I find it hard to believe.That severe, physical pain, that is visiable , tested and documented, can be caused, by something as simple as having been through a Hurricane. Surely there is some as yet unknown physical cause, the doctors have , as yet to figure out. Each specialist, has tunnel vision, they have dificulty in seeing beyond their own areas of interest. But what if there is more than one disfunction? I spasm, in my vocal cords, my throat as well as my esophogus. I have seen more than one: gastroenteoligist, neurologist, ENT, acupuncturist, chirapractor, psychiarist, therapist, Speach therapist, and it was, only my family doctor who has given me any relief, with the drug Ryzolt.
Is it possible for someone diagnosed as PTSD, to have severe physical pain?
- Asked
- 30 Nov 2010 by questing
- Updated
- 8 Apr 2011
- Topics
- post traumatic stress disorder, pain
Responses (2)
From all I've read about chronic pain I don't think this is due to having PTSD. That's like saying all this pain and the symptoms are all in your head yet I do believe that depression/trauma can weaken our immune systems to open us up to pain disorders and other diseases.
All the stress you must have gone through didn't help but that is a symptom and not the cause of whatever is wrong with you.
I would try to find a teaching hospital with a pain management doctor.
First of all, I'd like to say that I had to rewrite this due to finding out that my doctor either lied, or just didn't know, and made a guess that was apparently just blunt out wrong. Never completely believe what they say, as it is important to do your own research (as you're kinda doing by asking the community).
Yes, PTSD can cause chronic pain, pain that will go away once you get the ptsd controlled through therapy. I'm not totally certain if medication helps as well, or if it only covers up certain aspects of the problem. The most common pains associated would be the organs, like a pain in the stomach or the chest. I personally have ptsd and fibro. At first there was some speculation (and still is) that the fibro pain may be caused by the ptsd, but for me, the pain points cover primarily the back, the neck, and the knees in symmetrical formation, and is on the verge of being a text book style fibro - as it is a very nerve based sort of pain that radiates from the pain points, and is totally not a muscular sort of pain. I generally don't get the stomach pains, or any of my guts hurting except when I have bad anxiety / depression flair-ups. In that case I'll get the pains in the stomach and chest (ptsd is a form of anxiety, so this makes sense to me). When this happens, the doctors almost always want for me to go inpatient, although in the past this only lasts by the most a week, so I ignore the advise for one week and wait it out. The vocal cords, throat and esophagus is a new one to me, but don't really see it as being impossible, perhaps uncommon, but ultimately I don't know. I don't think that the doctors know either.
Anyways, for ptsd, the only medication that really really worked for me was Minipress - an alpha blocker. I'm also on Abilify, but that's for the general depression (feels very different from the ptsd depression), as the ptsd was under control when the Abilify was added back on. Good luck to you, and really, it would make sense that it might affect the vocal area, as the attacks that are managed with Minipress control the action of norepinephrine, which would normally raise blood pressure and cause those oh so fun attacks (way way worse than any panic attack that I've ever experienced in my life, including the ones with palpitations that bruise the chest and last for a half hour). If the ptsd raises blood pressure due to the surges in norepinephrine, the vocal area by logic would then be very affected.
I'm not a doctor, just a random broken guy who enjoys logic, so as tunnel vision as the doctors are, they know more than I do, and if I were you, go to the library and look up cases of ptsd and pain. If you do this, then you'll be equipped to catch any bs, and ask the correct questions, and not except the brush off answers. I just tried to look up on the web a list of typical pains associated with ptsd, and the neck and back came up as being very common... something that I have been told before was not so. When doctors don't know themselves, it is so so common for them to make guesses, or tell you info that they want for you to believe (really, doing it in your best interest, but isn't helpful in solving anything). Second opinions are always a good thing in complex cases such as this, and any professional psychiatrist would be more than happy to assist you in finding a good doctor to get another point of view on the situation.
Good luck, and hope that this is mildly helpful!
Sincerely,
Jeff K
My computer crashed, and I appoligize, for the delay in my answer to your well thought out answer. It sounds like you have this affliction figured out. And what you have said makes more sense to me than all of those " specialist! My dearest friend reciently had a nerve burn in the back of her head , to help control her fibro, she has told me of her pain , dealing with the fibro.,and the doctors, at first told her , the pain was in her head! They said the same thing to me, It is not just , in my head! The ENT, that did the botox into my vocal cords, actually has pictures of the malfunction. How ever not one, specialist has been able to pin point , what the were finally calling nerve damage.help the PTSD.

Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.
Similar Questions
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - I have ptsd because of being gang raped in collage I am 46 now and?
Posted 24 Apr 2012 • 5 answers
I have recently been diagnosed with boarderline personality disorder, but feel I have ptsd?
Posted 15 Apr 2013 • 4 answers
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - My PTSD meds me so sick. I was so sick because depakoate caused a?
Posted 4 Jun 2013 • 3 answers
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - thought I beat ptsd or was getting close. then the fire anniversary
Posted 3 Jan 2016 • 5 answers
Lamictal? I've been formally diagnosed now with PTSD Severe reccurant major depression and GAD?
Posted 21 Apr 2016 • 0 answers
Thanks so very, very much. These doctors nearly had me convinced it was all in my head. So perhaps, there were some existing weak places, in my body that was stressed to the breaking point? I have a close friend who has thought that was what happened., She said, I can actually see your spasms.It's not in your head! I have had people on the street, stop me and ask , could they help me. You can see the actual spasms! Yet two other friends, said get more therapy! It was that hurricane.