Venting

Johnno, Had some good times, but the medico's only took an interest when they were tying a tag on toe. I guess it toughened us up to do the job we had to do, but the reality of it is we aren't machines, and we need to look out for ourselves and be open to ask for, and receive help.

I don't know if you have contacted the Veterans' and Veterans' Family Counselling Service (VVCS)
http://www.vvaa.org.au/vvcs.htm

If you haven't it would be worthwhile getting in touch with them, their services are available for ALL ex-service
personal, and you don't have to served in a combat role. They have some excellent free courses and counseling available, they put me in touch with a psychologist, who helped me greatly with my PTSD issues.

The road ahead will get easier, but when you hit a pothole, please get in touch.

All the Best
Retread

Thanks for the offer and will do

Johnno

Johnno, check these links, you will find that these services are available for ALL ex-serviceman.

http://www.dva.gov.au/eligibilityandclaims/whoiseligible/Pages/index.aspx
http://www.dva.gov.au/health_and_wellbeing/health_programs/vvcs/Pages/index.aspx

You will find Some interesting info under health and Well being.

I have to thank you again, if you hadn't told me that you were ex-military I wouldn't have given this organisation another thought. It used to be the Vietnam Veterans Counseling Service, but there was a split in 1995, and my name dropped off their mail out list (along with many others). Thanks to toxic drug cocktails my memory has some major holes, and I never gave VVCS another thought til recently, when Eliza mentioned a Rehab unit (St John of God) THANK YOU ELIZA -- and now you have prompted me to check it out again.
I will be getting back in touch with VVCS myself.

Also check out your local TPI Association, and RSL, ask to be put in touch with a pensions officer, and you will find that you will be eligible for help there as well. Most ex-service will have developed tinnitus, as a result of weapon fire, even if it was only on the range, and you will probably find that you have some hearing loss as well, that you probably haven't realised. My wife used to tell me I had "Selective Hearing" :-), and often complained that I hadn't heard her. She was right, and I now have DVA funded hearing aids.

If you talk to one of the pension officers (RSL), they will advise you. Military training, and life, will have had a lot of detrimental effects on your outlook, and behavior, that you aren't even aware of :-

"I also am ex military and we had it instilled in us at medical take two panadols and get back to work.
I have passed that on to my sons who still don't chuck a sickie"

VVCS have several courses and workshops, that you can attend (some with your partner), that will help incredibly.
Hope this helps, and that you have a peaceful evening.

All the Best
Retread

Hi its Johnno, retread and everone else, its peppa here,

i,ve just come on ithis part of the forum and think its brilliant that we have the opportunity ti express ourselves openly- without being judged

i was crying, by the time i had finished reading all of the posts,
because
like others on this forum ,i too suffered Major Re-acative, Depression P.T.S.T and C.P as a result of the assault in the work place.

iI also had to deal with W.C, while trying to cope with the C.P, Re-active Depression and PTSD .

I saw 50 doctors/shrinks, alternative therapists ect ( have all 50 reports), trying desperately to find someone who could help with the pain.

i finally found a P.T.S.D psychologist who validated that the pain wasn,t in my mind - ( even though there was physical evidence with scans ect) to show that i,d been damaged physically.

this made the difference along with the shrink, who also stated, it wasn,t in my mind.

some doctors, will try and say that the depression was present before your injury and S..t, like that,
but
when you are highly functioning and get injured; your life can go into a downward spiral; real fast.

my hubby was supportive, but it takes your spouse a lot of re-adjustment, cause all of a sudden, you can,t do what you used to anymore;
sometimes overnight.

I,d thought of suicide too and thought how easy it would be to run my car into a tree/pole,
but
thought of the people i,d be leaving behind if i did

I stopped driving, for that reason and because of the pain i was experiencing ( i couldn,t concentrate all that well)
and
began keeping a journal about how i felt and i found that this helped me at the time to express how i felt in a safe - non- judgemental -manner

One particular Pain-specialist?, asked if wanted to spend time in a psych unit, but i told him, that if someone would help with the pain, i wouldn,t be so F..g depressed.!

i was angry all the time and asked a Re-hab officer, how they would like being slammed into a wall
and
overnight, not being able to work, do martial Arts, coach, train or any other activity; they had been doing prior to being damaged!

this particular person, never saw me in their office again and would only meet me in a coffee-shop; in a public place.

eventually, they realized i wasn,t talking sh...t and closed the books.

i saw the P.T.S.d psychologist for 7 years and i reckon the person needs a medal, cause boy i was I p...d at that time time.

so i contacted Curent Affairs , about the problems in Nursing and the Violence Nurses were exposed to,
and
they did a story about it on Channel 9 they also interviewed others; who validated that the violence was real and pretty bad.

i then went on to write my second book about this experience.

