I have been wanting to post about a young vet who came into the E.R. where I work now with chest pains, high blood pressure and an EEG that was off.

He could not have been more than 25 but he was SO high strung, he scared me! I have to talk to all the patients so when I talked to him, the air was thick.

The air was thick with tension coming from his body! We do not get young vets that often where I am. This was one of the first. I was amazed at the tension this young man gave off. As I worked with him throughout his stay in the E.R. he was polite but became more and more tense. He wanted out, but it was like he didn't know why. He didn't have anywhere to go, but he felt trapped.

After about two hours as he had tests on his heart, (at 25,) he was so ready to leave he was out of his room and addressing the doctors attempting to be released. This never happens in our E.R., or not very often.

Clearly he had P.T.S.D.

We have a huge new facility for P.T.S.D. for vets thanks to the work of McCain, (one of his pet projects.) It is for treating a P.T.S.D patient head to toe, his health, his mental issues and whatever he needs to become "whole," again.

Does anyone have closer insight to a vet in of this current war, or to an active duty soldier? And if you do, what do you think of the P.T.S.D DX?

If they get out of ther service, they are given the option of going for a six week program, inpatient, for PTSD or to go home. What are they going to pick? Home, of course! Has anyone seen any evidence of this PTSD?

Dancer

My close friend's daughter is in the army and married an army guy as well. They were both in the medical field, and have both been to Iraq twice.

The first time her husband went, he worked in a field hospital so he saw the soldiers coming in and worked on them. When he came home, he was stressed but not deeply affected.

The second time he went, he worked as a front-line medic. This means he was at the front of the action, pulling bodies from the tanks that blew up, picking up body pieces, etc. I'm sorry if this is hard for some to read, but it is the reality of our war.

When he came home after that term, he was a different man. He became angry very easily and eventually became abusive. He refused to get help, and had to be arrested at one point because of his abuse to his wife. He was sent to a VA mental hospital for help, and the couple eventually divorced.

This man was originally a gentle, sweet, caring man. It was seeing, up close and personal, all of the trauma of the war. His entire life as he knew it is over, as well as his wife. She is trying to start over; her term in the army ends within a year.

I am so saddened by these types of things. These kids - and most of them are just that - are being exposed to horrific things. I guess this also happened in the Vietnam war, but in a different way. But no matter how a person is exposed, it seems you either tend to lose it, or you harden yourself to it so that you seem uncaring. None of us know how we would react until we are placed in that position.

I also read that at least 50% of our soliders are coming home with brain trauma from undiagnosed concussions. These soldiers appear well, but are within range of the explosions and don't realize they have suffered a concussion from the blast. This can also affect someone's personality.

I just hope these soldiers can find the help they need and deserve, after putting their lives on the line for our country. Whether you're for or against the war, you MUST support our soldiers.

K

By the way, I am an army mom. My oldest has been in for a year and his unit is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan next May. However, he has suffered severe stress fractures of both hips, which take about a year to heal. He has applied for a medical discharge, so we'll see what happens.

Dolfin,
I'm sorry that your son has suffered injuries. It must be very hard for you to be an Army Mom at this time in our history. God Bless you for your support to him and your strength that I don't know if I would have. It sounds as if he could be coming home, no?

What you described is JUST what I was talking about in my post. These young men and women who return seem to be exactly as you said, hard hearted, anxious and highly strung. It's sad that they have to be arrested, after serving the country, to get them help! I don't see how a spouse would recieve the type of people I am seeing in the hosptial that are in the PTSD program!

I was far too young to see what the Vietnam war did to young people but I am seeing this war and it's injuries and I am astounded, especially after living in "music land," for most of my life.

I feel they MUST have treatment, as is being discussed, upon returning home. I don't see anyway around it. My husband who was career Navy said that they were debriefed and told about how to go home to their spouses in the "right way," but it was hard for the even after the first Gulf war! It must be twice, three times as hard now for them.

Thank you for your post, Dolfin, you put it very well in your description of your friend's experience.

It worries me so.

Dancer