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[patientprivacy]

Do you think a patient who experienced LL complications can develop PTSD? I think Unicorn posted about this but I can't find it. Have you heard of any case?

I will explain what Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is. PTSD is a condition that may develop when a person has experienced a traumatic or terrifying event. It is a lasting consequence of traumatic ordeals that cause intense fear, helplessness, or horror.  It's mostly associated with survivors of terrorist attacks, natural disasters, or sexual assault, but individuals who experience serious or life-threatening medical events can be susceptible to PTSD, too.

There are various kind of symptoms. Flashbacks (reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating) are common, together with bad dreams and frigthening thoughts. Re-experiencing symptoms can start from the person’s own thoughts and feelings. Words, objects, or situations that are reminders of the event can also trigger re-experiencing symptoms. You may also get negative thoughts about oneself or the world.

Most people who experience a traumatic event will have reactions that go away over time. People with PTSD have symptoms for longer than one month and cannot function as well as before the event occurred. Do you think this can happen to LL patients, especially to those who suffered complications? What would you advise to those patients?

[myloginacct]

Yes. Any highly traumatic event can make you develop PTSD.

What would you advise to those patients?

Since this one refers to PTSD that stems from physical complications, I'd advise to stay as far away as possible from being in any ambient that both reminds them of their condition and sways their mind to think they are a "lost case", "will never be back to normal", and such. Avoiding it entirely is not possible, but keeping it in mind is.

I'd recommend reading weekly about all the recent and upcoming developments in regenerative medicine, and science in general, which are progressing amazingly. We are in the process of growing functional organs in labs, introducing previously extinct animals' genes in the wild again, stem cell derived regenerative treatments, combating diseases with microscale bio-specific engineering, the rise of gene therapy, etc.

[Android]

Why limit to LL? Postoperative PTSD is a thing.

It's especially prevalent for those who wake up during surgery, though only 0.5% to 2% experience awareness during general anesthesia.

Not only is the surgery intense, it's only the start of the arduous journey. Many things can go wrong at this time, and even if complications are minimal, isolation can have an effect. There's also the dread of knowing that you have another surgery coming up after consolidation.

And as is the case for any surgery, those who have a positive outcome fare better emotionally. Even a scary car accident isn't so bad if everyone involved walks away from it relatively uninjured. Many veteran LLers stop thinking about height, but also the surgery itself. For someone like Unicorn, her LL nightmare is still ongoing, so it's much harder to drown out your thoughts.

Not many people have it, but I'd imagine that those with nosocomephobia—excessive fear of hospitals—are more likely to get PTSD as well since it'll confirm all their fears. I imagine that their memory of the experience will be more visceral as well.

The one advantage that CLL patients have is that it's elective. Unlike a very bad accident or heart attack, in which things happen to you without your knowledge or sometimes consent, you're consulted and briefed by a doctor. We can read diaries and watch videos to mentally prepare ourselves. Even if we underestimate the experience, it's better than wondering every turn what's going to happen next.

[RaaX]

PTSD is literally a fking meme.

Lmaoo lol, I mean think about it.

There are countless terrorists who cut heads off, see their comrades blown up but still show 0 signs of PTSD whereas soldiers who go and fight them develop PTSD simply because the locals threw pebbles & slippers at them.

[doomsday]

HAhahahha PTSD - millennial snowflakes are absolutely hilarious. So weak and pathetic. Normally natural selection would take care of them but unfortunately we lost that ability.

[Android]

My dad served in Vietnam; was shot at, had friends die, and saw heads on a spike. He's got PTSD, didn't have a medical term when it was diagnosed (formerly shell shock and battle fatigue); he's doing very well thanks to medication. He's fine most of the time, even enjoys war movies, though they sometimes give him nightmares for a few nights. He's tough as nails, but you really can't expect how your mind will react to trauma.

It's fine to announce to the internet that you're a tough dude, but I think it's simply facetious to write off a potentially debilitating condition. Maybe you guys are joking around, in which case I apologize for the seriousness. Just hoping that you handle serious conversations with a bit more tact in real life.

