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Thread:
Derek S. Shoulder and knee pain
Answer
I'm sorry to hear that you've been having such a tough go of it.

The main problem that I see here is uncertainty. A lack of certainty (or something close to it) will nearly always result in feeling disempowered and afraid. It is hard to make progress on your TMS symptoms if you have persistent doubts about your diagnosis. I understand the desire to avoid further imaging for fear of hearing more scare-inducing diagnoses. That said, I feel that it is important for you to rule out any legitimate structural causes with a physician who understands TMS, even if you have to travel to see one. I know you saw Dr. Sarno in 2010 but that was 5 years ago and regarding a different part of your body.

Your pain is certainly behaving like TMS with the multiple locations and inconsistencies. I think that there is a good chance that the symptoms are psychogenic. You have been diagnosed with TMS pain in the past and you fit the description. You may just need more evidence to support this so you can approach this with confidence and assertiveness.

Check out the following thread for a great discussion about then importance of confidence, empowerment, and standing up to fear:

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/tried-everything-im-desperate.5459/

I hope that you are able to find the clarity that you need to challenge both the pain and the fear.

-Derek


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