Feeling so sad after car accident

[mrsstats]

I had a car accident last Thursday. Another car came head on into my lane and I thank God I was able to swerve or it would have been much worse. I am sore but nothing broken. I am waiting for the results of my MRI for my neck. What is really bothering me is how sad I am feeling. I sit and think about the accident and just start crying. I went to the dr and he gave me Zanax to help. Plus I have muscle relaxers & pain killers. I just don't understand why I feel so down.

The car will be fixed (it wasn't even 6 months old) My body will heal. But still I am sad.

Thanks for listening.

 

[LuLuO]

Maybe you are in a bit of shock. Post traumatic stress? You said it could have been much worse and maybe you are having a hard time dealing with the what-ifs. (((((hugs)))))

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

I am no expert at this so take my words with a grain of salt.

I would think that it is normal to feel sad or depressed in spells after something tramatic like that. Give yourself a little time to get over it.

 

[emer95]

I am so sorry you are going through this. I'm very glad that you weren't hurt worse than you are.
I'm sure this was one of the most terrifying things you've ever been though, and your mind is probably replaying it again and again. Maybe you could talk to someone, like a close friend or relative, and lean on them for support. This is a tough thing to get through alone.

I hope things get better for you. God bless you.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree with the suggestion of post traumatic stress being the culprit. People think it has to be from something big like being in a war, but it can be from anything that threatens your life.

The first part of healing is recognizing it. Then, just give it some time. Be kind and patient with yourself. And if you're not feeling better, it might help to talk it out with a professional.

That must have been very scary. We see these types of tragedies on the news all the time so it's devastating when it happens to us or someone we love.

 

[brittsmum1998]

I had a car accident last Thursday. Another car came head on into my lane and I thank God I was able to swerve or it would have been much worse. I am sore but nothing broken. I am waiting for the results of my MRI for my neck. What is really bothering me is how sad I am feeling. I sit and think about the accident and just start crying. I went to the dr and he gave me Zanax to help. Plus I have muscle relaxers & pain killers. I just don't understand why I feel so down.

The car will be fixed (it wasn't even 6 months old) My body will heal. But still I am sad.

Thanks for listening.

I'm so sorry about your accident. I would think its normal to feel so bad after an accident. Maybe the combo of meds are adding to your sadness. I know people can have adverse reactions to med that are supposed to make them feel better. Maybe you need to spread out the time or maybe drop on? I'm not a doctor, I just know that morphine turns me into the wicket witch with my loved ones so I stay away from that.

 

[princessmom29]

I have been in your shoes. It turned out that the pain pills were making me feel that way, I was MUCH better once I stopped them, and will never take percoset again!

 

[eowensby]

I think it is normal to feel that way after something huge happens. In the moment, your adrenaline kicks in and you don't usually process it immediately. You go through waves of sadness, thankfulness, etc... It might help to talk to someone.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I would consult with a counselor to help you process your thoughts from the accident. Don't want to diagnose you over the internet--but it sounds like you do need to talk to someone.

And perhaps as another poster suggested it is the pain pills. Reviewing what the literature that came with it says to see if maybe it is a side effect of what you are taking and talking to the doc about it.

And PTSD is a possibility. It isn't just for war vets as another poster suggested. Anyone that has been a victim of something can get it.

 

[Disneyland1084]

I had a car accident last Thursday. Another car came head on into my lane and I thank God I was able to swerve or it would have been much worse. I am sore but nothing broken. I am waiting for the results of my MRI for my neck. What is really bothering me is how sad I am feeling. I sit and think about the accident and just start crying. I went to the dr and he gave me Zanax to help. Plus I have muscle relaxers & pain killers. I just don't understand why I feel so down.

The car will be fixed (it wasn't even 6 months old) My body will heal. But still I am sad.

Thanks for listening.

I know how you feel. I was in a minor wreck last May. Although mine wasn't as serious as yours, I stressed a lot about it with all the what ifs? But I healed as time went by.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm a former chiropractor who went into it b/c I loved what it did for me...I've had some car accidents (mostly while IN chiro school), and having your spine knocked around can ABSOLUTELY mess with your emotions. If it were me, I'd get myself to a gentle chiropractor and have some work done. It can help in SO many ways.

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

Hugs to you.

I agree with everyone else in thinking this is somehow accident related. Whether it be PTSD or from the pills definitly mention it to your doctor.

