Pain at base of both thumbs

[GregL]

Hey all. I had made a thread on here not too long ago my back relapse issues. Not going to rehash the whole thing, but that is in fact feeling better at the moment. And frankly, I don't really care to even acknowledge it. However, lately, I have this pain on both hands sort of at the bases of my thumbs. Especially when I grip stuff. But just bending them too at the bottom joint. I have indeed been using my hands a whole lot these past few months. Now obviously, google will tell you anything. The immediate thing that came up was "basal joint thumb arthritis".

So again, I 1000% understand and accept TMS. It has been proven to me on more than one occasion. However, I guess with this particular thing, which I've never really experienced, I wonder if there is possibly something structural going on. Or is "arthritis" in general a manifestation?

The closest picture I could find to show where the pain is is this:

Thanks in advance for any feedback...

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi, Greg. I'm 84 so I naturally think any symptom I have is structural.
But I think that only for a moment. Then I realize I healed through 100 percent belief in TMS.

Even Dr. Sarno says arthritis doesn't cause us pain. That's caused by our minds thinking it is causing our pain.

So don't let Dr. Google or anyone or even X-rays and MRIs make you think you have arthritis.
If you do, you'll just condition yourself to think/fear you have it.

Drink a cup of hot milk and tell yourself you don't have arthritis and are not in any pain at all.

I had a stressful morning today, on the phone and Internet about a scam company,
but instead of going ballistic about it, I just took it as another example of living with technology,
or rather tolerating it. I just had a cup of hot milk and am so relaxed I am almost falling asleep
at the computer. Pretty soon time to get off of it and relax.

 

[GregL]

Thanks Walt. That's good to hear. I recall times where back pain would leave and pains in other areas would pop up. This must be the same thing.

Tell me more about hot milk...

 

[Anne Walker]

I think its important to remember that TMS can create pain anywhere in your body. One of the first things I ask myself now is "how distracting is it?" I treat every pain with suspicion now. I remember about a year ago I would frequently get numbness on my nose and front teeth. It would really scare me and get me focused on it. Sometimes it can land and manifest in very strange, unusual places. Why? Well, if the back pain isn't getting enough attention, how about an unusual spot on your thumbs? Once the pain on my right side subsided, I almost immediately got an intense pain in my left shoulder. I couldn't raise my arm above my head for several months. I was convinced it was TMS and I didn't see a doctor. Eventually it faded away. I tried my best not to focus on it so I am not even sure when it went away exactly. I think this is what is going on with your thumbs.

 

[David88]

I had similar pain in my thumbs that turned out to TMS. I'm an amateur pianist, and I was modifying my technique for a while because of it. It finally went away when I stopped worrying about it and started playing normally. Now it's forgotten.

 

[sam908]

I had both of my thumb joints reconstructed a number of years ago, way before I knew about Dr. Sarno's work and TMS. I often wonder if, armed with the proper knowledge back then, I could have avoided these surgeries. A little voice tells me, Yes.

 

[GregL]

So the pain in the thumbs has gone away a good amount. However, my neck is all jacked up now. I can barely turn it. TMS is truly a crazy, crazy beast. This one is not good though. I really need my neck to function properly for what I'm doing right now. I have to imagine that it'll subside quickly too. Pain can't just move around your body like this. I know what is going on here. Still frustrating as hell though.

 

[lexylucy]

I think the face that both of them hurt makes it seem to me less likely that there was an actual injury. I would try to remember when then pain started exactly. What were you thinking about. What other actors were going on at the time.

 

[Lynn B]

GregL-
I'm sitting here on my laptop chuckling to myself. I literally joined this site yesterday, and already I've found such relief in what I've come across. I am 4 months post chronic pain clinic where the program is modeled after Dr. Sarno's teachings. I want you to know that I have the same issue with my thumbs! It made me chuckle to think that of all the issues I've chalked up to TMS, and all the others I've read about, this is the first time I've read about issues relating to thumbs. I knew in my heart it was TMS, but you just solidified it for me.
I had been dealing with chronic pain issues from being struck by a vehicle as a pedestrian. I experienced horrific whiplash and several other pain issues. I remember the thumb issue like it was yesterday. I remember noticing that one day, all of a sudden, both of my wrists hurt at the exact same time in the exact same place. The following day brought pain in both sets to fingers on respective hands. They felt achy and stiff, similar to descriptions of arthritis. Then, a few days later, I noticed an odd pain in both of my thumbs at the same time in the same place. I could not open a door handle, jar or grasp any object without extreme pain. When I took myself to a major big city hospital, they were so sure that I had Osteoarthritis, that I was seen by the Occupational Therapist and fitted for hand splints before the X-rays were even read. However, the X-rays were clear! The pain persisted. Just two nights before I was to fly across country to this pain clinic, as I turned the shower faucet, I jammed one of my thumbs. It felt as if it were stuck in the bent position it was in. The pain was excruciating, and it scared me to no end. I remember wailing on the floor, crying out for help. My husband proceeded to take me to the Emergency Room for what we assumed was a dislocation. However, on my way there I suffered a stress seizure, and it took precedence over the thumb by the time I arrived.
Looking back on it, I now clearly see it as TMS. My subconscious was trying to derail my getting help. How could I have possibly traveled across country alone with a dislocated thumb?! Luckily, the large amount of prescription Xanax I was on helped numb the pain enough and I was so very desperate at that point, that I went anyway!
I apologize, I have no idea how I started this italic type
Though I believed that the thumbs were TMS, I have to admit that because they are still bothersome on and off, that until I read your post, I DID wonder if I shouldn't look a bit further...just to be sure. So, if nothing else, you are not alone in this, and I'm quite certain now that they are in fact a result of more TMS. With each day that passes, I'm continually amazed at the power of our minds! I hope the knowledge that you are not alone is helpful!

 

[David88]

My subconscious was trying to derail my getting help.

Lynn -- The same thing happened to me. Two days before my appointment with Dr. Gwozdz, I came down with back spasms. My unconscious didn't want me to challenge the pain. I had to hire someone to drive me (an hour and a half each way) but I went, and it was one of the best things I've ever done.

David.