Do you think I have enough evidence to point towards TMS?

Hey guys, this is my first post here. In January of this year (2025) I got sick with a virus that I THINK was Covid - never tested for it but my sense of taste and smell got messed up for almost a month (which I thought was weird as it had NEVER happened to me before) and I also got a nasty cough that lasted about the same time frame - which are both of the things Covid is “famous” for. Since then, I’ve gone through lots and lots of weird/painful “all over” symptoms, been checked by many different types of doctor, and 99% of them found nothing. The couple of things that they HAVE found were either so small or inconclusive that it was only enough for them to try and guess what was wrong, not give an actual diagnosis.

Then in September I started going to a therapist thinking it would be just to help find coping mechanisms to deal with all of this, but then she asked if I’d ever heard of TMS before (I hadn’t) and thought I’d be interested in it.

All I’ve done so far is read Dr. Sarno’s book and listen to a few of Nicole Sach’s podcasts but overall, I like what I’m hearing. There are a lot of things that line up, but I still feel like I need a little more confidence before I decide to jump into fully believing it’s TMS, so I thought making an evidence list and seeing what all you guys think might help. Let me know your thoughts! And thank you for reading this wall of text lol

Symptoms in order of appearance + how long they lasted:

-dizziness - 1 month

-racing heart/trouble staying asleep - 1 month

-hyperacusis (a super rare ear condition that makes everything sound louder and causes actual nerve pain inside your ears in response to noise) - middle of Feb-still ongoing but intensity has varied a lot

-more floaters and afterimages in my vision + slight “flickering” - middle of March - still ongoing but so much less intense now that it’s basically a nonissue

-TMJ type pain - 2 months

-eye pain - 2 and a half months

-weird constant on/off again headache that feels/acts different from any headache I’ve had before - 1 month

-lower back/pelvic/hip/butt pain - beginning of June-still ongoing - it jumps around to all those places depending on the day

-breast pain/tenderness that would also spread down to my arms - two months - NOTE: this started a few weeks after I started gabapentin, and I’m pretty sure my breasts actually DID get slightly bigger, BUT the pain behaved a lot like TMS so idk which this one is

-ab and stomach pain - 1 month

-headache and eye pain/strain again - 1 month


Tests/exams I’ve had + results (in order):

-brain MRI (found nothing)
-eye orbits MRI (found nothing)
-optometry exam (found nothing)
-EKG and heart ultrasound (found nothing)
-audiology exam (found nothing - even said my hearing and eardrums were “like out of a textbook”)
-CT scan of temporal (ear) bones to look for SCDS (found nothing)
-second optometry exam (found nothing)
-opthamology exam (found nothing - I don’t remember which but one of these eye doctors even showed my results to another eye doctor who happened to be there at the same time just to double check bc she could see how worried I was, and even THEY said it looked all good)
-spinal tap to check for idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) (CSF pressure was perfectly RIGHT on the line btwn “normal” and “slightly high”. 25 and up = IIH, I was exactly at 25. Dr diagnosed slight IIH)
-second opthamology exam (found nothing)
-TMJ specialist exam (found nothing)
-x-ray of pelvis/lower back (found small area of slightly denser bone on one side of my pelvis but nothing else - more notes on this below)
-labs to check for inflammatory diseases that can cause back/SI joint pain like AS and for any thyroid issues (found nothing)
-spine specialist exam - said my leg strength was excellent and seemed to think whatever was hurting had to do with what they saw on the x-ray


Diagnoses (in order):

-vestibular migraine
-idiopathic intracranial hypertension
-“nerve pain” (referring to my ears)
-SI joint dysfunction
-misaligned hip bones (physical therapist thought she could see/feel this from the outside but now I doubt she was right)
-gastritis

Things I’ve tried/been given + results (in order):

-migrelief for dizziness: dizziness went away a while after I started taking it but I don’t think it was because of the pills, I think it stopped on its own

-Diamox for hyperacusis and IIH (idk if it changed my CSF pressure but it made no change for the symptoms I had at the time (ear and jaw pain)

-theridion 30C (homeopathic remedy) for hyperacusis, suggested by my uncle - no change

-gabapentin for hyperacusis - not sure how much it helps or not bc this symptom varies so much all the time and I haven’t weaned off yet to find out

-“shotgun” technique by physical therapist to re-align hip/pelvic joints - made back/pelvis/hips etc hurt worse for the next few days

-stretches that are meant to help SI joint pain, also given by physical therapist - tried 3 times and they made back/pelvis/hips etc hurt worse for a few days after every time I tried them

-acupuncture for lower back/pelvis pain - hurt to even put the needles in and made back/pelvis/hips etc hurt worse for a few days (the acupuncturist and my mom were both stumped by this since acupuncture is NOT supposed to hurt or make things worse)

