ChristianMilitaryWives

Washington, D.C. (May 5, 2010) – Wounded Warrior Project applauds President Obama for signing into law a measure that, for the first time, will ensure that families of veterans severely wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan receive comprehensive, coordinated financial and other support that will enable them to provide these warriors with needed home-care.  Enactment of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 has been the highest legislative priority for the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), which worked with Congress for more than a year to win its passage.

“Today brings hope for the families around the country who have dedicated their lives to caring for their wounded warriors at home and keeping them out of nursing homes,” said Wounded Warrior Project Executive Director Steven Nardizzi. “We’ll now shift our focus to ensuring that the Department of Veterans Affairs faithfully and quickly implements this law.”

 Passage of caregiver-assistance legislation came in response to recognition of the physical, emotional, psychological and financial toll that care-giving takes on the families of our country’s most gravely wounded warriors.

 Family members make great personal sacrifices to provide daily care to their loved ones, often giving up careers and putting their own lives on hold to be long-term, full-time caregivers. Approximately 2,000 of these wounded veterans have injuries so severe that they require help with everyday needs such as bathing, toileting and eating, or require constant watchful protection.

 Under the new law, the Department of Veterans Affairs is responsible for providing family caregivers of the most severely injured veterans with help in meeting some of their own basic needs – including training and technical support, respite care, counseling, health coverage, and modest financial support.  The caregiver-assistance provisions of the new law become effective in nine months, giving the Department of Veterans Affairs time to work with stakeholders to develop an implementation plan.

“While we celebrate today, this is not the end of the road. The real celebration begins only when these families get the assistance they deserve,” said Nardizzi. “This is Day 1 and every day that passes without implementation is another day these families will suffer. The clock is ticking.”

 Wounded Warrior Project is grateful to Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Senator Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) for their strong stewardship of this legislation throughout the process.

 The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act was supported by a broad coalition of veterans and military service organizations and Wounded Warrior Project was proud to work with groups like The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), National Military Families Association (NMFA), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) on bringing awareness to the need for passage.

Available for Interviews:

Steven Nardizzi, Executive Director, Wounded Warrior Project

Family caregivers directly affected by the bill

About Wounded Warrior Project

The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower wounded warriors.  Its purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of severely injured service members, to help severely injured men and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, FL. To get involved and learn more, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

The folks at Care Meridian contacted me to let me know about Brain Injury Awareness Month and to offer some information.

We have many CMWs members who live daily through the consequences of TBI. We have talked about doing a show with some of the wives, and although it is not possibly to do that in the month of March, I think it is feasible to do in April or May. Keep your eyes open for the announcement.

Some soldiers are diagnosed when it's very obvious from wounds sustained in battle, but some soldiers go undiagnosed when it's a milder case, or they are misdiagnosed. I am hoping this month we can post a lot of good and useful information about TBI and what we can do as family members to love and support our soldiers.  

The following information is from CareMeridian. 

Traumatic Brain Injuries in the Military

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is becoming a common wound of modern warfare. It has even been coined the “signature wound” of the War on Terror. While TBI is becoming more prevalent in wartime activity, many service men and women continue to go undiagnosed. Institutions, like the US Department of Veterans Affairs, are working to make quick and accurate diagnoses in order to prescribe appropriate and effective treatment.

TBI is caused by forced trauma to the head, either by being shaken or hit. The severity of a TBI varies from case to case, but symptoms range from mild concussions to a debilitating state. The majority of TBI’s acquired by military personnel are classified as mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI). Initial symptoms of MTBI consist of loss of consciousness, disorientation, loss of memory, headache, and temporary loss of hearing and vision. They are often partnered with anxiety, irritability, difficulties processing information, limited concentration amongst other problems experienced down the road. While MTBI is most common amongst the men and women of the armed forces, more severe cases of TBI are happening much more frequently and often require the victim to attended specialty rehabilitative nursing centers, likeCareMeridian.

The most common cause of a TBI in the military is due to blasts. There are three degrees of blast injuries where a TBI is common; Primary (due to blast itself), Secondary (due to objects being propelled by a blast) and Tertiary (due to a collision with a third party object). According to the Veterans Health Initiative, active male members of the military from the ages 18-24 are hospitalized with a TBI at a rate of 231 per 100,000 and females 150 per 100,000. Based on military force projections this would mean that 4,141 military personnel are hospitalized on average each year with a TBI, and these numbers often rise during wartimes.

