PTSD causes brain damage. Remember, the brain shrinks when exposed to stress. This causes all kinds of other problems.

So, like depression, yes. The original damage can go away. The after effects will take much longer. The diseases set off may get better, but may not.

Things you can do:

-first, get exercise. It's shown to work as well as zoloft. SSRIs are known to work now not by making you happy, but by stimulating brain growth. So does exercise- so get some. Remember, you're not looking for immediate effect, you're doing it as part of a rehabilitative program, so stick to it, and look for results in a year. There WILL be results.

-second, consider meds. SSRI, or even milnacipran, now approved for fibromyalgia. This is important because they do help stimulate brain regrowth, so their effects can be permanent. You have to take them for weeks before you see a result, but they are NOT a get happy crutch- they're a restorative medicine intended to help you combat the damages done to your brain.

-stay in therapy. Talk therapy works, but you have to use it. You have to go, listen, disagree where you need to, take everything you can from it. This is where you relearn how to relate to the world so you can stop injuring yourself just by being in contact with it. Meep. I've been in therapy 4 years now and it's helped. Am I happy yet? No. But life is better. It hurts less to live.

- Get a sleep test. Fibromyalgia sometimes indicated sleep apnea or other sleep disorders (mine was narcolepsy.) So get that checked.

-Be patient. Expect bad days. Plan for bad times and have backup plans as well. Then, when bad times happen, USE those plans.

-meditate. It's not for inner peace, it's for brain regrowth. You might get some peace out of it, but more than that, you'll get self-regulation, and THAT is worth more than any amount of enlightenment. Self-regulation is one thing we haven't got when we have PTSD. You'll find it changes things a lot. I use a meditation tape, your mileage may vary. Whatever works for you, do it and do it regularly.

-Get a good "go to sleep" program, using the same cues every night. This will help you on the bad nights, and give you some familiarity day to day.

-If you are in physical therapy, go to it religiously. If you aren't, consider it for the physical issues. If you can't, get into an exercise program. Start now.

-Remember this. It does not get easier. Ever. It does get better. You will always have stuff to deal with; that stuff will not always break your heart a dozen times a day. The stuff will not always be unbearable. The overall effects of treatment over time are to make it so that you are able to tolerate everyday life, and you will always have an everyday life to deal with. But that gets better. You deal with better stuff. You still have bad days but you know what to do with yourself on them. It takes less effort to get out of bed.

Is my life easier after four years of all this?

No. Really no.

Is it better? yes. It's not all better. There are lots of things about it I still find horrible and terrible. But ... *I* am better. I like me more. I find it more worth it to do the work. I find it less terrible to be me. I feel, maybe not like I have a future yet, but that the possibility of feeling that way exists, and I have choices. I make better choices.

I'm in school at night now. Never could have done that before. I'm in shape. I still have autoimmune diseases but they are not all-consuming. I work. I have a life. Not much of one, but still, it's something. I go contra dancing every thursday and leave early to make sure I still get enough rest for work. I do things, I try things. I don't like my life, but I like being me, and I can feel now as if my choices do have some power to change my life. Not a lot yet, but it's something I can't remember ever feeling before. I don't have nightmares every night and I can have days without a panic attack.

Not every day, but some days, and that's more than ever before.

It's hard. It's worth it. It doesn't go away, but you stop giving it cookies. It stops running your life.

I'm so sorry you have to go through this, but I promise, from someone who's been going through the motions for awhile- YES. The motions do get you somewhere worth getting to, really and truly.