Pain in my forearms is back. Thought I was finally living pain free...

In the past 3 years I have been tormented with severe pain in both of my forearms. In the last 6 months I started to look into the possibility of tms. After a lot of work, reading, and talking to tms doctors my pain started to subside to a manageable level. I had my life back and I enjoyed it. In the past two week my pain has come back full on. Even though I KNOW it is tms I still have a lot of difficulty full reassuring myself again...I am currently a freshmen in college and finals are next week. I want to believe this is why my pain is back. I am worried about how well I will do on the tests and what my final grades for the semester will look like. Even though I believe this is why, in the back of my head I have those thoughts that maybe I hurt myself when playing video games two weeks ago or when I was lifting weights at the gym. I just need some suggestions and advice on how to reassure myself its tms and how to make the pain leave. I need to be focused on finals not my forearm pain. Thank you.

 

Hi, Stubbins. I don't think you hurt yourself playing video games or lifting weights. Your pains are from worrying about doing well on final exams. Live in the present, study for the exams. Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and telling yourself a positive mantra like "I am going to do fine on the exams." You're right in knowing your symptoms are from TMS, worry emotions. I bet everyone in your classes has the same worries. They'll soon be over!

 

As soon as you said final are next week, I was like 'yep, there's your problem' '

Pain always hits at high stress times. I just had a girl at work who was planning her daughters sweet 16 party and putting so much effort into it and the day before her back went out. It's textbook.

I'm with Walt 100%, and if playing video games caused pain I would have severe hand pain and not back pain. These are just the rational excuses we try and fool ourselves with. And pain from lifting weights is only temporarily, so keep working on those gains!

I do not want to downplay the pain you are in. It can feel life ruining, but I can assure you that the pain is from stress about those exams.

BTW I just noticed I'm posting this a little late, sorry you didn't get more replies. Did you have your exams yet and how is your pain score?

 

Thank you Walt for your input and helping me reassure myself again. I agree that once these exams are over my pain will go down.

 

Cirrusnarea, thank you for the reply as well. Yes I am quite confident now that it is my exams. My finals start on Monday and run through Friday. I am studying right now and I think the fact that im so overwhelmed right now is also contributing to it. As my pain goes, right now its a solid 7. Pretty uncomfortable to write/ type but hopefully it will go away by the next weekend when I start my winter break. Thanks again for the reply.

 

No problem, sorry your pain level is so high, but read Forrest's success story with
RSI if you haven't. It may not go away once the exams are over, and it may make it difficult to study. But it will go away my friend.

Let me know if you need links to Forrest's videos/posts.

 

Okay, I will. Thank you.

 

The only goal here is to neutralize the fear associated with the symptoms.

You either A.) developed tms, or B.) developed a mild muscle sprain lifting weights (video game theory is ridic...)

You're good either way. Mild muscle sprains last a few weeks at most. So either it's a mild muscle sprain and it'll gradually fade, or it's tms and as you stop giving it fear, it'll fade.

Either way you're okay. No need for any fear.