Page 277 - Total War on PTSD

reason that is important is because a normal human being carries between 10–12 units of blood, and the loss of twenty percent of blood leaves the patient dangerously vulnerable. Remember my wounds that were formed at the first hospital? The report said they were healed, yet the wound care specialist at the VA removed the scab tissue and found the ulcer had deteriorated almost all the way to the bone and was infected. If these wounds had not been treated and I had been simultaneously given antibiotics intravenously (IV), it was possible I could have died. My condition was far from good. Yet, co-incidentally my insurance stopped paying for my hospital stay, so a miracle occurred, and my condition was stable enough to be transferred to the VA hospital. As it turns out, that transfer saved my life. If I had stayed in that hospital another week, I have no doubt I would have perished, and no one would have known why.
Did I have PTSD? Most definitely. However, I had other issues to worry about. I had to heal, and undergo two more surgeries, this time for the wounds that occurred while I was in the hospital. Then I had to listen and absorb the news that due to the nature of my injuries I would most likely never walk again. That’s when I learned my next lesson, doctors rejoice in giving good news, and talking about their success stories. The failures, and bad news however, not so much. Yet, my condition was not going to change, and I my choices were few. For the first few months I simply went through the paces, and I had one hour of counseling a week, and three hours of physical training a day. Distraction is a powerful thing.
I had to regain my strength and then some, If I was going to operate a wheelchair, transfer from my chair to various other pieces of furniture, and eventually operate an automobile. The workouts were hard, but I was getting stronger. Sonia was by my side the entire time, and even slept in the room with me between four to five nights a week,
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