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Aware of Physical Aspects of PTSD?
I have Complex PTSD from a childhood of neglect and abuse. Of course, with a background like that, my adult life has been rocky and tough, as well. However, my biggest troubles as an adult have been due to terrible chronic illness that doctors simply dismissed as psychiatric (I have a lot of anger and frustration about that.) By some miracle, I found an excellent therapist who specializes in PTSD. She clued me in to physical impact of stress and trauma on the body. I've done a lot research since then and have learned that PTSD, especially Complex PTSD, can take a huge toll on the brain and hormonal glands. Verrrry long story short. . . . I'm finally getting some real help.
Has anyone else come across the issue of physical damage resulting from PTSD? Is anyone else getting this information from their doctor and/or therapist?
Has anyone else come across the issue of physical damage resulting from PTSD? Is anyone else getting this information from their doctor and/or therapist?
You are so right I will make sure I get it and digest it all , and post my thoughts here on this forum,
I'm glad you've found someone to help you and your getting better. A good therapist is irriplaceable for us when we're finally ready to work on what we would like to change or get better from
Go to, http://www.traumahealing.com/ you wont be sorry , nothing , replaces the ability oif the body to heal itself and the help from other folks going through the same thing.
I went to the site you sent me absolutly brilliant I recommend anyone suffering from PTSD do the same 'Waking the Hidden Tiger, and the substitute tiger, about the Natural way of healing , and truly a revelation to read you wont be sorry,.I am off to read more . Thank you
Thank you for that input and the book of' waking the tiger,' I will get it and read it ,I am still getting physical symptoms from my trauma, and they do stem from that , I have tried the Doctor help and the therapy help and it is still better ..for me.. to try the Natural route and talking here to get input from others suffering.
Hey there,
I also have C-PTSD. And it did take its toll on me. stomach ulcers, herpes 1, shingles, migraine and the latest one hypo thyroid. Nobody could find any explanation on how my gland stopped working from one day to the other, until I read the book "Waking the Tiger" by Dr A Levine. I recommend it to all of you suffering from PTSD. It did help me a lot.
I also have C-PTSD. And it did take its toll on me. stomach ulcers, herpes 1, shingles, migraine and the latest one hypo thyroid. Nobody could find any explanation on how my gland stopped working from one day to the other, until I read the book "Waking the Tiger" by Dr A Levine. I recommend it to all of you suffering from PTSD. It did help me a lot.
Thank you, guys, for your comments. I still feel a little vulnerable so it is nice to have someone listen. Thanks again, Kat
i think it was your body telling you not to give up and that in the end you would be able to fight this thing inside of you one way or another and here you are telling your story to help yourself and others in the same situation
katarina, it like you have the experience to know what you are talking about. I believe that when we are under stress mentally and do not know how to resolve the issues, it eventually comes out as a disorder or disease such as you experienced. You hear so much about disease like IBS, Colitis, etc more than ever before. I have had doctors tell me that stress can kill.
PS: by a year later i don't mean in 2002, but about a year later after defeat and which was around 2006.
I have had chronic illnesses all my life piling up, mostly of the endocrine type. My family is generally very healthy and there is no history of cancer or anything else serious.
In 2001 something very traumatic happened to me having to do with a doctor, hospital, etc. it was so bizarre I didn't believe it myself and I just couldn't understand. but as horrible it was, it never occurred to me that what I had considered to be horrible was yet to begin. it was like three years of living in combat, and being shot at, and dying piece by piece. Then new parts of life started growing only to be shot down again.
I believe that we, people, can survive pretty much anything, and that includes dying, if we are not alone with it. And I was 'alone', completely alone. It was like reporting a murder that you witnessed and then being put on trial yourself for committing the murder.
But here is my point. There was absolutely no outlet, nobody who listened, and everything I said accomplished the direct opposite. I must say it was almost impossible for me to communicate what happened since words are usually agreed upon to communicate what happens in what we believe, or think of as reality.
The worst part was that I felt this thing was invading me, and if I stopped fighting it would become part of me. An evil, invasive, really destructive, and debilitating force. but in the end I did give up just because I was defeated. (like in a war, i did not give up before that)
And then, about a year later, and I was sick and tired and weak all over, one day I noticed this weird thing happening in my right breast. i was totally unafraid of getting bc, I knew I would never get cancer, but the thing was growing so fast that I could really not pretend it wasn't there.
To make a long story short, I was diagnosed with a very rare breast cancer called IBC, or Inflammatory Breast Cancer that is extremely aggressive, and invasive and a killer and deadly and always way advanced at the time of diagnosis.
So, how do you treat such a monster, like the one I couldn't manage to get help for before and that now showed up in a different way and thereby made it treatable. Well, with mutilation, poisoning and burning, right?
This experience with cancer was incredibly healing for me, more than anyone will ever know.
In 2001 something very traumatic happened to me having to do with a doctor, hospital, etc. it was so bizarre I didn't believe it myself and I just couldn't understand. but as horrible it was, it never occurred to me that what I had considered to be horrible was yet to begin. it was like three years of living in combat, and being shot at, and dying piece by piece. Then new parts of life started growing only to be shot down again.
I believe that we, people, can survive pretty much anything, and that includes dying, if we are not alone with it. And I was 'alone', completely alone. It was like reporting a murder that you witnessed and then being put on trial yourself for committing the murder.
But here is my point. There was absolutely no outlet, nobody who listened, and everything I said accomplished the direct opposite. I must say it was almost impossible for me to communicate what happened since words are usually agreed upon to communicate what happens in what we believe, or think of as reality.
