Female Burning pain-could this be TMS?

W

Wiser now

Peer Supporter
Hello,
I am a TMS back pain success story, overcame it after 10 yrs of pain off and on. I have had other ailments over the years that I believe were also TMS related also.

3 months ago I took antibiotics and developed a yeast infection. Was treated for it and the doctor said my tests were clear. However the burning pain internally and urinary frequency have never gone away. I have had 5 vaginal cultures, 5 urine cultures and recently a colonoscopy because I am 51 and they all came back fine. I have been seeing a biodentical hormone doctor this past year as I am going through menopause (so my hormones are out of whack) so he upped my hormones thinking I had vaginal dryness and my symptoms got worse. As you can imagine, this has made me very anxious and upset but now I am thinking this could be another manifestation of TMS. This all started late November as I headed into the holidays which are a very stressful time for me. The pain is not bad when I am sleeping or in the morning but gets worse as the day goes on. I have read that burning pain is due to anger and I have tried to deal with my immediate anger issues as best as possible but wonder if its rooted deeper. Or..another thought I had is maybe deep down I am really mad at my husband and its a way for me to get out of having intercourse if I have all these pain issues. Just a theory.
I see my gyno again tomorrow. She is actually very compassionate and deals a bit in functional medicine so I am going to talk to her about this being stress related and see what she says. I honestly don't think she knows what to do with me because she can't find anything wrong.
Thanks~
 
Hi Wiser,

Am not a doctor but a woman 49 and entering menopause : Had many fun' things last years : Peromenopause is a joy
Have had same problenms as You and i think it is nog tms but hormones

Karina
 
Thanks, I will find out more today when I see my doctor but I am really thinking this could be TMS. I started peri menopause when I was 45 and I know that stress can make your hormones fluctuate so that is not helping. The past year I have had all kinds of menopausal symptoms but this is chronic and should have responded to some of the treatments they gave me by now.
Initially several medicines helped me but the pain came back when I finished it which makes me suspicious as they said everything was clear. During the holidays my symptoms escalated to where I went to the ER and whenever I am stressed, they seem to get worse. I have seen my body create bizarre symptoms in the past so again, makes me wonder since they find nothing wrong. Luckily, I have the skills to overcome this and am working on stopping the fear and anxiety that I started developing. I'll will overcome this and keep you posted.
 
I totally agree with stress making it worse..also the yeast problem has also link with imune system being lower..
I also had it after antibiotics once so there's a connection bowel problems
But tms or stress from menopause..if it respons to tms approach : Great!
Wonder how while i am new at This!

Karina
 
I'll let the girls reply to this. But I will be interested in learning if your doctor finds anything structurally wrong with you.
My hunch is she won't, so they you can deal with your symptoms by believing they are caused by your repressed emotions.
 
Hi Walt,

That's the funfact of menopause they almost never find anything wrong with you: In the meanwhile you can feel so sick and bad..and have so many strange and scarry stuff..but that's maybe for a menopause forum but i am very interested in the subject: My First post here was also on the subject..if tms approach can ease also these kinds of problems : Even better !!
 
Just wanted to give you an update. Ever since I starting thinking that my symptoms could be stress related, my symptoms have improved. Still there a little but I am ignoring them and they have improved. I told my ob-gyn this and because she deals in functional medicine was very supportive. She did more testing and of course everything came back negative. I think deep down I was hoping they would find something so I could blame it on that! I am realizing that stress can affect your hormones so it's all connected. She has adjusted my hormones creams I was using and am weaning myself off of them so I think that will help but I really believe I created this as I have done with other symptoms in the past.
So I feel like I have this figured out. The longer I have has TMS, the easier it becomes to overcome the symptoms. I scheduled a 3 hour trip in the car tomorrow because 2 weeks ago I couldn't sit for long periods of time but now I am taking it head on. It's truly amazing how our bodies work and how they can alert us to deal with something. I am not afraid of the pain anymore and expect to fully recover very soon! Thanks for all of your support!
 
hi wiser,

what a good news!
and : find it very interesting your remark on how stress/,emotions can mess with the hormons. i believe that too.
but my question now is (not nearly ready to overcome my tms) what do you do: you realize you stressed : and then what?
good luck on that trip : love that atitude!
karina
 
Hi Karina,
That is a great question and seems way too simple of a solution if you have never overcome it before. The first thing I do is just realize that I am ok and all the stress that I was aware of but kind of ignoring has finally caught up with me so I need to pay attention to it. Otherwise, it will get worse or find somewhere else in my body to invade. Just being aware that you are fine and healthy and you don't need the pain as a reminder helps me. Sometimes I even talk or yell at the pain and tell it I don't need it anymore.
Originally the Sarno books helped me but when my back pain came back Dr. Schubiners book and cd helped me through it (I can't remember the name) but all the Sarno books and his are great. Educating myself on the subject has always helped. I also am very conscious of what I eat and exercise. I am taking yoga classes to help relax and calm my mind. I journal when I can and just am very aware of my feelings. Whenever I feel the pain, I acknowledge it but then ignore it. The more attention you give to it the longer it will stay. I have gone to counseling over the years when I felt I needed it so I think you have to find what suits you best. My stressful situation is not something I can get rid of so I am working on how to deal with it and/or confront it instead of shutting down which is what I used to do a lot of the time. Whether that is what caused this, I don't know but just realizing its emotional somehow and ignoring the pain will put you on the right track.
My biggest hurdle was being 100% sure it was TMS. I was about 98% sure but this little voice of doubt would creep in and say "oh something is really physically wrong, something has been missed" Dr. Schubiner said if you are not 100% convinced, your mind will continue to hold the pain so you have to believe 100% it's TMS. Fear plays a big part so you have to just move forward despite your pain. I remember going into aerobic class and having anxiety because I was so afraid of hurting my back. But I pushed through it and now I am fine. My back doesn't bother me a bit now and I had it off and on for 10+ years and used to carry a pillow with me everywhere because I was afraid of hard chairs.
My issue now has been sitting and since the pain came around the holidays I was terrified the pain was going to put me in the hospital and ruin my holidays. So you have to physically do what you are afraid to do (when you are ready) in my case it's sitting for long periods of time or actually taking a vacation or holiday and not being afraid of a relapse. It sounds very strange sometimes but the strategies DO work.
The hormones only amplify everything and I do think can be out of balance but stress can make them act up worse so I think if you have stress during the peri or menopause years, it can challenging but manageable. I figure freaking out about the pain is only going to exacerbate the pain so I don't give it attention,
Wow, I just wrote a book! Didn't intend to get so lengthy but hope this helps. You will get better, we all willKeep the faith!
 
Hi wisernow,

Actually you wrote a great piece here. Very helpfull to me!
I am a bit stuck till now in the part ' okay i get thati have stress and the tension is giving me pain : But now what? Realize i feel fear etc but how to respond.
It is helpfull to read what you do: Yelling at it..ignoring after etc. Understand i must try out different things and see what works for me.
The counceling is also a option i am thinking of.

Thanks for taking the time to tell me all this!
ps: Had the sitting problem for 2 years (back/buttock) now almost gone. Use to be focused on chairs..my posture etc..don't do that a lot anymore.
Almost forgot that: Good reminder that i already made some progress.

Thanks ..i wish you all the best
And a good trip

Karina
 
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