Why Was I Asked About Tingles?

[HappyJock]

I was diagnosed with PTSD among Asperger's and BoPD (Borderline Personality Disorder). During the diagnosis process, she asked me if I ever felt tingles in my body and if they felt painful or bothersome. I said yes and then a few minutes later after reading things she wrote down she was concerned. What do tingles or numbness on my physical body have to do with a mental disorder? Granted, I'm no professional and I know it's important for some reason, but any idea of what it could mean? I just never really thought to ask.

 

[Deleted member 33023]

Happyjock, I'm not sure what your doctor means either. I can tell you that with ptsd my doctor explained that my neurons are damaged due to stress and the tingling and numbness was due to my body being physically hurt from the stress. Before I was diagnosed with ptsd I went to my doctor because I thought I had Parkinsons or nerve damage to my feet and hands. I would shake and feel tingly and sometimes numb. My doctor referred me to a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with clinical depression and ptsd. I still have many of these symptoms which I am being treated for. I am under medications and therapy which should help me but it seems to be a long process. I can only share with you my symptoms and yours maybe different. I believe in asking your doctor everything since your health is so important.

I hope this helps you.

I love this site. It helps me to know there are others like me. :)

 

[Fadeaway]

Physical medical issues can amplify or even cause mental issues or vice versa.

More recently I had several vitamin deffiencies that required an i.v. vitamin infusion. One of the two main deffciencies that I had, not only causes severe and painful tingly issues and numbness in the extremities, which I did have, it can also cause phychosis, which I don't belive I had yet, but it would have been the next step had I not been treated when I was.

 

[Sideways]

Peripheral neuropathy? Check!
Mine was put down to vitamin deficiency damaging the nerve casings. Irreversible in my case apparently.

The connection to my mental health? Between depression and agoraphobia, I don't handle grocery shopping so well and spent the better part of a year living exclusively off cereal (2 aisles - cereal & dairy, and I'm done!), which apparently isn't so crash hot for your vitamin & mineral levels.

 

[EveHarrington]

Very interesting.

My "tingles" arise after bouts of insomnia, but also due to a few other factors which seem a bit odd to me.

They're predominantly in my shoulders and arms.

I'm going to try and follow upon a possible vitamin deficiency.

 

[Sideways]

If it's neuropathy, Shoulders & arms would more likely be neuropathy damage to the brachial plexus. Definitely worth speaking to a doc at some point. Physical injury or blood flow issues or vitamin issues - there's tonnes of ways we can stuff up our nerves. And the brachial plexus are definitely handy & worth keeping in good working order!

 

[Crow]

Also a sign of dissociation. One of the easier ways to identify it.

 

[HappyJock]

Wow. Thanks for the responses everyone. I'm on my computer so I didn't scroll up to see, but someone here mentioned something about blood-flow. The weird thing: Sometimes, I notice myself looking at my own hand (I bring it up slowly, but then it becomes numb and I can barely lift it). It's kind of like what happens in sleep paralysis but without being completely paralyzed. Shocked, I observe my hand (to try and understand it). Then, I'm able to shake it really hard and I feel "liquid"shooting through my arm and my arm feels soft again and able to move just fine. Speaking of the brain. Up until the age of 14 I was in a wheelchair unable to walk. I went to rehab for over a year as an impatient as a kid (which is where my abuse happened). Now it's like history is repeating itself. I legitimately can't use the stairs again. I try, but I almost fall off. My vision even becomes teary/blurry. I'm not crying or anything but for some reason it happens only when I attempt to use the stairs. Could it be from a moment when the abuser repeatedly, both physically and the well the other type of "abuse" and helped me use the stairs but then would threaten to throw me down them and break me by throwing me to the next floor if I told anyone? At least, subconsciously still makes me fear? I don't know why else I can't use the stairs now. Physically I am fine in being able to walk, after years of rehab I go to the gym and am able to take karate and such. I suck at it, but I'm able to, so that rules out any disability and probably has to do with the brain. This happened last year when I first learned about the abuse I'd repressed. It's like certain symptoms or characteristics are repeating from when I was a kid. What could this be?

 

[Sideways]

Absolutely that could be from the abuse - in fact if you have DID, it would be fairly normal (couldn't handle stairs then, so that part of your brain still can't).

As for the thing with your hand, you sound like a non-smoker, but in case you are, maybe now's the time to quit! Do any of the meds you're on effect blood pressure? Lots of psychotropic meds do, but it tends to be hidden in the fine print.

Either way, worth flagging it with your doc some time. Lots of blood pressure and heart mummur type issues go undetected for ages, and may not require any treatment, but it's good to know about it when you're exercising. Loosing motor control of your hand in the middle of a free-weights session could be a bit oopsy!

 

[HappyJock]

Absolutely that could be from the abuse - in fact if you have DID, it would be fairly normal (co...

That makes a lot of sense. Thanks. Yeah, I'm thinking it's a dissociative thing more than anything else.

I'm not a smoker, thankfully. So I made an appointment with a neurologist. Yeah, exactly. That would be painful in the middle of a workout. The concerning part after it was mentioned was that I also have recently started having heart pains. A year ago when I learned about my abuse I got stressed so much, I threw up so often I tore my issofogus and it's now touching up against my heart and I was told if it kept doing that it'd stop my heart so that I should be careful and workout little to not place more pressure. Looks like trauma has put me in a bad place

 

[Sideways]

Faaark! That sounds painful:confused: I'm a massive fan of Maxalon to keep my nausea at bay, & now I'm thinkin maybe I should be dropping those wonder pills more often!

I'm envisaging a trip to a gastroenterologist at some point in your future for an endoscopy if you haven't had one already. I don't really get the whole health insurance thing you guys have got going over there, but if anyone ever offers you some corrective surgery for that:tup:

 

[Powder]

I'm sorry you have this going on, Happyjock.

When I found out that most of my physical problems were simply manifestations of my trauma it metaphorically blew the lid off my perception of reality. I had NO IDEA that trauma could cause constant pain and other disabling issues that felt 100% purely physical.