Thursday 3 November 2011

Putting Your Story Out There - A Cautionary Tale

I have recently told my story to a journalist to help raise awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The story got picked up by the Mail Online and you can read it here.

The whole point of this process, and I haven't received any money for this story, is to help other women who have been through birth trauma. And I should not have read them but there have been some downright nasty comments. I am sure none of these small minded people will read my blog, as they are too busy with their own perfect lives however, I really want to just get it out!

One of the reasons it is believed  I got Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is due to layering. My psychiatrist explained that sometimes previous trauma gets all messed up with the current trauma, which is what happened to me. My flashbacks weren't just about the events surrounding Joseph's hospitalisation, there was other stuff all mixed in. It was a really terrible time and it took a long time to get help.

However, and I really want to say this, I haven't been sitting around moping for the past 2 years, and I don't go on about it. I was approached by a journalist who picked up the story arising out of the MAD blog awards. I naively thought it would help to get it out there.

Anyone who knows me will know I am 100% behind the NHS and immensely grateful I have a healthy toddler. I am not bitter or twisted, I had a medical condition.

Psychiatric disorders can happen to anyone. It has nothing to do with strength or character or anything else, its chemical. Some people have bones susceptible to fracture. Some people have underlying heart problems. We don't tell these people its all their fault,  and neither should we say that to people who have mental illness.

I didn't choose to feel like shit when Joseph came home. And in fact, I tried my hardest to be happy and positive. Anyone who would like to criticise, you try living with non stop nightmares, flashbacks (where you are right back in the situation) and intrusive thoughts.

And I just hope that there are no Daily Mail readers to tell you to just get over it and pull your socks up.

10 comments:

  1. Kylie, it does not surprise me. i would hate to stereotype the whole readership of any newspaper, but tjis paeticular one hasn't earned the nickname 'The Daily Fascist' by accident. this is the paper who has historically deemed aingle mothers a sangerous sponging scurge of society.
    Dont take anything the nastier wing of their readership has to say to heart.

    You know im a felliw sufferer (and probably am likewise susceptible due to my own life traumas). Indeed anyone who knows anything about PTSDd knows that its partially a REFUSAL to mope - even for a healthy few seconds- that exascerbates the underlying issues so it all ends up as one big old PTSD breakdown.

    Remember, if just one person feels a little comforred by reading your account and knowing theyre not the only one, then you HAVE helped. indeed it helped me to find you as soneone who had been through what was happening to me.

    You done good mate xxx

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  2. Agh sorry for all the typos - not used to this touch screen yet!!!!!!

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  3. Natalie Ridgway-Carter3 November 2011 at 14:56

    The sort of experience you went through no one has the right to comment on, and although it is easy to say, don't let the b@#*ards grind you down!xx

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  4. Dude, that's Daily Fail readers all over. I'm sure you helped more people in an hour than they have ever done. We <3 you :)

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  5. You got a snippet of a mention in today's Daily Mirror too!

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  6. Thank you, I think I was naive when I put it out there, I forgot about the English and their "keep calm, carry on" attitude, which is a great thing, but as you say the ramifications can be a total meltdown.

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  7. lol I've just got a new fancy phone with swype keypad and have simiar issues! What's funny is the longer the word the less likely you are to stuff it up!

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  8. Yes unfortunately the way its turned out, I didn't have a say which paper picked it, and the paper hasn't really reported the full facts (shock!) and makes it sound like I've been sitting on my backside eating chocolate and watching Jeremy Kyle and having a mope for 2 years. I haven't been upset, I just wanted to write a cautionary tale so that others are more aware if they choose to tell their story that there might be a backlash. I am big enough and ugly enough not to be too upset by a few idiots. I hope.

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  9. Thanks Jen, can't wait to see my "Dude that's the Daily Fail" t-shirt!

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