It might not hurt for you to talk to a therapist or someone because you might also develop anxiety about driving. Best wishes to you in your healing.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I totally understand. We hit a deer not too long ago (it jumped into the middle of our hood!) and our poor van was pretty badly damaged. Our family is fine physically, but I'm still feeling sad about it. It's amazing how it can mess with you emotions because it makes you think about what could have happened to yourself and/or your family and how things could be a LOT worse, if say the unthinkable happened. I even feel badly for our poor van, it was nothing but good to us, and it's now sitting there waititng to be fixed. I think another part of it is that I personified it, and felt like our van had a spirit and wasn't just a hunk of metal. (I know I could have worded that better-- but I'm tired as heck.) I also can't help but think of the "what-if's" of if we didn't leave the house at the time we did, what if we did something else, what if we took another road... ugh. I think the other part of it is fear of getting out there and driving again.

You'll feel better, and eventually this will be just a memory. *hugs*

 

[Iott Family]

I have been in your shoes. It turned out that the pain pills were making me feel that way, I was MUCH better once I stopped them, and will never take percoset again!

I was thinking this, too. Pain killers and muscle relaxers can and do leave you feeling down and moody. Add that to teh trauma of an accident and here you go. I think in a week or so you will feel better as much because you should be healing and distance of time.

 

[smi727]

Have you been evaluated for a concussion? (I'm an athletic trainer and see concussions frequently.) You can sustain one even if you didn't hit your head. Symptoms can include mild headache or pressure in your head, blurred/doubled vision, ringing in your ears, confusion, feeling like you are in a daze/fog/slow motion, more emotional than usual, irritable, sensitivity to light/noise, and a long list of other things. Ask your current doctor (most PCPs have no idea how to evaluate for/treat a concussion) for a referral to a sports medicine physician and get yourself evaluated!

 

[cm8]

I had a car accident last Thursday. Another car came head on into my lane and I thank God I was able to swerve or it would have been much worse. I am sore but nothing broken. I am waiting for the results of my MRI for my neck. What is really bothering me is how sad I am feeling. I sit and think about the accident and just start crying. I went to the dr and he gave me Zanax to help. Plus I have muscle relaxers & pain killers. I just don't understand why I feel so down.

The car will be fixed (it wasn't even 6 months old) My body will heal. But still I am sad.

Thanks for listening.

, It will get better. I know

 

[mrsstats]

Thank you for all the kind words. I am feeling better mentally. Not as weepy but talking about it will bring tears. I made myself go back to work to keep my mind occupied and not deal with the what if's and relive the accident in my mind. I am over cautious driving, don't like the cars that come towards me on the close roads.

I just thank God that it was not worse.

 

[autumnpalm]

I completely understand.

I was in a car accident when I was 16 and it bothered me for a long time. I kept reliving the moment of impact over and over and the what-ifs drove me nearly crazy. Thankfully there were no severe injuries but the car got pretty banged up and I honestly thought in that moment that it might be the end. It was hard to shake that feeling for a long time.

Be patient and gentle with yourself, PTSD is definitely a possibility and it might take some time to feel completely normal again. I hope you have some real-life support!

And I am so glad you are okay!

 

[minkydog]

I had a car accident last Thursday. Another car came head on into my lane and I thank God I was able to swerve or it would have been much worse. I am sore but nothing broken. I am waiting for the results of my MRI for my neck. What is really bothering me is how sad I am feeling. I sit and think about the accident and just start crying. I went to the dr and he gave me Zanax to help. Plus I have muscle relaxers & pain killers. I just don't understand why I feel so down.

The car will be fixed (it wasn't even 6 months old) My body will heal. But still I am sad.

Thanks for listening.

I think this it pretty normal. There is a grieving process after traumatic events. You have had a shocking experience and you're hurt physically and spiritually. It's pretty normal to replay it in your mind.

I went through the same thing last spring after we rolled our SUV while towing our travel trailer. It was a truly terrible wreck and I had a great deal of difficulty afterward with sudden flashbacks, and I wasn't even driving! I couldn't drive at all for the first week and once I did start driving I was VERY cautious. I even ran off the road a couple times in a state of panic. It didn't help that I was beat up in the wreck and dealing with significant whiplash.

My doctor told me it was PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. I became quite depressed during the summer, in fact. I second-guessed myself on just about everything and I felt almost paralyzed for awhile there. It wasn't that I was upset about losing my car. It was more like I lost my sense of innocence--if this very bad thing could happen to me, maybe sometthing else bad could happen. Like my eyes were opened to all the negative things out there that I had never seen before. Not that I've never experienced bad things. But somehow this triggered a terrible anxiety.

The good news is, with therapy and some meds I got better. I still am rather cautious, especially when I find myself in situations which have some potential for having a wreck. Passing under bridges, being passed by 18-wheelers, crossing intersections--that kind of thing sets me off, but I can function. And driving on I-285, around Atlanta, which never used to bother me. I still can't tow a trailer. But I don't have to pull of the road anymore. I sometimes worry about rolling over again. So I bought another big SUV with high crash ratings and side & overhead airbags. It makes me feel like I have some control.

Be patient with yourself while you're going through this. It won't last forever.