New Symptom Freaking Me out

[Stormshadow]

I've been battling all sorts of symptoms and the ones that freak me out the most as lots of you know are my arms, wrists and elbows. Well my elbow pain started feeling much different and is almost like a burning sensation right on or below the skin. It's almost like a i feel like I have a rash but there is no rash. Just wearing a shirt up against my arm hurts and burns. IT freaks me out that this is fibromyalgia. Now I know that fibro is TMS, but I guess it scares me that this is all so much more severe. It started yesterday after I had a nice relaxing day home by myself (no wife, home sick from work). A half hour before my wife was scheduled to come home my mind started panicking and obsessing more about my arms and then this burning sensation started and won't leave. I'm trying to think about my emotions but then I obsess about them and trying to understand what is causing everything. Lots of my other symptoms come and go. My back, my neck, my jaw and my hip and buttocks. But my arm, wrist and forearm pain always persists. I can't help sometimes but worry that trying to push through adn playing my video games i smaking it worse. My TMS doctor says its TMS, but i get scared about overuse injuries.

 

[North Star]

Stormshadow, You sound like me the other day when I feel like I'm doing a TMS Hokey Pokey where TMS is going through your body limb by limb trying to get a rise out of you.

Even last night it was trying to get me with some nocturnal jittering and tension. Thankfully, I knew right away it was TMS and told it to knock it off. It really DOES get easier with practice. It used to be I'd wake up with that…the physical symptoms would stop and then the anxiety and fear would keep me occupied. What a vicious cycle!

A HUGE benefit you have is that you have a TMS doctor. REST in his clinical expertise! Remember FEAR is usually more disabling than the symptoms.

Take a deep breath and if you're still home today, find something to distract your mind until it settles down a little bit. Walt's advice about laughter comes to mind.

PS Re: Fibro…I did get that diagnosis. And it IS TMS. But even at its worst, I know full recovery is possible.

Hang in there! And remember the call tonight is going to be FANTASTIC so I hope you can join us.

 

[Mermaid]

Hi Stormshadow,

All this is just TMS running it's normal course.

Please don't be bluffed by your symptoms changing and moving around, that's a good thing, it proves you've got it on the run. There has already been a shift in your brain toward dismantling TMS.

North Star is right when she says that the fear is more disabling than the symptoms. It's not the pain that's controlling you, but your fear of it. You say that your most persistant pain is in your arms and wrist, that's because you attach so much importance to it for your gaming etc.. TMS uses is area because it's the most effective way of keep your attention.

Why are you so afraid of the "fibro" label, it's meaningless, it's just a collection of different TMS symptoms? Your TMS doctor certainly won't give you this diagnosis. The burning sensation is just mild oxygen depravation to the nerves in your skin, I used to get this too IGNORE IT.

I've been told I had all manner of things over the years, all this did was add to the fear, it was all just plain old TMS.

Keep focused on YOU and do what makes you happy. LOSE THE FEAR, LOSE THE PAIN

Bless you

 

[Stormshadow]

Thanks Mermaid and North Star. I really appreciate your wisdom and input. You are definitely right that I attach so much more importance to my hands. I use them for gaming, for work and recreational activities, etc.

My TMS doctor told me fibro is TMS and that the fibro diagnosis is BS and should never have been created by the medical community. It created more fear and made people worse. IT's weird that even knowing that I fear this and my other symptoms making me more fibro-like. I guess I associate the fibro as a severe form of TMS and worry that i'm just that much further gone or something.

I'm also afraid of using my hands more and creating a full blown carpal tunnel or ulnar nerve numbness or damage on a permanent basis. I need to change that line of thinking. My symptoms do move around except for the arms stuff. I try to tell myself that if it was true RSI, why would both arms have started hurting at the same time last year? Wouldn't one of them started hurting before the other one? Then my brain plays tricks adn says well you do use both of them for typing or playing a game so why wouldn't that be possible? The hands get all numb and tingly and my elbows and forearms are sore when you push in on certain areas. Just sucks.

I keep trying to tell myself its all emotional. Then worry about not finding the true source or repressed emotion. I'm seeing my TMS therapist who says its just going to take time and its normal for it to get worse before it gets better.

I was proud of myself yesterday though. I had a few days off the past few days sick and I did stuff with my hands. It hurt but I tried not to panic. Last year when I was off I was debiliated with fear from every new symptom that kept popping up. My legs were going numb the past few days and I was like "oh well I know its TMS" But I also ahve the thoughts "why won't it go away? I know what it is now. What if I don't find the source or the reprssed emotion?

 

[Mermaid]

Thanks Mermaid and North Star. I really appreciate your wisdom and input. You are definitely right that I attach so much more importance to my hands. I use them for gaming, for work and recreational activities, etc.

My TMS doctor told me fibro is TMS and that the fibro diagnosis is BS and should never have been created by the medical community. It created more fear and made people worse. IT's weird that even knowing that I fear this and my other symptoms making me more fibro-like. I guess I associate the fibro as a severe form of TMS and worry that i'm just that much further gone or something.

I'm also afraid of using my hands more and creating a full blown carpal tunnel or ulnar nerve numbness or damage on a permanent basis. I need to change that line of thinking. My symptoms do move around except for the arms stuff. I try to tell myself that if it was true RSI, why would both arms have started hurting at the same time last year? Wouldn't one of them started hurting before the other one? Then my brain plays tricks adn says well you do use both of them for typing or playing a game so why wouldn't that be possible? The hands get all numb and tingly and my elbows and forearms are sore when you push in on certain areas. Just sucks.

I keep trying to tell myself its all emotional. Then worry about not finding the true source or repressed emotion. I'm seeing my TMS therapist who says its just going to take time and its normal for it to get worse before it gets better.

I was proud of myself yesterday though. I had a few days off the past few days sick and I did stuff with my hands. It hurt but I tried not to panic. Last year when I was off I was debiliated with fear from every new symptom that kept popping up. My legs were going numb the past few days and I was like "oh well I know its TMS" But I also ahve the thoughts "why won't it go away? I know what it is now. What if I don't find the source or the reprssed emotion?

Stormshadow, this is very important YOU DON'T NEED TO UNCOVER YOUR REPRESSED EMOTIONS TO HEAL, IT'S KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROCESS THAT IS THE CURE !! Knowing about TMS makes it's job as a distraction redundant.

Healing can take some time, your subconscious is slower to learn than your conscious mind. Being impatient creates more tension, which is what you want to avoid. Listen to your doc and therapist, and be kind to yourself