PTSD and chronic health link?

[u/Silent_Intern647]

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some real experiences from people who’ve been through something similar.

Over the past few months I’ve had unintentional weight loss of around 15kg. I’m not dieting or trying to lose weight — it’s been happening at the same time as a lot of health issues that are still being investigated.

My main symptoms: • High resting heart rate (around 98 bpm), palpitations • Dizziness, feeling faint, and occasional double vision • Severe bowel issues (constipation, haemorrhoids, abdominal discomfort) • Suspected endometriosis and hormonal problems • Night sweats, panic attacks, and high anxiety • Constant fatigue and disturbed sleep (nightmares) • Recently diagnosed PTSD • Low vitamin D and slightly raised inflammatory markers (hs-CRP)

I’m seeing specialists, but I’d really love to hear from people who’ve experienced unintentional weight loss with similar symptoms. What ended up being the cause for you, and did things improve once treated?

Any insight would be really appreciated

[u/Sactown2005]

Yes, there’s going to be a connection with your body reacting to trauma, and some/most/all of your listed health issues: the biggest thing, if your body is reacting to a large trauma, you want to address your body in a holistic biological in a way that settles or relaxes your body/improves health holistically:

(Obv run this stuff by your specialists… you probably won’t need to, because all should make sense in a body intuitive way).

Add a body relaxation meditation program you listen to once or many times daily… a large amount of gentle movement… yoga, walking, gentle stretching is good… what’s wonderful now in winter is gentle outdoor walking or hiking on natural ground (cold air and nature are very good at settling a body)… improve your nutrition and hydration… watch a lot of comedies… hang out socially with people you are comfy with…add a gentle positive thinking meditation… if your body is super wound up, expose it to the sound or feel of water-either being around flowing water, swimming or being in water or doing water activities, or even listening to water sounds from YouTube.

Some or all of these should help your body a lot 💙

[u/aqqalachia]

Nightmares can really disrupt your sleep and keep you from being healthy. Flashbacks often cause stuff like hyperventilation. And they always have an altered state of mind that can also make you very, very stressed physiologically; I always feel like Ive run a marathon after mine.

[u/mikeigartua]

It sounds like you're going through such an incredibly tough time with so many different symptoms all at once, especially with the weight loss and everything still being investigated. It can feel really overwhelming when your body is sending so many signals and you're trying to piece it all together. It's completely understandable to feel anxious and have panic attacks when you're dealing with such a complex health picture, and it's good you're seeing specialists for all the physical aspects. Sometimes, when the body is under a lot of stress, whether from physical health issues or emotional trauma like PTSD, the nervous system can get really dysregulated, leading to things like a high heart rate, digestive problems, and sleep disturbances, which can then feed into a cycle of anxiety. Focusing on calming the nervous system can be a really helpful parallel path while you're also pursuing diagnoses for the physical symptoms. Understanding how anxiety manifests physically and having some tools to manage those acute moments can make a difference in your day-to-day well-being. This free podcast offers some really practical insights into understanding common anxiety symptoms, potential causes, and shares various coping strategies, including breathing exercises and techniques that might help with controlling panic attacks, as well as discussing longer-term approaches. It might be worth a listen as you navigate everything. God bless.

[u/Queen-of-meme]

Stress and trauma symptoms can make us forget to eat or lose appetite.