HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

PTSD and medical procedures

Support Forums
>
Anxiety & Panic Disorders
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 12/10/2011 11:14 PM (GMT 0)

I've gotten an ileostomy, and am having problems with Post Tramatic Stress Syndrome from all of the medical procedures done to me in the past few years.  I've had to have a colectomy and 3 ileostomy surgeries.  I've had a really tough time through it all and during one surgery, I was in the hospital for 54 days.  I'm a positive person, but I've been having flashbacks and they're starting to get to me.  If anyone else has this problem, please let me hear your story, too...

 

Butterfly

Posted 12/11/2011 12:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi OG and welcome!

I am sorry to hear of all of your procedures and the anxiety that they have brought on for you. This is completely understandable, and many people with chronic illness also deal with anxiety issues...you are not alone!

We do have a couple of members who have had ostomies and I am sure that you will be hearing from them and others who have had illnesses and procedures that have caused PTSD symptoms.

I am wondering if you have had any therapy support for this? Many members find that extremely helpful for recovery.

Please feel free to post with us anytime. We are here to support you in any way that we can:)

Take care,
Scaredy Cat
Posted 12/11/2011 12:38 AM (GMT 0)
Scaredy Cat, I am trying to get help.  I have a counselor that I see regularly, but he wants to wait until after the holidays to will work with me with EMDR.  Have any of you used this and how do you feel about it?
Posted 12/17/2011 1:27 AM (GMT 0)
hi o-girl, I followed you over from bipolar forum to see if you are getting the support you need. I have a friend with a horrific past, she is in EMDR therapy every week and says good things about it.

Best Wishes, XOXO
Posted 12/18/2011 1:01 AM (GMT 0)
Tortoise 11, I had nightmares for a week and saw my counselor on Thursday for two appointments.  We did EMDR together and it really works.  I am grateful that he was able to help me so much.  I have not had any nightmares since and am sleeping all night.  I am hoping that my PTSD symptoms will stay away for awhile.

butterfly

Posted 12/18/2011 3:46 AM (GMT 0)
That is great news! (I know that I'm not Tortoise, but I still wanted to say congrats!)

I personally haven't had any experince with EMDR...I was hoping some of our other members would chime in, but it's been a little slow here lately:(

I have heard good things about it though, and if you do a search here, you will find a few threads about it I believe.

I hope that you continue to have restful nights, and that you progress in your treatment.

Take care,
S.C.
Posted 12/25/2011 6:58 AM (GMT 0)
Developed PTSD after emergency total colectomy. What is emdr?
Posted 12/25/2011 11:26 PM (GMT 0)
It's a form of therapy where you work with your therapist closely with a series of eye movements. It helps to turn your negative or hurtful memories into more positive beliefs. I discovered that I was terrified of medical procedures, but if someone was with me, the procedures were more tolerable for me. I purposely haven't gone for any medical procedures in the past year and a half, but now I am scheduled for a mammogram tomorrow and I feel at peace with it. Only certain therapists are trained to do emery and if you think it can help you, google emdr and you can learn a lot about it. For me, I am thankful that I've got a wonderful therapist that I can trust. I trusted my therapist a lot to get through the emdr and he got me through it.
Posted 12/25/2011 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
Subzeromambo, I had a total open colectomy in 2007, and in 2010 I had emergency ileostomy surgery, too. It's hard to get past something that terrifies you so much, but there is help for ptsd. If you can, find a really good therapist that you can trust and who you can feel safe with.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply