Sensory Issues.

[OKRADLAK]

Hello all....

Does anyone else have major sensory issues? I have always had them mild,. However, when I got PTSD they went nuts.

If I go to the store I am wiped out. I cannot go out in the day because of the light. I have to wear earplugs out. Smells and odors and tags in clothes drive me crazy.

They make me feel like I am shredded. I just got back from the store and I feel shredded totally. My nerves are shot. Too many noises and people and lights and odors.

Does anyone else have these issues and were they related to PTSD or prior?

Hugs to all. Going to lay down in a cold dark room.

 

[Lionheart]

Does anyone else have major sensory issues?

I have sensory sensitivity to sight, sound, light, temperature, chemicals, etc. etc. I am not sure how much of it is related to PTSD or possibly to CFS.
I once asked a psychiatrist why I am so sensitive to things and he said, "We don't know why some people are more sensitive than others." ..I guess at least it was an honest answer.

 

[OKRADLAK]

Yeah, my neuro said there is a long gene he named for it, but mine got SO WORSE with the PTSD it was not even funny.

He said they are doing research on people like us, but how would that help if it is a brain injury from trauma and NOT genetic? He cannot answer that, either. :confused:

 

[Srain]

Bright light is one of my main issues, I just can't deal with it, I feel blinded.

Noise is another, I get confused in my thought processing.

Heat on my skin, now that Summer is here, it's more direct sunlight, though I think this has more to do with my medications than PTSD.

Touching me. Hate it from strangers, always have. Or being in my space. I have ways of sticking my foot out and leaning away to take my space. Some people aren't space conscious and it's nerve wracking to me.

Good post.

Rain

 

[Bachall]

Well, here's another.

These are things that overwhelm me quickly. As mentioned, I feel torn in pieces over and over till there's no me left.

Bright lights at night - like oncoming headlights.

Loud music or tv type noise, in a normal sized room. Like anything above a normal talking tone.

Smells of strictly human origin.

Being in large open places. I love it but it does this to me. :(

Touching of any kind.

Scratchy stuff - zero tolerance. My list of irritants has increased geometrically in the last three years, also.

Bizarro time: my own hair, if it's dirty or tangled in any way. Not sure whether this is trauma, autism, OCD, or what but I could wash my hair eighteen times a day and not be happy. I don't like my hair touching me.

Crowds: sight, sound, smell, psychic feeling of layers of people. Having to say, "Scuse me" and "That's ok" a million times, and the people who look at right at me and walk through me like I'm in a parallel dimension.

Shopping centers and big box stores are designed to scream at all your senses and kidnap them with every step you take. Not to mention the crowds.

It takes about ten minutes in a Walmart to forget why I'm there. In thirty minutes, these days, I'll forget who I am entirely. It's a perfect storm of sensory overload.

My son was diagnosed when he was fairly little with some kind of sensory processing problem. He's still hypersensitive.

He had not been exposed to any trauma at that point so it would be strictly genetic. So maybe there's something to genetics + trauma exposure?

 

[Lionheart]

Yeah I suppose genetics could predispose one to having hypersensitivity later in life (especially after trauma, but even without it). I hadn't thought much about that before. :confused:

I am however glad to know I am not the only one who forgets why they are at Wal-Mart lol :)

 

[Bachall]

I put a list on my iPhone, but then I forget it's there. Hence the dog. Sam focuses my attention and if all else fails I say, "Find the car!" and he'll take me out and to the car.

This also works when I forget where I am in a neighborhood, a school campus, etc. It's the first thing I taught him because that was the most terrifying thing that started happening.

The car is my sensory depressurization chamber. It's a nice old lady car with a great big bench back seat. I have a squishy pillow, a blankie, and Sam fits on the seat too.

Yup. I'm 41 (42?) and sometimes leave church, family gatherings, stores, so I can nap with my blankie and my puppy dog.

So in my case I don't believe there's a fix, but with breaks and helps like these I could see my tolerance rising before the full on PTSD storm broke. I can still feel it there; my list of Things That Break Me is still far smaller than even a year ago. :)

 

[NIKI]

I do not have a pre-trauma self so all are related to trauma. I hate when people touch my face, maybe because mom and dad used to slap my face alot. I don't even like me touching my face. Anyone touchig my hair, mom used to grab a big chunk of my hair and pull real hard, pulling out my hair. I hate when my hair touches my face.

I have OCD (Obsesive Compulsive Disorder) so touching anything especially door knobs, railings, light switches makes me feel like germs are multipling all over my body. I feel very dirty. I have to find a way to wash my hands. I have bottled water in my car so I can wash my hands. I alway carry a bottle of water with me everywhere, to drink and rinse my hands anytime I need to. I can never put my hands in my mouth.

I can not eat ANYTHING that is greasy, again I feel dirty, like the grease is oozing out my pores. I can't touch any kind of raw meat.

I don't want to be near anyone that is talking loudly.

I don't like to be around anyone that is angry.

I don't like to be around people that have power over me or think they have power over me.

I alway have to have something on my feet, slippers or shoes. Can not stand walking on a floor without something on my feet, even in my own house.

I can't keep eye contact for a long time during a conversation, I have to look away. I pretend that something has caught my eye so I can look away. Probably because when my father would yell at me he would stare straight into my eyes about two inches away the whole time, never looking away and I was not allowed to look away. Makes me feel trapped. * I just figured that out this very minute*

 

[elizabethnueve]

Your comment just now about eyes making you feel trapped. This has helped some for me just now.

Thank you

 

[Froggie]

Makes me feel trapped. * I just figured that out this very minute*

(((NIKI))), every discovery you make puts you on the road of empowerment. Your post hit my heart. Wish I could do something for you to ease some of that pain that your parents have caused.

 

[Gabby]

There is actually a condition called Sensory Processing Disorder. and i think there have been studies into those with PTSD that also experience sensory processing issues.

All my sensory issues get worse when my PTSD is in remission. All I can do is let people know what is going on, and hope that they can help me better. But i have issues with bright lights, sounds, and touch, etc. I guess all we can do is our best!

 

[OKRADLAK]

All my sensory issues get worse when my PTSD is in remission.

When it is in remission? That is really amazing. I think it is true, though. When my PTSD is raging, it kind of takes over my brain and I feel invincible at times. When it ebbs, my brain goes into a different mode. Damn. It's like a beast.