-slippery elm for ab/stomach pain - pain stopped after a few weeks of taking it but again I don’t think it was because of the pills


Personality:

-people pleaser
-CAN stand up for myself and say no, but it really gets to me when they almost inevitably get their feelings hurt
-hate being the reason for other ppl’s bad feelings
-set really high expectations for myself
-REALLY want to be seen as smart/competent/mature
-first instinct when I see someone with a problem is to try and help
-totally eats away at me if it turns out there’s nothing I can do OR that they don’t want my help even if I CAN help
-tend to feel like I angered the gods if someone is mad at me, but that I have no right to get mad at someone myself

Other info that SEEMS like evidence to me:

-I had zero injuries, accidents, concussions, falls, or anything else you could think of that would cause symptoms like these - they all came on gradually or just out of nowhere

-area of slightly higher bone density in the lower back/pelvis x-ray: I looked it up and apparently most ppl who have this don’t have pain at all and find it by accident while doing an x-ray for something else. But if it DOES cause pain, the pain feels very very similar to how an inflammatory condition down there like AS would feel, to the point where sometimes ppl can’t tell which it is unless they get blood tests done to check (like I did). To me this tracks with the “monkey brain choosing a place that “looks” wrong or unusual on a scan to put the pain” thing and also the timing. The fact that it started hurting only after I had been experiencing the most extreme stress, anxiety and negative feelings I’d ever felt basically nonstop for almost 5 months, makes me wonder.

-I saw the x-ray myself, the area that’s more dense is pretty small and only on one side, but my pain is on BOTH sides

-at the start of September a few good things happened at once: my therapist introduced me to TMS, I had some activities I could look forward to (limited by my issues but still better than nothing), and I was super excited for the premiere of a specific show at the end of the month. Aka, lots of good distractions. During this time my back/pelvis felt a LOT better than it ever had over summer (def not cured but before there were days where I felt like I could barely walk or sit up straight, and now that wasn’t happening)

-the two symptoms that have the biggest impact on my life (hyperacusis and back/pelvic pain) are the ones that have stayed around the longest. The rest have come and gone

-parents are a nurse and a doctor, so the idea of traditional stuff like surgery/medicine/etc. being all you can do for pain is pretty baked into me

-the arm/breast pain felt a lot better when my arms and chest were covered or out of sight (one night they were hurting really badly so I put on a long sleeve flannel and the pain lowered. I was surprised/confused to see that every time I rolled up the sleeves or took off the flannel and exposed my arms/chest, or even if I just thought about the pain, the pain would intensify.

-hot showers make symptoms either lessen or stop completely till I get out and dry off

-when I was about 14, started having these little aches/pains in random spots on my body that came and went. I was super scared when they first appeared, got labs done and everything looked normal. Over time I basically learned to ignore it and it lessened by so much that it became a non issue. But it did cause me to start having some health anxiety from then on.

-had a LOT of family drama happen in my teen years up to now (I’m 24) that mostly comes down to me having to bite my tongue and not stand up for myself/others in order to keep the peace between certain family members, regardless of what my opinion is or how badly I NEED to say how I feel

-the pain jumps around and comes as fast as it goes. I always thought it felt like playing whack-a-mole with random symptoms and was shocked to see Nicole describe it in her book in THOSE EXACT SAME WORDS

 

Yep, you have TMS. Glad to hear you have such a smart therapist. So time to jump in and start doing "the work". Sounds like you have a good start on resources. Let us know if you need specific recommendations.

And welcome to the Forum!

 

Hi, @lucky_li0n_d@wg



Based on the detailed history you have listed, there is substantial evidence of mind/body/TMS symptoms, especially considering the pattern of symptoms, absence of conclusive medical findings, and the context of stress and emotional factors.

Key considerations:

• No clear structural or neurological cause: Multiple doctors and tests, including MRI, CT scans, blood tests, and specialist exams, have found no definitive physical pathology to explain the range of symptoms.
  
  
• Symptom pattern and stress association: The symptoms emerged gradually, coinciding with stressful family dynamics and intense negative emotions, which aligns with how mind/body conditions often manifest.
  
  
• Correlation with psychological state: The improvement during periods with positive distractions and emotional support (e.g., therapy, new interests) suggests a significant psychological or emotional component.
  
  
• Response to physical and emotional triggers: Symptoms like hyperacusis worsening with exposure to sound, pain worsening with exposure or thoughts, and symptom fluctuation are consistent with somatic responses driven by stress, attention, and emotional state.
  
  
• History of similar symptoms in adolescence: A pattern of intermittent aches and pains, often linked to anxiety or stress, further suggests a mind/body link.
  
  
• Personality traits: High levels of stress, people-pleasing tendencies, and difficulty setting boundaries can predispose to somatic symptoms centred around emotional stress.
  
