Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Millard..i know exactly how you feel.

I felt so bad when my horse died..i still get upset now and cry over her and i definitely cried more for her than any family member....and i really dont know why?

I would have to look into the references to Post Traumatic stress Disorder and its relation to "Blunted Affect" and Schizophrenia and research and then give my opinion.

The brain is designed that we forget a little over time and those feelings of loss lessen over time. If our brains didnt do this, we would be in permanent grief..

But i also think we go into self protection mode....of course we are at more loss at losing a close family member but the grief feels different.

We all grieve loss differently.

I know that i cried for my horse so much because maybe i felt guilty?...i had to make a decision to have to have her euthenaised and that was something i felt so bad about..she was my baby...and her life was in my hands

Interestingly DJ sent me an email earlier about PTS so i wonder if he found anything that he can share?..but i shall definitely do some reading on the subject

Hey Millard, I've never experienced it myself but I've read on it and know how serious the effects are. I haven't really read much that relates to the "Blunted Affect" that you're experiencing but I'll look into it. The brain is a very strange thing!

Hi Lara,

No, I don't mind you asking.  Before injury, I was like everyone else.  I didn't really have any traumatic events in my life until after my injury.  I didn't notice it much at first but then when things happened that affected everyone but me, I started to wonder, "Why?"  I had always been active in church but I couldn't make myself go back.  Meetings and events I have to attend were okay but I despised them.  When I applied for a job at City Hall, I told the City Coucil I was not interested in the job as City Clerk as I didn't want to dress up and go to meetings.  I still help out sometimes with the city when they have a computer problem and I also help out our Police Dept. when they have problems downloading videos from their dash cameras and burning the DVD's.  I guess I kind of like to work on the outskirts and not really get involved into a job or position any more.  After 40 years of working, I just burned out...

When discussing this, as you noticed, I tend to ramble.  Be careful what you ask...I may answer!!! 

Have a great week.

Ramble away Millard...we all do but in different degree ...

Ah then if your first traumatic experience was your injury and you had no significant distressing events prior to this then quite possibly your injury is the trigger?

The only time i can say that i may have felt the 'blunted effect' was when i was in hospital on the night of my op....I had spent 3 weeks in the most agonising pain with no sleep, durin this period i had gone numb, lost b and b control and lost the power to my legs.

No one listened to me, until this day that i was blue lighted to the neuro hospital for an emergency operation. I remember sitting on the bed just feeling numb inside..everyone talked to me and i was unusualy calm, i felt nothing and i cared none.

I just thought..' do what you want with me, i dont care'..its not the same but its the only comparison i have