My first post - is this TMS?

Greetings,

I am a 27 year old male.

Starting around three months ago I began to have weird sensations in my bladder. It just felt a bit burny. Every once and awhile it would also burn after urinating. I believed this was due to dehydration, as I have experienced this feeling before and it seemed to be helping a lot. Then a whole range of other symptoms began to develop. I began having pelvic pain , pressure in anus, sore butt muscles, and a general uncomfortable feeling when urinating. Sitting seems to make these worse.
Sometimes I would go and it would feel as if I had never went, like there was something still in my bladder. I started feeling pain when my bladder would fill up to a certain point, and certain movements seems to "joggle" things down there and it would feel very uncomfortable. I also developed a particular scary symptom where when I try to relax I get quick, sharp stabbing pains in my genitals (on the outside though, I don't think it is coming from the urethra). It makes it hard to follow relaxation exercises when I'm afraid of intense pain at any moment.
It is definitely effecting my sleep, work, relationships, etc.

I went to my doctor and they tested me for a UTI and sent me for a ultrasound of my pelvis. Nothing out of the ordinary was found, and they verified that even when I felt I still needed to go there was nothing in my bladder.
I googled my symptoms and thought I had either prostatis / CPPS / Pelvic floor tightness / IC. I then went to a urologist, who didn't really do any examination other than ask me about my symptoms. He said it didn't sound like anything he ever heard of, it was likely all stress (I am an anxious person), and that I should get back to living my life.
I then heard about TMS. I have been reading the books and trying the education program, and so far have yet to see any improvements. I feel like I had a pretty good childhood and many of the journaling exercises try to elicit feelings from that time period.

I am at a loss as I don't think the doctor(s) took my symptoms serious. I am trying to convince myself that this is TMS, but I don't know if I'm just hoping for a magical bullet to solve these issues.
Has anyone had a similar experience? Do you think it is TMS? If so, possible tips as to why my self-treatment hasn't had any results yet? (I've been doing TMS related activities for just about a month).
Thanks for your feedback.

 

Hi James.
Just relax. You are going to be fine. You are young and you have had a physical work up and seen a urologist who gave you the all clear. It certainly sounds like TMS. If you are still at the point where you are trying to convince yourself you have TMS you need to read Dr Sarno's books again. Tell yourself there is nothing structurally wrong and ignore the symptoms. Your symptoms will fade away.

 

Hello James. Yes, I have had something very similar to what you describe and you have every reason to believe it could be TMS. Especially if a urologist is telling you that it is stress and to go out and live your life! In terms of treatment, you need to attack this as TMS and the Structured Educational Program on this site is a great place to start. I had all of the symptoms you are describing and saw doctors and had test for it as well. This was five years ago before I knew anything about TMS. I suffered through and then discovered after many months that it was pretty random and did not have any consistent pattern. I also came to realize that stress and anxiety over it only made it worse. And so I intuitively learned how to focus on believing that it would not last and was not really causing me any harm. I didn't know it at the time, but how I learned how to deal with it on my own fits in with how one would treat it in TMS healing. About two years ago I developed severe right sided shoulder and occipital pain. This is when I discovered TMS and started my healing journey. As my symptoms started moving around, the bladder pain/urgency would occasionally reappear. Last year on my birthday, Aug. 2nd, it was the worst it has ever been and I ended up canceling my plans for a week-end get-a-way I was in so much pain. It is easy for me to see now that I really let the TMS grab me with that one. Always remember, the point of TMS is to get your attention, distract your mind from something. When we worry, have a lot of anxiety about the pain, spend time focused on it and wondering how to fix it, whether it will ever go away etc. we are following the distraction and the TMS syndrome we are experiencing continues. As hard as it may seem, have confidence there is nothing physically wrong with you. Do things that you have always enjoyed in the past even if it seems like it is impossible to enjoy them with the pain distraction. Continue to do them. And direct your mind as much as possible to something other than your bladder. I know how hard this is to do!!!!! Journal, keep an evidence sheet, do not monitor your symptoms... the more you can do that the faster things with change. Have patience. You will get past this and you are okay.

 

This may not really relate, but I know some symptoms of IBS ie: the low abdomen area (for me) really relate to emotions and TMS.
Sorry for the descriptive graphics but...
About 9 months ago, I was constipated for a day or so, and was only able to pass what could only be described as mucus or a "absolutely clear" thinish substance. I started to think of a bowel obstruction (the worst) and could feel my anxiety level escalate off the charts. I calmed myself down and within about 4 or so hours, was able to have a reasonably okay bowel movement.

 

Also, I highly recommend taking a look at the Alan Gordon section of this site. Forest has started an experienced group that will be reading through Alan's program step by step and writing about it. We only started yesterday with this new thread and there is already some fantastic information and advice posted for you. I think it will really help. Check it out.

 

Hi James,
I think reading the book "Teach us to sit still" by Tim Parks will give you the understanding of how stress can cause us pain. I really believe it will help you as the author had a very similar experience to you. Please do not worry - I am convinced that once you are truly accepting that you have nothing wrong with you that you will get back to normal. Do not measure out the time, just try to live your life as normally as possible and do things you enjoy! Good luck and stay positive. It will happen.

