I suffer both PTSD from Falklands War & Congestive cardiac failure, Hypertension, sleep disordered breathing, IHD, 2 Inoperable Aneurisms, amongst other co-mordities. I am 62 turning 63 in July and I am a survivor. I have been ill for 33 years non stop but I have learned to cope with most of it but the heart breathing problems are difficult, nevertheless you get on with it and I have a great team of NHS People keeping an eye on me' Tele-health.
I live in my own home, in the sticks (rural) of Northern Ireland where you can see the stars at night, its quiet and the isolation is pure bliss to me. I have never married as I was 26 when the PTSD Got me...still as we used to say in the Navy, if you can't take a joke!! you should never' have joined up.
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wornoutsailor
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You are among friends. There are people who are veterans here. A friend of mine was a Captain in the Royal Marines. He got badly injured and has PSTD. He seems to be calming down now.
He was one of the first to come and offer help when my husband became ill. He is so clever and resourceful. It has been a battle for him to recover too. The Falklands was a terrible thing to go through.
I feel for you and hope you will enjoy being part of the forum, there are so many people from all walks of life here. Many are abroad, as far afield as Australia and Canada. Glad to hear you have nurses supporting you.
Thank You for your comments. Its never easy but you do find ways to survive. I look forward to the forum now that I have actually opened up about myself. Right now I have sleep disordered breathing ands serious breathlessness although my Virtual Nurse has said I might need a spell in a respiratory ward, so that they can figure out what's going on, it affects me badly when I lie down & using a CPAP Machine which doesn't seem to work anymore....still I am sure, a solution can be found.
Hello and welcome to the site. Blimey dealing with all that illness for that long a time means you are a very strong person in my eyes. It is difficult when you can't breathe properly, have you learned the techniques to help you when you are short of breath?
I can't think of anything more beautiful than looking up at the sky and seeing a million stars looking back at you, you must be very blessed to enjoy this every day I always think how peaceful that is.
Stay strong and keep in touch, the group are very supportive and we all enjoy a bit of fun. xxxx
Thank You, I was reading a post about a chap hoping to get a new pair of lungs, I wish him well, however I have also, two aneurisms which are inoperable. The one in my stomach is 7cm and the one behind my heart is 5cm. I was offered Hybrid Keyhole surgery last year with branches over a two operation schedule, however my CAD veins are a bit dodgy and the couldn't anchor the stint witch was to be made specially for me, with everything else, it was rather a shock.
They found the aneurisms after a CT Scan (2014) to check to see if I suffered diseased lungs, as it turns out I don't suffer from COPD More disordered breathing but nevertheless at times you have to wonder, what else is lurking in the background.
Theatre's no cure for any of these things, maybe drug or oxygen therapy and I think, in order to survive, you have to accept these illnesses with a positive outlook rather than go the opposite way with depression. I suppose its all down, to how strong an individual is, but that said' it doesn't mean they haven't got anxieties too or are sensitive. I would say I am very sensitive to these things especially when a crisis occurs, but once the help is there' I manage to manage it on my own through a hospital package & District nurse support.
Illness is never easy regardless how strong you might think, you are but given the right support, its goes a long way, to ease the burden.
Hello and it's nice to meet you. But haven't you been through a lot - and still are dealing with so much. I hope you find this site a good place to be and to come to, with lots of new virtual friends. Keep in touch and stay strong, Sue x
welcome to the site and hope you find some good mates to pass the time with. You seem to have more than enough to cope with and I admire your attitude............... do you still manage a tot! .....? I do, well why not eh? Good luck ops.
