The Presence of PTSD, TBI and Chronic Pain and the Long-term Health of Service Members in the US Military

One of my old professors once said, “I know a lot, about very little”, and I lost sight of the meaning behind that comment, when it came to being Jei’s caregiver.

I assumed I understood PTSD because I understood its symptoms. I assumed I understood what was possible in terms of treatment and outcomes with PTSD, chronic pain, and traumatic brain injury because I had some background in psychiatry and neurology, and I “paid attention to the field”.

And you know what they say about assuming…in my hubris, I lost sight of how science teaches one that regardless of our expertise we need to continually observe, challenge assumptions and examine what others may have missed, constantly test and analyze results, and infer when needed to try to identify a potential solution.

If I knew, what I know now about what the literature says about how chronic PTSD affects the brain structure and neurotransmitters, things might be different for Jei.

If I knew, what I know now, about how different treatment and resolution of symptoms looks like for those in mortuary affairs vs other specialties within the US military, I probably would have been more forceful about Jei retiring, instead of trying to push through for the “good of the mission”, and maybe he would still be here…

I will have to live with the “what ifs”.

But in case its helpful to anyone else, whether you are a servicemember/veteran, a healthcare provider, or a spouse, family or friend of someone who served, I am sharing the executive summary I wrote and shared with the US Army about these topics, including how many, like Jei, experience what the field calls the “polytrauma triad” of PTSD, chronic pain, and traumatic brain injury, and the long-term consequences of each on behavior and health.

It’s what I thought I knew, but didn’t.

It’s what I wish I had known when Jei was alive, because maybe then he would still be here.

https://www.powr.io/pdf-embed/u/77d09b73_1613498223#page

• One note, due to constraints about timing of delivery of this document, please note this is not an academic document in nature, outside of referencing facts and claims. The documentation uses summations from numerous researchers in the field.