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Cp And Stress Symptoms

speedyinpain
speedyinpain Community member Posts: 52 Listener
edited May 2014 in Cerebral palsy
I am no expert on the subject but I believe their is a link benefit cp stress symptoms. I have had to take time off work as I have to use up my annual leave and my pains and spasms have been nearly non existant thi

Comments

  • panther
    panther Community member Posts: 251 Courageous
    Hi Speedyinpain

    I don't know about stress affect cp pains and spasms but I know I always feel worse if I tired or overtired. I found this became more of a problem while I was working I'd end up spending the weekend resting ready for the next week.
    That was one of the many reasons that eventually helped me to make the decision about stopping work in the end.

    Have you spoken to your gp about any of this? Did they have any advice?

    Helen
  • speedyinpain
    speedyinpain Community member Posts: 52 Listener
    Hi Panther

    I have spoken to my GP and they seemed reluctant to do a stress survey, and said tiredness was down to my CP. I am due to see my consultant next week, and I will discuss this with them.

    Andrew
  • mafala
    mafala Community member Posts: 71 Listener
    The stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol increases muscle tone. Increased muscle tone use up a lot of energy, which causes fatigue. People with CP have a double-whammy in that muscle tone is increased already. As we age we get degeneration in our joints, which in turn increases muscle tone to protect the joints. People with CP experience degeneration a lot younger than other people, particularly if you have been walking. In diplegia the joints are load bearing in a less than optimal way and the cartilage in the joints start to wear and tear causing pain. The fatigue your experiencing is directly related to CP. I think the best thing you can do is to explore different strategies to relieve stress and rest. Mindfulness meditation is something that has become very popular in the US to relieve stress and reduce symptoms of chronic pain. It's used by many doctors, surgeons as well as their patients. It might be worth looking into.

    I hope this helps!
  • Hymerkar
    Hymerkar Community member Posts: 63 Courageous
    [quote name='speedyinpain' date='Mar 12 2010, 04:36 PM' post='34550']
    Hi Panther

    I have spoken to my GP and they seemed reluctant to do a stress survey, and said tiredness was down to my CP. I am due to see my consultant next week, and I will discuss this with them.

    Andrew
    [/quote]


    Hi Andrew,

    I retired from my job in the local health service at the age of 29, because, like you, I was so tired when I was working I had no life because I was just worn out.

    I also think that stress plays a part in my bad CP days as this increases the muscle spasms, which in turn makes me more fatigued. - Its a vicious circle, but its also a chicken and egg situation.

    Hope you can come to a decision with the help of your friends on here and your GP soon.

    Kind regards

    Karen
  • mafala
    mafala Community member Posts: 71 Listener
    Hi,

    Just wanted to add some links to things that could be of interest:

    Article from The Times explaining the latest understanding about chronic pain

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/article7054236.ece

    Something about Mindfulness Stress Reduction

    http://www.mindfullivingprograms.com/whatMBSR.php

    There are plenty of mindfulness courses in the UK if you google them. They have a good evidence base and could be paid for by the NHS (in theory).

    The Lightening Process is mentioned in the article from the Times above:

    http://www.lightningprocess.com/

  • janiced
    janiced Community member Posts: 1 Listener
    This sounds very familiar.
    You get stressed, you get increased tone/stiffness/pain/spasm. This makes you tired, oh and then you get stressed because, you are too tired, in too much of a state physically to deal with whatever was getting you stressed in the first place....

    I did once have a GP who recommended meditation, but it didn't suit me.

    I think we all have to develop our own coping mechanisms and hope they work: books, music, exercise to try and take us away from whatever is making us stressed. Personally I find shouting quite helpful...
  • Jeany
    Jeany Community member Posts: 1 Listener
    I have not been able to go into work for almost 18 months now, and I was dismissed from my job last week as I am still incapable to work.

    I was in a very stressful job, and at the time had a lot on my plate at home also, which eventually made me very ill.

    I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue/Chronic Myalgia ( ME) in June 2012, and was prescribed Citalopram which had no effect even though I was on the maximum dose.

    I stopped taking the Citalopram about 2 weeks ago, and due to the dreadful withdrawal symtoms have made the decision not to take any more anti depressents.

    Most days I am in pain and exhausted. I have to be careful not to over do things if I have a day when I feel better as I suffer for it for days after, but on the days I do feel better of cause I want to go out, so it is a no win case.

    I have had to accept my condition and just try to focus on the good things in my life, and listen to my body and its needs. It is hard as I have always been a very active person, but I keep telling myself that there are lots of people much worse off than myself.

    So keep your chin up guys!!!



  • chelskipete
    chelskipete Community member Posts: 4 Listener
    Interesting comments

    I have a stressful job and a mortgage to pay so would have to change lifestyle dramtically.

    Does anyone know if there are classes/groups to attend to learrn stress relief???? I'm not good at it!
  • Jill2013
    Jill2013 Scope Member Posts: 12 Listener
    Hi I think there are classes to learn stress relief through community learning if not you can try your local health centre they have information on many courses. Im waiting to start one called Mindfull Living or Mindfulness I cant remember exactly what it is called but it does have relaxation tips. Alternatively you can get a book/cd on it but I prefer the classes as you can always ask questions if you dont understand it.

Brightness