Advice needed

DontStopBelieving

DontStopBelieving

Peer Supporter
It has been a strange week so far. I'm on holiday (second week now) and have been experiencing some weird symptoms for the past few days. Firstly it all started with a generic under the weather feeling that you normally get before a cold develops but since I knew these symptoms and had them before, I knew it was TMS so they got milder and disappearedred. Then a lower back pain hit me, and I do get that now and then but this was much stronger and hurt in certain positions but again I said it is TMS and it went away today just to be replaced by a toothache. Now, I never had a toothache as a TMS symptom, but I do have sensitive gums that bleed and have been treated for that, usually without success. And another thing, I'm in my PMS stage. Last month it was the worse PMS ever, with anxiety attacks, depression, pain, etc. I wonder does anyone else have toothache as TMS? If yes, how did you manage to cure it? It is the most irritating pain. I'm thinking of going to a dentist tomorrow in the town where I'm staying just to make sure it isn't a cavity. But my husband pointed out that I might be fearing going back to work next week, losing the calmness that I have now. I haven't been journaling because I just needed a break from that as well. However I have TMS session with a therapist, I think psychologically first whenever I feel any type of pain and remind myself of what is going on in my life when symptoms show up. That was enough so far to keep them at ease and I'm pretty much recovered 90 %.
 
Hi there DSB - and I'm sorry that TMS keeps trying to sabotage your vacation! But also glad that you've been successfully keeping it at bay :)

Now, you know that we can't make medical (or dental) recommendations here - (and I'm a CPA - I can only make tax planning recommendations) but you can use your common sense. If you're in-country, call your own dentist and describe the symptoms and let her/him decide if it sounds like an emergency, or something that can wait. If you're out of the country, well, maybe you can still make contact - these days, it isn't as hard as it used to be (I remember traveling in Europe when a call home cost $10 a minute)(showing my age).

If you decide you can wait to see your dentist when you get home, then during the rest of your vacation it can't hurt to treat it as if it's TMS. After all, a lot of pain that results from actual injury or pathology CAN be reduced using mindbody knowledge. I proved that myself when I crashed my bike and broke my hip way back in 2008 (three years Before Sarno). My pain level was between 8-10 as I waited in the ER, was examined, and went to x-ray. When the doc came in with my x-rays and said "this is a simple fracture, we can pin you up and have you on crutches in 2 days" my pain level IMMEDIATELY dropped to about a 4. I refused narcotics, and made do with ibuprofen, even after the surgery - simply because I was so relieved that I wouldn't be bedridden for six weeks, and I felt that I was in good hands.

"After Sarno", I have used this knowledge to talk myself down during dental procedures (which I hate with a passion) and have managed to make do with the normal amount of xylocaine (or whatever it is these days) instead of stopping the procedure to ask the dentist for more shots. This is a HUGE improvement, and my dentist is suitably impressed.

Good luck, and give yourself a lot of credit for getting this far, girl!

~Jan
 
Hi JanAtheCPA, thanks for your reply. I understand you can't give medical recommendations on this forum, this was more of a question if anyone else had the experience of this type of symptoms to be TMS. It is too suspicious, appeared just as the back pain vanished, even though I felt gum sensitivity for a few days before that. What I think is happening, my immune system is playing out (TMS), and it usually does during PMS, and my mouth area is very sensitive at the moment. But the pain is greater than usual, that's why I'm concerned. I don't think this is an emergency but at the same time, I'm afraid to wait and see. I don't have a dentist here, never needed one since moving to UK or before that (I was just treated for gum sensitivity on a few occasions before moving) so I called the national helpline. They will call me back to tell me the nearest emergency location. I haven't taken any painkillers simply because I want to see what happens with the pain. Thanks for your support. I'm so tired of the symptoms right now and frustrated because it had to happen now but there you go, TMS usually does this tricks.
 
The tms will always try and trick you. And at the end of a holiday you are probably not really wanting to go back to work - so an ideal time to hijack you...
On the gums thing... Have you been tested for your vitamin D? I had terrible gums and the dentist was sure I was not looking after my teeth (i was!) but then the Dr found i had almost no vit D - I now take vitD regularly and have much better dental health. Its a good thing to rule out, cos apparently loads of us are deficient - and we get worse as we age...
 
thanks Hecate. I've been to the emergency dentist today and surprise surprise, the x-ray of my teeth shows that there is nothing wrong. I just have the gums inflamed and over sensitive. TMS all over this. I'm glad I did the check though, that's always good to do because I haven't had this kind of pain in a long time. I haven't been tested for vitamin D but I felt like I was missing some vitamins in the last 2 weeks because the food where I'm staying hasn't been great and I noticed a difference straight away so I started taking vitamins but maybe a check for it would be a good idea. When I get back home I will go to a dentist and talk about this. Thanks for your support!
 
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