I,m sorry for ranting,
but my heart goes out to you++++++++

Johnno, i was wandering, you mentioned Bullying!

did you know that Bullying is Illegal and since they have brought in Brodies lLaw, things are being done to change this?

In June this year 2013, i also heard that they will be allowing a name and shame- meaning that people who bully , can be openly named without repocussions, to the individual; naming them.

There are also many sites now about Bullying and - KNOW BULL ( on google,)
could
be a good place to start loooking, about this damaging and soul destroying issue; for the individual.

I also used to look after clients who were Ex-millitary and had gotten sick, for one reason or another and the advice that others have given you ; is really really good .

it helps to explore all options, especially once your life is so affected ; by whats happened to you

I joined this site,
to try and help others if i could, , who like me suffer C.P, but many other issues come along with this
and they don,t just go away overnight; as everyone knows.

jonno,
anyone that says Man-Up is an total moron and an idiot and this lets you know that they have absolutely
no idea of what C.P is about and the Damage; it can do.

another thought..=....
there is info available about C.P and its impact on people and maybe download a copy and give it to your Dr.

They might just become a bit more Educated about this issue and experience a reality - check.!
Most doctors , sadly , don,t have a cluue, they are clueless , about C.P and therefore; they need to be educated.

a Dr who listens to you and actually believes you helps too.

I,ve been seeing mine for 13 years now and i,m going to provide the info i was referring to ( above) to her,
so she has a more informative notion; of what C.P is and how is affects people.

W/C , well are just Ar...s - and sometimes, having another person speak to them on your behalf , can help decrease the stress; when having to deal with knobs!

I did,n/could,nt speaak to my C/m, because he was a dick and i just wanted to pull hjis head through the phone-line and s.. him; therefore i asked someone else to speak to them on my belhalf.

It helped with the stress, which helped a bit with the never-ending levels of pain.

Once again,
I,m sorry for rambling,
but seriously, as i read your posts on this site, the Anger just came up again and i thought-
Whats wrong with the medical Profession?

don,t they get it?

+ Maybe they do need to be educated on C.P, to have a handle on the devastating effects that CP; has on so many peoples lives.

so please, hang in there and just know that everyone is here for you and that; they really do care!

warmest regards always peppa

Hi Johno, Just a quick update on the Veterans Help Groups.
When I was involved it was called the Vietnam Veterans Counseling Service, run by Vietnam Vets, but open to all ex-service folk. However there was a split, if you served in Vietnam I would recommend that you would make first contact with the :

Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia
http://www.vvaa.org.au/index.htm

They will guide you, give you advice, and set you up with an Advocate to help you with the system.
You may be surprised with the help Physical and mental, that is available to you. They will help from their end, and put you in touch with best areas of the VVCS.

If you didn't serve in Vietnam then I would suggest that you contact :

Veterans' and Veterans' Family Counseling Service VVCS
http://www.dva.gov.au/rehabilitation/Pages/index.aspx

This is a set up under the Department of Veterans Affairs, and you will find that a lot of help, counseling, courses etc. are available to you. They will assess your situation and offer a range of help. Also you will find that you are entitled, free of charge, a range of services, mobility aids, railings at your house if needed, and arrange of services to help out with the things that you are no longer able to do around the house, it is really is worth your while to get involved.

As I mentioned I have been out of the system for over a decade now, and finally contacted them last Friday, they are arranging a visit by a Counselor/Psychologist to come and visit, and help plan the way ahead.