 

Another thought that may help. I remember a member of this site called
cirrusnarea
He made a full recovery and I am pretty sure that he had very similar problems. Read through his posts, maybe send him a private message.

 

I had years of similar symptoms and it's the one thing I know for certain is TMS/Mind Body Syndrome. I got my life back by doing some mindbody work from anamsong.com. It's possible to get better from this! I know that for certain.

 

Stress sure can bring on bowel problems. I had a bowel obstruction a few years ago and believe it
was caused by TMS. At the hospital they wanted to see if something inside me had caused it,
so they talked me into an operation. They found nothing wrong, so I didn't need the operation.
I knew I was under several emotional stresses at the time, and now I know that I had what
Steve Ozanich email me, my childhood was a "perfect storm" for TMS.

I read Sarno and Steve's books and have become free of back pain and never miss a day on the pot.
My mother used to say she had a good day when she had a good bowel movement, and I agree.
I just didn't need to hear her tell me about color and consistency of it every day. haha,
another thing to forgive her for.

 

Thank you all for sharing and your support. This is hard for me as I've never really had any significant health issues, so it is terrifying wondering "did the doctor miss something", as this does seem to happen all the time. I think I might be a bit timid of jumping into the TMS diagnosis with both feet as my body has never produced this kind of physical pain before to stress, just your standard anxiety symptoms. I suppose my fear also includes if I follow down this path and I was wrong, it could get much worse, etc. I think I need to solve those fears before I can fully start to move forward. Thank you all for your suggestions.

 

james, don't worry that TMS work will make any pain worse. It does the opposite, it frees us of anxiety, stress,
all emotional and physical pain. But you must believe in TMS 100 percent. Work on that.
Your doctor would not have missed something. And even if X-rays or MRIs showed structural damage to any
part of your body, chances are very strong that medication or surgery is not the solution but TMS is.

Thinking or journaling about your emotions going back to childhood will lead to you discovering traumas
that are now causing your pain. The traumas stay in our unconscious until we recognize them. We don't even
have to solve a childhood trauma, but it does help a lot to forgive. If you don't forgive, whoever gave you the
childhood trauma will win. When you forgive, you win and the pain goes away.

Here's a good video about it all:

http://tmswiki.org/forum/threads/two-dr-schechter-videos-on-mind-body-tms-healing.4593/

 

Hi i had the EXACT symptoms you descrjbe and was able to tid myself of them with the tms program. Let me know if you need more details i'm always here to help. But i've been down the exact road and come out of that dark pit so dont you worry at all just keep living. If it gets tough then start mindfulness meditation to live more in the present.

 

Your post and advice is great, mindfulliving. I love your wiki name.

 

Thank you so much walt...you are an inspiration and have helped me more than you know...reading alot of your posts was essential to my recovery...

According to me all chronic prostatitis/choroni pelvic pain syndrome is completely tms....i was hit by acute testicular pain 3 weeks ago and it lasted around 10 days...but i kept on living and it just left....you have to learn to live with the synptom or worry....have to move on in life...thats been the best way for me personally...

Now i suffer from mild sexual dysfunction due to trust issues with my wife....but i'm still trying to convince my brain this is complete tms...i kind of know it is...by 2 pointers..

1.) its accompanied by the same anxiety and mild depression as the other tms symptoms....i am having a hard time accepting this maybe because my male ego is so big...it will take time but i'm sure i'll get to it

2.) since i've had this worry....i've no other synptom imperative....ie. testicular pain or worry of some auto immune disease that lasts for an hour or two at most....

Again i hope to overcome this symptom with yours and eric's advice...thank you so much for all you have done for all of us tms'ers....lots of love

 

Here's a link (I hope) to a discussion at the other TMS forum that has some discussion of TMS/ "prostatitis" included in it, see Dave's post in particular:

Old timer - New symptom- Reflux

 

Hi, Mindfulliving. You might enjoy these quotes I found from Phyllis Diller on men:

Burt Reynolds once asked me out. I was in his room.


I admit, I have a tremendous sex drive. My boyfriend lives forty miles away.


His finest hour lasted a minute and a half.


A bachelor is a guy who never made the same mistake once.


The thing that gets me is an attractive man who treats me like a lady. I’m a candlelight-and-romance lady, and I can’t compromiser in anything because I know that you can get romance if you wait long enough for that man to come along.


Women’s liberation is never going to change relationsdhips between men and women. I’m a third-generation career girl, so I’ve always been liberated and I take it for granted. And I like being a woman.


Sex can be a great burden for men, because their role is still more important than women’s. Men still have to act, while all women have to do is react.


The ideal man is sensitive and cares about how the other person feels. Really, men should stop being so uptight about being good lovers and just do what comes naturally. But if a man is worrying about sex and making love, he should listen to instruction from a female. It’s often unfortunate being a woman to teach a young man because experienced men are much better than beginners. They have been taught by many women.


Men don’t approach me. I’m not an approachable woman and I never have been. I wasn’t even an approachable child. I was bright, and boys don’t approach bright girls.


The male ego is the most delicate thing in the world. It is nurtured in such a way that it is supposed to be solid rock, and isn’t allowed to be human. So men assume the role of being completely impervious to any ego threats. That’s why you get men who go to single bars wanting sex but no marriage responsibility.