Beat TMS before, but it came back in a different form

I have had back pain for about a year. I read Dr Sarno’s book “Mind Over Back Pain” and after about a month I was cured. Now, over a year later, I’m experiencing new symptoms, and some old symptoms as well.

I had shortness of breath for about two weeks. Then chest pain. Then my chest pain got so severe that I went to the ER because I was afraid I was having a heart attack. The EKG and bloodwork said I was fine. I’m going to a cardiologist and have gotten another EKG, a 24 hour EKG, an Echocardiogram, and more bloodwork. I’m seeing him next week to look over all of the results, but he said if he saw anything unusual then he would call me before our apportionment.

Since the trip to the ER (over a month ago) I have experienced chest discomfort/pain nearly every day. Usually dull but at times it’ll heighten. The pain seems to change a bit, at times it’s dull and achey, other times it’s more of a burning sensation, and other times just a feeling of tightness. At one point my chest pain subsided, but then my back started to hurt again (the same way it would hurt when I first had TMS). When the back pain went away again, the chest discomfort came back. Now sometimes I get a discomfort in my head, and when this happens my chest pain usually subsides. So, in other words, the pains/discomforts I experience tend to move around and change.

I am also a hypochondriac. I just started taking Prozac for my anxiety and I’m still in the early stages so my anxiety has been heightened as of lately.

I feel like I understand that there is nothing medically wrong with my heart. Yet, the symptoms still persist. I know that these things can take time, but this discomfort can feel very scary at times. I’m not entirely sure what to do at this point. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And just a disclaimer, sometimes reading about other people’s symptoms and stories can be a trigger for me, so I’d really appreciate it if you could leave that out if/when you reply. Thank you so much.

 

Hi phulphul, and welcome to the Forum and Wiki!

Your story of having a relatively "easy cure" then being recycled back into symptoms a year or more later is commonly reported on this forum.

One way to see this is that there is a certain "grace" in the beginning, and now your being is wanting you to dig deeper. Another way to express this is that you need to take your "TMS prevention vitamins" by engaging in regular TMS work.

Both of these approaches can be addressed with commitment to the Structured Education Program at the Wiki, which is free. So in short, I think you have a very good chance of another "cure" if you take on regular TMS work, including deeper psychological inquiry into your personality, inner conflicts, relationships, childhood, inner critic, etc.

I appreciate your boundaries around this, and would suggest you continue to ask for this at the Forum whenever you post. It seems like you know what is supportive and what is not.

This above is very good support for a TMS self-diagnosis. I hope you get the "all clear" from the physicians and can proceed with confidence.

Andy

 

Also, see this recent discussion re "TMS comes back."
http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/acceptance-of-tms-cured-me-so-why-is-pain-back.22068/#post-113994 (Acceptance of TMS cured me. So why is pain back?)