Hi everyone,
Click the link to read the original post on Med Headlines – Synapse Medical Publishers Inc blog.
Below was my comment on the post – No I am not bashing anyone here, read ahead and be pleasantly surprised on my analogy.
Boy hasn’t this topic been tossed up in the air for a lot of people with chronic pain and Illnesses.
Ok here is where I stand on the topic from someone who has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and has suffered abuse as a child.
I believe anybody who has suffered PTSD from whatever cause or associated depression over a number of years whilst a child or teenager is at a higher risk of developing real pain and real illnesses due to the physiological changes caused by the PTSD and or depression. I think it may be a predisposing factor, but that has yet to be proven with sufficient study.
What I don’t believe – All illness and pain is psychologically derived.
I believe many people are incorrectly diagnosed with “Somatisization Disorder”…….
My case is very unique in the fact I had previously healed from my childhood abuse and had conquered my PTSD and associated depression. Not many people can claim this, but I am not traumatised a minute longer, I won’t let them have that over me anymore. I am a pillar of strength with much more power in my hands now. I over came my past 2 years before I injured my ankle.
May be the circumstances surrounding the injury – Anger towards a company about why and how it happened and needing time out during studying my university degree. The longer it took to “heal” the more panicked I was that my life as I wanted it to be wasn’t going to happen. There was psychological stress associated with it being a work injury before the CRPS diagnosis.
Perhaps all the stress associated with my injury helped to throw my nervous system into dysfunction. Perhaps the long standing psychological stress that my body once knew made my nervous sytem more fragile to being dysfunctional in producing the wrong quantities neurotransmitters and the other Real physical changes that occur neurologically.
I am in severe pain and I do spend a lot of my time at home but I don’t sit around muddling over my past. I did that when I was “healing” psychologically 2 years before being injured. If anything it has made dealing with my “Adjustment Disorder” more easy, I know how to deal with myself and work through things. I am emotionally smarter.
May be because of my past I am able to deal with my CRPS & its associated depression more easily.
I think my case presents itself as very interesting considering I have learnt from the past and moved on, yet I suffer CRPS. But I believe psychological trauma can make the body systems more vulnerable to dysfunction, whether it be past or present trauma.
So what do we all think?
Love & light
Mel xx
I absolutely believe that chronic pain and illness can result from child abuse. Not for one minute do I think that it is psychological. It is very real pain and disease created by very real physiological changes in the body, brain, immune system, hormones etc. due to the stress and trauma from the abuse.
You might be right that the anger from your situation around hurting your ankle had something to do with your developing CRPS. I also wonder if, even though you have healed from your childhood trauma, the changes in your body from the trauma and PTSD still predisposed you to developing a pain syndrome and the ankle injury was the trigger that set it off.
I, too, was abused. I also suffer from lupus, fibromyalgia and IBS, PTSD and depression. Unlike you, I am still dealing with my abuse issues.
Best of luck to you and congratulations on working through your childhood abuse. That is not easy!
Hi Tamara,
I wish you well on your healing journey. It was tough, like with medical issues, somethings work for some and not for others but I will share the backbone of my psychological healing.
First I needed to be on Sertraline 200mg (max dose) then when that kicked in it was like the negativity lifted and I finally realised the difference between general saddness and real depression. Then with the help of a psychologist who had special training in “childhood trauma” I bravely read and worked out of the book “The Courage to Heal”. This book was a godsend to me. I also had one session with a psychiatrist who changed my thinking (yes in one session! lol) using my anger at them to focus and redivert the horrible image of myself towards them instead. They deserve the what comes thier way, and lets just say I had one trembling in their boots just from me telling them what I think. That is the greatest satisfaction, knowing I have the power now to make thier life harder for them, and it has been, but so it should.
Basically I have achieved much more in my life then they ever did, since healing I can now laugh harder and appreciate the small beautiful things in life. My life changed so much for the better – I could face people from my old school who once used to “bitch about me” and caused me a lot of trouble and I could laugh in thier face, more to say “look at me now” lol. That was before CRPS! Aaarrggghhh lol Now it is like don’t look at me LOL.
Hope this helps anyone out there………….
PS Listening to Alanis Morissette helps too, LOL.
Mel xx
Mel,
Thank you for being so open and sharing your healing journey with me. I actually have the book “The Courage to Heal” but have been having trouble reading it. My doctor did just give me an anti-depressant and once that kicks in it sounds like I might be strong enough to work through the book.
I am very happy for you that you have found such strength and joy in your life. So sorry about the CRPS! Doesn’t seem fair somehow
that you would have to deal with that, too.
All the best to you,
Tamara
Hi Tamara,
No problem, I find if I can help anyone in anyway by sharinbg my story then that is worth more then anything in the world.
The reason why the anti depressant worked so well for me was because of being depressed for far too long, my brain needed chemical intervention. When I discovered the difference between depression and normal saddness that is where I was more receptive to the grueling healing process. Not all anti depressants work for all people, so it may be trail and error. Give yourself time and just let things be, it is best done when your ready to go through it all so eventually you can move on. Yes you must go through it, not around LOL. I know how tempting that was LOL! I hope you do get to the other side and can enjoy life as best as you can even though your chronically ill.
Hmmmm Apparently God only hands out as much as we can handle………………….. You know I think if I never suffered all this adversity in my life I would be a less compassionate person.
Thanks for the comments, been a great discussion!
take care
Mel xx