reading a medical journal article about post-traumatic stress reactions to car crashes
Reading this medical journal article is helping me to put some of the symptoms I've had over the past week into context. And there are treatment courses, including medications that address problems with sleeping or hyperarousal. People throw around the term "PTSD" a lot, but that's a long-term disorder, not the type of reaction many of us have to a very recent trauma. If I were still having the same symptoms six months from now, that would be PTSD; what I have right now is simply normal post-trauma stress.
I don't think things are bad enough right now to seek medical attention for post-traumatic stress, but we'll see how things go when I return to work next week. So far I've used benadryl to sleep as needed and my trusty muscle relaxers for hyperarousal and panic attacks as needed, nothing new in other words. And I haven't needed either of these pills every day. I've also avoided even the small amounts of chocolate and caffeine that I usually allow myself.
I don't know how long before I drive a car again. Tomorrow I'll have a short ride in a car as a passenger, we'll see how that goes. As I discussed with T, if he takes the NY job I'll HAVE to get another car and drive myself places. Plus, I might become less trusting of letting other people drive, I may feel like I HAVE to drive myself to make sure I'm safe. Certainly over time my acute fear and hyperarousal will decrease, but right now I don't know what my new baseline will be.
I was switching from driving to the condo all the time to taking Metro more often, but this time I had a lot of stuff to transport in the trunk, including blankets, and I was expecting to pick up K from the airport, so I drove.
I don't think things are bad enough right now to seek medical attention for post-traumatic stress, but we'll see how things go when I return to work next week. So far I've used benadryl to sleep as needed and my trusty muscle relaxers for hyperarousal and panic attacks as needed, nothing new in other words. And I haven't needed either of these pills every day. I've also avoided even the small amounts of chocolate and caffeine that I usually allow myself.
I don't know how long before I drive a car again. Tomorrow I'll have a short ride in a car as a passenger, we'll see how that goes. As I discussed with T, if he takes the NY job I'll HAVE to get another car and drive myself places. Plus, I might become less trusting of letting other people drive, I may feel like I HAVE to drive myself to make sure I'm safe. Certainly over time my acute fear and hyperarousal will decrease, but right now I don't know what my new baseline will be.
I was switching from driving to the condo all the time to taking Metro more often, but this time I had a lot of stuff to transport in the trunk, including blankets, and I was expecting to pick up K from the airport, so I drove.