Confused and worried

hi all,
I have been working through the educational program and have read three or four books about TMS. I’m fairly certain I have TMS. I’ve had weakness is my leg to the point of falling down several times. Yesterday afternoon I was walking around the house without my cane and feeling quite confident that the hard work was paying off, when caboom, last night I started having abdominal pain and was shivering and shaking and very cold. I had no fever. While sleeping I had a bad headache that lasted all night.

In the middle of the night, I got up to go to the toilet and could not get off the toilet because my legs were so weak, both legs! This morning I could hardly walk due to severe weakness in both legs. I have never had an issue with the other leg before. Is that what they talk about or he pain moving? I’m feeling like if this continues, I will be in a wheelchair.

 

Hi Nancy,

These sound like pretty distressing symptoms, but if you're not heading to the ER, I assume it's because you've been checked out, and "they can't find anything wrong". I think you mentioned in another thread that you're waiting for some test results.

Here's the thing: even if you do have something wrong - even if there is a clear physiological basis for one or more of your symptoms, it's still very possible that other symptoms are TMS, and/or that the pathological symptoms are made worse by TMS. Does that make sense? The mechanism that we conveniently label "TMS" is really a primitive survival mechanism that was designed to keep us worried and on our toes, looking out for danger in what used to be a physically dangerous world. The mechanism is not helpful to those of us who live very safe lives in today's world - but as we've all heard many times, the fight-or-flight area of our brains is still very primitive.

Well, the timing of this flare-up is certainly telling us something - coinciding as it does, with your first week doing the SEP and having finished several TMS books! I can't even count the number of new forum members who report an intense increase in symptoms in the early days - it's true for almost everyone. That's your primitive unconscious brain, fighting back against your new knowledge and awareness. It wants to keep you in fear, and it definitely does not want you to spend any time thinking about your negative repressed emotions - because if you get distracted by those emotions, you might not see the sabre-tooth tiger that's waiting to eat you!

On your other thread you asked some interesting questions about the brain's conscious knowledge of physiological processes - I'll answer that there (quick answer: it isn't conscious).

 

Thanks so much jan. I'm not waiting for tests as I've had just about every test imaginable, bu I am waiting to see if dr. Scribner can help me confirm if it is TMS or physiological. The bladder issue is what is truely baffling...Thanks again.

 

Hi Nancy,
In another thread I agreed that you should see a neurologist. But,if you can see Dr. Schubiner, I would suggest doing that instead. I was wondering if the neurologist would say, yep, this is physical, because he's trained to diagnose that way. Dr Schubiner will know if you need to see the neurologist, or if you can proceed with the tms diagnosis. Good luck!

 

I’ve been conversing with Dr. Schubiner and he suggested I see a neurologist to test reflexes and lack of feeling, and in his last post, after telling him my reflexes are absent and could not feel the pin prick, he said “I’m sorry, but you need to figure out what’s wrong,” which I took to mean he either doesn’t think it’s tms or there is nothing I can do unless I see a neurologist. Unfortunately, he is on the other side of the country from me. Yesterday after he implied it probably is not TMS my symptoms got so much worse, I couldn’t get up from the toilet. I think I gave up. I’m in a black hole right now.

 

With the symptoms you are having just seek out medical advice. If you cannot walk and this is new go to the ER. Dr. Schubiner is telling you to be seen. Any doctor can test reflexes.

 

If your symptoms got worse, then at least some of what you're experiencing can be helped with tms theories. That's good news. Some or (maybe even all?) the pain is psychological. Do unlearn your pain or the SEP here etc. and also see the neurologist. I'm sorry you're feeling so overwhelmed.

 

I did get checked a few weeks ago. My reflexes are barely discernible and the pin wheel test I couldn't feel. So does mean i do or dont hace TMS. I've had these symptoms for a while, but they are so much worse now. And I have to get approval from workers comp to see a doc and they have not approved it. Between rock and hard place.