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How do you not go to the doctor for new symptoms?

M

Mja1233

New Member
For context:

I have had TMS for 7 years. It all started with dizziness and a flurry of other symptoms that doesn't really matter. I have finally come to a place where my fear is really low and symptoms have been improving.

Now in the last 3 months, I have had two UTI's (Dr. Confirmed) that both cleared up after antibiotics, but now my urethra will randomly burn/hurt making me think I have an infection. I got at-home tests, and usually once I see that I'm clear, the pain goes away. Ok cool.

THEN, headaches started to appear. I applied my TMS process to these, and they have died down. I have no fear or them. Great!

Now, I got a very strong pelvic pain two weeks ago. It didn't go away after a few days, so I got checked. I thought I had an ovarian cyst because I've had one before that had to be removed. But I don't, and all was clear. The pelvic pain now moves around and goes down my legs, into my hip, and into my lower back. I also now have some IBS symptoms although they have gotten better.

I feel like the symptom imperative is relentless but I don't want to just always say it's TMS in case I have a tumor or something. But I also feel like going to the doctor every time I get a new symptom is crazy.

How do you all handle these situations?
 
Knowing that you have TMS and knowing it is most likely the cause of new symptoms is how you stop going...trusting in yourself and the process. Knowing that you have had ovarian cysts before and may need to simply get them checked out. Knowing you were totally fine in the past, and would be again if that's what you are dealing with. Recognizing that your brain is absolutely on to your ability to fear new symptoms and that when they arise, they cause you doubt and knowing and trusting many of the commonly reported TMS patterns of pain behavior like:
Pelvic pain moves around, IBS symptoms have gotten better....

May I ask what "my TMS process" is?

Since you are having so many symptoms, have you asked yourself "what am I stressed about? What is going on in my life? What thought processes do I tend to repeat that may be causing me internal stress?" This is thinking psychologically and if you aren't in the habit of going their first, then you are most likely in fear and anxiety and very focused on the physical.
There are a variety of tactics you can use to lower fear, and anxiety that could be of help if you can apply them to life, and consider your emotional state beyond TMS. I think that is a huge key for some people who find they have a constant rounds of symptom imperative long after they have begun the TMS "work". It may simply be time to do more work.
Recently I have read or listened to podcasts with therapists who have dealt with clients who find this process slow. They all suggest that it's "layers of an onion" approach that seems to work for some people over time. You do some "work" (whatever your nervous system and brain can handle and accept) and continue on with life. Then new symptoms arise, but they find simply using their original methods aren't enough...they are ready to go "deeper" into things like their personality, or thought habits, false beliefs or other parts of their psychology which are inter playing in their subconscious in ways that they have no idea is happening because of course your brain is protecting you from these things it deems as "unsafe" to consciously think about.
Creating an evidence sheet for yourself is also helpful. Column 1 - Symptom (no long explanation about it..simply "Pelvic Pain" is enough. What was going on in your life PSYCHOLOGICALLY next column - you may also note in column three how long you noticed the symptoms appeared (a few months, a week, a day, an hour etc) before they seem to fade. This would be filled in over time from memory and doesn't have to be specific...it's just a reminder for you in the future that symptoms fade and change and may begin to leave quickly after you really train your nervous system to not freak out so much.
When you find yourself paying attention to and obsessing about symptoms, worrying, fearing etc. it is usually anxiety. Reading Claire Weekes is extremely helpful in learning how to deal with what Dr. Hanscomb called "Repetitive Intrusive Thoughts" (he has a book coming out on this subject in the future).
I will also say that some folks can simply follow Alan Gordon's program and heal and feel better, but some folks need to go into more depth. I have had to go a bit deeper, and it has been amazing. With only a handful of EMDR visits, I've learned that many things I have gone through in the past have shaped my personal difficulties with internal safety, and that has developed probably since infancy. I have had to learn to recognize these patterns in my life when they come up (and EMDR helps them become much less powerful over time). I have had to employ things like meditation, EFT (on my own) and other tactics to slow a hyper-responsive nervous system so that I can pause, and CHOOSE to respond to triggers and symptoms instead of simply reacting to them and getting back into the pain/fear cycle.
By reading many posts on this forum, and participating regularly, I have learned so many useful tactics that I employ at some times in my journey and can leave behind when I am ready to move on.
 
Yep, as @Cactusflower says, it's probably time to recommit to doing the work, perhaps going deeper than you needed to go in the past. You can revisit the writing techniques in the SEP and apply them to current stressors along with past ones, including current world affairs. We've been seeing (and many of us are personally experiencing) a lot of symptom setbacks in 2023 and I believe there's an obvious reason for that.

The way I avoid running to the doctor all the time is to determine if a particular symptom is indicative of something that is urgent (at my age examples would be signs of stroke or heart attack) or if it's something I can decide to treat as TMS for a reasonable amount of time. BTW, a self test for UTIs is awesome! (no such thing back in the day when I used to get them all the time, long before I was aware of my tendency for TMS symptoms). Anyway, symptoms I get these days disappear shortly with some self-reflection and mindfulness.
 
This makes me think of some of my similar experiences. I have had a host of health issues for a couple of years now following extreme traumatic stress. I did have a diagnosed yeast infection which turned into BV, this lasted for 2 or more months. It did go away and I was symptom free for a couple of months, only for the symptoms to return. I was SURE I had an infection again, but I went to the dr and everything was perfect. I waited a few weeks to get checked. Once I knew it was okay, it was like magic, the symptoms disappeared. Now in its place I have other things. This stuff is ANNOYING lol. I do think its okay to get checked out though, but to not continuously go. This is something I am battling with as well. Best of lu ck
 
Not knowing whether something is TMS and regularly experiencing symptoms is typically a sign that I’m stressed, upset, etc. When I’m feeling more balanced, I know that my pelvic symptoms may actually be a UTI and not just TMS. The emotional work is incredibly important and I believe this is why I’ll always be in therapy and practicing CBT and ERP.
 
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