The best prevention for veterans to avert the long-term effects of a brain injury is to recognize the symptoms of a TBI. Once the symptoms are identified an individual should take basic precautionary measures in order to begin the healing and recovery process until a more specific diagnosis can be made.

Service men and women give so much to protect this country and they deserve to come home to a happy and healthy life. Creating awareness about TBI will help ensure their long term health. By helping our veterans, their friends and their families recognize the early warning signs of a TBI, treatment can be sought as early as possible.

Recently, I have had an influx of women sending emails to me asking if I have any information to help them cope with a husband who has PTSD.

Let me introduce myself.  My name is Patti... my husband has PTSD. 

PTSD is not something our men like to talk about.  It's not something we as wives want to think about either.  But, the truth is there are many military men coming back from deployment only to face a mental war inside themselves.

First and foremost, let me say... PTSD is not something you should be ashamed of.  If you think you have PTSD, or your husband has PTSD, it is very important that you go and find help.  The military offers free counseling for those who need it. 

I understand that some may not want to go on post for counseling.  There's another great resource out there... Give An Hour.  Give An Hour is a private organization that offers not only free counseling, but confidential counseling. 

Not only does PTSD effect our military men, but it effects families and can effect friendships.  If you suspect your husband has PTSD and he will not admit it, you should still consider seeking guidance for yourself.

The more you know about PTSD, the better you will be able to cope with someone who has PTSD.  Many military wives have secondary PTSD.

Pattis Top 10 on living with a combat injured, PTSD Vet:

1.  Seek Godly counsel

2. Educate yourself on PTSD; you can visit CNN Health, they offer an array of information on PTSD.  You can also GOOGLE PTSD and many results will pop up in the search engine.

3.  Learn what your husbands "triggers" are and how to defuse situations (example: anniversaries of difficult situations; death of commrads, extreme firefights etc).  If you know it's the anniversary of something difficult your husband experienced while your husband was away, you may know why he's having an exceptionally bad day, week or sometimes even month.

4.  Take care of yourself.  For the past couple of years, I have let myself go to take care of my husband and his injuries.  I am finally getting back on task when it comes to taking care of myself.  It's been a long road, and if you can avoid going down the road I went down - trust me, it will be best for you! Exercise, eat right, try to sleep good.  Its so easy to get wrapped up into worrying about your husband.  If you don't take care of yourself, you will eventually crumble.

5.  If your husband is also suffering from other mental conditions such as depression or self harm, allow them to feel the way they do - BUT - watch for warning signals that things may be getting worse so that you can help them by alerting a mental health team or doctor.

6.  Don't be hard on yourself! Do not blame yourself for your husbands PTSD, do not think you "should have" done this or that.  We all know that the horrific events of war are what caused your husbands PTSD, don't start questioning yourself.

7.  Keep a journal or have a mentor you can "vent" to.  As women, most of us are external processors.  This means, we need to release so many words to express our feelings and emotions.  You will feel better after releasing these thoughts/words.  You can either keep a journal or talk with a mentor.  Sometimes, as women - we just need to "get it all out."

8.  Marriage counselling with someone who understands PTSD would be very benifical.  I'm not saying this is going to "fix" your husbands PTSD, but it will hopefully allow you both an avenue to express yourselves on how you are both feeling, why you are feeling the way you do and what techniques may help you.

9.  Find a PTSD support group in your area.  If you cannot find a support group, maybe you will think about creating a support group yourself.  There's a very big need for PTSD support groups, and it's always good to know you are not traveling down that road alone.

10.  Don't be afraid to admit that you need help.  There are resources, organizations, support groups, books and so much more that are out there to help.  We should be very thankful these resources are in place for us in todays day and age. 

Resourses I have found helpful are:
Family Of A Vet




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God bless you all,
Patti Katter

Were you injured in war? Do you have PTSD? Are you married to an injured soldier or someone dealing with combat PTSD? Please join us at The Healthplex every other Friday evening in a truly supportive, confidential, Christian environment. We will supply refreshments and periodic guest speakers. Single soldiers and married couples welcome. Email patti@christianmilitarywives.com for more information.

