and think about one even that happend in Iraq. I do think about some stuff but I can not say there is One specific thing that sets me off.

  - O

• November 13, 2009 12:20 p.m.

  My husband served in Afganistan, Iraq, and also went on to work for Blackwater. When he returned he was a mess emotionally. My once beloved husband, had become my worst fear. The abuse sustained left me to make the most difficult decision ever. Die or leave. I still love him with all my heart. However, the VA only proved to neglect my husbands pleas for help. Medicate, counsel, in-patient treatment that left him a room alone. No one talked to him except maybe 20 min a day. This is the "treatment" we give to those who defended our country. How sad. The worst part was he was unable to fullfill his duties back in "civilian life" d/t the "flashbacks" he had. Heaven for bid they claim him as disabled! I am disgusted with the lack of medical treatment in WNY for our soldiers coming home. The VA failed my family and I am lost everyday without my husband. Thank you to our vets for your service to this country! You deserve more than this country offers you!

  - Erin

• November 10, 2009 9:34 p.m.

  I have been home from Iraq since 2005, and i would like to think that i have come along way, but then there are times like right now when i just want to fade way and just stop existing. . I was in a mortar attack in fallujah iraq in November of 2004, i was injured pretty badly and my squad leader that was right next to me got pieces of his face blown off, he did not make it. I survived and he didnt. I always have a hard time, with the night mares and i live with so much anger and frustration, that t interfears with my life to the point where i dont really have any friends, i dont want to wake up in the morning, i just like to be alone, i drink more than i used to. I feel like no one truely understands and i just alone and lost. I go the VA but these people are worthless at the VA. There are so many people who need the same help, its overwhelming for the doctors. They love to hand out medication but when i was taking my medication, i didnt like the way it was making me feel. I have my good and bad days but there seems to be more not so good days here lateley, i feel like im doing fine day and then going insane the next. I get so angry and have outburst of rage.. I feel like i am not a good person and i just want to be alone and not deal with anyone so they wont judge me. I wish i would have never went to Iraq, that was the worst hell anyone could live through.

  - Kellee

• November 10, 2009 2:14 a.m.

  If you have not done your time in Iraq, Your Opinion about stress can ... 101st---

  - Ben

• October 17, 2009 11:57 p.m.

  My brother Pat has served two terms in Iraq. He's my big brother--18 years older than me--and I look up to him. He just got home from his second tour, and my mom told me today that he's doing stuff he's never done before--drinking and smoking, and having an affair. I'm so worried about him. The more I read, the more I think it's PTSD. Please pray for him, all who read this!

  - Jamie

• September 4, 2009 9:11 p.m.

  EMDR therapy is something I am using with a well-trained psychologist who has worked with vets. I am a former Linguist/Interrogator who participated in SERE training during Gulf War I. PTSD flared gradually as the breaking of Abu Ghraib and Guantanomo Bay torture stories did. Never would I have thought that our training of NATO troops was comparable to something "other" countries did to to our POW's. Well, I did the things to people that were breached to the media about Abu and Gitmo. It's hard to live with, and I can't read a newspaper or anything. When I do, my symptoms explode. My anger is out of control. I'm learning how to assess if something is really actually life threatening or not, but I'm a walking time bomb, and depressed. What has helped me stay more calm, is having a service-dog with me. He forces me to get out. And the effects of EMDR are difficult and get better as the week wears on, but it unlocks memories and links to other stuff. I have to say, talk-therapy, staying active physically, and engaged with others as much as it's hard to do, has helped me. I push myself into social situations or I will die. I've been suicidal, homicidal, isolated and usually just go to bed crying. I live alone. The military doesn't care, and I feel betrayed. As a woman, I don't think a support group would be helpful. I don't want this to define my life. Fortunately I have been sober for over 10 years, which I think reduces my suicide risks. It's been 15 years since I lef

  - Angie

• August 16, 2009 9:03 p.m.

  I am older than most of your basic questioneers or commentaries's. I just can't get it out of my head, when I was five I was sexually molested by a close relative. This has carried with me for many years almost to the point of amy bandoning family. I have this terrible guilt and it weights heavy on my beeing. I'm not sure this is PTSD or some other problem but I'm losing my family becuae of my feelings. Bob

  - Bob

• August 5, 2009 7:08 p.m.

  I am a 20 year veteran of the Marine Corps and I feel that the VA does not carry out its duty to the veterans. I participated in Desert Storm, OEF and OIF and even though I never saw combat I saw the death that was caused by these wars. My responsibilities were tracking all Marines that were either wounded or killed for 3 years. It was devasting to me and I felt helpless. I was then injured myself which kept me from participating in any deployments which made the helplessness emotion even more so. During this period, my wife of 15 years had an affair with another Marine and ended up pregnant. I had to make a decision to either turn her in or stay quiet so she would not be kicked out. I did the right thing (kept quiet about this and have raised that child as if he was my own) but in the end she left me anyway which was devastating to me. That was 6 years ago and I still have nightmares and cold sweats at night. I became depressed, alcoholic and addicted to any drugs I could get my hands on. The VA has had my disability package for 7 months now but yet still no answer. I feel I have wasted 20 years of my life serving our country. At times I feel im on the verge of exploding and doing something that I know would be wrong but I just cant take the injustice anymore. Can you help???

  - Jay

• June 24, 2009 5:06 p.m.

  I have How ever reade your semtoms that deal with PTSD and find that sume of it ftis me to a tee, Like being self destucteve, slepping from one extreme to the other, fineding that I Just Don't give a dam any mor about others, not seeing famly in the same way that I did befor. Finding that in the more that I try to help others I tend to finde my self in jale or in the state penatentury At this time I spent a totle Of 18 years with parole, now you tell me if I do have PTSD or Not All of this started aftr I got outof the U S ARMY in 1976 And a socalld frend of the famly lide and turnd my famly agenst my.

  - Ross

• June 5, 2009 10:36 a.m.

  I was in therapy for ptsd and treated for high blood pressure with lisinopril and the side effects were horrible and confusing. I checked out a web site that reported over 2500 entrys having the same effects.I now take it with a full stomach before going to bed.The side effects are almost nil. Good luck to all.

  - Gary

• June 1, 2009 10:59 a.m.

  Mike: Thank you for sharing this difficult situation with us. As we well know our veterans are at significant risk for emotional and stress-related conditions. Our colleagues in Veterans Affairs are profoundly sensitive to this issue and your local representatives are ready to provide support and guidance.

  - Dr. Ed Creagan

• May 31, 2009 3:00 p.m.

  If there is help, I need it. I finally made a mistake at work and they called it professional negligence. I want to not exist, I don't remember what my wife does about the last incident and I am frightened to think about being a patient after what happened to me. I am just learning about PTSD. If there is a self test, I need to take this. I love my wife and need to exist for her.

  - Mike

• April 19, 2009 2:12 p.m.

  I was a Police officer for about 5 1/2 yrs about 15yr ago back then I drank to reduce the stress, I've quit, but I still have anxiety and am always suspicious of people, on guard and when I hear sirens it feels like I'm back in police mode,my adrenaline kicks in, my heart races and I'm feel ready to chase the bad guys again. sometimes this extreme feeling is overwhelming,Dr's have presribed different things but none really help. I'm sick of it,it wears me out. Any suggestions?

  - Greg