BagelSchnitzel
Peer Supporter
A reminder to rule out physical causes before assuming everything is TMS – my recent lymphoma diagnosis
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share something that's happened to me recently, partly because I think it's an important reminder for anyone exploring TMS or neuroplastic pain.
I'm 38, based in the UK, and for several years I've experienced recurring chest tightness, pressure around my sternum and upper abdomen, and pain across my chest, back, shoulders and neck.
The symptoms would come and go. Sometimes I'd have weeks where things felt relatively normal, and then I'd experience another flare-up. Physical exertion could aggravate things, particularly exercises involving my chest and upper body. Stress and anxiety also seemed to make everything worse.
Over the years, I visited doctors on numerous occasions. I had blood tests, chest X-rays and other examinations, but nothing particularly concerning was identified.
The recurring explanation was that it could be a hiatus hernia, acid reflux or stress-related muscular tension. I was prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), but they never really seemed to make much difference.
I repeatedly expressed concerns that something wasn't quite right and asked whether further investigations might be appropriate. Eventually, I even changed GP surgeries, hoping to get a fresh perspective, but I never really got to the bottom of it.
I already knew about TMS and neuroplastic pain. It had helped me with plenty of non-related symptoms in the past.
With regars to this situation however a lot of what I read resonated with me. My pain seemed to fluctuate with stress, anxiety and physical activity. I recognised patterns of hypervigilance and how focusing on symptoms could make them feel worse.
I started exploring it with somatic tracking, mind-body approaches and the work of Dr Howard Schubiner. Some of it genuinely helped me manage my anxiety and my relationship with pain. And it really helped.
But fast forward to October 2026, and everything changed.
I developed increasingly severe pain in my neck, shoulder and upper back, along with pins and needles in my right arm and fingers. I also discovered a noticeable lump near my collarbone.
An urgent ultrasound identified abnormal lymph nodes and a blood clot, prompting an immediate hospital referral.
Further CT imaging then revealed a large mass in my chest, in the mediastinum, along with extensive enlarged lymph nodes. The mass is causing significant compression of my superior vena cava, one of the major blood vessels returning blood to the heart.
I've since been admitted to hospital, undergone biopsies and received high-dose steroids to help reduce the swelling.
My consultant has now discussed the preliminary pathology results with me, and they're approximately 99 percent confident that I have B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A further biopsy is being arranged to confirm the exact subtype and determine the most appropriate treatment.
Thankfully, my medical team believes the suspected lymphoma is treatable and potentially curable, which has given me enormous hope.
One thing that surprised me was how difficult a mass in this area can sometimes be to identify on a standard chest X-ray. X-rays produce a two-dimensional image, and structures within the chest can overlap, making some abnormalities harder to distinguish. CT imaging provides a much more detailed view.
I don't know whether the mass was present throughout all those earlier years, or whether it explains every symptom I experienced, I suspect it was given my symptoms, but it's something I may never know for certain.
But the discovery has certainly made me reconsider the assumption that all my recurring symptoms were neuroplastic or stress-related.
And that's really why I'm sharing this.
I'm not suggesting TMS isn't real. I still believe stress, anxiety and the nervous system can profoundly influence how we experience pain. I've experienced that myself, and I still think there's value in understanding those mechanisms. Like I said before I've had plenty of other things that ended up being neuroplastic and this work has saved me on countless occasions.
But I think there's a danger in becoming so convinced that our symptoms are neuroplastic that we stop questioning whether something physical could have been missed.
A previous normal test doesn't necessarily rule out every possible medical condition. And just because pain fluctuates with anxiety or improves during periods of relaxation doesn't automatically mean there isn't an underlying physical cause.
If you're experiencing persistent, recurring or changing symptoms, particularly if something doesn't feel right despite previous reassurance, please don't be afraid to return to your doctor and ask whether further investigation is appropriate.
If you feel your concerns haven't been adequately addressed, seeking a second opinion may be worthwhile. In my case, it was a private ultrasound that ultimately helped identify something requiring urgent attention.
I'm not advocating endless investigations or encouraging anyone to become frightened of every bodily sensation. Health anxiety is exhausting, and I've experienced plenty of it myself.
I'm simply encouraging people to find a healthy balance between trusting the mind-body connection and advocating for appropriate medical investigation when symptoms persist or change. Which is the recommended approach by all TMS physicians anyway, to rule anything dodgy out first. Just unfortunately in my case my doctors missed and dismissed it.
I'm now facing cancer treatment, which is something I never imagined I'd be writing about. It's been an incredibly frightening experience, particularly as a husband and father to a young daughter.
But I'm hopeful, I've got a good medical team supporting me, and I'm determined to give treatment the best possible chance of success.
If sharing my experience encourages even one person with unexplained symptoms to have an appropriate medical conversation rather than automatically attributing everything to TMS, then I think it's worth sharing.
