I started to have panic attacks and nightmares.

I really didn't know that I had PTSD

because I was coping with the PTSD through negative ways.

And when I stopped using the negative ways, or

the coping skills that I thought were helping me get through,

everything started to bubble to the surface.

And I started to have panic attacks and nightmares

and became really depressed and started to isolate myself

from my friends and my family.

And just, I think the hardest thing that I experienced was

I would have nightmares in my sleep.

And it would interrupt my sleep,

and then throughout the day I couldn't remember things,

I couldn't put thoughts together.

And I went to the VA hospital, and then they gave me

a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder.