New to TMS...need help

Hi Everyone- I new to TMS but not new to the mind-body connection. My husband found Dr Sarno a few years ago for back pain and it "cured" him.

I think I have TMS also. I started having anxiety, sleep problems and diarrhea in July of this year. After a couple of weeks, I went to iridologist who told me that my nervous system was stressed and she gave me some herbs. They worked great but the symptoms came back in October. The iridologist changed my herbs but they only worked temporarily. I then saw a naturopath who gave me a B12 shot (even though I was already taking a multi-vit and B complex) and I started having burning sensations in my face, chest and neck. Like baaaaddd burning pain. I finally went to the Urgent Care who said it was a B12 overdose. The burning sensation and diarrhea continued and even after few weeks, it didn't go away. I finally saw a regular doctor who said it was anxiety and gave me Xanax and Lexapro. The doc ran a lot of blood tests including CBC, blood sugar, hormones, lyme disease, auto-immune etc. and my blood was all normal. My B12 levels were normal also. I used the Xanax (.25mg) at night but didn't use the Lexapro. I opted for 5HTP instead.

I then started seeing an acupuncturist who stopped the diarrhea and it think helped with the burning sensation. I also started reading "The Great Pain Deception". My mind seems to fight with me that it is physical...like low serotonin or hypoglycemia.

I know this all is anxiety related...but is it TMS?? Do I continue seeing the acupuncturist?

Thank you for any help!
Stephanie

 

Doctors have either found nothing physically wrong with you or given you medication that made you worse.
Your anxiety may be causing all your problems and that is pure TMS.

It's your call whether to continue seeing the acupuncturist, but I'd suggest you put the emphasis on trying to learn what repressed emotions you may have that is causing TMS symptoms.

Anxiety is a problem most everyone has to deal with. Our lives are very fast-paced, stressful, overloaded with obligations. Everyone is trying to cope with people who are as anxious and stressed-out as we are.

I hope you will consider starting the Structured Recovery Program on the TMSWiki. Among other things it recommends journaling to discover our repressed emotions. Dr. Sarno says they usually go back to our childhood. Few people have had childhoods free of frustration, anger, feelings of being abandoned. It may seem like heavy ground to walk back through,
but it helps in relieving our TMS symptoms.

Also read the positive reviews on amazon.com books to Dr. Sarno's Healing Back Pain, and the success stories posted on the TMSWiki. They may convince you that your symptoms are TMS.

Good luck and keep posting about your progress.

 

nicksmom77)- Hi Everyone- I new to TMS but not new to the mind-body connection. My husband found Dr Sarno a few years ago for back pain and it "cured" him.

Eric)- ok you have your husband for support -- that's good, a rarity.

nicksmom77)- I think I have TMS also. I started having anxiety, sleep problems and diarrhea in July of this year. After a couple of weeks, I went to iridologist who told me that my nervous system was stressed and she gave me some herbs.

Eric)- This iridologist sensed it was your nervous system - somehow came to that diagnosis. Do you disagree?

nicksmom77)- They worked great but the symptoms came back in October. The iridologist changed my herbs but they only worked temporarily.

Eric)- If the herbs were working for a short while then that good news that the herbs was a placebo which means you can heal yourself without the placebo through tms healing. How about your family physician -- Do you have one?

nicksmom77)- I then saw a naturopath who gave me a B12 shot (even though I was already taking a multi-vit and B complex) and I started having burning sensations in my face, chest and neck. Like baaaaddd burning pain. I finally went to the Urgent Care who said it was a B12 overdose. The burning sensation and diarrhea continued and even after few weeks, it didn't go away. I finally saw a regular doctor who said it was anxiety and gave me Xanax and Lexapro. The doc ran a lot of blood tests including CBC, blood sugar, hormones, lyme disease, auto-immune etc. and my blood was all normal. My B12 levels were normal also. I used the Xanax (.25mg) at night but didn't use the Lexapro. I opted for 5HTP instead.

Eric)- What is 5htp? And since you had a b12 overdose why do you need the Xanax, stress of course. The stress can be a huge factor in your tms symptoms and by soothing your mind and thoughts with mindfulness you can get this anxiety under control ok thus eventually eliminating the need for medicines.

nicksmom77)- I then started seeing an acupuncturist who stopped the diarrhea and it think helped with the burning sensation. I also started reading "The Great Pain Deception". My mind seems to fight with me that it is physical...like low serotonin or hypoglycemia.

Eric)- The acupuncturist is good. She/ he showed you by the curing of the symptoms you had that it was built up stored negatively charged energy. We get this by repression and current life pressures and also past traumas -- so would you have any of that. I see it in your story --

nicksmom77)- I know this all is anxiety related...but is it TMS?? Do I continue seeing the acupuncturist?

