Behind the smiles of first responders lie the silent struggle of their spouses and partners.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a story rarely told, but the partners of first responders dealing with mental health conditions often take on their trauma too.<\/p>\n
Meg Hawkins and Eric Provow have been married for 11 years and together share three decades of service as first responders.<\/p>\n
The couple first spoke with News4 after appearing in a video for local police and fire departments. First responders publicly shared their struggles with mental health in hope of shattering stigma and shame that keep many from speaking up and getting help.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my job, I deal with folks who have mental illness all the time as a police officer, and I have dealt with veterans,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cI know the signs and symptoms, and Eric was the poster child.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the 2018 interview, Provow, a retired combat veteran and firefighter, opened up about his then-recent suicide attempt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just wrestling with the demons inside,\u201d Provow recalled. \u201cI just got irrational, and I felt that if I take my own life, then I no longer suffer and she no longer has to suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suicide claims more police and firefighter lives than any of the dangers they face on the job.<\/p>\n
First responders are five times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, with a staggering 85% of first responders reporting symptoms related to mental health conditions.<\/p>\n
Despite these statistics, the toll it takes on the mental health of spouses and partners who serve as caregivers is rarely heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was diagnosed with moderate PTSD from the night that Eric went missing,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cAnd basically, that was my critical incident. That was my trauma, because I believed he was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Provow eventually received help and Hawkins was there to support him the entire way. Years later, she needed help of her own.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was going 110 miles an hour, always focusing on Eric. His health, his mental health, his physical health \u2014 I was his person. I was his service human,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cAnd once he got healthy, my body and my mind just crashed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t realize just how much work it was on her,” Povow said.<\/p>\n
Rather than continuing to suffer in silence, Hawkins found Dr. Marina Protopapas at National Spine and Pain Centers in Fairfax.<\/p>\n
Post-traumatic stress disorder is \u201ctraditionally thought to be a psychologically mediated process. In fact, there have been studies that have shown that it’s actually a neurologically mediated process,” Protopapas said.<\/p>\n
The doctor suggested a new procedure to Hawkins called a stellate ganglion block, often referred to as an SGB shot. The shot has been used for decades to treat chronic pain but only recently for PTSD in veterans and first responders.<\/p>\n
\u201cVeterans, police officers and soldiers that have been exposed to trauma [\u2026] It could just be one event that happens. Think of it as a hyper-active, consistent message that hits the brain\u201d Protopapas said. \u201cAnd by blocking these nerves, you actually help reduce that fight or flight, and you reduce that hyperactivity of the brain, and it helps control patients that have PTSD.\u201d<\/p>\n
The procedure consists of using X-ray imaging and contrasting dye to guide the needle and inject medication into a bundle of sympathetic nerves in the front of the neck. These nerves regulate the brain\u2019s fight-or-flight reactions. By stopping the influx of nerves, symptoms of PTSD are calmed.<\/p>\n
Protopapas described the treatments as being \u201calmost like a switch.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIt kind of turns off or resets the sympathetic driving system that is creating the sense of anxiety,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Hawkins has had two treatments, about a month apart, and said the difference is dramatic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m like hypervigilant. Obviously, I was trained to be hypervigilant, so it’s like a double whammy for me, but the shot, once it’s done, turns that down,\u201d she said. \u201cIt’s like night and day. And it’s easy, it’s quick, it\u2019s not super painful at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
While there\u2019s not a lot of long-term data on the shot\u2019s effectiveness, it has shown promise in a clinical trial funded by the U.S army and published in “JAMA Psychiatry.”<\/p>\n
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs continues to evaluate the shot\u2019s effectiveness as a PTSD treatment. Yet, among the five VA facilities in Virginia, Maryland and D.C., only two offer the treatment.<\/p>\n
For this reason, Hawkins is sharing her story in hope of helping first responders and their partners deal with the invisible wounds of trauma.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s really not a lot of support for other spouses [\u2026] But I’m working on that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Together, Hawkins and Provow started a nonprofit called Making Everything Good, aimed at helping veterans, first responders and their families.<\/p>\n
\u201cI call the spouses and the significant others of first responders and veterans that have PTSD and other mental illnesses the silent warriors,\u201d Hawkins said.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re setting up a local support group and a wellness app in hope of finding funding to cover the cost of the SGB shot for first responders in need .<\/p>\n
Despite its promise, the SGB shot is still considered experimental and typically is not covered by insurance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey call it post-traumatic growth and sharing your story is part of it,\u201d Hawkins told News4. \u201cAnd the other part is service to others.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tIf you or someone you know is in crisis, call\u00a0or text\u00a0988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline\u00a0or chat live at\u00a0988lifeline.org<\/a>. You can also visit\u00a0SpeakingOfSuicide.com\/resources<\/a>\u00a0for additional\u00a0support.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Behind the smiles of first responders lie the silent struggle of their spouses and partners. It\u2019s a story…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1816,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[2510,2511,210,517,67,132,68,2512],"class_list":{"0":"post-1815","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-4-your-health","9":"tag-changing-minds","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-mental-health","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us","15":"tag-veterans"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114720343626553091","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}