The worst part was that I felt this thing was invading me, and if I stopped fighting it would become part of me. An evil, invasive, really destructive, and debilitating force. but in the end I did give up just because I was defeated. (like in a war, i did not give up before that)
And then, about a year later, and I was sick and tired and weak all over, one day I noticed this weird thing happening in my right breast. i was totally unafraid of getting bc, I knew I would never get cancer, but the thing was growing so fast that I could really not pretend it wasn't there.
To make a long story short, I was diagnosed with a very rare breast cancer called IBC, or Inflammatory Breast Cancer that is extremely aggressive, and invasive and a killer and deadly and always way advanced at the time of diagnosis.
So, how do you treat such a monster, like the one I couldn't manage to get help for before and that now showed up in a different way and thereby made it treatable. Well, with mutilation, poisoning and burning, right?
This experience with cancer was incredibly healing for me, more than anyone will ever know.
This is actually something that's so common, your def not alone in this. Extream stress from past trauma can cause an ary of different physical symptoms from pain to back problems to flu like feelings. It's actually believed in many cultered that when you hold onto stress in your body, your body manifests that stress into physical disease like kiney problems, reproductive problems, heart problems. And although it is of cultural belief western medicine as seen the associataion between psyciatric stress/truama and physical symptoms.
The problem with this is that you can't chalk past trauma up to psychosematic symptoms all the time because then many people go undiagnised with real treatable physical conditions. In my case for example I have had alot of reproductove/urinary problems and although it would have been easy to say that my pasy childhood trauma was manifesting physically, there was really a true disease I was suffering from.
But with that said, mt PTSD effects my disease and my disease effects my PTSD. But many abuse victims hold that stress, fear, humiliation in their abdomen and research has shown that survivors of sexual abuse have many compalints dealing with their reproductive system and a large amount actually manifest diagnosable physical disease.
It's actually really interesting research as we can begin to see where our undiagnised physical issues may be an effect of the great stress/trauma we've held within our bodies for so long.
But still things should ALWAYS be checked out ny a doctor. You never know when your going to chalk a symptom up to being psychosematic and there's something actually serious going on.
But I afree it is very frustrating and angering when a doctor dismisses your physical symptoms as being the result of psychological issues/trauma when you feel there is really something going on. I used to get very angry until I found a doctor who listened. But in my case I knew for certain there was something physical wrong even if some of it is psychological at times.
I'm glad you've found someone to help you and your getting better. A good therapist is irriplaceable for us when we're finally ready to work on what we would like to change or get better from.
Amph
The problem with this is that you can't chalk past trauma up to psychosematic symptoms all the time because then many people go undiagnised with real treatable physical conditions. In my case for example I have had alot of reproductove/urinary problems and although it would have been easy to say that my pasy childhood trauma was manifesting physically, there was really a true disease I was suffering from.
But with that said, mt PTSD effects my disease and my disease effects my PTSD. But many abuse victims hold that stress, fear, humiliation in their abdomen and research has shown that survivors of sexual abuse have many compalints dealing with their reproductive system and a large amount actually manifest diagnosable physical disease.
It's actually really interesting research as we can begin to see where our undiagnised physical issues may be an effect of the great stress/trauma we've held within our bodies for so long.
But still things should ALWAYS be checked out ny a doctor. You never know when your going to chalk a symptom up to being psychosematic and there's something actually serious going on.
But I afree it is very frustrating and angering when a doctor dismisses your physical symptoms as being the result of psychological issues/trauma when you feel there is really something going on. I used to get very angry until I found a doctor who listened. But in my case I knew for certain there was something physical wrong even if some of it is psychological at times.
I'm glad you've found someone to help you and your getting better. A good therapist is irriplaceable for us when we're finally ready to work on what we would like to change or get better from.
Amph
I Am certainly glad that you brought this up.I will review the literature as soon as I can. I have heard others mention it, but I have not thought about it having affected me.
We need to give attention to these matters; over time, they can cause debilitation.
We need to give attention to these matters; over time, they can cause debilitation.
I feel better now but after a horrible experience at the hands of a Dentist last May,was truamatised, next day, I felt the symptoms of Dizziness I was obliged not to drive because I felt "out" of it , anxious and filled with thoughts obsessing why it had happened this went on for weeks, I have also had Urticaria and allergies since then however I have accepted what happened and come to terms with it so I do feel better.
Hi-
Yes I understand what you are talking about. PTSD can cause many physical ailments. I've had it for going on 15 years now and as the PTSD goes on, the physical symptoms seem to pile up (at least for me). I've developed migraines, a worsening cardiac condition, all over body aches daily, a gastrointestinal condition, high blood pressure...all kinds of ****. Studies have actually linked PTSD to some cardiac conditions.
I'm glad you're getting good help. My doc and therapist haven't told me any of this info sadly...I've had to learn it all on my own. I'm a veteran and the VA healthcare system lags behind in this very important treatment. Yes, strange, but true.
Yes I understand what you are talking about. PTSD can cause many physical ailments. I've had it for going on 15 years now and as the PTSD goes on, the physical symptoms seem to pile up (at least for me). I've developed migraines, a worsening cardiac condition, all over body aches daily, a gastrointestinal condition, high blood pressure...all kinds of ****. Studies have actually linked PTSD to some cardiac conditions.
I'm glad you're getting good help. My doc and therapist haven't told me any of this info sadly...I've had to learn it all on my own. I'm a veteran and the VA healthcare system lags behind in this very important treatment. Yes, strange, but true.
I totally agree with what you are saying here, I have not been diagnosed but I do think at least twice in my life I could have had PTSD, I am sure othres here will have some further input for you, I am glad to hear you are getting some positive help with the Issue. I also believe we can recover from it , takes a while but I think as time goes on the Physical symtoms become less and we feel better.
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