When it comes to side effects with injuries from war there is one question that isn't discussed often. Sex. More importantly, will the injury that was suffered cause a lack of sexual function.
While many find the issue of
sex when it comes to health terms embarrassing those questions need to be addressed. The lack of sexual function affects the rest of a soldier's life and could be leveled when quality of life compensation packages are looked at.
Sex is important. So important that many who face spinal cord injuries rank sexual function above the ability to be able to walk.
Being able to have healthy intimate relationships can help in recovery. The inability to have such relationships can be devastating. It has been factored into the cause of some soldiers suicides.
My feeling is the sooner it's discussed and the more it's discussed, the more chance of having less arguments, less confusion, less frustration," soldier B.J. Jackson who lost both of his legs in Iraq said in an interview. "The more you communicate among yourselves the better off you'll be, instead of well, 'I'm mad, so I'm just going to roll over."'
In a world where discussion of sex is avoided talking about the concerns often doesn't happen at the bedside of a hospital room. Fear can keep a patient quiet while a doctor may not feel it is an appropriate issue to discuss.
While Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is discussed sex could be an underlining factor in the condition. According to the Veterans Affairs Department's National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder those with problems with sexual function have higher incidents of having the condition.
If facilities like Walter Reed Army Medical Center's lead is followed though sex may become a common discussion among recovering injured military personnel and the health care providers they deal with.
Dr. Harold Wain said it's common for patients to question how their appearance is perceived, whether they can perform sexually, and whether they will be loved again.
"What you want to do is give back to the injured person the sense that they are whole and they have appropriate behavior patterns and they can be loved for who they are," Wain said.
