I just signed up today for this forum. This last year I have falling apart. I went from a very active and healthy 40 year old to someone with a bunch of medical mysteries. I developed left leg pain and severe leg weakness from the knee down about a year ago to the point where my muscles had no strength to walk and pain was agonizing. It all began while running. After an EMG that showed an L5-SI radiculopathy, I developed back pain from the procedure that causes stinging around my hips. All MRI's are were clean. I am able to walk now but still have pain and weakness in my leg and burning around my back and hips. I had a bunch of epidural steroid injections over the last year that did very little for me .I also developed out of no where ulnar nerve subluxation issues in both of my elbows. I had surgery on my left that seemed to fix the problem at first until my tricep tendon that began to pop over my elbow bone and soon followed my ulnar nerve pain again in my left arm. I then developed frozen shoulder in my left shoulder supposedly from not using my left arm for a very long period of time. I am a year in with leg weakness and pain, ulnar nerve problems in both arms, a frozen shoulder and back pain. Left my job because I can barely move around. I had a full medical workup that leaves me with no answers. I have been reading many books about TMS and have seen a TMS doctor as well that diagnosed me with it. I tried following the program and am now seeing a TMS therapist for the last 2 months. I believe I have TMS, but doubts often do creep into my mind about it. I haven't had any progress. Can anyone give me some feedback that has been healed. Can TMS cause so many symptoms like I have throughout the body?
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Alan has completed the new Pain Recovery Program. To read or share it, use this updated link: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/
Help! Any feedback would be appreciated.
- Thread starter Mquest
- Start date
Tennis Tom
Beloved Grand Eagle
WOW! Sounds like you are doing EVERYTHING that can be done! You've been DX'ed by a TMS physician, and seeing a TMS therapist--what do they say about why you doubt them? Do you have confidence in your TMS practitioners? It sounds like your conscious mind buys TMS but your un-C isn't on board yet otherwise it would cool it with the symptom-creation. Like the great quote in Dr. Sarno's book by Edna St. Vincent Millay:
Edna St. Vincent Millay
“Pity me that the heart is slow to learn
What the swift mind beholds at every turn.”
On the face of your post your are speaking the language of the STRUCTURAL. This tells me you still are on the fence about it. Dr. Sarno says when you feel the pain switch your thoughts to the PSYCHOLOGICAL, are you doing that? I always recommend when stuck where you are to look up the HOLMES-RAHE LIST OF LIFE STRESSORS for the emotionally charged events that create TMS symptoms--there's your science! What's been bugging you to cause the TMS defense mechanism to be employed by your sub-C?
Edna St. Vincent Millay
“Pity me that the heart is slow to learn
What the swift mind beholds at every turn.”
On the face of your post your are speaking the language of the STRUCTURAL. This tells me you still are on the fence about it. Dr. Sarno says when you feel the pain switch your thoughts to the PSYCHOLOGICAL, are you doing that? I always recommend when stuck where you are to look up the HOLMES-RAHE LIST OF LIFE STRESSORS for the emotionally charged events that create TMS symptoms--there's your science! What's been bugging you to cause the TMS defense mechanism to be employed by your sub-C?
WOW! Sounds like you are doing EVERYTHING that can be done! You've been DX'ed by a TMS physician, and seeing a TMS therapist--what do they say about why you doubt them? Do you have confidence in your TMS practitioners? It sounds like your conscious mind buys TMS but your un-C isn't on board yet otherwise it would cool it with the symptom-creation. Like the great quote in Dr. Sarno's book by Edna St. Vincent Millay:
Edna St. Vincent Millay
“Pity me that the heart is slow to learn
What the swift mind beholds at every turn.”
On the face of your post your are speaking the language of the STRUCTURAL. This tells me you still are on the fence about it. Dr. Sarno says when you feel the pain switch your thoughts to the PSYCHOLOGICAL, are you doing that? I always recommend when stuck where you are to look up the HOLMES-RAHE LIST OF LIFE STRESSORS for the emotionally charged events that create TMS symptoms--there's your science! What's been bugging you to cause the TMS defense mechanism to be employed by your sub-C?
I do have confidence in them . I guess I just feel overwhelmed with my symptoms and sometimes am in shock to think that the mind is so powerful. I also feel my therapist is very laid back and does believe I have TMS, but doesn't express it to me with conviction. I feel like I never got a really strong confirmation of me having TMS that I was looking for. I have been told by my TMS doctor and my therapist that they believe I have TMS, but not with real convincing. I wish at least one of them would have said there is no doubt you have TMS. When I tell my therapist about my doubt he says to do any other tests necessary to rule it out if that's what it takes for more convincing. A neurosurgeon I had previously seen didn't see much of anything on my MRIs, but suggested to me getting a discogram. I hear it is a very painful procedure and I don't want to cause anymore pain than I already have. I've already exhausted seeing doctors and getting treatments and feel I am done with that. You are right I am still thinking structural about it at times, but can't get myself off of that fence. It's like a seesaw. I feel like a little progress would go a long way for me. I am constantly trying to think psychologically and connect it to my pain. Thanks for the response.
Tennis Tom
Beloved Grand Eagle
Contact SteveO, (Steven Ray Ozanich), author of the THE GREAT PAIN DECEPTION, a TMS tome. He does skype/phone counseling. He's very authoritative--and an author.
Tell him TomO sent you, he has a web site: http://steveozanich.com/ (Home - Steve Ozanich)
Tell him TomO sent you, he has a web site: http://steveozanich.com/ (Home - Steve Ozanich)
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Mquest...let me give a list of my symptoms, for comparison's sake. This is over the course of 8 months.
