About a month after displaying my first PTSD symptoms (about ten years ago) I started suffering from gastric problems. I had a cast iron stomach before that.
Anyway, the gastric problems gradually got worse - I lost loads of weight and started passing blood. It turned out I had Ulcerative Colitis (which is an autoimmune decease of the bowl - yuck!). Been hospitalised about 8 times since that diagnosis.
It’s not chronic, in that I don’t have it all the time. But I expect to get it once a year - usually in December, around Christmas time.
By the way, I hate Christmas. It’s my most stressful time of year. Yeah I know, bah humbug!
It’s got to the point that I now stock up on Prednisolone around that time and do a lot of weights and intermittent fasting - only drink vegetable juice, no alcohol, no dairy, no surgery things, including Christmas pudding and mince pies. Very bland, very wholesome, and very boring.
I still tend to get it, but nowhere near as bad as I did in the past - usually lasts a couple of weeks with only a little blood loss. But I haven't needed to go hospital for the last four years, so it works.
I used to do all the Christmas preparations - it was kind of a tradition - do all the decorations and cooking for family and friends and get completely stressed out. Now, whenever I can, I isolate myself quite a lot over this period - hey, you got to do what you’ve got to do. I know, not very festive or social.
Also, has anyone read the Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? The protagonist’s son suffers from emotional problems and stomach aches, which were a precursor to his mental problems.
Anyway, after recently reading the book, I put two and two together and worked out that my colitis could be associated with my PTSD.
Just wondering if anyone else has similar gastric or autoimmune problems?
Anyway, the gastric problems gradually got worse - I lost loads of weight and started passing blood. It turned out I had Ulcerative Colitis (which is an autoimmune decease of the bowl - yuck!). Been hospitalised about 8 times since that diagnosis.
It’s not chronic, in that I don’t have it all the time. But I expect to get it once a year - usually in December, around Christmas time.
By the way, I hate Christmas. It’s my most stressful time of year. Yeah I know, bah humbug!
It’s got to the point that I now stock up on Prednisolone around that time and do a lot of weights and intermittent fasting - only drink vegetable juice, no alcohol, no dairy, no surgery things, including Christmas pudding and mince pies. Very bland, very wholesome, and very boring.
I still tend to get it, but nowhere near as bad as I did in the past - usually lasts a couple of weeks with only a little blood loss. But I haven't needed to go hospital for the last four years, so it works.
I used to do all the Christmas preparations - it was kind of a tradition - do all the decorations and cooking for family and friends and get completely stressed out. Now, whenever I can, I isolate myself quite a lot over this period - hey, you got to do what you’ve got to do. I know, not very festive or social.
Also, has anyone read the Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? The protagonist’s son suffers from emotional problems and stomach aches, which were a precursor to his mental problems.
Anyway, after recently reading the book, I put two and two together and worked out that my colitis could be associated with my PTSD.
Just wondering if anyone else has similar gastric or autoimmune problems?