Another Vet's Story.

Starting to get back into action here.

I found a powerful story online that shows one man's struggle. Of course, many are facing the same demons. On Being Home is the title.

It’s not that loud noises terrify me. It’s just that I don’t respond appropriately to them. My heart goes off like a Led Zeppelin drum solo, my diaphragm sprints, pulling-in far more oxygen than I need, and I want to fight back. But there is no one to fight, there is nowhere to go, nothing to do. I’m supposed to just go on normally, but my body doesn’t know that and though I tell it, sometimes it takes a while for it to listen. There was a time, when a noise that didn’t belong was heard, people looked at me for some leadership, they wanted me to tell them where to go, and what to do; now they just look and think: who is the weirdo hyperventilating at the bar because a waitress dropped a tray. This woman I see at the Vet Center said that the body can reabsorb adrenaline in five to ten minutes. She said to control my breathing and concentrate on something else and remind myself that I really am normal. It works. She is a very smart lady.

This reminds me of a wise friend's comments. He basically said that the veterans need to re-learn appropriate responses to everyday life.

The good news is that these problems are slowly becoming more well known, and more resources should become available to help.

To your healing,

Mike