Do you suspect PTSD???

Many women who have experienced trauma(s) in their lives will repeatedly go to their physician with a number of psychosomatic symptoms--psycho (psychological) and somatic (physical) symptoms.  Unfortunately, many physicians are overworked, and often overbooked, and are unable to take the time to do a full history to include trauma in your past.  Today there is an ever more increasing movement toward women taking control of their health care, by taking responsibility to get the facts across to physicians and if relief of symptoms are not seen in a reasonable period of time, they must continue to work closely with their physician.

Today we will look at often overlooked symptoms of PTSD, and also consider ways in which to bring them to light.

Charting the Way

First, it is important that you begin a list of the trauma(s) you remember.  Begin to keep track of the signs that a physician will find useful in the diagnosis of PTSD. Keep this information in a spiral notebook, so it is all together. 

You will want to list:

• The Trauma(s) (age, type, duration, perpetrator, and any details you can remember
• Psychological Symptoms.  Any of the following psychological symptoms are significant (although they can be related to another physical/emotional problem, it must be written down. - Recurring thoughts or trauma(s) or nightmares, trouble sleeping or eating, anxiety or fear when exposed to similar situations,  strange feelings when seeing or hearing certain stimulus (music, vehicles, buildings, flowers, etc.), depression, suicidal thoughts, feeling emotionally numb, feeling detached from your body, irritability, avoiding certain facts surrounding the trauma(s)
• Physical Symptoms.  Any of these symptoms may be related to a physical problem, but in connection with Psychological Symptoms, it could indicate PTSD.  Any of the following should be added to your list under physical problems:  aches and pains like headaches, backaches, stomachaches; sudden sweating or heart palpitations; changes in sleep, appetite, sex; bowel changes; lowered immunity to colds and flu; increased startle response; chronic fatigue; fibromyalgia.
• Keep a mood chart for a week to 10 days prior to your visit.  In this chart keep track of all the above symptoms, if you see a pattern, write it down. If you feel there was a trigger involved, write that down, too.

Your visit to the Physician

The most important point to remember is when you book an appointment, ask the receptionist to make it a little longer than usual--usually they will book you in for a 7.5 or 15 minute appointment, and that is not long enough to go into much detail.

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