Functional heartburn/symptom imperative?

Hi,

I am struggling with what I think is the symptom imperative and at the same time find it hard to believe in the symptoms being TMS, even after curing myself of my chronic nerve pain I experienced before.

Two years ago I was diagnosed with central sensitization after having nerve pain in my arms and hands after a herniated disc in the neck. I had constant nerve pain and couldn't function, couldn't work or have a normal life at all. At the time I didn't know about Dr Sarno or TMS and the doctors told me the condition was chronic. Turned out it wasn't and that the herniated disc wasn't even the cause of my pain. I found the app Curable and Dr Sarnos books and experienced relief in just a few weeks, and in six months I was completely pain free.

At the same time my nerve pain in my arms disappeared, I started getting what I thought was heartburn. I didn't experience any actual acid reflux from what I knew at least, but had a constant burning pain on the left side of my chest. I also had symptoms along with that like coughing after eating and a feeling of a lump in the throat. I went on PPIs which didn't help. My doctor then prescribed a double dose of PPIs which didn't do anything either. I had a gastroscopy which showed a small hietal hernia and a very mild inflammation in the lower part of the esophagus, but my doctor was still confused because of the PPIs not working. After four months of constant burning pain in the chest I got a 24-hour PH impedance test which also didn't explain my symptoms. The doctor then diagnosed me with functional heartburn. A week or so after finding out I didn't actually have acid reflux, my symptoms disappeared. This was in the fall of 2024.

Except from a few days now and then during this year, my symptoms didn't reappear until this summer. I accidentally hit my elbow, right on the ulnar nerve, earlier this June. All of my old nerve pains came back but I managed to get rid of the symptoms in two weeks with somatic tracking and convincing myself that the pain was just old TMS being triggered. After I got rid of the nerve pain, like the first time around, the heartburn like pain came back. Also, coughing and the feeling of the lump in the throat. I also have some symptoms of functional dyspepsia. I noticed that I have much more fear related to the heartburn than the nerve pain. Probably because I know that acid reflux can cause Baretts esophagus and in the long run cancer. This scares me a lot. This time, my symptoms have gone further and have spread. My throat is sore and hurts, I have some kind of post nasal drip and my ear burns and hurts. I have also experienced burning mouth syndrome during this time. All of this is going on during the day and is intensified after eating, together with the burning in my chest. PPIs do not help. I'm having such a hard time convincing myself that it is not dangerous and keep thinking about that hietal hernia. At the same time, I know that the symptoms appeared right after I got rid of the other pain, and that I am under a lot of stress at the moment. Also, I managed to get rid of the symptoms the first time around, so what is keeping me from doing it this time?

Does anyone have experience with something similiar or has any advice?

Thank you,
I.M

 

"functional heartburn" is simply a term used for we don't know why you are having this symptom but it seems a lot like GERD without any acid.
What does that sound like to you?
Now your throat hurts.
Your ears burn (this is a symptom I have).
I've had silent reflux which sounds a lot like your "functional heartburn".
Fear is the fuel for this fire. You'll need to address your fears around these symptoms, and recognize that they are a reflection of fears you have elsewhere in your life ... and a reflection of the unaddressed emotions, in particular RAGE that Dr. Sarno is all about.

If you have been looked at by a doctor, and they can't find anything wrong - that doesn't mean they won't try to give a symptom a "Name" or a diagnosis .... then you know exactly what to do. You are under a lot of stress. What have you learned in the past about stress? How are you internalizing that stress?

If you have not yet actually done any TMS work eg. work beyond things like Somatic Tracking ... following Sarno's actual advice to look into your emotional and internal world, take into consideration your personality traits, behaviors and thought patterns - then it's time to address them. Understanding that there are many external stressors in this world but it's our internal reaction to that stress that contributes to symptoms.

This website has a free program that guides you through the work at TMSWIKI.org and scroll down to find the Structured Educational Program - it starts on day 0 - which is the day you begin reading any book by Dr. Sarno. If you haven't read one of his books lately, I suggest you try. You'll find much of this work quite similar to techniques offered on the Curable App, but looked at in a more concise and consistent way.

Good luck and let us know how you do!