Advanced carpul tunnel makes chat an exercise in torture for me, but I do PM's. Those I can sprinkle with therapy breaks. Chat is too intense for my over-used fingers and hands.

I have the same dx combo. Bi-polar and PTSD. My bi-polar dx is old enough to have undergone the name change from Manic Depressive to Bi-polar. My fellow warhorses think they changed the name because Medical Doctors didn't like the acronymic competion with folks like me, Stephen Spielberg and Winston Churchill. Science geeks can be such wimps. . .

I, too, found great release in having a name to call it. A name for *IT* sure makes it easier to talk and think about. Solutions come ALLOT easier with an open and compassionate dialogue.

When you can name it, you can help yourself better, is how I think. I am not much on chat, with recovering elbow/wrist sprain at the moment. It's hard, to get the dx, but for me it was a sort of weird foggy acceptance, like, "OK, well, they ruled out the other stuff so I guess that's what's left and...Uh... "

I'm glad that you finally found out what has been going on with you and believe me it's frustrating. If you're on PTSD medication keep yourself a journal on how you feel symptom wise. Because some meds will not work well for you and make you feel worse. ( Increased Anxiety, Severe Diarrhea, Shakes, Do the resource on you meds and follow up with your doctor you will have better success to reach you goal to feel like yourself again. My friend was just diagnosed with PTSD from being deployed to IRAQ after 911. He has been home here for sometime and has been on going in the National Guard. He hid pain in reenactments of war to be his safe place. We both have a trust and we share stories. We sure share a bond in different ways.

Scott

I'm glad you have a diagnosis. Enjoy that relief, because then the real work begins. Or at least that's how it was for me. After doing therapy for a bit you will start to see some improvement which is great. and you will develop new triggers as well that need to be addressed, which I see as a necessary evil on the road to recovery. The only way out is through! This site doesn't lend itself to "chatting" very easily but I am happy to arrange a time of day (with the time zone) to be on to chat with you if you want to share your experiences or have questions or just want to chat with someone else with PTSD. Welcome to the club!

I'm glad, too, that you got your diagnosis settled. It is a relief, isn't it? Sorry that's what brought you here, but it's good that you found us. Welcome, this is a healing group.

Putting a name to symptoms that have brought chaos to your life, as dx of bipolar brought to me, was a wonderful feeling of "ok, there is a reason, I'm not nuts"! I feel a freedom, not easy won, after Years of therapy work, the rollercoaster ride, and memory flashes of a past that was less than desirable in many ways and oh so good too. Step lightly, and be gentle with yourself.

Hi and Welcome Looking4.... I agree that getting a diagnosis can really help... I'm so glad that you found us... At this time we don't have chat on here but we're hoping that it will be back before too long... We often chat on the boards though... I hope that you'll join in... Big hug.....xo

@suncloud where do I find the message boards at

Yes, it's nice to finally put a name to IT. Now to get started on living with it. Keeping a journal from the beginning is a really good idea. There will be ups and downs and we would like to hear both. Much support to you. You're not alone.