return from deployment

[dragon1020]

I came back from Iraq in 2003, I took several rocket attacks and close calls.  Never once did I have any problems but in the past six months I get to where a I cant breath my chest gets tight, sometimes it feels like heartburn but makes me want to pass out, I get where I cant drive and when I do I have to call my wife and she calms me down.  Am I loosing my mind.  I cant think I cant remember most things except my job and old thinks I cant learn anything new without forgetting.  My wife stays madd at me because she thinks im doing it to be mean.  I need help but every doctor says ohh its heartburn of hear are some meds come back in a week what can I do.

[cj29]

I did two deployments in the Middle East.  One in Afghanistan and one in Kuwait and Iraq.  I suffered my first panic attack upon return from my second deployment.  What we experienced over there is a tough thing to   handle at any age.  Just know that you are not going mad.  I was a company commander over there and I saw many of my soldiers with signs of PTSD.  The important thing to do is seek counseling. Are you still in the military?  If not, you have many benefits that you can get through the VA. I know in our military culture, the perception that we do not need help is a sign of mental toughness, but as I told my guys, it takes more courage to confront a problem than to ignore it.  I sought help while in the military and I still seek help through counseling now that I am out.   Here is a very helpful website: http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/  

[etarepsed]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! I hope you feel better!

[be still my beating heart 13]

Thank you for your service and sacrifce to our great nation!  I hope you feel better soon!

Cori

[itallpasses]

First of all Dragon, thank you for your service.  Your post didn;t mention whether you are currently on medications or seeing anyone at the VA for PTSD.  Please clarify those points as any course of treatment is dictated by your signs and symptoms and current medical status. If tests have been completed to rule out physiologic medical conditions, the status of your emotional and mental state comes next.  If PTSD is within the realm of possibility, its best to have yourself evaluated at the VA.  Because of the way Vietnam vets were treated (poorly), veterans of recent wars have benefitted from what appears to be an effort of conscience by the system.  Obvious signs and symptoms of PTSD are extreme anger, isolation(social estrangement), nightmares, and intrusive thoughts relating to one or many triggering events.  Substance abuse, anxiety, and depression may also manifest along a very troubled route. Check out the VA website for detailed information and good luck with your issues.

[JSGeare]

First of all, let me thank you for your service to our country. Because of you and people like you, I am a free man today.

So, let's see if we can cut some orders for YOUR freedom from this monkey on your back. As gentle has noted, there would seem to be an all too obvious connection between things blowing up around you in Iraq and a condition of high anxiety right now. But PTSD, alas, is one of those disorders that simply re-states what we already know:

Post-Trauma: duh, yes, we have it AFTER the event.
Stress: Duh, again; that's what we're talking about.
Disorder: And double-duh, again. Yeah, it so bad its messing things up!

There is a lot of medicine that's like this: the name of the problem is simply that, the name of the problem: doesn't tell you how it got to be there or how to fix it. Bummer.

Are you losing your mind? I doubt it. Actually, you may be finding your mind. No kidding. Think of panic as a flare going up to mark a condition of emergency -"Hey! We've got problems over here!" So now, you have to figure out more about the problem. While your battlefield exposure may have sort of turned up the volume on this material, it may not, in and of itself, be a cause. And it could turn out that it IS all about Iraq. All I'm saying is, do not rule it in or rule it out. What we know for sure is that having bad guys throwing explosives over to you certainly is a CONTRIBUTOR.

What you need to do now, in my opinion, is to get in the company of a psychiatrist who can help guide you in thunt to track down the prime movers. If you spend some time reading what I and others have had to say, you'll see that for most people who get well, it is a combination of managaing symptoms with or without drugs and then learning about all the material present and past that goes into the panic mix. That is where the therapy is very useful.

I would also recommend that you associate yourself with other vets who have the same thing going on; I don't know how much you hang out at the VFW, but consider it. Or, are you still active military?

One more thing: I know it is a lot to ask, but, as you get better, find your way back, could you please hang out here on this forum to help others -especially vets- who come aboard with the same stuff. For that matter, any you can bring to the forum would be most appreciated.

OK, until such time as you've arranged for some therapy, could you tell me what was going on in your life when the first panic for "no reason" hit you? Sometimes a close look at that will help steer you to some fruitful thinking about events in the near and distance past. At least, it is a place to get started.

We're with you my friend, and know that this can get better.

[gentle51]

First thing you went through trama while in Iraq. Those experiences can cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. Maybe you should change Drs. to rule out any medical problems and then seek a psychiatrist to see if you have PTSD or a General Anxiety Disorder (G.A,D,) My husband developed PTSD when he returned from VietNam. Seek more help would be a good thing to do.

Hang in there! Peace to You and Yours!