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The Realities of Living with PTSD part 1
Everyone living with PTSD has a different story. At first, those who had experienced war were the ones whose symptoms were most discussed. That made sense because of the kind of turmoil it caused in their families, the rate of suicides, the addiction issues, etc. I am grateful for the awareness around this issue. It is not a disease, but it is something that is “managed”. I should know. I have it, too.
At age 12, I started to have panic attacks. They then expanded into IBS, hypochondria, and paranoia. I began being hypervigilant about food, only eating things I prepared myself. I was consistently told that it was “all in my head” and dismissed. I had real pain every day. Headaches, migraines, back pain, chest pain, and more stomach pain than I experienced birthing babies without anesthesia. This pain I experienced almost daily.
After some time, my mother took me to the doctor to talk about the anxiety. He then gave me some type of pill to put under my tongue with the attacks came on. But, of course, I did not take them. My paranoias around medications were paralyzing and would last for many years.
For many years, I did not know I had PTSD. I knew certain people made me feel anxious. I knew certain places increased my anxiety as well. When I left for college right after my 18th birthday, my symptoms disappeared. I ate pizza…
