physical illness triggered by cptsd

[Newbeginning]

Hi- I am new here but amazed by what I've read so far.  I am recently diagnosed w/ptsd, but was never told anything about it being "c"ptsd, although that is what it is.  I have sooo many questions. . . all in good time.  Right now I am wondering about anyone else that has dealt with physical illness that has been caused by their cptsd.  More specifically autoimmune issues.  A short explanation to clarify- since the beginning of this year I've been dealing with various concerns, and where it has come to at this point is: the Dr's (and there have been many of them) all agree "something is going on with me."  Blood tests prove that "something is going on with me." But no one can figure out a what or a why, beyond it being "autoimmune."  No, I'm not asking anyone here to "dr" me, and, yes, I know there are still plenty of purely physical "weird" things that could be what's going on.  But I'm trying to look at it all from a different perspective.  Is there a possibility that these physical symptoms have been triggered by something related to the cptsd?  I know mind and body are connected, so. . .?  Just thought I'd put it out there.  Thanks!

[Three Roses]

Hello and welcome to you!

Yes, absolutely there us a body-mind link. Many of us here acknowledge that some of our physical symptoms are directly related to our CPTSD.

There's a great book, "The Body Keeps The Score", that goes into this very subject.

Glad you've joined us! : wave:

[Dee]

I have read about and met people that have an autoimmune disorder and it is was linked to CPTSD.

[Heartshome]

I'm new here too. This is my first post. I spent three years with a narc psychopathic man. 33 years later I'm still dealing with the trauma and have been diagnosed with PTSD. I too have had strange symptoms for the past eight years. Doctor thinks it is possible MS. I found a Therapist who has helped a lot. I read the book that was mentioned in one of the comments and found it helpful.
I'm slowly learning to tetrain my central nervous system in order to break out of the "fight or flight" routine that my body has been stuck in for so long. Maybe someday the nightmares, stress, hypervigilence, etc. will stop. 😊

[Three Roses]

Welcome, Heartshome! I strongly encourage you to check out the book, "The Body Keeps The Score", which goes into the connection between mental/emotional trauma and physical symptoms/illnesses. Thanks for joining! 

[Newbeginning]

thanks all!  will keep plugging away at it. . .  Thanks for the book rec too!

[JMK]

(Possible Trigger Warning)

Hi there, I'm new to this forum too. I can absolutely identify with your illness. I had been dealing with PTSD (what I thought was PTSD, Anxiety and Depression) for a couple of years, but had a fall April last year that injured my hip and back that seemed to keep hurting, then I was diagnosed with C-PTSD in November last year.  I've been on crutches now for about 4 months, but it was only 2 weeks ago that new scans showed the damage had decreased and I was diagnosed with CPS - Chronic Pain Syndrome; in other words, the pain is larger than the injury... The pain that was felt by the initial injury caused my C-PTSD to get worse, and the worse my C-PTSD became, the less I was able to deal with pain - so the more pain I felt - I can't afford the treatment here in Australia to fix it.

It was described (very simplistically) to me by my Dr: The neural (nerve) pathways that control pain reception, also control anxiety and stress etc (hence why they are often called nervous disorders); when we experience anxiety or stress, we release a hormone 'Cortisol' which then amplifies the pain signalling..... I was also told to read the book "The body keeps the Score" - I noticed others on here have mentioned it too. 

I'm not sure how Cortisol would affect the immune system, but it might be something to ask about or search for?

Good Luck

[serene]

When growing up and being subjected to the dysfunctional environment of my parent's household, the effects of that negativity made me chronically ill. I would get sick with the flu, cold, ear aches, etc....every single month. I would have to be absent from school many days of  the month. The teachers began to suspect that there was physical abuse. Then I began to experience bone pain in various part of the body, extreme lack of appetite. The lack of appetite made me anorexic and I got to the point where I fainted from lack of nutrition. The doctor couldn't find any issues with my health so she suggested that I go to a psychologist. Yes it sucks having trauma...it affects not only emotionally but also physically. I even remember being suicidal in fourth grade. And you know what they say about sickly kids....they oftentimes grow up to be chronically depressed adults. That has been the case for me. I cant shake off the depression and self loathing, life feels so unpleasant, like a dragged out endless struggle. I've come to the point where I accept getting a cancer diagnosis just to get the * of this earth. Even though on the surface everything is ok and I have it easy (my husband doesnt require me to work, he supports me fully, I live comfortably, I get the love and support that I craved as a child, I get material things which I craved and was deprived of as a child) ....yet my inner issues are so damn bad and tiresome. Oh well, cant go back and change anything. Just coping day to day.