Page 126 - Firehouse Pond

Not long after my mother’s passing, I became very ill. I had an extreme

break down while teaching a class at the college. The details are unimportant,
except to say that I “lost it”.

What I lost was many of my so-called Executive Skills, including my math
skills. I had been on top of the mountain. My math abilities were superior. I
used those skills when training at the college level and to teach software
applications. I had major difficulty counting change, let alone think about

teaching math and programming.

I could no longer teach. I felt neutered. I was ill, very ill. Recovery was

slow and difficult. To this day, I can’t recall all the details of my rehab. I lost
three months of my life. Those days are in a dark recess of my mind.

DIAGNOSIS
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)
FATIGUE, DEPRESSION AND PNEUMONIA

I suffer from PTSD and depression. I count myself among the fortunate. I
am fortunate that I receive excellent treatment at my local VA Medical
Center. It was a long road, but I survive.

Don’t feel upset if you are unfamiliar with PTSD. It most likely is not what
you see on TV or in the movies. In the past thirty years, I’ve encountered

numerous highly trained medical doctors and nurses without a clue how to
recognize and deal with a PTSD patient.

It is disturbing and unnerving to arrive at a hospital, perhaps by ambulance,

for treatment of a condition unrelated to PTSD, only to find an uninformed
medical staff. It is commonplace to have medical personnel with little or no
training in how to recognize or assist a patient suffering from PTSD. I have

personally experienced PTSD related nightmares while an inpatient. It scared
the devil out of the entire staff. Thankfully, my wife was there.