There are lifestyle courses, health and well being courses, and much more available.
Just after we were married my wife and I were able to attend a 5 day Lifestyle course, at a country retreat, with several other ex-service guys and their wives. The information gained was priceless for both of us. The Course was run by a couple of Psychologists, and health care specialists

Even if you weren't involved in military conflict you will probably find that you may be entitled to a pension card that will enable you to receive a range of medical help, prescription etc.

I can understand that you may be reluctant to go down this road, and it did take me several years, with continual badgering from a couple of my mates, before I finally got involved. When I left the service, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with anything that reminded me of my time in the service.but it was certainly worthwhile in the long run.
Back in those days, DVA was the devil incarnate, but I am told those days have changed.

I guess the best approach would be to contact your local RSL Branch, and discuss it with them, they handle pension inquires as well.

Well mate this has been a bit of a ramble, but PLEASE contact you RSL, and ask to speak to Pensions Officer, they are trained to give you far better advice than I can.

If there are any other serving, or ex-service folk reading this forum, I would encourage you to look into this as well, there is help out there for you, but you do have to look for it. Sadly, once again,our medicos are not informed, or trained to pass this type of info on.
I was fortunate, at the time to have a GP, who had just completed a workshop on PTSD, otherwise I wouldn't have known what was happening in my life, and would never had reached out for help.

Hi all mrs.m, mrs I ,mrs Ssi ,mrs Ssi, mrs ppi send supportive hugs and is thinking of all and is keeping a watchful eye on us down here is so so will post more at a later date sorry not to be here with us all .
Thank you all for the suggestions I scared my wife today I was having a real downer this morning and told her and started to feel ok went to see my mum and dad and was gone ages and she was upset when I got home as she didn't know what to think !
It's all good now thank god I have to remember I have to live the hand I was dealt !
And look forward and work from day to day
Johnno

Hi Johno, How is your day shaping up?

Hi Retread,

Saw the doc this morning yep he opens on a Sunday he has upped the,Lyrica see how it goes I suppose.
My acupuncture doc said my major problem is stubbornness as I won't give in to the pain I try to fight it daily and the drugs help me hide it .
Problem is you put so much into hiding it that it bites you on the arse and then you crash , then you just gotta get up and start over it is definatly Groundhog Day .
Have been in touch with mrs m mrs I mrs Ssi mrs ssi mrs ppi she is well and has a big suit case to take on holidays in June the thirteenth I think
Johnno

Hi Johno, big day for me today, I actually got out of the house to grocery shopping with my girl. I know "Boring" :unsure: , but considering I have only been getting out for doctors visits, for months, I still consider it a good result. Paying for it now though.
Down to 14 days for the hip replacement, and I am actually looking forward to it, it seems crazy :silly: , actually paying someone to hurt you but to have a couple of weeks rest (with Physio), and plenty of pain relief sounds like winning Lotto, and getting rid of a major physical pain should drop the intensity of the Fibro, (fingers crossed on that one).

I am telling everyone that I am going on a holiday with with "Club Med" so that is confusing a lot of folk who see me struggling to get through the day at home, as I don't add "ication" after the Med bit.

I am glad he upped the Lyrica for you, it seemed a very low dose that you were on, but with the withdrawal etc., it was probably best to be cautious, let me know how you go with it.
Your acupuncture doc was right, stubbornness is a major issue, specially with blokes (girls don't Tar & Feather me), we do try to put up a front, and it does come back to bight us. :woohoo:

Speaking of stubbornness, please don't put off contacting your local RSL Branch etc. I know I'm nagging, but it took mate to really keeping on my case for years, before I gave in and made the move, and it was the best thing I ever did.

Enjoy the rest of your day, and I hope you manage a restful night.

All the Best

Retread

hi retread, its peppa here

hope you don,t mind that i,ve been reading all the posts and added my bit,
but i got really angry,
when i
read all the challenges and ongoing difficulties, that people are going through ;all the time!

