Physical Ailments with CPTSD - Part 1

[sanmagic7]

hey, butterfly,

yes, the massage does help.  i kind of go back and forth between deep pressure point work for release and relaxing massage.  10 yrs. ago i couldn't stand 10 minutes of being massaged, even on my legs for a pedicure.  now i can stand a full body massage and actually enjoy it! 

that is so cool that your m. therapist knew all that about you.  mine isn't quite that tuned in, but by hook and crook, we're making progress on the release of emotions.  i actually had to explain it to her, but she gets it now.  little by little, step by step  . . .

[Blossoming]

Im so super glad i found this thread.
And also sad.

Lately, i have been having physical problems.
I have always had a sore muscles in my back, knots etc. sore shoulders, but lately i have had stomach issues (constiation, dire), usually caused by anxiety and stress.
I have a few times, had a pain in my side - my left hand side near my left rib and in the middle of my waste at the side.
Not sure if this is the gall bladder.

After a week trying to suppress my constant rage and therapy session today, the pain is here again, as well as having to ...offload via the back passage more often, and the way this is happening is not normal.
Im not sure if it happens more when ive had bread twice that day ie. for breakfast, then lunch...i need to take note of the pattern.

Not sure if i quality for IBs. This happens more after stress.
I also have strange itchy red spots on my legs, and I'm not sure if this is due to holding anger in and suppressing it.
I also have had dry patches on the tops of my arms and get spots there and on my shoulders often. I also had what looks like a rash on the tops of my arms.

I get headaches when disassociated, usually the second day after being stressed. I know this is normal and that its the blood flow going back into my head after my head muscles being so tense.

Does any of this sound familiar?
All of these symptoms apart from the back ache i have never had until recently, since i was re traumatised back in march this year.
Do you guys think this sounds most likely trauma related?

My mum had to have her gall bladder out as it was causing her pain, and she had traumatic childhood too.
It makes me so sad that her pain could have been a bodily symptom of trauma, as she was angry at home nearly all of the time, and I am angry a lot of the time, now i understand how she must of felt, only she never tried dealing with hers.

Opinons would be welcome

Have you ever been tested for celiac disease? I have it and had similar symptoms although I know those symptoms can sometimes be psychosomatic too. When you wrote that it was worse after eating bread I figured I'd mention celiac as a possibility and some people (myself included) get rashes with it too. I didn't get diagnosed until my 40's but I think I've had it since my teens.

[Sienna]

Hey Blossoming, thank you so much...
Sorry to hear you have been struggling.

Im not sure its to do with eating bread...
when i came to the refuge i had spots on my legs i think...could be a stress reaction...but i don't get them much. So not sure that they were . Reading my post back it sounds so gross!
i think its more ibs symptoms...not sure why i thought it was worse after eating bread...
not sure what triggers the stomach pain.

Thank you. When I'm feeling braver, i may go to the doctor. 

[Blossoming]

Oh thanks Sienna, I didn't realize it was you! Well I have not been struggling with the digestive issues or rashes for about 4 years now but when I read the symptoms you listed it sounded a lot like my experience. I'm glad you are doing better.

[alliematt]

Perhaps some of these physical problems have been discussed earlier in this thread.

I deal with what I am sure is adrenal fatigue; periodic spells of fatigue that have left me wiped out, like I have mono.  I have a chronic bladder disorder, interstitial cystitis (painful bladder).  I deal with back pain and tight muscles as well.  Part of the back pain came from a stint in court reporting school where I sat wrong while writing on my machine. 

I use a CPAP for sleep apnea.  And because I'm obese :-( I am at risk for diabetes.  I've been told to walk, but I've also developed pain on the top of my feet, in the middle, and how can I walk when it hurts my feet to walk? 

Mentally, I have depression and I suspect I have OCD (obsessive thoughts without compulsive actions) and I wouldn't be surprised if I also have anxiety.  Boy, am I a mess.

[Sienna]

Alliematt,

Perhaps some of these physical problems have been discussed earlier in this thread.

Its ok 

I deal with what I am sure is adrenal fatigue; periodic spells of fatigue that have left me wiped out, like I have mono.  I have a chronic bladder disorder, interstitial cystitis (painful bladder).  I deal with back pain and tight muscles as well.  Part of the back pain came from a stint in court reporting school where I sat wrong while writing on my machine. 

Sorry you are struggling. Its awful, but reading that others have these issues too, does help me to feel not so silly for being so fatigued all the time etc.

Are you wanting to get some proper help for your issues? Have you seen anyone about your inability to walk?

[alliematt]

Alliematt,

Perhaps some of these physical problems have been discussed earlier in this thread.

Its ok 

I deal with what I am sure is adrenal fatigue; periodic spells of fatigue that have left me wiped out, like I have mono.  I have a chronic bladder disorder, interstitial cystitis (painful bladder).  I deal with back pain and tight muscles as well.  Part of the back pain came from a stint in court reporting school where I sat wrong while writing on my machine. 

Sorry you are struggling. Its awful, but reading that others have these issues too, does help me to feel not so silly for being so fatigued all the time etc.

Are you wanting to get some proper help for your issues? Have you seen anyone about your inability to walk?

