I've been reading this site for a while and finally decided to say hello. I'm Patricia, live currently just outside Detroit city. I am divorced, have an 18 year old daughter, am an artist, and taught at an art college until I was given the government's seal of approval on disability, yah.

I have CPTSD from nasty childhood followed by nasty marriage and a couple of other isolated incidences. I plugged along until my father died; within a year of his funeral, I entered psych unit of area hospital for the first time. In and out of hospitals since then, diagnosed with bipolar at first, then finally correctly diagnosed. Found a good therapist (after several) and have been in therapy with her for over 7 years. I am through the harshest parts of therapy.

I have some questions about endless fatigue and joint pain (which have been mentioned in here). I've been assuming that it's some kind of auto-immune syndrome, since blood tests aren't showing anything much. I read a lot on Bruce Campbell's site for chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia people and it is very thorough and quite helpful for anyone with chronic illness, but, I am feeling extremely frustrated/overwhelmed and, well, reaalllyy PO-ed!

We all know way too well what a tremendous amount of outrageous work it is to work through the pain of the past and then to manage the symptoms of this mental illness. How do you manage severe physical limitations on top of all that?

One step at a time--yes, yes, I understand. Yoga/tai-chi, good nutrition, routine, sleep, etc. Pacing. Doing it. I just want to make some art. Is that too much to ask?

Sorry. Having a bad day. Thanks for listening.

HI Pat,

Welcome to the forum. Physical pain. Yup you said it all. Yoga, push through it, meditation, exercise, and plenty of rest. Some meds help with the pain too. Warm baths is my all time favorite, with candles, and soft music. Anything that will help me to relax the muscles.

Hi Pat, welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear your having a bad day. I get like that with all of the extra physical pain on top of the mental pain. It sure adds up!

Peace
Tammy

Hi Patricia, welcome to the forum. Yep, understand your frustration, though that's all it is, frustration. You know all the answers, I guess its how much you apply them within your life to the outcome, however; pain is a little different. PTSD itself, stress, typically causes pain within the body. Saying that though, it doesn't mean everything is PTSD related. If you have been tested and nothing else came back, then yes, stress related.

Do you exercise the pain range your experiencing? If so and that isn't helping, sometimes when you have tried all else, maybe medication is the answer. That is something for me to say, as medication for me is the last resort when all else has been tried and failed.

What is the pain your experiencing? Do you run or exercise at a more intensive level that uses majority of bodies muscles, beyond static exercise?

Thanks very much for your welcome. I appreciate your time and the amount of effort taken to set up this site and keep it going.

Yes, I'm frustrated; I am also extremely angry which, useful or not, is how it is. I'll get over it.

Any advice on how to handle the fatigue and pain? The fatigue is large--I make a salad dressing and then have to sit down for an hour afterwards. The pain is not horrid--it is merely waxing/waning joint/muscle achiness on the order of a noisy overly-tired 5 year old.

I take a 1/2 hr walk and am crying on the home stretch--legs are like numb stumps I haul one in front of the other. It wasn't like this last spring--I am used to taking a 45 min walk 5-6 days a week--not intense exercise, but adequate for me.

Is it best to push through it? A couple of weeks ago, I experimented: walked per day: 4 miles, 2 miles, 3 miles, 2 miles, 2 miles and then became so exhausted that I couldn't get to store (in and out of car was too much of an event). That kind of fatigue lasted 5 days and then I felt well enough to go back to walking. If pushing through it will make me better over the long haul, I will do it. Honestly, I'd rather push than not--I'm better at dealing with pain. I am not good at dealing with fatigue.

It is not knowing what to do that makes it most difficult. If I know what to do, I can do it. Is this pain a fibromyalgia/CFS thing? Is it something that comes out of stress-breakdown? Are they different, in terms of treatment?

Thanks again.

Patricia

Anthony: Since I'm still in moderation, maybe you could unsubscribe me without printing this. I don't understand why you wrote that I am only feeling frustration. What else do you think that I believe that I am feeling, that you don't think I am feeling? It doesn't make sense to me.

And I don't understand the implication that since I have the knowledge, my wellness is directly related to how well I apply that knowledge. It is true that I am good at research; I am also a very hard worker. I am not lying about this, yet I remain unwell. Not unbearably unwell, just mentally and physically ill. Do you write this because I don't belong on this site, since you work with people who are at the beginning of their journeys? It is ok, if I don't belong. I'd just much rather you simply tell me so.

I'd not leave before I've even started, since you're only part of the grand group on this site, except that these oddnesses have sent me back into a flashback that I'm just now crawling out of, into games my father-the-christian-minister used to play with me. I can't handle it. My choice, right?

Thank you for asking about the pain, though. I'll figure it out. I wish you the best in your work; it is good work. Just don't be so certain about quality/quantity of everyone's lies, ok?

Patricia

Pat,

I too have been diagnosed with Myofascial pain syndrome and Fibromyalgia. Although some here will say that it isn't that, just part and parcel of PTSD. Who knows???? All I do know is what I deal with everyday. I'm tired, exhausted, but I push through mine. I am in bed at 8pm, and up at 4am. I have to be up that early.

How you deal with things ......you will have to figure that one out. I do know that for me the exercise helps. I don't over do it though like I used to. I do a mile on the treadmill in the morning, and a mile on the Elliptical at night. Plus I am busy during the day.

Yes the fatigue SUCKS big time......

Hang in there.

Hi Patricia, no idea what exactly your talking about above... please do explain. Are you dissociating or something maybe? Just feel like venting your frustration possibly? Not sure how to take you last post though... quite some hostility within it.

Sorry surrounding your account, you where asked to read the legal policy of this site during registration, as you agreed to that legal policy. No material is deleted at user request.

my mom has fibromyalgia and she is in consistent pain, goes to bed around 7am, gets up at 2am, its hard for her, and she doesn't have PTSD To deal with as well. I am so sorry that you have to go thru this. Can your daughter provide some 'physical' support, just to talk to , etc... maybe go get your nails manicured every month, not all the time, but just some relaxing times for you. my mom is now consistently on oxycoton,(sp?) which is not the way i wish to see her, but she is her own person, i can only tell her how i feel, i can't make her do anything.

Welcome to the forum -

I know of three things it seems we have in common . . . PTSD, and probably fibromyalgia , and chronic fatigue syndrome.

I have found it a rather tough combination. Particularly, the fibromyalgia and CFS. I can cope with the PTSD symptoms. But the fatigue and muscle and joint pain is the hardest. Unfortunately, at least in the USA there is no test for fibromyalgia or CFS except for a pressure point test for fibromyalgia . In the US they are not even recognized as illnesses yet. I have been helped my mild pain medications for the fibromyalgia, but the CFS is a continuing problem. I have found no solution for that other than to try and get enough rest and do whatever I can that my doctor's or psychopathic physician asks me to do.



I hope you have a medical caregiver that is knowledgeable about fibromyalgia and CFS.