I recently had to perform CPR on my husband, Gunner, with the help of my friend, Tricia. Tricia took a class years ago; I had no formal training. We, along with EMS, saved his life and Gunner is home recovering. With Gunner home and doing great, you would think the worst was behind us – but you would be wrong. Tricia, her teenage son Joey (who stopped the ambulance from sliding down the icy street), and I are now suffering from PTSD.
PTSD – we hear about it with soldiers coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan, but you might not realize that you can suffer from it. The definition of PTSD is a “mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event – either experiencing it or witnessing it.”
After saving Gunner’s life, we each suffer from PTSD in our way.
Tricia was worried she had done something wrong with the CPR. Even though I assured her the entire time Gunner was in the hospital that he was going to be OK, she had to see him herself. It was a tearful reunion when she saw him upright and talking. I hope it alleviates some of her fears. She truly performed a heroic act.
Joey does not think he did anything special but knows the day will stay with him. He recalls it at the oddest times of the day and relives the moment.
I constantly watch Gunner breathe. I wake up in the middle of the night to see if he is still breathing. I listen for him puttering around the house, waiting to hear the crash of him falling down again. I worry every time I leave the house that I will find him upon my return. He is driving again, and I worry that his Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) will go off. I have myriad thoughts running through my head and not all of them easy to cope with.
Everything I have read about PTSD says my symptoms are normal – they do not feel normal to me and I know with time they will lessen. If you have experienced or witnessed a terrifying event, talk to someone. Seek treatment if you need the help, but do not go it alone.
Besides being a PSA for CPR and training, I’m adding PTSD to my list. PTSD is real and you are not alone. Gunner is doing fine. Tricia, Joey, and I will be too.
I’m having the hardest time. I husband went into sudden arrest after a fall and I did cpr until EMS arrived and he got one shock. He is alive but still in the hospital. This was 37 hours ago. I’m shaky. I’m tearful. I wake up with the vision of him being blue and then suddenly gasping for breath after I started CPR. It was a terrible horrifying experience. And I’ve been a nurse for 30 years (recently retired). I’m still with him at the hospital but I wish I had someone to talk to.
Hi Debbie,
So sorry to hear about what’s going on. It was a terrifying experience for my family too and I still suffer from PTSD. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Angela