Well, let's see . . . I just turned 53, and I have been dealing with the adrenal stuff and the cystitis for half my life.  The IC, I've pretty much lived with; it doesn't give me that much of a problem and I see a urologist regularly.  The back problem, I've had chiropractic treatment for for several years.  The CPAP?  I use that nightly. 

The biggest problem I have is the adrenal stuff.  I have seen multiple doctors for that, my thyroid's been tested over and over and I'm currently on thyroid meds.  For a couple of years, I treated with some alternative doctors who ended up putting me on over twenty supplements as well as some prescription meds.  I couldn't afford to keep treating with them. 

My back was aggravated by a car wreck a couple of years ago.  (No other injuries.)  My auto insurance had been paying for my chiro treatment, but benefits are now exhausted, and I now have to decide whether or not to keep going or stop treatment.  It seems that, with so much of the chronic stuff, insurance doesn't cover it and the doctors who DO treat it charge an arm, leg, and DNA sample. 

Throw in the mental issues and a kid with autism, and there are days I just feel like crawling into bed and not waking up.

[Jdog]

Alliematt-

You have a lot to cope with, and my heart goes out to you.  I'm glad you have found this safe place to write and receive support from others who share at least some of your issues and concerns.

Keep writing and know that you are not alone.

[Moose410]

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia at age 15. Since being diagnosed I have gotten much better with a lot of symptoms.  I am at least able to keep a job, walk, exercise sometimes, and do everyday things that most people are able to do...most days. I am off all pain medications now too (I used to be on Tramadol for a couple years.) But I still feel like CPTSD affects my body in sooo many ways. The main reason a lot of those symptoms have gotten better for me is because I've changed my diet (cut out gluten and dairy and generally just try to eat healthier.) Even when I take care of myself as well as I possibly can, I still am in pain or just don't feel right. I KNOW a lot of my physical problems have stemmed from the stress I've dealt with that's related to my CPTSD.

When I'm in an extremely stressful situation, like a fight with my husband or something just as stressful, my whole body is in a ton of pain afterwards. The change in my entire body is so drastic after I've had to deal with any kind of stress, including EF. Sometimes I feel like I can be setback for an entire day after going through a stressful situation. It's horrible. The connection between your mind and body is undeniable. Plus, I feel like my body is constantly tense. My shoulders are usually hunched up as if I'm on guard just in case someone attacks me. I try to pay attention to my body and relax my shoulders, but it's really difficult to constantly remind myself to do this.

It's enough having to deal with all the psychological damage that comes along with CPTSD, but it's so much worse also having to deal with physical symptoms that have resulted from having this disorder 

[Jdog]

Moose410-

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this level of pain.  As you said, the mind/body connection is undeniable.  You have  forum, which I hope is a source of hope and comfort as your healing continues.

May this day find you doing better.

[Moose410]

Moose410-

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this level of pain.  As you said, the mind/body connection is undeniable.  You have  forum, which I hope is a source of hope and comfort as your healing continues.

May this day find you doing better.

Thank you  It is comforting to know that there are other people out there dealing with the same problems I'm dealing with. And it has given me some hope that things can get better.

[Jdog]

Good- hope is so important!

[Blueberry]

I have a fairly long history ( about 17 years) of cholesterol levels being on the high side. My GP tends to downplay it whereas in inpatient treatment docs have tended to create a bit of fuss. My GP actually knows me and understands a lot about me; he's especially good at understanding the psychological-physical connection. He was the first person to realise that the number of physical symptoms I had 18-19 years ago were psychological in origin. They were definitely there, they were not imagined, but they were very much connected to my emotional state at that time. They jumped around a lot and were getting steadily worse, until I started counselling.

In the past few years I've been putting on weight, whereas I used to be a bit underweight. Last time my GP did a blood check, I said in advance that I was worried about my cholesterol levels having gone through the roof because I have particularly unhealthy eating spells atm. When the results came back in July, I was really surprised that my iron levels (traditionally on the low side) were fine and even more amazing, so were my cholesterol levels! So they had actually improved. Today I mentioned my amazement to my GP about the cholesterol. In his opinion that too is affected by my emotional health (which is presumably why he has been downplaying the high levels for a number of years) and now that I'm getting steadily more stable and I'm processing far more past stuff i.e. traumatisations, the cholesterol levels are going down.

So here is a doctor who believes in the physical-psyche connection although many probably don't.

[Jdog]

You are indeed fortunate to have such a doctor in your corner, Blueberry.  It is comforting to know that such physicians are out there.

[ah]

I have a very very ill body, it's very far gone. I was born with a genetic predisposition for some bone/joint problems but then it was all accelerated. The constant abuse caused it to come to life really young and really hard. My genetics probably had nothing to do with trauma but pressuring my body till it collapsed did.

I used to feel puzzled and wonder about all this heap of unrelated hardships but now I see that the trauma was the trigger for everything else. It's sad but clear.

So I think, from experience, that trauma can definitely worsen preexisting health problems and cause new ones. In general it's also known to weaken your immune system, to potentially dump stress hormones into your blood stream indefinitely, to change the pathways of the brain.

So yeah... sigh.