Are my symptoms TMS?

Hello.

I am a 60 year old female. Back in 2002, I was diagnosed with a benign tumor wrapped around my aorta. The surgery took 11 hours, in which they removed 98%. To get to the tumor, they had to remove my right Oppicital bone. They put mesh in the area and closed me up. I recovered well. I was able to go back to work and live my life mostly pain free except for frequent headaches. In 2009, I tripped while at the hospital with my father in law. I hit the soft part of my head on the corner of a food stand/tray, then hit the floor. I was admitted to the hospital right then and was put under watch to make sure all was okay. I was given to go ahead to leave after a few days. Soon, maybe a few months later, I began to have trouble lifting my left arm. I went back to the neurologist and after many tests and MRIs, they decided I had excess brain fluid and needed surgery to have it removed. I underwent the minor surgery in August of 2010. Afterwards, everything became worse. My left arm became numb, with constant burning pain. It is blotchy, 5 years later. I suffer from some memory loss - I have trouble remembering details. I get vertigo often. I can't sleep at night. My doctor (s) now feed me drugs without trying to find the source of the problem. The only thing they tell me about my scans and MRIs is that my nerves are all jumbled up there. Could be anything, but they don't know. I was on fentynol patches and methadone for a year. I stopped using the patches because they seem to offer no help. I take the methadone as to not withdraw - I am afraid that a withdrawal would literally kill me (black out, hit my head too hard, etc). I am on Lyrica now, as they have finally decided that I have fibromyalgia. I have and always have had a lot of stress in my life. I cry often and dwell in my pain. I smoke cigarettes as a distraction. I haven't been able to live my life for the past 5 years. My daughter sent me to this sight and I'm not convinced that this is a psychological issue. She went to the library and found 5 books for me to read about chronic pain, two of them authored by Dr. Sargon. I have yet to read them. I was up all night with muscle tension in my arm. I called my daughter hysterically this morning to tell her, i didn't know what to do. i took a kolonopin (anxiety) and slept. The doctor also called me in a muscle relaxer. Sorry if this is rambling, i keep thinking of new information as i type. Thoughts?

 

No one to shed light? am I posting on the wrong forum area?

 

You're at the right site, I'm sure you will get some replies, be patient. Your history is rather overwhelming and the medical interventions complicate what is structural and what is psychosomatic/TMS. I would advise starting to read one of the TMS books as TMS can be the volume control for the pain. TMS is part of the human condition and anyone can benefit from understanding the psychology behind chronic pain. Klonopin is a medication that Dr. Sarno recommended when the pain gets to be too much. He also recommended a good bottle of wine, but don't take them together without the advice of a doctor.

 

Thank you so much for replying. I have delved into reading today.