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Hello Lou

It doesn't sound strange at all and yes, I have been there - in so much pain I thought I was going mad (plenty of times). And pain that has moved about, seemingly multiplied, given me other horrible and frightening sensations. So yes, I totally empathise.

It sounds like (from this, and your other posts) that you have got really really stressed and scared and anxious about your pain, trying to figure out what it is, trying to figure out what to do about it. I've been there too. It's totally normal and natural. Pain is scary. Our minds want to figure it out, to find out how to get rid of it. Then we get scared that the pain is going to go on forever, going to get worse. We worry and worry and worry.
But here's the thing, it's the stress and anxiety that is causing the pain to escalate. When we get into a loop of that much pain and that much fear, it's impossible to think straight. You can't think your way out of this. Your brain is all haywire (it won't stay that way!) So stop trying to think your way out of pain.

In my experience, in this situation, the best thing you can do is anything to soothe yourself and your nervous system. I promise you if you can just trust and do that, the pain will ease, regardless of whether it's TMS or not. That doesn't matter right now. If you have a painful infection, fear and anxiety are going to make the pain much worse. If it is TMS, fear and anxiety are going to make the pain much worse.

What can you do to help yourself calm down?

Some of the things that have helped me might help give you some ideas, but it has to be something that works for you:
• Slow deep breathing
• Telling myself I am ok, that this has happened before and it passes, that I fully acknowledge that I feel like I'm going mad, but I know that I am not. It will pass.
• Going into a restorative yoga pose that feels comforting
• Sitting on the sofa cuddling a hot water bottle
• The Curable app has a 'panic button' for if you are in pain and don't know what to do. It guides you through a really simple breathing exercise, and talks you through making a note of things that have been stressing you today and that might be contributing to the pain. I have found this brilliantly helpful in some of my "I'm going mad" situations. It's available with the free app so you don't have to subscribe.
• The Claire Weeks books/audio can be very comforting

Try something.

Don't try to figure out if you can continue with the programme at the moment. Focus on soothing yourself. I promise you, your head will clear and you'll have a better perspective on it and know what to do soon enough.

Sending you love.
Rainstorm