Fibromyalgia Community

Wow that's a great question, I'd never really thought about it before. But I sat with this question today and after a few hours my answer is yes, I do think my PTSD is sometimes triggered when my flares are bad.

Mine is from a rough growing up plus one rotten ex husband. Now I'm years past that and have had some good treatment, so my daily life is pretty great.

But when the flares are bad the Fibro fog can dominate the days, and I think I might lose some of my coping techniques. Also I'll be on more pills, and if the flare lingers then depression can start hanging around, and that doesn't help things.

So this gives me something to watch for. A flare seems to be starting now and I'll try to watch if PTSD gets in the mix and makes everything worse.

Thanks for opening my eyes to this.

I've never been diagnosed with PTSD by any doctor--just myself because when I suffer from fibromyalgia/CFS flare-ups, it often brings back bad memories of difficult situations I've had with my now estranged brother and sister-in-law who treated me so unfairly with their horrible attitude of disbelieve about my inabilities. They could not accept how debilitating fibromyalgia was for me or that I had severely painful back trouble as well which incapacitated me severely a times. Even though I've tried to consider the source and remind myself that my sister-in-law is is a paranoid and deluded person who believes everyone lies and I should not pay any attention to her, it's upsetting that she has turned my brother (and only sibling) against me. At one of the worst times in life when I was dealing with the loss of my mother when she died 3-1/2 years ago, I had to also cope with the loss of my only brother--the last remaining member of my immediate family that I grew up with--and he's alive (we became estranged and haven't spoken since the weekend my mother dies.) Even though I wasn't close pals with him, he was really all I had left from my side of my family with both my parents gone now, aside from my husband and 3 children, of course. I have some other distance relatives, but that's not the same as losing someone so closely related who was raised in the same household with you. Even though my mother had a difficult personality and was hard to cope with, I still loved her and never tried to get out of helping with her care because of that like my sister-in-law seemed to feel. I certainly wasn't making up lame excuses not to fly 2000 miles across the country to avoid providing help to relieve my brother and his wife. Years ago I quit a job for 8 or 9 mo. to stay home and care for my mother after she had 2 major surgeries, and then I was involved in taking care of her when she lived in my home an average of 2 to 5 mo. each year over a 17 year period, which was a strain on my marriage. In addition, I did a huge amount long-distance, keeping in touch and on top of things with my mother and her caregivers, doctors, nurses, physical therapists, etc. whenever she had medical emergencies, plus I shopped for personal items and sent them to her and arranged for medical supplies or equipment to be ordered for her. I also I spent weeks doing tremendous research to find a suitable nursing home for my mother at the end of her life, struggling and working hard day and night--early and late because of the time zone difference...and all while simultaneously dealing with my own difficult back trouble, etc.--all with no thanks from my brother. My mother lived alone in her own home and I must point that she never spent more and maybe 3 nights sleeping over at my brother's house over the years, so he had no idea how difficult living with her could be, although in her good moments she was nice company for me, so it wasn't all bad. After all I did for my mother in person and long-distance, I did not deserve the treatment I received from my brother, including details I won't go into about how he cheated me out of belongings left in my mother's house after she died. How can I not have nightmares about the awful experience I had with my brother, with his horrible attitude towards me after he refused to acknowledge and belittled my help abd minimized all my health and physical problems. I try hard to put this in the past and keep reminding myself that I don't need disbelievers and people like that in my life. Fibromyalgia/CFS at least partly responsible for this estrangement of mine that may last a lifetime.