AVBI is providing a medical alert dog tag and a tri-fold credit-card sized identity card in a small carrying case, to American Veterans who have suffered brain injuries. For veterans who may be r endered helpless due to seizure or other medical condition(s); the dog tag will alert medical personal to the identity card for further information. The identity card not only contains medical conditions and pertinent information; it lists common impairments and can be used to help a brain injured veteran better communicate their difficulties, particularly in times of stress. 

This information is from the website, FamilyOfAVet.  FOAV was started by the proud wife of an OIF Veteran who suffers from PTSD.

Secondary PTSD is not a disorder which is recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (as of the fourth edition). However, if you lived with someone who suffers from PTSD, you may notice yourself beginning to "mirror" some of their behaviors. This transformation is called Secondary Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

You'll find often throughout this site that I reference a "wise Vietnam Veteran's wife" - that wonderful lady, who is the founder of the Vietnam Veteran Wives organization, was the first to tell me about secondary PTSD. Until that point, I really just thought I might be having a nervous breakdown. The signs, symptoms, and effects of Secondary PTSD are just as varied as the ones exhibited by Veterans with "primary" PTSD. It really is hard to explain, unless you've lived it. However, I'm going to try!

Basically, when you're living with a veteran who has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, you become his (or her) caretaker. You slip into a role, without even noticing it, that has you constantly watching for people or circumstances that might "set him off." You're trying to make sure everything stays in line - that nothing aggravates or upsets your vet - that everything is "perfect." Despite your best efforts, you're still getting screamed at and berated by the person you're trying to help on a much too frequent basis. Your vet is not emotionally "there" for you. When you're upset or happy, angry or sad, you have to deal with your emotions on your own. You begin to feel ignored and unloved and start "protecting" yourself by treating others - especially your vet - the same way. You're also probably handling all household chores, childcare, financial management, etc. You get no help (or very little) from your spouse. You're the cook, chauffeur, secretary, accountant, yard guy, child care provider, laundry service, etc., etc., etc. Everything in your family feels like it's up to you. It is a 24x7 job at which you constantly fail. It's not humanly possible to do everything - or to prevent PTSD from creeping in. This cycle takes its toll on many spouses. You lose yourself. It's impossible to tiptoe around your vet, day in and day out, while taking care of all of life's other duties (duties normally shared between two people), without feeling the strain. And that strain soon transforms into... ta da... Secondary PTSD. Secondary PTSD may make you feel overly angry, depressed, exhausted (but, alas, unable to sleep), overwhelmed, and just plain unhappy with the world around you. I can honestly say there have been times when I found the idea of folding a load of laundry absolutely impossible. I felt like I could not do anything right. I cried a lot and was really, REALLY pissed at the world. What to do if you think you have Secondary PTSD... Unfortunately, one of the reasons we started this website is there aren't a lot of resources available for family and friends of veterans who are suffering from PTSD. There are a number of counseling options available (for free) to veterans, but spouses and children are pretty much left out in the cold.

If you can afford to seek counseling on your own, it may be a good idea. However, you should look carefully for a counselor who has experience dealing with veterans and their family members. Normal, "civilian" counselors may try their best to understand, but it's like trying to explain the military way of life to someone who has never lived it... it's almost impossible. If you can't afford private counseling or can't find someone with the right background, there are still several things you can do on your own. Try the following recommendations to see which work best for you...

Carve out time for yourself - I know from experience that this is easier said than done. But, simply giving yourself a few minutes a day to read, take a walk, enjoy a bubble bath, or do anything else that you enjoy, will make a difference. Find someone to talk to - Ideally, you should talk to a fellow vet spouse. Again, it goes back to the difficulties involved in trying to explain what you're dealing with to anyone who hasn't "walked the walk." Most importantly, though, you should talk to a friend who is a good listener and isn't judgmental. You're going to need to be able to express how you're feeling without worrying about whether or not they're going to think you are a "bad" person. (Living with a spouse who has post traumatic stress disorder doesn't always bring out the "pretty" side of a person.)

There are several websites, etc., for vet spouses. My favorite is the Vietnam Veteran Wives (VVW) site and organization. I've joined the group and started working with them on their online forum.  It's a great way to find other spouses of veterans with PTSD.

