SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Every Fourth of July season Sacramento resident Nancy DiComadrea prepares for the flurry of fireworks to come at any moment's notice.
She doesn't expect anyone to stop the long-standing tradition of lighting fireworks, the kids love it, but DiComadrea also said most people don't develop PTSD over sounds of explosions.
After going on two separate deployments to Afghanistan as an electrician starting in 2010, she said some of her worst memories are hearing blasts from underground bunkers.
"In the bunkers, people were totally helpless," DiComadrea told ABC10. "I have severe PTSD and the fireworks remind me of the M16s. And my dogs are also left petrified."
In addition to fireworks, helicopters and jets flying over her Rosemont-area home also triggers her PTSD.
"I know every type of plane that flies over our home just by listening to it," said DiComadrea. "It will never go away; I will always have PTSD."
Getting through the fireworks
Taking medication prescribed for her PTSD helps DiComadrea get through the booming weeks, she said.
Come nightfall, she has a ritual with her two dogs to keep them calm as well.
"I bring my animals into my bedroom. I have the aromatherapy, my fans are on and I play music and cuddle up with them," she said.
DiComadrea said she also gives her dogs low doses of Gabapentin and Trazodone anti-anxiety and sedative medication, the night of July 4.
Being on the medication for the night saves the dogs from having to suffer from stress all night, she said.
But despite the steps she has to take to stay calm during the Fourth of July season, DiComadrea wants kids in the area to continue enjoying the fireworks.
As long as they take her perspective into consideration and take a good look at her 'Military Veteran Lives Here, Please Be Courteous With Fireworks' sign, she wants people in the neighborhood to just have fun.
"I gave one of my signs to a Vietnam veteran who saw it and asked where I got it," said DiComadrea. "I was just elated because we veterans know how we feel. It's hard to talk to somebody who has never been in a war zone, but when you do, it's so much easier to explain things."
