I’m post menopausal and randomly have discovered an ovarian cyst which is being monitored. No big concern as it’s not large or causing me issues but I know it’s there. I’m leaving in a few weeks for an out of country vacation which I’m not particularly keen about. I’m a home body and all of a sudden I have pain on the side of the cyst. I’m worried if it is growing and if it ruptures etc while I’m out of country so of course ourselves my worrying is causing me more pain whether it’s real or TMS I’m not sure. I have a feeling it’s TMS. AST might’ve was having a weird dream and all of a sudden I had severe pain on that side. Today it seems to be fine. What are your thoughts? Do you think my worrying about my trip is causing me this pain. I am having it checked before I leave to see if it has grown at all but that’s not for a few weeks. Anyone experience anything similiar?
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Ovarian Cyst
- Thread starter Y1958
- Start date
The cyst rupturing is something that could, of course, happen and it's a legitimate concern about being away from home and needing medical treatment in a foreign land. Ovarian cysts can also cause intermittent pain, I understand (having just looked it up).
However, that said, this also fits into a classic TMS scenario, where your 'lizard' brain could be baulking at the very thought of you going on that vacation. You don't really want to go on that vacation, but you're going because, I surmise, you feel you 'should'/'ought to' (for whatever reason(s) that might be).
It's impossible for us on this forum, of course, to give you a definitive answer as to whether your ovarian cyst is playing up or it's your brain causing pain in a place in your body where you're liable to believe that something physical is going on, but TMSing brains are sneaky like that.
In Dr Sarno's book The Divided Mind he wrote this about his own experience of his brain creating symptoms because he hadn't wanted to go on a road trip with his wife...
"A personal example would not be amiss here, for it bears the dual stamp of authenticity and accuracy. I was on a trip with my wife when I began to experience severe gastroesophageal reflux. She and I both recognized this to be psychosomatic, and we tried to figure out what was making me unconsciously angry. Was it because:
• I no longer liked to travel because of the inconvenience and discomfort?
• I found some of the places we were visiting disagreeable?
• I would rather be at home working on a book?
• The trip was too long?
We obviously didn’t hit on the right answer, because my symptoms continued unabated for the entire trip. It wasn’t until we got home that I realized what had been going on. I had promised the long trip to my wife, who loves to travel. I was being a good guy. I was unconsciously furious for having to do something I really didn’t want to do. My psyche wouldn’t permit me to be consciously furious at my wife, and neither would my reasonable self—so to be absolutely sure the rage remained unconscious, the brain dished up the severe gastrointestinal symptoms. The rage, of course, was the reaction of that unconscious child-primitive—selfish, narcissistic, and totally unconcerned with the needs and desires of anyone else. Not very flattering. Earlier in this chapter I suggested that reasonable people might prefer to deal with the unconscious rage rather than the pain and discomfort of a psychosomatic symptom, if the brain’s decision maker would only give them the opportunity to choose. My gastroesophageal reflux episode prompts me to rethink my position. Rage at my wife would have been inappropriate and unfair—better to suffer gastroesophageal reflux!"
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And in his book Healing Back Pain Dr Sarno he writes...
"Many years ago New York psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe studied the causative role of stressful life events “in the natural history of many diseases.” They reported on a list of these events, some of which were negative but many identified as socially desirable and “consonant with the American values of achievement, success, materialism, practicality, efficiency, future orientation, conformism and self-reliance.” The list is reproduced here. We postulate that these events produce “dis-ease” through the mechanism of internal rage.
The events are listed in order of decreasing stress:
1. Death of a spouse
2. Divorce
3. Marital separation
4. Jail term
5. Death of close family member
6. Personal injury or illness
7. Marriage
8. Fired at work
9. Marital reconciliation
10. Retirement
11. Change in health of family member
12. Pregnancy
13. Sex difficulties
14. Gain of a new family member
15. Business readjustment
16. Change in financial state
17. Death of a close friend
18. Change to different line of work
19. Change in number of arguments with spouse
20. Mortgage over $10,000 [in the 1960s]
21. Foreclosure of mortgage or loan
22. Change of responsibilities at work
23. Son or daughter leaving home
24. Trouble with in-laws
25. Outstanding personal achievement
26. Wife begins or stops work
27. Begin or end school
28. Change in living conditions
29. Revision of personal habits
30. Trouble with boss
31. Change in work hours or conditions
32. Change in residence
33. Change in schools
34. Change in recreation
35. Change in church activities
36. Change in social activities
37. Mortgage or loan less than $10,000
38. Change in sleeping habits
39. Change in number of family get-togethers
40. Change in eating habits
41. Vacation
42. Christmas
43. Minor violations of the law
Both positive and negative stress generate unconscious anger, whether or not one is consciously angry. Accumulated anger is rage, and frightening, unconscious rage leads to the development of physical symptoms."
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Adam Coloretti (coach)
Well known member
Hi! The TMS guide (written by the experts, including Dr Schubiner) says about ovarian cysts: "Usually these do not cause symptoms. Symptoms attributed to ovarian cysts should be assessed for TMS as part of a complete evaluation".
This is no guarantee by me, but based on this as well as what you said (I'm reasonably confident that if you didn't know it was there you might not have pain, it sounds as it it's attention/fear that is feeding it and you've made a link where it might just be a coincidence), I'm leaning towards this being TMS (the pain itself).
I had (still have by my knowledge) a prostate cyst found on my scans (accidentally) and I started to freak out (and thought I might have found the cause of my pelvic pain), the best thing my urologist said was along the lines of "oh no that's completely normal, plenty of people have those and that isn't causing your symptoms, it might be a problem when you're older but we will monitor it then". Luckily he said that, because if he didn't I might still be in pain (and I probably would have had unnecessary surgery).
thank you that was very insightful. I can resonate more with sarno going on that vacation with his wife
That does sound like what him going thru. Just need to get my mindset to cooperate as we are going on the vacation I’m not 100% thrilled about and doing it as Sarno did to please my spouse.
Cactusflower
Beloved Grand Eagle
Find a way to get excited about your vacation!
I make a list of all kinds of things before we go away: things I want to do, things he might enjoy but most likely isn't aware of, restaurants, food we'll take, any entertainment or friends we could see. I choose a favorite outfit for one dinner out, take some of my favorite teas, coffees and a great book and line up a great audio book so I can tune him out if he wants to do something I don't want to do.
In essence, find a way to please yourself and create the balance that is a bit less frustrating and feeds into the people pleasing aspect of the relationship.