I know, anger does,nt help the pain issues, but it was good; getting things off my chest.

you sound really caring and thats a special quality,
so
thank you heaps ,for being out there on the forum; with the rest of us

P.S. i sincerely hope that you have some much needed respite from the pain, you are currently
going through and trying to deal with; from your hip opp!

warmest regards peppa

Hi jonno its peppa here

it might be good if the doc helps keep on eye on the Lyrica, with you,
as
he might be tritrating the doseage, to see if it is manageable for you

(as there are quite a few side-effects with this medication, to try and deal with)

jonno,
we all try to do more than we can at times and yes, we do pay for it later
but
at least you are trying, and more importantly; talking about it

we all care about others here, as i,ve found out in my short time on the forum;
which is brilliant and amazing- just wish i,d found this site years ago!

i don,t know about the accupunture guy though, we all get stubbourn about stuff at times and thats okay too

we don,t need to be judged, even if it is under the guise of trying to help you!

i think that until you,ve exerienced C.P, there is no way you can honestly know, what you have to try
and
deal with or overcome; on a daily basis!

i,ve been to accupunturists before , but they never said stuff like that to me
and
they would only provide the session as needed and try to help where they could

suppose i,m waffling again, but when you are in pain, the last thing you need to hear
is a negative,
especially when you are trying to get on top of things

warmest regards peppa.

Hi peppa ,

Don't get me wrong the acupuncturist wasn't saying that I was stubborn he sees a lot of people who suffer cp and he does understand but the one thing he notices is that people with cp try to hide it and don't sit and whinge about it.
If you know what I mean he is very quiet and calm and cares for all his patients he is a registered GP but does the acupuncture and bulk bills.
He has his surgery in Inala so he is there for the people funny thing is he is an Australian born Asian yet he can't speak or understand Asian so funny to see when he calls his wife to translate for him:)))
I actually didn't help my legal claim by carrying on working as I did not want to let work down and didn't know how to say that I couldn't cope and he saw me when I was in a hell of a mess and tried to help but again I suppose I kept on trying but was not coping with full time work luckily my psychologist sat me down and told me to reduce my hours or I wouldn't be around .
Luckily my wife was with me and basically I was railroaded into reducing my work week by having Wednesday off best railroad company I've been with as I have a mini weekend during the week.

Sorry I'm rambling not venting
That could be another topic page where we could ramble on it would take our mind off things for a bit
Johhno

Hi Peppa, Thank you for your kind words, we all really need to be here for each other, and thank you again for being there for me, you are indeed a special person. This forum is helping me to cope, and I appreciate the contact, and comments from so many caring people.
I do post a lot of dribble, but I just put it out as I am feeling it. Sometimes probably too much so please bare with me, I put a lot of trust in our administrators, and hope that they will delete anything that isn't beneficial for the forum.

After soooo many years of bottling it up, I have really let fly, not just about CP, but about my mil experience as well, which probably isn't appropriate here, but I have finally realised that I really need to get it out. Years of counseling have helped, but even then I was a bit of a closed book. I guess at this late stage of my life, i have got to point where pain is pain is pain, if you know what I mean.

On a positive note, I am starting to think that I do have a future 🙂 , and that life is manageable thanks to this forum. I have to admit to a bit of depression, and for the last 4 months I was seriously feeling that I wouldn't see Christmas this year, but now that has been turned around.

I know it sounds strange to look forward to an operation, and spending time in hospital, but I had a trip to the anesthesiologist last week, and he said they will be keeping me topped up with a variety of pain meds, so I am looking forward to some respite. As you well know, this is hell!
My only concern is that they don't prescribe anything that calls for more withdrawal.

Peppa, keep up the good work, you are an uplifting presence on this forum, and your support is doing more good for everyone than you realise.
Sending a HUGE HUG.

Retread

Hi Johno, I just picked up that your doc has his surgery in Inala, that was a blast from the past. I spent most of my school years there. It was about 45 years ago so Guess it has changed a lot, but I do have some fond memories.
It used to be a small community stuck way out in the sticks.

All the Best

Retread

Hi peppa ,
Johnno again retreads right on the button it does take a long time for someone with cp to admit it and by then your a babbling wreck you burst into tears you forget things you shut off you tend to try and shut everyone out because you are trying mentally to cope , but our bodies aren't meant to do it on their own we need help .
I am glad I streamed out when I did because if I hadn't I would not be here today it puts a hell of a strain on any relationship but a lot of us are lucky to have a rock of a partner who helps .
Just remember

People who commit suicide
Don't want to die
They just want the pain to stop

Which is what we all want and with our partners help and love we will be able to be strong .

Johnno