Poll What Somatic Symptoms Do You Experience?

[falling_wave]

I am interested in what types of somatic symptoms us ptsd sufferers experience. Please explain any others in the comments. Thanks!

 

[Metalhead Myers]

Because of my eczema, I get breakouts from stress, Does insomnia count a somatic symptom? Because this one affects me a lot.

 

[falling_wave]

Skin rashes of any kind definitely are..I wish a I could edit that onto the skin stuff. I'm not sure insomnia is but I experience that too and it would be interesting to track sleeping patterns as well. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Melody coates]

still trying to figure out what's been causing my muscles aches. im going to tell someone when i go for my physical before i start working. cuz they bother the hell outta me

 

[Changing4Best]

I have osteo-arthritis and pre-osteoporosis, so I don't know if these are PTSD related or not. I did check yes on 4 of the ones in your survey, however. I also have a weakened immune system due to having been exposed to Lyme Disease 4 times, so I cannot really attribute that to PTSD or can I? (Some Drs. believed that this, which caused many years of lethargy, was all in my mind; they believe that the antibiotics they gave me should have cured me entirely). However, the lethargy and immunosufficiency has improved steadily into a lesser degree of getting colds, etc., along with my years of therapy, so there is a good chance maybe it was PTSD related, I don't know. (If that was confusing, I understand, it is to me too)!

 

[Friday]

If by somatic, you mean physically felt symptoms then also adding:

- Muscle spasms (the shakes)
- SNS digestive shutdown (the shits, the pukes, total loss of appetite, dry mouth)
- Hyperhidrosis (the sweats)
- Anxiety in your belly / Icewater for blood
- Tingles, lightning, & other jolts (internal, not just skin surface)
- SNS blood yanked to the core (pale skin, cold hands & feet / legs & arms)
- Increased or Decreased sensitivity to pain &/or temp
- Increased or Decreased gross or fine motor skills
- Stuttering / sybillant or slurred speech / inability to speak
- Tunnelvision
- Sensitivity to light/sound
- Sensitivity to movement
- Startle reflex (jumpy, much?)
- Flat, narrowed, or limited affect (smile? look politely interested? Bite me ;) I am smiling )
- Increased libido (since you already have decreased libido / sexual inability)

These are mostly sympathetic / parasympathic nervous systems running amok. There's a lot more physical symptoms, but these are the ones that affect me most.


@Melody coates try adding potassium (K) to your diet. Muscle fatigue is often caused by calcium (Ca++) deficiency (common side effect of exercise, and panic attacks are exercise), and muscle aches & cramping by potassium (K). Every time a muscle fiber flexes it has to use a calcium ion, and in order to relax a potassium. I try to eat a banana after my anxiety attacks to ease muscle soreness, but when I'm having several a day, I just take a supplement.

 

[Tolkienian]

@FridayJones Your note @Melody coates makes so much sense! I too experience everything on your list except the limited affect.

I think I'd add major skin flare-ups to the list. When I'm very stressed, my scalp will get massively inflamed and hot and itchy and generally horrible. Then my hair will start falling out (or getting pulled out) in quarter-sized chunks. Not good. I've had horrible acne that nothing could control, too.

I also believe that my overly-stressed system may have contributed to my food sensitivity.

 

[TonyG]

I have most of what Fridayjones listed, worst would be the tremors and dry mouth, I'm not sure if anxiety is in that category but it goes along for the ride

 

[Ellabella44]

also most of what fridayjones listed plus some of what you put. libido depends on how im feeling, depressed or fully anxious to panic level, its just not happening... anywhere else on the spectrum its hello mr would you like a roll in the hay ? ;)

 

[Changing4Best]

Yes, I have some of those too, maybe milder now. They used to be worse, but after 12 years of therapy and meds, they have improved.

 

[garden]

In addition to other symptoms already mentioned, I have experienced a type of hair loss called alopecia areata. I have been under major stress, and then suddenly I have 3 or 4 oval shaped bald patches on my head. I mean these are bare as a babies bottom, about an inch and a half at their widest, and with sudden onset. I don't even find the hair that fell, which is hard to explain because it seems a significant amount so I feel like I should notice where it went. The hair always grows back as I begin my self care and retreat into a safety zone. I have a full head of hair all the time, but I've had 4 instances so far where the severe stress resulted in this kind of sudden hair loss. I think that I look crazy when I have these patches. I've been asked if I was in chemotherapy before by a stranger who saw them.

 

[joeylittle]

I experience a very strange thing - along with tremors and spasms in my legs and arms, I have super-strong physical recall of my legs being completely numb. Because I could not see them, and because of what had just been done to me, I thought they had been shot gunned off my body. So the somatic experience is of my legs being gone. When this mixes with a flashback, I truly believe they are no longer there. It has gotten much better since processing the main event in therapy, but it's still something I am dealing with.