  There is a free program on the TMSWiki called the Structural Education Program (SEP) https://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Structured_Educational_Program. It's a very good place to start doing the mind/body work required. Good luck!

 

Wow, my post hasn’t even been up for two hours yet and you guys are already starting to make me feel more confident
Thank you guys

Edit: I want to add one more thing I forgot to mention up there. I’ve had it happen 3 times where the area/areas that hurt will suddenly “flare up” - it feels like all the muscles in the area “lock up/tighten” and twist and strain at once and is SUPER painful - but then pretty soon after that it disappears as quickly as it came.

Ex: when I first called the TMJ specialist he had me do some very very light exercises with my jaw to determine if I needed to come in. They were so light it was basically just tapping on some areas and opening/closing my mouth a few times. I’d been reading a lot about TMJ and horror stories of ppl needing jaw surgery for it and was super nervous. Then the next day, all of a sudden, all of the muscles in my neck, face, and jaw “locked/twisted up” at once and it hurt so bad that for the whole day I could barely chew, talk or move my head. The next day, it disappeared and never happened again.

It happened with my back too, about a month after first having symptoms, I was just walking around a dept store with my family and even sort of enjoying myself when all of a sudden all the muscles in my upper back, lower back and legs got the same exact tensed-up super painful twisted feeling and it was so painful it felt like I could barely walk. I got home, ate some ice cream and took a meloxicam (I’ve taken it only 3 times before and it barely makes a dent in the pain so I doubt it really did anything) and by the next day, it stopped.

When it happened to my arms a few days ago (yes both arms at once lol), I was just causally typing a message on my phone. I already have been reading about TMS for about a month by now, so instead of totally freaking out like I did the other 2 times this has happened (w/my jaw and back), I went “OMG wait” and looked down at my hands, said out loud a few times “no, stop it” and reassured myself it wasn’t permanent and that it would stop as long as I didn’t work myself up over it. 2 hours later it was almost gone, then the next morning it was basically gone completely.

 

@lucky_li0n_d@wg Such episodes of muscle tightening and pain often result from neurological and physiological reactions to psychological stress, emotional tension, or anxiety—even unconscious or hidden stress—not structural damage or disease.

In Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS), repressed emotions such as anger, rage, guilt, and anxiety play a central role. Additionally, the brain’s fear response can greatly influence symptom development. A fearful brain—hypervigilant to perceived threats—can trigger the fight-or-flight system, causing muscles to tighten, spasm, or become painful as a protective mechanism. This occurs even when the individual is not consciously aware of the stress, anxiety, or fear driving these reactions.

The body’s fight-or-flight response can be triggered by deep-seated emotional factors that you might not fully be aware of in the moment. This can lead to muscle tension, spasms, and pain that flare up suddenly and resolve just as quickly. Importantly, TMSers often have difficulty recognizing these strong emotions—particularly rage and anger—because these feelings remain unconscious or are repressed due to personality traits like perfectionism, people pleasing, or difficulty expressing anger.

The fact that you are now able to recognise these signs early, reassure yourself, and help reduce the symptoms shows your nervous system’s responsiveness and supports the idea that these symptoms are mind/body in origin rather than caused by ongoing physical injury or damage.

 

I validate what @BloodMoon says above. I have all the spasming you describe. It is really painful. But you can make it much worse by being afraid of it. It’s just the method your TMS brain has chosen to try and scare you. And I think it’s also caused by a ton of adrenaline and a hypersensitive nervous system, which is part of TMS.

 

I’m glad I did a good job describing that part because it’s different from any pain I’ve ever felt before and never used to happen anywhere on my body before all of this started.

My theory (and feel free to let me know if you agree/disagree) is that that mystery virus I got in January WAS covid and that it did something to cause my nervous system to go haywire. But I also think that with my personality and all the family drama, I already had lots of “buildup” inside me and for some reason my body just decided this was the last straw. Aka I think covid ACTIVATED my symptoms but didn’t cause them if that makes sense.

Ngl I think that’s true for a lot of ppl (look how many stories here start with “I got long covid/regular covid and then….etc etc”). Covid is a very very weird virus we don’t really understand yet and I have a hunch it can do something in our brains/nervous systems that for some reason seems to start up a lot of ppl’s TMS. We just don’t know what that something is yet

 

I absolutely agree. The exact same thing happened to me. I think your theory’s right.

 

Yes, covid acts as a substantial stressor that can increase the body's allostatic load, aggravating mind/body symptoms. Allostatic load is like a bucket filling with stress water. Every stress adds water, and recovery drains some out. If stress fills the bucket faster than it empties, it overflows, causing mind/body symptoms. (Everyone’s bucket size and how fast it fills or drains differs.) So, you need to do 'the work' to decrease the allostatic load.