Wishing everyone here the very best with their recovery journeys.
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share something that's happened to me recently, partly because I think it's an important reminder for anyone exploring TMS or neuroplastic pain.
I'm 38, based in the UK, and for several years I've experienced recurring chest tightness, pressure around my sternum and upper abdomen, and pain across my chest, back, shoulders and neck.
The symptoms would come and go. Sometimes I'd have weeks where things felt relatively normal, and then I'd experience another flare-up. Physical exertion could aggravate things, particularly exercises involving my chest and upper body. Stress and anxiety also seemed to make everything worse.
Over the years, I visited doctors on numerous occasions. I had blood tests, chest X-rays and other examinations, but nothing particularly concerning was identified.
The recurring explanation was that it could be a hiatus hernia, acid reflux or stress-related muscular tension. I was prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), but they never really seemed to make much difference.
I repeatedly expressed concerns that something wasn't quite right and asked whether further investigations might be appropriate. Eventually, I even changed GP surgeries, hoping to get a fresh perspective, but I never really got to the bottom of it.
I already knew about TMS and neuroplastic pain. It had helped me with plenty of non-related symptoms in the past.
With regars to this situation however a lot of what I read resonated with me. My pain seemed to fluctuate with stress, anxiety and physical activity. I recognised patterns of hypervigilance and how focusing on symptoms could make them feel worse.
I started exploring it with somatic tracking, mind-body approaches and the work of Dr Howard Schubiner. Some of it genuinely helped me manage my anxiety and my relationship with pain. And it really helped.
But fast forward to October 2026, and everything changed.
I developed increasingly severe pain in my neck, shoulder and upper back, along with pins and needles in my right arm and fingers. I also discovered a noticeable lump near my collarbone.
An urgent ultrasound identified abnormal lymph nodes and a blood clot, prompting an immediate hospital referral.
Further CT imaging then revealed a large mass in my chest, in the mediastinum, along with extensive enlarged lymph nodes. The mass is causing significant compression of my superior vena cava, one of the major blood vessels returning blood to the heart.
I've since been admitted to hospital, undergone biopsies and received high-dose steroids to help reduce the swelling.
My consultant has now discussed the preliminary pathology results with me, and they're approximately 99 percent confident that I have B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A further biopsy is being arranged to confirm the exact subtype and determine the most appropriate treatment.
Thankfully, my medical team believes the suspected lymphoma is treatable and potentially curable, which has given me enormous hope.
One thing that surprised me was how difficult a mass in this area can sometimes be to identify on a standard chest X-ray. X-rays produce a two-dimensional image, and structures within the chest can overlap, making some abnormalities harder to distinguish. CT imaging provides a much more detailed view.
I don't know whether the mass was present throughout all those earlier years, or whether it explains every symptom I experienced, I suspect it was given my symptoms, but it's something I may never know for certain.
But the discovery has certainly made me reconsider the assumption that all my recurring symptoms were neuroplastic or stress-related.
And that's really why I'm sharing this.
I'm not suggesting TMS isn't real. I still believe stress, anxiety and the nervous system can profoundly influence how we experience pain. I've experienced that myself, and I still think there's value in understanding those mechanisms. Like I said before I've had plenty of other things that ended up being neuroplastic and this work has saved me on countless occasions.
But I think there's a danger in becoming so convinced that our symptoms are neuroplastic that we stop questioning whether something physical could have been missed.
A previous normal test doesn't necessarily rule out every possible medical condition. And just because pain fluctuates with anxiety or improves during periods of relaxation doesn't automatically mean there isn't an underlying physical cause.
If you're experiencing persistent, recurring or changing symptoms, particularly if something doesn't feel right despite previous reassurance, please don't be afraid to return to your doctor and ask whether further investigation is appropriate.
If you feel your concerns haven't been adequately addressed, seeking a second opinion may be worthwhile. In my case, it was a private ultrasound that ultimately helped identify something requiring urgent attention.
I'm not advocating endless investigations or encouraging anyone to become frightened of every bodily sensation. Health anxiety is exhausting, and I've experienced plenty of it myself.
I'm simply encouraging people to find a healthy balance between trusting the mind-body connection and advocating for appropriate medical investigation when symptoms persist or change. Which is the recommended approach by all TMS physicians anyway, to rule anything dodgy out first. Just unfortunately in my case my doctors missed and dismissed it.
I'm now facing cancer treatment, which is something I never imagined I'd be writing about. It's been an incredibly frightening experience, particularly as a husband and father to a young daughter.
But I'm hopeful, I've got a good medical team supporting me, and I'm determined to give treatment the best possible chance of success.
If sharing my experience encourages even one person with unexplained symptoms to have an appropriate medical conversation rather than automatically attributing everything to TMS, then I think it's worth sharing.
Wishing everyone here the very best with their recovery journeys.
