OT - PTSD stuff

Yeah, I do need to see my therapist.  I haven't been seeing her for long, the therapist I had seen for several years retired and so I don't feel that close to her yet.  I hate changing therapists, too.  But yeah, I need to see her.

Are you hoping to stay in the same area you are now? Or will you be moving closer to family?

I haven't decided.  I applied for subsidized housing in the county where my sister lives, which is about 2.5 hours from where I am now.  But I haven't really decided that that's where I want to live, it was more that I thought I might end up wanting to live there so I decided to go ahead and apply because the waiting list is so long.

There is also some subsidized housing closer to where I live now, actually very close to the farm where I buy my milk, and I am considering applying there.  The waiting list there is much shorter.  It's a very small town and I would be within walking distance of some things, like a store, a post office, etc.  That might be nice.  I just don't really know what I want right now.

I'm sorry to hear this, Kelly! I'm glad you will be seeing your therapist soon and seem to be more accepting of the changes in  your relationship with your partner and are processing it and will be in a better position to move forward. Until you are able to manage your fears better, can  you leave a light in the hall where the bathroom is so you don't have anxiety about going down it? The nightlight would help but so would leaving a regular size light on.

Can't wait til  you get your service dog! Your buddy will help so much in situations like this.

I know that you already know this, but in case your rational self needs reminding (and for the education fo anyone else reading this), it is extremely common for an increase in overall stress (and that includes physiological as well as psychological stress) to result in an increase in PTSD symptoms.  There may be no apparent rhyme or reason regarding what Sx increase in intensity and which ones don't.

I periodically have issues with dusk being triggering.  Once it is fully dark I am fine, and while it is full daylight, I am fine, but the period in between is terrible.  Having Khan helped me quite a bit (so much so that since I had to have him put down the fear level has jumped higher than it was before I got him)  and I know that many of my clients with PTSD find that their dogs help them feel safer and decrease their Sx. Perhaps you could call and check on the paperwork that you have not received?

Hang in there.

Lora

 How is your pain level right now on your back?  Are you still feeling relief from the procedure?  I know with pain, that too can escalate the anxiety scale.  

My back is actually significantly better.  I'm still having muscle spasms sometimes but the sharp pain when I move is pretty much gone.

Moving into an apartment with a dog can be tricky. An incredible number of people try to rent with a dog they say is a service animal even though they have no proof and it is a breed banned by the landlord's insurance. just so they can get their pet in. A docotr's note won't cut it. Training a dog yourself to be a "service dog" may not fly with a landlord because the dog won't have papers from an approved agency. Wait for the agency to get you a dog. Then there is no question the dog is legitimate.

As for turning on lights in the dark, I'm pretty sure you can buy The Clapper or a knockoff on the web or nearby. HD and Lowes both have remotes that can do this. Assume Menards does too.

Legally they have to allow a service dog.  All that is needed in order for a service dog to be legitimate is that the owner must be disabled according to the definition put forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act (and I am) and that the dog be trained to perform tasks that mitigate the owners disability.  Owner trained service dogs are protected by the ADA, which is federal law.  Legally, the landlord is not permitted to require papers from an approved agency; to do so, they would be in violation of federal law.

I would not be training the dog all on my own, though.  I have identified a professional trainer with experience training service dogs that would be working with me.

I prefer to go with the dog from the program if possible but I am not sure if that is going to work out.  When I initially spoke with the director, it sounded very positive.  However, I then requested references and she was very reluctant to provide any, which I've been told is very unusual for a service dog program.  I finally did get one reference out of her, and the person I spoke with spoke very highly of the program.  I then asked her to go ahead and send me the application and she said she would put it in the mail right away but I have not yet received it.  I also asked her if I could visit the program and see some of the dogs that were nearing the end of their training and she said that would be fine but I have not yet scheduled a time to do that.  I hope to be able to do it in the next couple of weeks.  Until then, I won't know for sure if I am satisfied with the work they do.

Getting a service dog from a program doesn't guarantee you get a qualified service dog.  For instance, there is a program called Guardian Angel Service Dogs that claims to train diabetes alert dogs, and they place puppies as young as 12 weeks old with people.  A 12 week old puppy is not a trained service dog.  That program is currently being sued by at least one family since the dog they received (and paid $20,000 for) was not trained and did not perform the tasks they were told it would perform.  Anyway, my point is that service dogs are an unregulated industry and having papers from a program does not mean the dog is a legitimate service dog.

Eh, I may have mispoken above.  I'm not sure the ADA applies to apartments.  It may be the Fair Housing Ammendment Act.  Let me go check.