Page 973 - Total War on PTSD

I do have a PTSD diagnosis. My PTSD is non-combat related, and I have dealt with it for 29 years. That being said, I can count on one hand how many people I have told about it. I do not view it as a weakness, but I feel that it is personal and you have to be very close to me to learn the details.
I feel that treatment in the VA system is behind the times. I also feel that some providers do not listen to the Veteran enough. One of the issues that I have been dealing with for the last two years in pain in my hip. The VA did the normal X-Ray and MRI routine, and found ‘minor Arthritis’. I still made it all the way through to a surgical consult for a hip replacement before someone would listen and order an MRI on my back to ensure that the pain wasn’t radiating from there (which it is). I was at the last appointment before surgery before someone listened to me and responded. The injuries I sustained were non-combat related and were caused from moving items and injuring my back and shoulders.
I have currently had four operations on my back, to include a fusion. Unfortunately, it appears that surgery number five is in the near future. I will say that Kodiak has helped my recoveries, by assisting me with my mobility issues as trained, and by moral support. The VA Medical Center in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania allowed Heather to bring Kodiak in daily to my room so that she could be there with me, which lifted my spirits. I have also had surgeries on both of my shoulders (a clavicle resection on one while still active duty, and a biceps tenodesis on the other through the VA). I still have pain in both shoulders, but at least I have full use of them.
We have three dogs in our home currently. Our oldest, Bear, is a nine-year-old German Shepherd/Labrador Mix, who we got in the parking lot of the Post Exchange in Fort Gordon,
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