Hi all,

I haven't been around here much lately. I was doing really well with my mental illnesses and became very busy, but had a sudden flare up of my chronic back injury/pain, which my pain management DR told me to go to the ER.

For reference, I have had chronic pain/back injuries for 8 years.
I have suffered from PTSD for 4 years now.

I went to the ER Friday for the back pain, it had gotten to the point where I was screaming in pain and could not walk. They administered Dilaudid, a muscle relaxant, a steroid for inflamation, and soon another, higher dosage of Dilaudid because the pain was so extreme. This combination of drugs, including an interaction with my regular meds (that they have on file and reviewed) triggered a very bad episode.

TRIGGER WARNING:

My PTSD stems from sexual assault traumas that both occurred while I was drugged and semi-conscious.

The combination of meds made me flashback to the sensations I had during my traumas, including the insistence of the nurses/doctor that I was fine and that I should let them administer another, different sedative. I was crying, shaking, screaming, my parents were arguing with them and trying to comfort me and they would not leave me alone to calm myself or stop touching me, which is another thing I struggle with, especially during PTSD episodes.

Sorry, this post has mostly been to vent. I guess my real questions are why was it that actual healthcare professionals seemed to know so little about PTSD, and when I could not talk for myself because of being triggered, why they wouldn't take my parents words and accounts seriously either. Why did they keep insisting on giving me more meds when clearly my family knew better and I myself was already having a mental breakdown in reaction to the ones that they gave me?

I've been so afraid these past few days. I'm regressing to my PTSD side effects that I have not struggled with since my first year after being diagnosed.

Thanks for reading.