Has any doc online had a situation that was out of their control and led to feelings of helplessness and post traumatic stress? IE: hypersensitivity to noise, panic attacks, anxiety over similar situations. I had an OR patient have a hemorrhage, the on call doctor wouldn't come and the blood transfusion I ordered was delayed. I must have called for help and held pressure for about four hours. Has anyone else had a similar experience? ie: calling for help and no help forthcoming? Symptoms of anxiety or PTSD related to practice?

That is a horrible situation, and I'm glad everything turned out okay in the end. I have also had experiences as an anesthesiologist of calling for help but help not arriving in a timely manner. I had always taken it for granted that help would be available when I needed it, but that is not always the case. I didn't get PTSD, but I do think about those cases from time to time. I also am more cognizant of being "on my own" in the OR and probably a little more anal about making sure back-up plans are in place now.

For medicolegal reasons, you might want to edit your post to remove the details of your case. Just leave the general comments about surgeons and blood products not coming when you needed them and of course your questions about the effect this experience has had on you.

I hope someone will have some good information about how to deal with the PTSD and the anxiety. I hope you feel better soon!

Thank you sahmd for your response. The day I saved her life, mine derailed. Doctors, especially surgeons, are not supposed to have these feelings... so it has been hard having anyone to talk to. (yes, I have seen a counselor. It hasn't helped that much. Who else but a doctor (or a fire-fighter, soldier, nurse...) can understand feeling responsible for someone's life?)
I have been through residency (before restricted hours), had one kid in med school and another in residency, gone back to residency 4 weeks after my C/S, interviewed for jobs 3 weeks post-partum, remained married in med school and residency, ignored (many) male supervisors sexist comments, and just done the (hard-won) best job I could.
None of that has prepared me for how I feel now. Intellectually I know I was not, in fact, helpless in that situation. In reality, I did a hysterectomy and saved her life. I have also dealt with many a post-partum hemorrhage without batting an eye. It was that one case, in the face of DIC, when the nightmare just would not end. I still can't sleep right or work. I was hoping someone could tell me if this can get better in time, or if I will likely continue to feel depressed and derailed from my calling.

You sound very strong and brave and I bet you were surprised by your own reaction to this event. I am still hoping that somebody here will chime in with some resources for you. I guess it would be ideal to find someone who specializes in physicians with PTSD related to events in practice, but I don't know if that exists, even though there probably is a need for it. Maybe you could piece together support from physicians plus expertise in PTSD, even if they come from different places.

You may find other physicians with similar experiences on other physician sites such as Sermo, but on that site some may be less supportive than others. Certainly a therapist who is actually a psychiatrist would understand what it is like to be a doctor.

As for expertise in PTSD, it is a fairly common diagnosis, so there must be a lot of resources out there: online support groups, books, and therapists who specialize in it.

Anyway, I feel badly that you are unable to work, and I hope you are able to work through this and feel better soon.

I second that you should see a pyschiatrist as apposed to a counselor. He/she would be a physician and would know what you were going through.

While I have not suffered from PTSD, but as an anesthsiologist, there have been critical times where I have felt that support I expected wasn't coming or coming fast enough.
One of my friends was stabbed when he was in 2nd year of med school. He had PTSD and needed to take some time off from school. He returned 2 years later and did better than ever in school and landed a tough residency program in radiology. It took him 2 years because he was unwilling to admit he had PTSD, but as soon as he got help, he started to get better.

Like PTSD from other causes, with the right treatment, I am confident you will get better. Good luck to you.

Thank you for you responses...I am doing the best I can and hope to return to work in 2012. I am facing a gap in my resume, and hope that I can find work. I have been out just over a year. I have kept up my CME and my medical license, but my hospital privileges ended with my job (after 6months out) because my malpractice insurance ended. I didn't need a tail as the place I worked was self insured/covered this.
If my therapy is successful, the next question is how do I get back in? Do I need a re-entry program if my license is still good? What about hospital privleges? Ob is a surgical field and they often want to see how many cases you have done in the last year. I practiced for 10 years and am sure I have not forgotten how in this short time...but am not sure of the barriers to returning. Anyone out there with a relatively short break that returned? (1-2 yrs) What barriers were there?

Sorry - just saw this post. ABSOLUTELY see a psychiatrist. PTSD is one of the most treatable diagnoses in our field. If you've gotten to the point where you've been out of work for an extended period, you probably want both therapy and medications, at least at first.

I'd ask around for psychiatrists who have a solid focus on PTSD in particular. Ask at your local academic medical center... and if you don't come up with anyone that sounds like the right fit, find someone who works at the local VA and ask them to ask around there. Even if you can't see a VA doc (the guarenteed PTSD center...), they should be able to direct you to community psychiatrists who know what they're doing in this area. And, always with therapists, if you see someone a couple times and it's clearly the wrong person for you, try someone else. That's normal and appropriate.

Feel free to PM me, if you'd like.

obgyninwi, I just sent you a PM.

I can highly recommend someone who might be in your area (or far enough away that you are comfortable seeing someone who you'll never cross paths with at work.) PM me.