Page 813 - Total War on PTSD

With the VA, in my personal experience, it takes a long time to get an appointment set up. It's also like they just keep giving you different medications to try when the last thing I want to do is add more on top of what I already take. And you feel like, if you don't take the medications, that they will threaten to take your disability rating away from you. My primary care doctor, she's pretty good about scheduling me for appointments that I actually need. She makes sure she gets the referrals out quickly instead of waiting a long time like other doctors. They are all nice people; they just take so damn long...and when you need an appointment they say they can get you one six months down the road. Now they have this new Choice Program that, if you wait too long, that they will send you out to a civilian doctor. I have, on a couple of my appointments, gone out to a civilian doctor instead of waiting on the VA.
I hate dealing with big crowds, certain smells...here in Colorado there have been fires and the winds have been blowing smoke up this way, so just the smell of the smoke is a trigger for me. This is because in Iraq, they would burn certain things, and I remember those certain things and what they smelled like when they were burnt. I see trash on the side of the road then that bothers me. If I see people wearing something covering their face that gets me triggered. We went to Sam's Club and there was a lady walking around and she had her head covered and stuff...that bothered me. It is just difficult not to let things like that bother me.
My wife Michelle has been my caregiver for 14 years now. She does things like helping me remember my doctor appointments, remember when to take my medications, and when we are out and about she helps to keep me comfortable. I do still get anxiety and stuff like that when we go out but we her assistance I am able to go out versus just staying at home all of the time. It had
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