Eric)- Id see the acupuncturist if the results are that good but here's the case, if you keep repressing your life pressures by default you'll still get more and more symptoms so look around and see other post that might ring a bell in your ear -- something that reminds you of you. You have to let the tms knowledge sink in over time. You can only benefit from learning to stop repressing and using mindfulness practices and not focusing on your symptoms and not worrying about them , hence the anxiety. Id say you got tms with a huge T.

The Good news is you can completely recover with Sarnos lessons like the 12 reminders in his book ( Healing Back Pain on p.82) and also reading Steves Book the Great Pain Deception will be very good for you, it simplifies Sarnos work. Were having Studies on that book now on our Tuesday night call in discussion group. It would be good for you to look to the announcements on the forum page and listen to the chapter segments that resonate with you. Your going to get a lot of good advice soon so hang in there. Living repression free in the now is a very satisfying life and its healing too.
Bless you

 

Thanks for your replies. I know this a silly question (but maybe I need to hear it)...can repressed emotions cause such great burning sensations? I have had burning and anxiety worse the last two days. I battled with my mind yesterday about this being physical - not emotions. I don't know why I want to hold on to it being physical.
Also, should I stop all supplements for anxiety? How does that work?
How do I stop repressing emotions and start becoming mindful? I know the part the healing is knowing that this is repressed emotions and not physical.
Thank you!

 

nicksmom77,
Hi, I just wanted you to know I had experienced some burning (bad) in my neck and chin. I am not sure it
is the same as what you had. I decided not to go to the doctor because I realized it was probably
a TMS symptom. I, also, had very intense pain in my neck. The amazing and interesting thing is that
I had a fall in my home and all the symptoms immediately disappeared. I called the TMS doctor I see
and he told me the reason for this was that my subconscious was now distracted with pulled muscles
from the fall. How interesting!!!!!!

I thought, WOW, that subconscious tries to be very cunning in keeping your attention and creating
fear so you do not look at the emotions you may be repressing. This was a big eye opener for me.
I have learned that many symptoms that do not seem related to TMS are TMS.

The interesting thing was that after the pulled muscles were healed from the fall, almost immediately my
back and sciatica started hurting. It very easy to get swallowed up by the symptoms but I
am learning very diligently to stand my ground and not to let these symptoms to distract me.

Although I am not a doctor, I am a nutritionist and I am not sure you had a toxcity of B12
unless you were getting injections for many months and were taking a mega dose of
B12 daily because burning is not really a toxic symptom of B12. And when you got your B12 levels
tested and they were normal.

I totally understand that your mind is fighting hard to convenience you this is not TMS.
I went through that myself. Even if you do have some hypoglycemia, it probably because
your autonomic nervous system is in fight or flight.

Is it possible to try to go to a TMS doctor? You can look at the list for TMS doctors.
That is what really convinced me of TMS. I was 98% certain I had TMS but after I went
to the TMS doctor, he took two hours with me explaining how my emotions throughout
my life were probably the cause of the pain I was experiencing now. It was so eye opening.

I hope this helped. Please, keep posting because you will get plenty of encouragement and we
never get tired of helping each other getting passed the difficult times in putting TMS to rest.
G.R.

 

nicksmom77)- Thanks for your replies. I know this a silly question (but maybe I need to hear it)...can repressed emotions cause such great burning sensations? I have had burning and anxiety worse the last two days. I battled with my mind yesterday about this being physical - not emotions. I don't know why I want to hold on to it being physical.

Eric)- Here's the success stories about anything you want to look up and yes burning sensations on the face and neck and so forth is tms symptoms. I have had burning sensations in my face neck and back many times - ( chest )- caused by anxiety but I could never get it under control till I learned tms healing ok.
http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Success_Stories_by_Symptoms_&_Diagnoses

nicksmom77)- Also, should I stop all supplements for anxiety? How does that work?

Eric)- With the supplements or medicine always let the Dr. that prescribed them to you make decisions based on your recovery. You need them for now -- when you start to heal im sure the DR. will make adjustments in your medication ok. You have to do the tms program if you want results though, its not easy less you get on one of the programs for yourself ok or find a good tms therapist ya know - if not you'll still keep catastrophizing, hopefully not but that's the life of a person with tms ya know. When you learn how to get this under control you'll be fine.

nicksmom77)- How do I stop repressing emotions and start becoming mindful? I know the part the healing is knowing that this is repressed emotions and not physical.

Eric)- Heres the program, youll have to go by it and study some so we can help you ok. Start here. http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/TMS_Recovery_Program

Bless You

 

Hi Nicksmom, I think its great that you are exploring whether these symptoms are TMS. At this point of my learning and healing, I realized that everyone can use the exercises and perspective of Sarno's and other's work. I am continually blown away at the power of repressed emotions. I had great success with the SEP on this wiki. Even if its not TMS, the learning and self-awareness will help you gain some control over the stress and anxiety.