Extreme nausea as TMS?

[Ewok]

I'm so upset. We are due to leave for a two-week family holiday tonight and I've been suffering from extreme nausea for the last week. It is our first holiday in years as I kept putting it off hoping I could receiver from my pelvic pain before we spent the money on such a luxury so we could all really enjoy it and now I fear it is all ruined.

I felt like I was coming down with stomach flu a week ago but it didn't really eventuate, just nausea, headache and cramps. The nausea just won't leave. Every day I think it will be gone by morning but it isn't and it's so debilitating I'm going to end up stuck in a hotel room missing out on time with my children while my husband has to take them out alone. I feel so bad for them.

Is it possible it's TMS? Why would my brain try and ruin the first chance of fun I've had in ages.

My pelvic pain is no better. Doesn't symptom imperative mean one gets better when another symptom appears?

Sorry for the sulk but I'm so upset.

(I went to the doctor and they had no idea. They gave me anti-nausea medication but it didn't work.)

 

[yoyo12]

Before I went to my first real job interview ever after graduating, my sister had made some avocado toast with feta cheese for lunch, and even though I LOVE feta and avocado on toast, in a weird way, the smell made me COMPLETELY nauseous. Up to a point I couldn't concentrate or focus on anything at all and even got a headache. I even wanted to call off the interview because I felt so bad!

I never understood how just the smell of some toast made me feel so sick. But now that I know about TMS I can explain it. It was SO utterly stressed out for the job interview, getting all turnt up and panick-y about it, putting pressure on myself to do great, my mind just decided to distract me from it by making me nauseous lol. The pressure was putting on myself was clearly getting too dangerous.

So yeah, I'm almost 100% sure nausea is TMS. Your nausea might be a distraction because you really want this holiday to be fun (for everyone) so badly! Having these expectations really fuels the stress levels. So, chill out, tell your mind no symptom will keep you from having fun, and watch the pain disappear! XO

 

[Memawjan]

A lot of times when there is something I really want to do and am looking forward to, my back will be killing me (my main symptom). I think it is the apprehension and the worry that I'm going to be in pain that does it. I think I'm going to be in pain so I am. Its almost like your brain does not want you to have fun! If you could just forget it and try and go ahead with your plans, hopefully it will go away. Just tell yourself, you're not going to ruin this! I know, it's not easy to do.

 

[fern]

I still don't know how to think about nausea as TMS, but I have a suspicion that when my psyche needs to pick something that will DEFINITELY keep me from leaving the house or dealing with something, it picks nausea. Who wants to go on a trip, see people, or deal with something stressful when they feel like they're about to barf?

Maybe using healing from pelvic pain as a goal before you go on vacation has upped the pressure and anticipation too much. Or maybe some part of you doesn't want to go, or slow down, or relax, or deal with a family trip. Only you can figure that out. But if the docs aren't seeing anything wrong, my new approach is to think psychologically before thinking about food intolerances (I was thick into food intolerance suspicions and avoidance before learning about TMS - still clawing my way out of that black hole).

As for the symptom imperative, I get two symptoms at once (or more) sometimes. I don't think it's cut and dry at all.

You might be traveling by now, and if so, I hope it's going well! There are so many twists and turns on this TMS journey. Best of luck and lots of healing breaths to you!

 

[JanAtheCPA]

I was just at an emergency preparedness meeting for my condo today, and one of our members said that she reacts to stress (in our scenario, a bad earthquake) by vomiting. There have been many famous actors and other performers who have admitted in interviews or biographies that they vomit before each performance. The fact is that purging is a well-known and very common fight-or-flight syndrome - the theory is that our bodies are designed to empty out in preparation for fleeing from danger. It's a primitive mechanism that is still with us, even though most of us are lucky enough to live very safe lives in the modern world.

Your primitive lizard brain is reacting to your upcoming vacation as if there is danger, due to your fears about not being able to enjoy it. If you were in a truly dangerous situation, you probably would vomit - that's what is supposed to happen. Instead, you are merely in a situation that your brain views with apprehension, so it's not ready to put you into full FoF mode - but it's keeping you on your toes and worried, so that you're alert in case real danger appears Which of course, we all know is not going to happen - because it's a lovely vacation, not a sabre-tooth tiger.

Now that you know what's going on mentally and physiologically, perhaps you can talk back to your brain and let it know that you are perfectly safe, that there is no actual danger, and that it's okay to relax and enjoy the trip.

And, of course, you're now three days into the trip - I sure hope that you are enjoying it!