Childhood trauma, inflammation, cancer?

Thanks for posting this! Really interesting. I will order both books.

Oh my goodness Rudekremlincat! What kind of support do you have? It sounds like a good time to activate your entire system. Family, friends, coworkers, neighbors etc. There is a role for all levels. When I was going through treatment, I complained to my therapist that people kept saying "what can I do for you?" She asked me how I responded and I told her "I tell them, nothing, but thanks. I got it." She then challenged me (in a nice gentle way) to think about things that might be nice for others to do for me. Not that I couldn't do them myself, just what would be nice. She asked me to make a list including small things all the way up to larger ones. Once I did that, she suggested I break out the list anytime someone asked me "the question" and let them pick something that felt good to them (based on their time/abilities and our relationship). You see, not letting people help me was actually robbing them of an opportunity to do something that made both of us feel good and actually make our relationship (whatever it was) closer. It felt awkward at first, but after I could tell it actually felt good to people, it got easier.

While being superwoman can feel great, it isn't sustainable for most of us. Life happens and besides, being superwoman gets too darn lonely. 2 rounds of bc (diagnosis and treatment), IBS-D and now regional pain syndrome is an overflowing plate of stress! Do you have a therapist and/or support group? What about medication support?

And it sounds like you're both tired! Have you gotten help with your PTSD? If not, it really can just be debilitating and rob you of your much needed sleep and rest. It can be manageable when things are going well (and superwoman is flying around saving the world), but typically rears it's ugly head when stress increases (or superwoman is grounded by life events).

So let me ask you, what can we do to help? Sending you warm thoughts and gentle ((hugs))

Here's an excerpt from Zebras don't get ulcers book:

You sit in your chair not moving a muscle, and simply think a thought, a thought having to do with feeling angry or sad or euphoric or lustful, and suddenly your pancreas secretes some hormone. Your pancreas? How did you manage to do that with your pancreas? You don't even know where your pancreas is. Your liver is making an enzyme that wasn't there before, your spleen is text-messaging something to your thymus gland, blood flow in little capillaries in your ankles has just changed. All from thinking a thought.

We all understand intellectually that the brain can regulate functions throughout the rest of the body, but it is still surprising to be reminded of how far-reaching those effects can be. The purpose of this chapter is to learn a bit about the lines of communication between the brain and elsewhere, in order to see which sites are activated and which are quieted when you are sitting in your chair and feeling severely stressed. This is a prerequisite for seeing how the stress-response can save your neck during a sprint across the savanna, but make you sick during months of worry.

MTwoman. I especially like the idea of our cells and organs " text messaging " each other. Puts a different light on things. The soul color I'm thinking of it a bright whitish blue that makes those cancer cells shrivel and go poof! Maybe add some classic thundering music to that! Dun da ta dun. F' them! Microscopic machine guns! BOOM! Explosions in red and orange. Ha ha. Hey let's getthe fat and sugar cells too

thank you guys so much for the warmth and support! Wow, I should've posted sooner! You have wonderful suggestions and reminders...stress...hormones...getting well.

Update, hubs and I are working on working on the relationship. New territory.

My support system is far and wide, and since the cancer was last found 2 years ago, there are few offers for help from coworkers and such is minimal, family live far away. Geez. I'm complaining.

I have a job I mostly love and am getting ready to go there. Thank you all

MT woman, more good ideas! I'm very socially introverted but going for coffee is a good idea. I even have someone in mind to ask.

Hubs and I have some very reasonable homework and so far that is going well.

So many ups and downs. I don't remember being like this before cancer

So many wise words in this thread, I hope to bring it back to life by writing in it now, many, many months later!

I have PTSD from childhood trauma and it seems to have been re-activated in me with the breast cáncer diagnosis and surgeries. I've had it relatively easy compared to many on these threads in terms of the cáncer and its treatment, but somehow I've ended up with this unshakeable feeling of vulnerability that, I suspect, stems back to my childhood trauma.

Eating has been my coping mechanism for much of my life, and I've gained weight steadily during the cáncer journey. Now I'm the heaviest I've ever been before, feeling like a total failure, and I just had my exchange surgery a month ago tomorrow. I feel like I should be feeling GOOD, not so bad and sad and down all the time.

I'm on meds and am talking to a therapist, but somehow it doesn't seem like enough. I have a lovely little daughter who I don't want to grow up with a depressed mom...what can I do?

Oh, I'm going to look into that podcast and book! Thanks FarmerLucy.