Do i have TMS

[Mark1122]

Hi, ive been suffering for 6 years now. It started when i was home gaming 16 hours a day to get distracted from my severe panic attacks which i got after miss using drugs. The gaming distracted me, though i was sitting behind the pc very tensed and not ergonomic. I started feeling pain in my arm and an old injury that i got working out 2 years prior started hurting as well. That old injury never got better everytime i tried to weight lifts it gradually got worse so i never did that anymore.

Anyway that old injury (right trapezius) and my right arm started hurting, tingling. I looked online and saw i might have RSI. I felt heartbroken but kept gaming and it got worse and worse every day until i had so much pain i had to stop. After a day i went gaming again and had to stop again cause of the pain.

Then i started using meds to make the pain less so i could keep going on gaming. I even drank alcohol for a few years on and off to go against the pain. I want to believe i have TMS but i ignored the pain for 6 years and until 1 year ago i never gave it more than 2 weeks rest. So i fear i damaged it for good because i never have let it heal.

When i take a break for a week it is less and when i start the pc or mobile it gradually gets worse till i have to stop again. Even when i dont think about it. I also get heart extrasystoles sometimes and i get very tired because of the pain and fatigue.

Multiple physios, doctors and chiro's said my body feels healthy. I never took scans because they all said i wouldn't see anything on them. What if they are wrong?

I even accepted this TMS approach once and resumed normal activity, i went gaming again with no fear. But the pain got worse and worse. And it got so bad that it was tight and loss of grip in arms and hand so i couldnt even function with the mouse and Then i started getting fear again. But when some one has a real issue they will get fear too right?

Also i get pain and crampish feeling in arms when writing. And when readin bent over a desk i get pains. Also being on smartphone is painful. Also working above the shoulders is painful, like painting a wall, or when arm is stretched long time while painting for example. When in pain i get pounding heart aswell.

I feel i might have part TMS and part a real structural thing?

Anyway could i have TMS?

 

[HattieNC]

Mark,
Have you read The Great Pain Deception by Steve Ozanich? If not, please purchase this book. When I first started reading it in 2016, my arm and neck muscles were so constricted with pain that I couldn't even hold the book in my hands, I had to prop it on pillows. I think you will find the answer to your question about structural vs. TMS in this book.

Today, I live a normal life. I work, travel, play with grandchildren, and enjoy my life. I'm not 100% pain free, but pain (or the fear of pain) doesn't dominate every waking minute like it used to. Use the resources recommended by others on this Wiki (podcasts, books, videos, educational programs). Most of them are free. Best of luck in your recovery!

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Pain-Deception-Faulty-Medical/dp/0615462219

 

[Mark1122]

Thanks i ordered it now. I have been behind the pc again for 6 hours without fear but slowly the pain got worse and worse my elbows hurt on the arm rests of the chair and my trapezius both sides hurt more and more when im not fearful i dont get it. I also have chest pressure and a full stomach feeling.

 

[HattieNC]

Mark,
My worst pain was always at work. Sitting and typing on the computer were excruciating. It is a conditioned response that takes time to get over. You may not fear the pain, but are you constantly checking to see if it's there? Also, it's important to calm your system during the day. Affirmations like "I am safe" tell your brain that you're not in danger. For me, body scan meditations during my lunch break are also very important. I like the meditations that take you through the process of relaxing each muscle in your body. It's amazing how much of the tightness/pain dissipates while you do this.