I don't know what make the difference. But somethign does. And I think it is subtle.

Seven and a half years ago, a horseback riding accident ruined my life; crushed my spine, cost me over $50,000 in medical bills, cost me the ability to work for a living, and left me in horrible chronic pain. Although it was hard to get back on a horse, it wasn't THAT hard. Horses are still my escape from reality. It was a severe trauma, but it did not lead to PTSD.

Yet, somethign that happened in '95, though it came close to costing me my life, has left me unable to function in so many more ways than the physical injury of the broken back.

In short, I think it is an excellent question - but one I have no answer for....

yadlim

When we have surgery our bodies feel traumatized, they have been invaded by scalpels and things that they do not like particularly. And you've been given an anestheic (sp), so you have this new thing in you and whatever you're taking for pain. Be nice to yourself while you heal. The truma is not permanent. I remember the first injury I ever had, I was in my late 20s and I bit into something that broke my tooth. My tooth...part of me was broken. It was strange to me. Odd not having everything be the way it was before. If you don't feel too corny doing it, tell your body that everything is okay now, and it was for the best and it's over. It will forgive you. It is forgiving and adaptive.

Im not really sure. But maybe we are extra prone to being traumatized things after developing a disorder like this?

I dont know.

Maybe a matter of degree, the more intrusive and life derailing the event, the more potential for longer range trauma. Also think when we know something is coming, we can put it in perspective and not see it as such a violation.

Nobody looks forward to something like oral surgery. Emergency hospitalization for say appendicitis, increases both the degree of intrusiveness and the blindsided factor.

Conversely, I think once PTSD is in play for some it easily generalizes, any big stress can become a new trigger. Though those triggers may be shorter lived and reaction not as intense.

Any help?

I think it has to do with the betrayal of mankind, the trust we had is dealt a shocking, devastating, horrifying, horrific blow to our psyche - whereas the trauma of surgery is not connected, outside of trusting the doctors. The injuries - unexpected, like the horse accident and car accidents and natrual disasters throw us because we were bumping along in life and all of the sudden, something horrific happens and we question 'how come?' How come our Higher Power allowed this - but there is some surrender in that our HP will get us through to a place of understanding. But, the betrayal of man lands us in this place of forever knowing mankind can be evil, very, very evil, thus we live scanning the horizon for evil. And, as so many of us have reiterated, we isolate for safety.

Darn, dbpalm, I think you may have hit the target for me. A few hours after a wrote the post about the horse accident I was at a medieval horse demo - my daughter was one of the demo riders. While most people were still getting themselves and thier horses into costume, a riderless horse came galloping back towards us, its saddle slipped to the side, absolute terror it the horse's eyes.

I grabbed my daughter's horse by the bridle to make sure he did not join the fray - she is a grown person, I was just there to watch. The horse was calmed down and caught by someone who knew the horse.

The demo was postponned for just over an hour as the unlucky rider who had had a tack failure, was strapped to a full boby brace and evacuated by helicopter to the best trauma hospital in 500 miles.

I felt sad for her. I felt concern for who would be making sure the horse got home safely. I said a prayer (several actually) for her to recover - but it did not trigger me.

Later that night, talking with my husband, telling him about our day, whih included the accident, he ASSUMED that should have been a trigger that put me in the corner screaming.

But it didn't.

I do have to wonder if under different circumstances it might have. I may just be currently running under so much stress that I am unable to process any new inforamional or emotional input. That was my husband's final thought on the matter. But still, sitting here, typing about it, I just don't know...