Minor lower back, hip, knee and heel pain
Severe fatigue
Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand pain
Drastic increase in headache/migraine frequency
Nerve pain in both arms, numbness in hands
Occasional nerve pain in lower back, leg
"Flu aches" moderate, throbbing, all over body aches
Feeling feverish
Sub-normal body temp
Rapidly migrating pain
Insomnia
98% of my symptoms disappeared almost immediately just from educating myself on TMS.
Minor lower back, hip, knee and heel pain
Severe fatigue
Shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand pain
Drastic increase in headache/migraine frequency
Nerve pain in both arms, numbness in hands
Occasional nerve pain in lower back, leg
"Flu aches" moderate, throbbing, all over body aches
Feeling feverish
Sub-normal body temp
Rapidly migrating pain
Insomnia
98% of my symptoms disappeared almost immediately just from educating myself on TMS.
Wow! That's crazy. So it is not abnormal to develop so many symptoms. Did they constantly shift or did you experience many of them at the same time? Mine have come on one by one. All being provoked one way or another. The pain is sometimes worse in one area than another but all my symptoms are always present. TMS had me very distracted with just one part of my body. What scares me is that Ive experienced some structural changes with my nerves. Since they've been irritated I now feel them popping over my elbow bone when I bend my arms. The more I use them the more it just irritates the nerves. I worry that this won'tt be so easy to reverse and thatthey will not return to gliding through the tunnel they are meant to slide through with no irritation. I wish my recovery was quick like yours. Thanks for the info. It helps me recognize more that it is TMS. I think that by reaching out to others who have gone through this, it might help with my recovery.
Sometimes it would only be one spot. Many times it would be several spots. It moved around often. Sometimes only a few times a day, sometimes from one second to the next. My knees and ankles began to pop and grind with every step. I could hear it, and feel it. Those structural changes- like with your nerves- are right up there with our very real, physical pains.
Don't lose hope! Everyone's story is different.
I agree. I do have a hard time accepting the diagnosis 100% though . Some of my symptoms have caused structural changes in my body that I feel, not just pain. I feel my nerves swollen and move back and forth over my elbow bone. Also certain muscles in my left leg don't work to full capacity. If I only felt intense pain, then it would be easier for me to accept 100%. This is my biggest challenge, believing 100%. Any words of wisdom?
The subconscious mind is good at using the nerves to create symptoms that are very convincing.
This includes 'real' observable physical tension, as well as sensations of tingling, burning, and things like diminished reflexes and reduced strength or range of motion.
TMS is caused by the mind, but it isn't all in the mind. The mind can and does create actual physical symptoms just like the ones you describe.
Feeling pain and worrying about your symptoms is habit forming. It takes time, work, and belief to break these habits.
This includes 'real' observable physical tension, as well as sensations of tingling, burning, and things like diminished reflexes and reduced strength or range of motion.
TMS is caused by the mind, but it isn't all in the mind. The mind can and does create actual physical symptoms just like the ones you describe.
Feeling pain and worrying about your symptoms is habit forming. It takes time, work, and belief to break these habits.
TG957
Beloved Grand Eagle
Mquest, in my case it is not just feeling, my tendons and ligaments are visibly bulgy, swollen and clearly deformed, it is an obvious structural change. About 8 months ago I had neuropathic pain in my hands and arms, tingling, numbness and visible skin changes in my hands (redness, swelling and intense sweating). At some point, I had a tendon knot, about 3 mm in diameter rolling under my skin over the wrist joint, visible and palpable. My EMG showed degradation and I was given a diagnosis of a carpal tunnel syndrome with the ultimate recommendation of a surgery to reduce the strain on my hand nerve. I was told that the nerve damage was permanent. I could not bend my wrists, I could not bend or straighten out my fingers - call it "my certain muscles did not work to any capacity" - my fingers were locked in a certain position with very limited mobility.
Despite all the above "scientific" evidence, my hands are getting better. The tendon knot is gone. Bulging and swelling is no longer permanent, I now have good days when it is much reduced. Tingling and numbness is about 50% less than it used to be. Of course, I have plenty of bad days, when I can't bend my fingers at all - I am not kidding. But I used to have a bad day every day. I refused a surgery, I refused steroid injections, I refused opiates because I did not believe my official diagnosis for a second. But I had serious doubts about structural changes. Yet, I chose to believe Dr. Sarno who told me that if I put my mind to it, I could recover. I have long ways to go, but I know that I got better by believing and following Dr. Sarno's method.
It is really your choice. If you recover - the victory is yours, but it is very hard work.
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Thank you for the response. That sounds very real to me. Hearing situations like yours gives me good affirmation that I can heal. I know it's a lot of work. Ive had a couple of days here and there when I feel that my pain has lessened. These days give me a lot of confidence in having TMS. It's the bad days that really set me back and make me want to just through the towel in. Despite those bad days like the one I'm having today, I keep finding the motivation to continue forward and not give up. I'm having trouble typing today because like you my fingers on my right hand feel like they are locking up. Neuropathic pain is really scary. I'm trying my best to think psychologically. What do you feel helped you the most to make progress in the recovery process?
It's a habit that is causing my great difficulty to break. I've always been a very obsessive compulsive person (that I"ve read is also symptom of TMS). I feel like this personality trait causes me to really fixate on my pain.
Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)
Beloved Grand Eagle
Hi, Mquest. Keep punching. We all have good days and bad days. Keep in mind that the setbacks are temporary.
My motto is from tennis star Arthur Ashe: "Never give up, no matter what the score is."
My motto is from tennis star Arthur Ashe: "Never give up, no matter what the score is."