If you are parenting a foster or adopted child who has been traumatized, you might notice that the child frequently gets sick. Recurring illness is a common aftereffect of trauma that is frustrating for the child as well as for those in the child’s family. Ironically, while living in an abusive environment, the child likely rarely got sick. It is only when the child is removed from the trauma and placed into a safe environment that recurring illness becomes a problem.

Even after years of therapy and living in a safe environment for decades, recurring illness continues to plague me. My doctors all tell me that there is nothing physically wrong with me other than having a few allergies, which are treated. However, I continue to wrestle with one cold after another to the point that I just want to jump off a bridge, and hub is ready to jump after me.

Some people speculate that the problem is the high level of adrenaline that is ever-present in the body of a trauma survivor. This would not surprise me. I am constantly plagued by nightmares, even after years of therapy, and waking up in a cold sweat with my heart racing is the norm for me.

I can see how this could wear down my body’s immune system and make me vulnerable to getting sick. I keep hoping that, at some point, I will have already contracted every possible virus out there so I can at least avoid becoming ill when exposed to some of them!

If you are living with an abused foster or adopted child who suffers from recurring illness, be patient. The child is not purposely trying to get sick. The child likely has no idea how to allow another person to nurture him since being nurtured while sick is a foreign concept to him. Some abused children get mean while sick – this is a defense mechanism to scare others off while he is feeling vulnerable. Be patient and do what you can to help your child recover from the illness(es) quickly.

Related Topics:

Illness after Child Abuse

Photo credit: JulieC