Breaking the Silence: Understanding PTSD, TBI, and MS

Welcome to this episode of our podcast where we delve deeper into the often misunderstood and inadequately treated conditions of PTSD, TBI, and MS. Our host discusses the critical need for a more holistic approach in treating PTSD, emphasizing the importance of including family members in the therapy process to foster better understanding and support.

We explore personal anecdotes and the challenges faced by individuals and their loved ones, shedding light on how situational triggers can exacerbate symptoms and the shortcomings of current medical practices. The conversation extends to the profound impact of TBIs, highlighting how they can alter one's personality and the necessity for improved treatment strategies.

Additionally, we address the frustrations surrounding MS misdiagnosis and the need for more accurate and timely medical attention. Join us as we navigate these complex topics, share personal experiences, and seek to bring about change in how these conditions are perceived and managed.

For those looking to share their stories or seek advice, feel free to reach out at [e-mail]. Together, we can work towards better understanding and support for all affected.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Well, welcome to my podcast. Good morning, and here we go again.
I'm going to continue with PTSD this time around because I think it deserves some more time.
We've got so much to talk about with PTSD, TBI, and MS that I'm going to spend more time on each one.

(00:20):
Anyway, so PTSD, I don't believe is treated properly in the medical community.
I don't really have a lot of love for doctors and the medical community.
I really think that patients are treated like a product, and we're treated like

(00:40):
we're coming off a conveyor line.
We're not taking a lot of time, and the doctors just kind of run us off the
conveyor line. You're like, oh, yeah, here's another guy. Boom, done.
So PTSD affects you, of course, but it also affects your family.
And I don't think that, well, I know for a fact because I have it and it's affected

(01:05):
my family, that the family is actually looked at or the people,
your loved ones are actually looked at and taken care of or treated properly when it comes to PTSD.
Your family should be included in the treatment meant somehow.
They should be given some kind of therapy to help you and help them be part of your cure.

(01:30):
And let me explain this. I'm going to explain this in real simple terms, okay?
So one of my problems is when one of my daughters would eat an apple behind me, I would get upset.
That's because it would trigger a problem I had.
I would be like, oh, don't eat that behind me, and she would get upset thinking I was mad at her.

(01:52):
I wasn't mad at her. It was a problem I had, but it caused a problem with her.
She would think, oh, daddy was upset with me.
If my family had been included in some kind of therapy, then she would have
understood that it was a problem that I was having with my PTSD and not her.

(02:14):
And my wife would have understood that, and my family would have been part of it.
And those little bitty things can build up to where it's a big thing.
And even today, my daughter has issues with me because of that.
And so the family needs to be brought into some type of therapy,

(02:36):
even if it's just very small discussions, so they understand what's going on with you.
Another issue I have is you may go into a psychiatric care and say,
oh yeah, I'm totally okay. I feel great.
And then walk out, go through the hospital, get into your car.

(03:00):
And because you were exposed to a group of people, large group of people getting
out of the hospital, you may have a total breakdown.
And doctors, psychiatrists, they never take that into account.
They take the five minutes that you're in the room with them,
or you're alone on that call and you go, oh yeah, I'm feeling okay.

(03:23):
But they never take the fact that it's the amount of people around you or the
situation you're in that causes the problem.
As long as you're in a safe environment that's your environment, you're fine.
But the instant you're in an environment around people,
you're in a grocery store or you're anywhere that has a lot of people or noises

(03:49):
or those types of situations, you can't handle it.
So what I'm saying is in a controlled situation, you're great.
But in a situation where you're around people or in the car or whatever.
Anywhere else, you might have problems. So what they're doing is looking in

(04:09):
a very isolated situation.
And it's just ridiculous the way they treat people with PTSD.
It's not okay. And it needs to be changed. The family needs to be included.
And they need to understand that PTSD is a very situational problem.
It's not a problem for the quiet little room you're in. It's a situational issue, right?

(04:39):
And they never take that into account.
It's also a problem with, it's like a ghost, right? Following you around all the time.
It's a very quiet, personal problem. So they expect you to go to these meetings
in front of people and talk and just dump your problem and your ghost on top of it.

(05:04):
You don't want to share this horror you have with other people because I tell
you what, I'm afraid that they'll end up carrying my burden with them.
I don't really think that's really a good thing. Sometimes I'm worried that
I may pass along this nightmare that I have onto other people.
And I don't want that to happen.

