Moving forward (sexual abuse )

Owwww !! Sounds painful @Former-Member .... 😔💕

I have a fractured toe at the moment ... its one I broke a few years ago. I couldn't stand on it that time, because it was truly broken. And although it has healed I recognised that it was still a weak point for me. Fractured it a couple of days ago trying to manage our rocket-dog with tradies here ....

Nothing like yours though. I can hobble. You must be on crutches with that ?

Was that a sporting injury ?

We have hypermobility - very elastic ligaments - that cause dislocations n stuff.

That pattern of breathing helps with pain management. Just deepen your breathing whenever you think of it, but don't stress about it. Stress causes shallow breathing which is part of our fight-or-flight response .... deep breathing helps to switch that off and calm us down.

@Former-Member@Faith-and-Hope Not trying to compete in the pain issue but know about it. Am waiting for knee replacements, suddenly got back pain and it was diagnosed as kidney stones, more waves of pain and CT scans showed a slipped disc. On too much pain meds at fhe moment and worry about the addictiveness. But I totally find that physical pain, especially intense pain leaves us very vulnerable towards our mental health.

After developing chills and sweats my gp ordered another scan which showed cirrhosis of the liver...very healthy. Anyway this led to the hep blood screen..twice. Embarrased because all I could think of was the obvious, advertised cause. Howver, tattoos and a lot of blood transfusions were our worry! NEGATIVE, mind you took a while to get up the courage to receive results, had conviced myself I had it. Anyway. Stopping the boooorrring commentary, I really wanted you to know that I know how you are feeling.. Everything seems worse somehow, again we've lost control.

Am I anywhere in your ball park? @Former-Member@Faith-and-Hope

No, you're not some sort of freak .... but those are the sort of questions to talk about with your therapist, in the same sort of way we can't discuss medications here ... because those working closely with you are the ones who understand best about how the brain processes trauma in ways that we don't here.

I am sorry to hear about your ankle. One of my kids had a broken wrist for a week before the dr realised and sent thenpm for x-rays, and another three had broken arms without it being obvious. Even my toe I had people telling me that it wasn't broken because I wouldn't have been as calm as I was if it was - I went out to a school event before seeing the doctor - but we all have our different levels if coping, and it sounds like you were coping so well, your GP didn't pick up how injured you were.

If you ask about pain relief, it will help with the healing process. You are feeling it at the moment that the pain is weighing you down. Can you go to a clinic tomorrow ?

Wow @Baileyboy .... you're really in the wars too .... !!

There are others here with ongoing back pain. Not fun, but they can really relate. There are so many aspects of the forums where we're not alone ....

There are some threads that are good distractions too. Another forumite put me onto online jigsaw puzzles. I was doing online crosswords before that. There's an art thread up and running, and one calked Feel Good Moments. A personal favourite of mine is Everything Cats ! .... just love cat logic ....

Here is one of the jigsaw puzzles ....

Distraction provides some pain relief, including emotional pain.

@Former-Member I totally understand the guilt with the knowlege that your body responded in a positive way while you were in trauma. Being so young I don't think I even knew what responses meant. I was an early developer. 3 things gappened when I was 9, dad died, sexual abuse started and I got my first period...and apparently thes things did not stpo my body responding.

In some ways, I began to tohope for a physical response so I could cope with the horrific circumstaces surrounding each event. When I began to remember I was disgusted. I thought that I was to blame if I could like some feelings... HOW? Even now I cringe and can feel myself disappearing, the old feelings of there must be something wrong with me POP UP and now it's there. Caught by surprise again!

@Former-Member, I hope @Baileyboy relating their experiences helps you to see you are not a freak for how you have felt, or are feeling now.

There is an incredible amount of support in finding that other people have gone through, or are struggling with, the same sort of things you are.

💜🌷

@Faith-and-Hope nights are definitely the worst times but if I get through the night and the pain is bad in the morning..wow..the day quickly goes downhill. Am actually seeing a naturopath next week to see if I can find more organic help. At the moment trying a spot of pot...but concerned about the side effects. Not regular, just desperate last resort.

I love to read...books...real books, not e readers or kindles or whatever. Love the feel of the pages and the way it smells as you turn the pages. Read anything Yep am having a love affair with books. Lost all my books 3 yrs ago when some idiot broke in and plugged the bath and sinks, turned the water on and flooded the house. My library was in the room next door. It was like ld lost friends. Now I buy them when I can and when asked what gifts I want for occasions everyone knows it's books or a gift voucher to get books. I know the internet is so immediate but can you hug it?

Bb.