Is it TMS?

I've been doing the Structured education for a month and am more confused than ever Somedays I think I have TMS and am making progress. Other days I limp along (literally) and am in pain and wonder if bilateral hip replacement is something I should be considering. My diagnosis is advanced arthritis and the doctor I saw gave me information on hip replacement and cortisone injections. I'd rather not go that route. I haven't found a TMS doctor in Albuquerque. So I've been looking through the forums for information on arthritis and TMS. Some think it is TMS and others think it is structural. How can I know for sure? I eagerly went back to doing all the things I love - gardening, hiking, bicycling..even if it seems to bring on a lot of pain. I so want my old life back. I want it to be TMS but I'm having lots of doubts about whether it is. The arthritis diagnosis is depressing but I wonder if I am fooling myself thinking that it's not the cause of my pain? I'd love to hear your experiences with arthritis.

 

Hi Jane!

I don't personally have experience with arthritis myself but a lot of people on this forum do and could tell you a bit about their healing. Like back pain, there isn't a strong correlation with a painful joint and stage of arthritis. Some people have terrible pain but only mild arthritis while others' x-rays show severe joint space narrowing but they have no pain. I definitely think this could be TMS-caused pain. The doubt in the diagnosis is likely preventing your from progressing. Most people have arthritis when they're over a certain age but pain is not inevitable.

 

Thank you. That is very encouraging. I definitely have more pain when I'm stressed and days when I feel really good. I