(05:26):
I feel like if I share this horror with other people, I may pass it on to them.
I don't want that to happen. I feel very, very bad when they expect me to share my story.
And it's not something I'm very comfortable with. And I don't know if any of
you feel that way, but I do.

(05:48):
So it's not something I really enjoy passing on.
And I have to be honest with you, with a TBI and MS, I'm afraid that my memory
may not be exactly right anymore anyway.
And things may not be the way that I remember them.

(06:08):
It's really strange how things those diseases kind of tie together and make
you even more even question what happened to you more,
the longer away you get from those situations.
So, but I can really tell you that the dreams can definitely make it,

(06:30):
I don't know, come back strong.
The smells and the, it's strange. It's strange how that feels.
And I don't know if you guys go through that or not, but I know I go through
some pretty elaborate dream situations every once in a while.
So yeah, I think the medical community really needs to work on how they treat

(06:52):
not only the person with PTSD,
but they need to look at the loved ones around them because PTSD is an isolating disease.
And that's another huge problem is it will isolate you from the people that you love.
So unless they include some of those people in your therapy,

(07:14):
just to explain what you're going to be going through and to try to help you
keep those people and try to make those people part of your cure or part of your, not cure,
but part of your, how do you say it?
Part of your life and to keep them in your life, then they go or they resent

(07:37):
you or they hate you or they learn to avoid you because of your issues.
And that's a problem. And I tell you what, man, I'm a disabled vet.
They can't pay you enough for the people that end up leaving your life because
of these problems. It just doesn't happen.
So that's another big problem is the people that end up leaving your life because you have.

(08:03):
These very pronounced problems in your life, and they just can't handle you anymore.
And you love them very dearly, but you got to understand that you've become
a very hard to live with individual.
So I have a web, not a website, email you can send emails to if you want to talk to me. It's.

(08:30):
Tools4healthyliving at yahoo.com. You can send me emails. I will respond to you and we can talk.
I'd like to hear about your problems and your issues and, you know,
let me know and we can converse and see what's going on.
And if you want to discuss things, maybe I can bring some of your stuff onto

(08:53):
this podcast and we can work through it here.
I don't know. I mean, I'm going to spend more time with PTSD.
I'd like to go to the TBI issue.
TBI is another, man, I tell you what, nobody explained to me how TBI works or
what happens when you have a TBI.

(09:13):
Learning that on my own and living through that was a nightmare.
So there is just a lot we are going to have to cover.
But yeah, there's so many things that we can touch on and go through.
But you don't have to let these diseases and injuries define you either.

(09:35):
I didn't become disabled until 12 years ago. I'm 54.
And I spent a lot of my time working and developing my career and being something
other than a disabled individual.
I don't like to be defined by what I have, and I don't like to be defined by being disabled.

(10:00):
I want to be more than a disabled individual, but I also don't like to be treated like a disabled person.
But I also don't like doctors and the people that treat me to not treat.

(10:21):
The disabilities and the problems I have properly. And a lot of us don't get treated properly.
And a lot of these treatment sessions or whatever they call them are just ridiculous.
So we need to dwell into that and talk about it. And hopefully we can get together
and maybe make some changes.
One of my biggest issues, I'm going to go into MS here, about MS is how doctors

(10:47):
just get the get out of jail free card with MS going,
well, you know, the symptoms are just very, it's very hard to diagnose someone with MS.
So they can get away with misdiagnosing you with MS for years.
And then all of a sudden they'll go, oh yeah, you had MS, but you know, we just didn't know it.

(11:08):
So they can get away with misdiagnosing you for, with MS for like 30 years.
And then all of a sudden they'll go, oh yeah, you have MS. That is ridiculous.
I really think that's insane and something needs to be done about it.
That's one of my biggest pet peeves and needs to be addressed.
And I believe there's a lot of us out there that have that problem.

(11:33):
There's a lot of things that need to be addressed about this group of diseases and problems.
Problems people with PTSD out there don't get enough attention there was a big
push with PTSD for a while and then it all just kind of you know settled out
and the TBI issue TBIs man,

(11:55):
TBIs are I have to say one of the worst things in the world to deal with because
it can actually change your personality. It can change who you are.
And that is a terrible thing to have happen.
And we need to really look into that and try to understand that.

(12:16):
And that's another thing that doesn't get treated properly with the medical community.
Your family and people around you need to be brought into how to deal with that,
because that can literally change who you are and how you react to things.
So we'll get into that too. So that's another future podcast.

(12:38):
Just stick around. We're going to cover all of it.