[myloginacc]

My dad served in Vietnam; was shot at, had friends die, and saw heads on a spike. He's got PTSD, didn't have a medical term when it was diagnosed (formerly shell shock and battle fatigue); he's doing very well thanks to medication. He's fine most of the time, even enjoys war movies, though they sometimes give him nightmares for a few nights. He's tough as nails, but you really can't expect how your mind will react to trauma.

It's fine to announce to the internet that you're a tough dude, but I think it's simply facetious to write off a potentially debilitating condition. Maybe you guys are joking around, in which case I apologize for the seriousness. Just hoping that you handle serious conversations with a bit more tact in real life.

"Medical realities with mountains of empirical evidence don't exist as long as I personally feel they don't." Feelings over reality.

Don't waste your time, my friend.

[Johnson1111]

I think LL can definitely cause PTSD especially for people that are deathly afraid of wounds, trauma hospitals etc. but they're so depressed and so deep into their height neurosis that they force themselves through it anyway.


It could mess them up for the rest of their life. From my understanding Microbe was going through some stuff mentally when he realized he had to get his nails removed. The trauma emotionally and physically from the surgery messed with his brain and the last thing he wanted was for those things to surface again. He had no choice and had to get the nails removed so he went through with it. Now the last thing he wants to do is have any other surgery. Wouldn't exactly call that PTSD but if he had to go into another scenario where he needed a serious operation i'm sure similar feelings would arise in his mind that are scarred in there.

[patientprivacy]

PTSD is literally a fking meme.

Lmaoo lol, I mean think about it.

There are countless terrorists who cut heads off, see their comrades blown up but still show 0 signs of PTSD whereas soldiers who go and fight them develop PTSD simply because the locals threw pebbles & slippers at them.

HAhahahha PTSD - millennial snowflakes are absolutely hilarious. So weak and pathetic. Normally natural selection would take care of them but unfortunately we lost that ability.

This is utterly disrespectful for people suffering from PTSD after failed LL procedures. I would like to see all these tough guys facing complications. I'm sure they wouldn't be so brave if they suffered the same luck than Unicorn888, for example. They would be crying like pussies when facing their first unscheduled surgery.

[patientprivacy]

Many people have PTSD. Unicorn posted long time ago about this, and some days ago she wrote

I don't have a choice regarding the anti-depressants because I cry for no reason, don't have desire for anything and don't feel like I have a future.  So the NHS therapists prescribed anti-depressants and also Diazepam when I have panic attacks. 

So, for example, when I found out I'll have my 4th surgery on June 7th, I had a mini panic / anxiety attack yesterday because it brought back all the post-op trauma from the last surgeries.  The fear of being wheeled into the operating theatre, the trepidation when they start asking you to count backwards... I was shivering and crying the last time.  I didn't have the courage to undergo surgery, but yet, there I was seconds away from unconsciousness.

And what's scary is this time around, I only look forward to one thing...  the few seconds when the cool liquid of the general anaesthesia mixture courses through my veins, and the relaxants give me complete tranquility before I drift off to sleep...  that peaceful bliss, I wish I could have that feeling everyday; to zone out when life gets too hard to face. 

People mocking patients with complications suffering from PTSD deserve the worst. Remember karma always strikes back.

[OverrideYourGenetics]

Not only is the surgery intense, it's only the start of the arduous journey. Many things can go wrong at this time, and even if complications are minimal, isolation can have an effect.

During recovery (3+ months for PRECICE), I had what I could call very mild PTSD: seeing triggers like the "LG" TV logo when booting up saying "Life's Good" and bursting into tears, "NO IT'S NOT GOOD, I'M A CRIPPLE!!!". I'd also dreamed, maybe a couple times a month, that I was walking, then realize "Oh ｓｈｉｔ  I shouldn't be walking!!!". In reality, there's no way you can get up and walk, only to realize you can't.

Isolation does have a negative effect on one's psyche, so it pays off to do STRYDE instead of PRECICE, so that you can get back to normal life sooner, even if that means hanging out in the town where you have the surgery, since you might have to do PT there every workday for the duration of the lengthening.

There's also the dread of knowing that you have another surgery coming up after consolidation.

If you mean the rods removal surgery, that can only take place 1+ years after the first surgery, and it's minimal compared to the implantation. As in, you can walk unaided the same day, at least with Paley.