Alas, stopped drinking 10 years ago, because of mobility problems and probably the start of my heart disease. There was nothing like an iced bottle of Beck's beer but funny enough along with the beer I couldn't drink coffee anymore either. Although I am in the South Atlantic Medals Association and we did revisit the Falklands for the 20th Anniversary in 2002. It was the first time i'd set foot on the island apart from being medi-vacced back to UK on the 8th January 1983
I am hampered by mobility problems, much I think because of my breathing & disordered breathing but that's in hand, now and I am told that maybe i'll have to go into hospital to a respiratory ward to find out whats going on. I suffer sleep apnea and I use a CPAP Machine but since march my heart failure has worsened the second time inside 4 months, where they stick an IV in your arm and pump in water tablets because of fluid overload!! I haven't been able to breathe the air as its just too forceful and its causing hypoxia and 02 & SPO2 desaturation and a very low heart beat....probably not a good idea with the aneurisms and congestive cardiac failure, and high blood pressure.
You would think with all these nasty wee additions i'd be dead & gone a long time ago, but I soldier on taking it in my stride but this breathlessness using my CPAP or not using it, really takes the biscuit, and I just don't know how to deal with that. Its really scary stuff lying down at night, and although I have an NHS Bed to assist me, even that with the auto mattress etc, still doesn't address it, but maybe now that I did a 6 day optimiser test which has revealed alarming data, they can work from that, to find a solution.
I always say, it was harder after coming out of the Navy to survive, yet whilst in the Navy 13 years I never had, any health issues and was as fit as a fiddle, but thats the way life goes and you can either face it head on, or bury your head in the sand!! I choose to face it head on but in saying that I am very inert because of mobility and pure exhaustion because of the breathing issues.
My Virtual Nurse will be contacting me Monday 12 to let me know the next course of action in this breathing lark, lets hope' a solution that I can breathe again, is forthcoming.....that would be a start, and maybe oxygenate the rest of my body, in the process.
Thanks for your post, it does help sharing these things.
not sure if that is like wornoutsailor but I expect we share our perspective illnesses with the way, we deal with them. Wornoutsailor came about when I bought my first computer in 2001 and taught myself how to use it, it seemed a good email address because of all of this suffering the last 33 years, but with that I do have, a serious Good Sense of Humour (mind you' you'd need one' in my case) but its not all illness, there are good & bad times and I try to manage it myself although I am under tele-health & treated in the Community, which I prefer away from hospitals, but if I need to be in one' then so be it, however being at home' is where I cope better.
The way things are going with me and this current breathing problem I might end up stealing your name!! Seriously though, it took me a few weeks after I signed up to the forum to actually commit myself and actually write anything until today. I haven't been disappointed and its quite something' being greeted by those that have never met me but somehow are related through illness... should have done this....a long time ago. Thank you for your warm welcome
Northern Ireland where you are given a flat jacket & a tin helmet to dodge the bullets!!! (maybe 40 years ago!!)
Seriously though' thanks madammetobacco49
Not that bad living here in rural NI, quiet, see the stars at night, no light pollution and a great place if you have a nervous disposition PTSD amongst others. It is a beautiful unspoilt landscape as is Ireland as a whole. It is no more dangerous than any other part of England, Scotland or Wales but the myth lives on in NI because of past terrorists. Its a shame really that people might be scared to visit because of that although' thats changing currently.
Hi John--sounds like heaven--I am in US in upper Northern Plains--in a city of 170,00 people, in an apt complex--I hate it--I keep pretty much to myself--but im fully aware there is stuff going on around me all the time--(think anthill) I am more relaxed in winter--the world just seems quieter and indeed it is--people except for children making angels in the snow--only go out when necessary--I could live where it is cold all the time--Born in January--maybe that's why--Im a winter baby--I am happy you have found your "place in the sun" you deserve it--Thanks for writing back---xx MmeT
Hello Wornout sailor, have a freind whose son served in the Falklands war. My son is a veteran of Iraq ect fortunately he has very little physical war wounds but many emoitional memories. He has gone to Australia to be in their Army after 22years in the British Army. Some of his freinds were not so lucky. It is sad we do not look after our veterans who have fought for us as well as we should. But Hope you find a family here as you live alone like myself. Welcome and look forward to future chats, sounds lovely where you live love to here more about it.
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