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I dont know how much more i can take.

I dont know how much more i can take.

I have c-ptsd, profound depression, chronic anxiety and agoraphobia. I am completely unable to function. I can barely ever leave my house. When I try i start shaking really badly, I get really bad chest pains, I can hardly breath, the world starts spinning really fast and I feel like I'm going to die. I have flashbacks triggered by the smell of disinfectant, car doors locking, children crying, loud noises, police or ambulance sirens and sometimes just thoughts. Instantly it's like being transported through time and space back to some extremely traumatising events in my past. It seems if I give actual details here they get edited out so just imagine the most traumatising things you can imagine and you might come close. I can see, hear, smell and feel every detail of those events over and over. There so real I feel like ive been transported through time and space in an instant. Its really hard to tell whats real. At any moment I can reexperience situations that completely brake me. I haven't slept longer than half an hour at a time for months. Everytime I fall asleep I literally wake myself up screaming, sweating, heart racing so fast it really hurts and the pain radiates from my chest into my upper back. Then I'm fighting really hard for every breath and no matter how hard i try it feels like I'm not getting enough oxygen. I get so dizzy that the world starts spinning and it takes like ten minutes to realise it was only a nightmare but way longer for the physical effects to calm down. I regularly wonder if I'm dying from a heart attack. I live in my bed day and night. The only time I'm not in bed is when I'm pacing back and forward in my kitchen totally consumed with racing thoughts and a feeling of impending doom. Sometimes i pace for 14 hours straight without realising. The pads on my feet get so swollen and bruised from pacing on the tiles that it makes it hard to walk for days afterwards. I live alone since my husband died and I dont have any friends. I dont know anybody, so im completely isolated in my home. I've been on medication for years, ive been hospitalised multiple times and ive seen doctors of all kinds. Nothing helps. I have no will to live, nothing to look forward to, nobody to share my life with, no future, no reason to get out of bed or get dressed. I have absolutely no interest in anything, I'm simply existing. It sounds disgusting but even just having a shower is more than I can cope with some days. I have all my food delivered and I dont leave my house very often. I dont feel safe even in my home. I lock every window and everydoor. Even after that I have three locks on my bed room door. Everytime a possums walks across my fence at night (about ten times per night) I can see a shadow moving on my bedroom wall and it puts me into fight or flight mode immediately. I simultaneously want nothing to do with the outside world and am very lonely at the same time. Everything is just too hard. Im constantly exhausted from having very little sleep. Im sooo tired but I just can't get a decent sleep. I dont know how long i can keep going like this.

5 replies

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In response to: I dont know how much more i can take.

Re: I dont know how much more i can take.

Thanks for sharing with us @icantbreath I can really hear how deep your struggles go, and how taxing the experience of hypervigilance and intense flashbacks are for you. It sounds like you've been through some truly horrendous tragedy, and it's no wonder that it's all done such a number on your nervous system.

I'm glad that you're reaching out for some support here on the forums. I hope that sharing and connecting here can provide some small amount of lightness for you amongst it all.

I hope that you are linked in with some professional therapeutic support. You may also be interested in SANE's RecoveryClub - Welcome to SANE’s Recovery Club

It's free to register, with both 1:1 support and groups available as well as a bunch of tools and resources to help support you in your recovery journey.

If you ever need to talk to someone about thoughts of suicide, you can try the following:

Lifeline: Phone - Call 13 11 14

Chat – Visit https://www.lifeline.org.au/crisis-chat/

Suicide Callback Service: Phone – Call 1300 659 467

Chat – Visit https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/

If in immediate danger, please call 000.

We have a blog post about coping with flashbacks that might be a helpful read - Coping with flashbacks - The SANE Blog

The Blue Knot Foundation have also got resources and support for you to potentially explore - https://blueknot.org.au/article-library/trauma-triggers-and-flashbacks/

They have a support line and counselling as well I believe.

I hope you find this to be a warm and welcoming community. You don't deserve to be alone on your journey <3

In response to: I dont know how much more i can take.

Re: I dont know how much more i can take.

Thankyou.

In response to: I dont know how much more i can take.

Re: I dont know how much more i can take.

@icantbreath

I notice in your other posts that despite your own extreme distress, you are still providing support to others. Perhaps there is still a part of you that wants to use your lived experience for good. That part may be the glimmer of hope you need to keep you going. Protect and nurture it.

In response to: I dont know how much more i can take.

Re: I dont know how much more i can take.

Hi@icantbreath,

Sorry to hear that you are under a lot of distress. I too have Cptsd and it's not a nice thing to have. Have you seen a psychologist that can support you during this difficult time? Have you tried 5-4-3-2-1 grounding for when you are having flashbacks.?

Boxed breathing to calm your nervous system. There is also the tipp method where you splash your face with cold water for about 30sec and then jog on the spot for a minute. This helps when you feel distress, strong emotion and panic attacks. You can also dip your face in a bowl of cold water while blowing bubbles for about 6-15 seconds. Another thing that is good for panic attacks is running cold water on your body in the shower for about 30sec. In another words having a cold shower,it puts your body in relaxation and will bring your heart rate down. Please be gentle with yourself. If you feel unsafe please call the mental health line in your area.

In response to: I dont know how much more i can take.

Re: I dont know how much more i can take.

@icantbreath,

Just wanted to mention have you been in contact with victim's services in your area?

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