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New member and my introduction

Discussion in 'Support Subforum' started by pilatesgirl, May 20, 2014.

  1. pilatesgirl

    pilatesgirl Peer Supporter

    Hi everyone,
    I am new to TMS and new to this forum. The symptoms I am experiencing are pelvic pain/vulvodynia. This started after a vaginal infection that was misdiagnosed for 8 long months. I was originally told I had an autoimmune disease but I had no visual symptoms. During those months the gynecologists that treated me were dismissive, cruel and either sent me on my way without help or wanted to do surgery. As a result I became incredibly anxious and depressed. I had to stop teaching pilates and my entire life was turned upside down.
    I was finally treated for the infection with an antibiotic. It took several months for the tissues to fully heal but the pain never stopped. It was also spreading to the back of the legs, sitting bones and gluteal creases. I've been in physical therapy for pelvic pain for over a year. I went as far as traveling to California to see one of the top pelvic pain physical therapists in the world. She was very knowledgeable, compassionate and even though she doesn't treat pelvic pain as TMS she is working with Lorimer Moseley (author of Explain Pain) from Australia. I returned home to continue physical therapy and I have improved some but I am still experiencing symptoms. They are worse with sitting and tight clothing...likely because I fear those the most.
    I have a history of anxiety, ocd and depression. In my twenties and thirties I had a major onset of anxiety, ocd and depression after a big life change. My twenties it was shortly after getting married and having some health issues...which were most likely TMS. In my thirties it was after the birth of my first child. I am a perfectionist and have always been a caretaker and put the needs of others before myself. I grew up in an abusive environment with a mother that was a prescription drug addict/alcoholic. She eventually went into a drug induced psychosis for five years of my adolescence. I have had a lot of therapy and also know the work of Dr. Claire Weekes. Her book Hope and Help for your Nerves was instrumental to my healing in my twenties and thirties.
    This is the first time I have experienced long lasting pain. I am still fearful and hypervigilant of my symptoms. I am a little confused about the work of Dr. Claire Weekes and pain. I have had just about every symptom in her book Hope and Help for your Nerves and her theory really does work with the symptoms I have had in the past. Does it work the same for pain? By allowing the pain and the thoughts about the pain to "just be there" without reacting to them the pain will eventually fade?
    I am going to see a health psychologist this coming Friday that also works with mind/body syndromes and has helped other women with pelvic pain so that should be interesting. I still do see a physical therapist, chiropractor and dry needler. Sounds like I will need to stop those therapies.
    I look forward to hearing from some of you. I am sure I will have many questions as I begin this process.
    Thank you.
     
  2. Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)

    Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021) Beloved Grand Eagle

    Hi, Pilatesgirl. As Steve Ozanich told me after I told him about my back pain and my childhood traumas,
    "You have a perfect storm for TMS."

    Your childhood, your mother, your perfectionist and "goodist" personality wanting to help others
    are all causing your pain because you've been repressing your emotions about them.

    Here are some videos that explain it all, if you haven't seen them or videos like them that
    explain TMS and how to stop pain:

    http://tmswiki.org/forum/threads/mbs-mindbody-syndrome-seminar-with-dr-schubiner.4602/
     
  3. happygal

    happygal New Member

    Hi Pilatesgirl,
    Oh, can I relate to the horrible doctors in regard to vulvodynia. I think I saw 8 - maybe 9 - of them before I self-diagnosed over the internet. But, to give you hope, I have completely recovered. Now my TMS symptoms are just other things!

    For me, I am certain that my vulvodynia had a physical component and TMS component. The short story is that after a really difficult pregnancy, every single one of my pelvic floor muscles was hard as a rock and excruciating to the touch, and I do believe that effective physical therapy was extremely helpful in helping to break the spasming cycle. But all my nerves were hyper-stimulated from 18 months of continuous muscle spasming and it took a while for them to calm down. Moving from the status of somewhat improved due to PT to fully recovering was where the TMS part kicked in. In the beginning, when I started to improve, every time I felt the nerve pain, I would spiral into depression and fear and the pain would increase. I learned, though, to slowly fear less, knowing that I was capable of feeling better and the less I feared, the better I got. I still get the odd twinge now and again, but I know it will go away, and then, in true TMS fashion, it does.

    You were in a lot of real pain for 8 months with your infection. And I am sure extremely fearful with no one able to properly diagnose you. I think what Claire Weekes talks about is completely relevant to this type of pain as well - the fear will keep the pain alive. Given that you have had such success with her strategy in the past, I am sure it will help with this situation too.

    Feel free to private message me if you want about my experience with vulvodynia. I will share with you everything I know.
     

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