Give yourself permission to be less than perfect for a while - A family who is adjusting to a post-combat, PTSD world, is experiencing a crisis. It's not pretty. It's not nice. And it may zap your physical and mental strength like nothing you've ever experienced. That may mean your house is messy, you're not great at returning calls, remembering birthdays, etc., etc., etc. I'm not saying you should turn into an inconsiderate slob forever. But, I am saying you've got to be willing to admit you may not be at "the top of your game" for a while. That's okay!

Get involved - Find something that lets you help other people. Sometimes the simple act of putting yourself and your own troubles aside to help someone else can help you shift your focus. Learn to count to 10 (or 20... or 30) - Many spouses with secondary PTSD find themselves getting angry at small, insignificant things. You may find that you have little or no patience with your spouse or children. First, hopefully it will make you feel a little better to know that this is "normal." Second, learn how you "feel" when you begin to lose control (your ears may ring, you may begin to fidget, or tap your foot, etc.). Knowing these signs can let you catch your anger before it's out of control. As soon as you start to feel them, stop, take a few deep breaths, and count slowly to yourself until you start to settle down. Counseling available at VA Vet Centers for spouses... The Veterans Administration is currently operating 207 "Vet Centers" throughout the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These centers are designed to provide counseling and support for combat veterans. The description of the centers on the VA website, which says, "Services are also available for their family members for military related issues.

Veterans have earned these benefits through their service and all are provided at no cost to the veteran or family," is a little misleading, though. Spouses are only eligible for family therapy AND only when the combat veteran is classified as a "clinical patient" with the Vet Center. The Vet Centers qualify someone as a clinical patient only when they are (1) enrolled in the center, (2) actively receiving counseling, and (3) have been to at least 3 appointments. So, if you're interested in PTSD family therapy (marriage counseling), and you can get your hubby (or wife) to enroll for counseling, the centers are a great FREE resource. However, if you feel that you need individual counseling or your vet has refused to seek counseling, you're up a creek.

Don't get me wrong, the Vet Center that my husband is using is excellent, has a warm, friendly staff, and has been a great resource for him. I just REALLY disagree with the idea that family members cannot receive individual counseling and only qualify for services when a vet agrees to seek help. One of the hallmarks of vets with PTSD is they don't recognize they have a problem. This leaves the family out in the cold until the vet is ready to recognize his or her issues.

Today, Military Times published an article about PTSD.  You can read Living With PTSD by clicking HERE.  As more and more time goes by since the war on terror started, we are learning more about PTSD.

Military Ministry has an outreach for military families dealing with PTSD.

The following is from PTSDHealing.org - a resource provided by Military Ministry.

• PTSD Resources

When a soldier is wounded, the family
and community also are wounded.

Michael Wagner, Ph.D.
Walter Reed Army Medical Center

What is PTSD?

In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association officially named and defined the results of traumatic experience as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. …PTSD is not a mental illness. PTSD…is a reaction to the extreme stress people encounter during threats of danger…. The level of stress may hinder (them) in adjusting to civilian…life after the experiences.

Down Range: To Iraq and Back
Bridget C. Cantrell, Ph.D. and Chuck Dean

The Spiritual Challenge of PTSD

Our military members fight two wars – one on the battlefield…and one in their souls after they return home. For thousands of veterans and their families, despair has become an unwelcome, but constant companion.

Nearly 1 in 5 returnees from Iraq and Afghanistan will suffer from PTSD, and less than 40% of these will seek help. Their suicide rate is almost twice the national average, and 2 out of 3 of their marriages are failing.

How You Can Help

• You can be a bridge of healing. You don’t have to be a veteran, or a psychologist, or a pastor. Can you pray? Can you provide a meal? Can you reach out and be a friend? Can you listen to someone tell his or her painful story?
• There are many practical ways you and your church can become bridges of healing, bringing these wounded warriors closer to God, so that He can help them.

Learn more about this ministry:

• Email info@ptsdhealing.org
• Request a copy of the “Bridges to Healing” video

If your husband has been injured in war, or has PTSD - You may join the CMW Group, ISSG.  ISSG stands for Injured Soldier Support Group.