Shannon’s story continued.
Shannon was confused by the diagnosis for a long time. “I thought Post-traumatic Stress Disorder was reserved for war veterans,” she thought. She could not wrap her head around the fact that this horrific accident qualified her for such a diagnosis. So what is PTSD exactly?
A disorder in which a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. The condition may last months or years, with triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions. Symptoms may include nightmares or unwanted memories of the trauma, avoidance of situations that bring back memories of the trauma, heightened reactions, anxiety, or depressed mood. Treatment includes different types of trauma-focused psychotherapy as well as medications to manage symptoms. Shannon declined the offer of medication to help in dealing with her depression and anxiety due to PTSD. As someone who has been on medication for over 20 years, I don’t know how she gets along without it!
Shannon’s message is “Get help! Don’t wait, if you think something is wrong get help. Get checked out, you don’t have to be like this forever!”
Shannon is an amazing individual. In speaking with her I felt a sense of determination and will. She is very strong and maintains that it wasn’t her time to go. “There are others here who need me”. She always puts others first and seldom recognizes her own needs. She has her good times and her difficult times but feels for the most part she has dealt with the PTSD and she now controls it! There are instances when she is alone and thinks back on the events of her accident and the long road she has traveled and gets emotional. Shannon admits that she feels anger from time to time but not in the same manner or as frequently as she had previously. She is able to discard those thoughts and feelings and move on quickly.
Shannon has a heightened awareness since her accident. She is hyper-vigilant and in touch with her surroundings. She is especially in tune when riding passenger in a car, always looking for potentially dangerous situations. She has also experienced an increase in her intuition. She is very focused on others and their feelings and conversations. Often times able to sense trouble in someone’s life or know if someone is in need of something in particular. I can draw strength from Shannon’s story. It has helped me to put some things in my life into perspective!
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