Alex B. Do I need to see a doctor?

E

ElizabethG

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Question
Hi,

I just read about TMS a couple weeks ago. I'm getting stuck on one thing right now. Is it important that I get diagnosed by a medical doctor? I have no doubt that there is nothing physically wrong with me and that it all stems from TMS but I keep reading about how I should get diagnosed first... I would not be surprised if I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. I do not see how it benefits me to label myself with a chronic and incurable illness so I have previously had no interest in going to see a Dr. for the pain. TMS makes perfect sense for my symptoms.

Thank you,
ElizabethG
 
Answer
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for the question.

The encouragement to "get a diagnosis" comes with an important caveat: it is important that you get your diagnosis from a doctor that is familiar with the concept of mind-boy syndrome. If the doctor isn't familiar with idea then yes, you will most likely waste your time and get a diagnosis that simply reinforces structural thinking. However, by going to a doctor familiar with the issue you can rule out something more serious and confirm your own suspicions about what you are dealing with. While you may feel a large degree of certainty, accumulating more evidence is never a bad thing!

Any advice or information provided here does not and is not intended to be and should not be taken to constitute specific professional or psychological advice given to any group or individual. This general advice is provided with the guidance that any person who believes that they may be suffering from any medical, psychological, or mindbody condition should seek professional advice from a qualified, registered/licensed physician and/or psychotherapist who has the opportunity to meet with the patient, take a history, possibly examine the patient, review medical and/or mental health records, and provide specific advice and/or treatment based on their experience diagnosing and treating that condition or range of conditions. No general advice provided here should be taken to replace or in any way contradict advice provided by a qualified, registered/licensed physician and/or psychotherapist who has the opportunity to meet with the patient, take a history, possibly examine the patient, review medical and/or mental health records, and provide specific advice and/or treatment based on their experience diagnosing and treating that condition or range of conditions.

The general advice and information provided in this format is for informational purposes only and cannot serve as a way to screen for, identify, or diagnose depression, anxiety, or other psychological conditions. If you feel you may be suffering from any of these conditions please contact a licensed mental health practitioner for an in-person consultation.

Questions may be edited for brevity and/or readability.

 
Oh thank you. I wasn't seeing that option, I was thinking tms was diagnosed by someone who wasn't a physician which of course isn't right. Okay that makes perfect sense. Thank you so much!
 
Hi again, Elizabeth. I totally diagnosed myself in 2011, at age 60. No doubt in my mind whatsoever that I had TMS. I'd seen other docs and PTs at various times in the year before I discovered Dr. Sarno, so I knew there was nothing seriously wrong with me. I never felt any need to receive an official TMS diagnosis. And I stopped seeing the docs and PTs, too! Since then I see my dentist more than any other health professional. Just eye care and routine preventive stuff that my HMO bugs me to get done.
 
I diagnosed myself too in 2011. All my medical Drs had given me false advise with no hope, now by the x rays and their knowledge of medical science they were right but not by the tms standard.
Today I am at least 3 and a half years healed but who's counting.
 
JanAtheCPA said:
Hi again, Elizabeth. I totally diagnosed myself in 2011, at age 60. No doubt in my mind whatsoever that I had TMS. I'd seen other docs and PTs at various times in the year before I discovered Dr. Sarno, so I knew there was nothing seriously wrong with me. I never felt any need to receive an official TMS diagnosis. And I stopped seeing the docs and PTs, too! Since then I see my dentist more than any other health professional. Just eye care and routine preventive stuff that my HMO bugs me to get done.
Click to expand...

Wow! Thank you for sharing your experience. :)
 
I also diagnosed myself. I had been in pain for 4 years and only left the house to see doctors. All of the specialists I went to could never solve the pain problem except to try another medication. When their solutions did not work, I figure the only thing left was to try mental thinking. It worked and I have been pain free since that discovery. It took 1 year for me to make a complete recovery.
 
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