Fibro Ptsd and fibromyalgia

[TLight]

Moonshadow;
I've had Fibro for 17 years. My first flare up was after not sleeping for several years......just like you, the PTSD, but I was undiagnosed at the time. I just kept plugging away.........working, no sleep, triggered constantly............hard, unbearably hard. Stress is bad.

Then, one night I noticed I had fever. Went to bed (ha ha) and woke up with my body entirely seized up. Yes, it is definately all the horrible emotional pain all tied up in my body.......then throw in no sleep, unbearable stress and you are bound to break down. I broke down. It was like I had so much adrenaline in my system.........I had turned hard as a rock, every muscle seized.........achy, sore, unable to even walk really. For years and years, still now it gets bad, but I can cope with it a bit more.

My immediate advice to you..........SLEEP! Do anything you can to start sleeping. I was living with men who triggered me, so no sleep for sure. They put me on every sleeping aid, tranquilizer, etc and nothing would knock me out........but, then again, I was sleeping next to a trigger.

SLEEP........please, get the Docs to give you stuff. Sleep is the most important thing on the planet. Please, sleep. I've been suffering physically and emotionally for decades now........so much suffering I really don't know to this day if I truly want to attempt to keep going .........but I keep on keeping on.
Please, sleep.........

 

[Lionheart]

A team of psychiatrists ran tests on me and discovered that I have somotization disorder. They explained that my brain channels psychological/emotional pain into physical pain in an effort to make it easier for me to cope. Now, whether or not this is the cause of my diagnosed fibromyalgia, I can't say. I also have Chronic Fatigue Lymphadenopathy Syndrome which was diagnosed by a physician and although I am told that no one knows why I developed CFS/FMS, all the therapists I have seen, one of the doctors and two psychiatrists believe that this is caused from prolonged stress and so there is little-to-no doubt in my mind that there is a definite link between C-PTSD and the other two chronic illnesses *(CFS/FMS).
In laboratory studies performed on mice who were subjected to high levels of stress for long periods of time, the adrenal glands eventually began to bleed and the mice would then die. Although I cannot back up the following statement with scientific or medical expertise, I don't think it takes a genius to know that long periods of stress throws our brains and bodies out of whack and can cause multiple difficulties with our overall well-being.

Doctors in the state where I live, will not give me anything stronger than 5 mg flexeril for my pain, (probably due to past suicidal behavior). I am 6 ft. tall 211 lbs. and find absoliutle no relief in such a small dose. So, I wonder why they get so excited when people turn to the streets to find relief from their pain *(a strategy I do not recommend..been there, done that and was lucky to survive it). I plan to move to California in the coming months, where there are good Osteopaths, Homeopaths, Medicinal Marijuana and other Legitimate Alternative and Holistic Care Practitioners with whom I plan to re-address my challenges. Until then, I am at a loss as to managing my pain.

For now, mild exercise, bathing in hot epsom salt baths, massages, heat packs and stretching are the only options I have available. These things do very little, if anything, to relieve the pain, still they do momentarily take my mind off the problem and place it back on finding a solution. I hope to be able to add something more encouraging to this thread, in the near future and I wish you all only the best of health.
~Lewie~

 

[marylouise]

I just wanted to add a hopeful note. I had a very difficult childhood with a lot of physical abuse and neglect, amongst other issues. I first had fibromyalgia symptoms in my early 20s. As people have said, research has shown a strong correlation between childhood abuse and fibromyaligia. However, now in my 40s I no longer have any symptoms. There is no medical reason for this. I believe that the fibro symptoms improved and disappeared as I processed my trauma over many years.