Post traumatic clitoral nerve sensitisation

[Twinny22]

Thanks so much for those book recommendations. Yes it can't be a coincidence that tinnitus and the globus sensation I developed post endoscopy (it was actually a feeling that something was stuck in my soft palate) are both linked to the nervous system. Challenging as they are, they don't involve pain. It's the pain aspect of this clitoral sensitisation which led me to consider TMS (had never heard of it before).

@Twinny22
Considering Tinnitus is also considered TMS and that you have OCD which is often another TMS symptom, your brain is most likely being very protective of your emotional world.
TMS may or may not move around and/or change. Consider that ChatGPT has been found to have incorrect information at times, when people use it on this forum. The way AI is designed is to collect the most recent postings (correct or not) and gather them as "information" and present that to the person searching. A great way to get a more solid understanding is to read a book by someone experienced with TMS - there are many (audio, E-book or pages). You might really enjoy Nichole Sach's books I think they might touch on some areas that could be meaningful for you. Another option is to try Alan Gordon's The Way Out which is a slightly different approach and then use the booklet one of the therapists he works with has written called the Pain Reprocessing Workbook by Vanessa Blackstone. Vanessa's booklet seems to touch a little more on emotional work than Alan Gordon's book does. Nichole Sach's book is all about the emotional side of TMS.

All you need to do is choose a method and begin, and see how you do.
We also have a free program on this website called the Structured Educational Program - that has worked for many.

Best wishes!

 

[Twinny22]

Thanks so much for those book recommendations. Yes it can't be a coincidence that tinnitus and the globus sensation I developed post endoscopy (it was actually a feeling that something was stuck in my soft palate) are both linked to the nervous system. Challenging as they are, they don't involve pain. It's the pain aspect of this clitoral sensitisation which led me to consider TMS (had never heard of it before).

Also, I feel there must be an overlap between sensorimotor OCD and TMS as both involve hyper fixation which from my experience takes over your life to such an extent that life stuff is peripheral to what is going on in your head (obsession with pain or sensation or body part).

 

[Twinny22]

My TMS also began with trauma to a sensitive area during intimacy. I'm male, so my symptoms are different, but I was also scared for a long time about nerve damage/irritation/sensitization as I had crazy sensations and sensitive areas all throughout my pelvic region. The best way for me to reframe this has been to see it as a volume issue; basically my brain/nervous system freaked out about something being wrong in that area and turned up the volume of normal sensations to 100 (in my case clothing sensitivity was a huge trigger, which has greatly improved). It had nothing to do with any damage from the initial trauma, which probably healed within days or weeks.

I read in Steve Ozanich's book The Great Pain Deception that true nerve damage would result in not being able to feel or even use a part of your body, whereas what I and it sounds like you have experienced is the opposite: heightened sensitivity. The brain can totally do this and this is TMS. Your symptoms most likely have nothing to do with the nerves and are simply caused by your brain being in a state of fear, and as you begin this work you will gather more evidence that supports this.

To give you some more hope and encouragement: I had very strong symptoms and tried to wear the loosest clothing I could for months before beginning this work. After I started doing TMS work I was back to wearing normal clothes within weeks, and soon after returned to being intimate with my partner.

I'll echo others in saying that Chat GPT will only increase your fear by raising more medical things to be scared of that you hadn't thought of. Instead, read a Sarno book (Mindbody Prescription was my first) and start the SEP on here.

Cafe_bustello - so glad you can relate. Because of where the injury was (and how it happened), it's more 'taboo' to discuss openly with people around me. You're spot on, it's hypersensitivity not numbness which argues against nerve damage. Can I ask what your pain was like? Constant or intermittent? Provoked or unprovoked? Mine has settled into a constant baseline soreness with random twinges.

With my severe tinnitus of 3 years, I can still hear it 24/7 but am indifferent so my reaction has changed even though the static in my head has never stopped. I never thought I would get to that stage. I mean it's not normal to go about life with constant loud white noise roaring away in your head every waking second. However, the clitoral pain is an entirely different beast. I can't imagine becoming blase about pain but I guess I will have to see how I get on with the TMS resources.

When you went back to normal clothing after the TMS work do you mean the pain was gone (or reduced) or that it was there but you changed your reaction to it?

 

[Twinny22]

It's most likely that your initial injury wasn't the true cause of your myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). The only way the symptoms would persist is through the emotional state you had when you reacted to them, or because of emotional issues you were already experiencing before and during that time; your brain simply manifested that overload in your body by choosing an area to trigger the pain.

My symptoms appeared after a long period of emotional and health-related problems, including panic attacks. In fact, it was during one of these attacks that my brain reacted and sensitized my nerves with a sensation of cold. Over time, pain developed, which was exacerbated by the terror I felt toward the symptom itself.

Therefore, I recommend that you remain calm despite the unpleasant sensations. I know it's easier said than done, but you don't have to be perfect. Try to keep your mind occupied with something else and also explore the emotions that have brought you here. Many people heal by addressing the emotional aspect, but part of the process involves retraining your brain to understand that you are safe and that you don't need this pain.
Alouqua, that's very reassuring thanks. When I saw doctors and nurses shortly after the incident, they looked really puzzled when I insisted I was in pain as they couldn't see any tissue trauma. I have seen with my tinnitus that reaction to a constant noise can change over time even though the tinnitus signal stays 'on' but I feel the clitoral pain issue is more challenging simply because a painful sensation commands more attention than a painless one. Hopefully not an impossible task though through neuroplasticity. You're right about distraction. I feel since this started 11 weeks ago I have kind of withdrawn from life which is giving this pain a greater importance than it deserves

 

[Twinny22]

Alouqua, that's very reassuring thanks. When I saw doctors and nurses shortly after the incident, they looked really puzzled when I insisted I was in pain as they couldn't see any tissue trauma. I have seen with my tinnitus that reaction to a constant noise can change over time even though the tinnitus signal stays 'on' but I feel the clitoral pain issue is more challenging simply because a painful sensation commands more attention than a painless one.

You're right about distraction. Since this started 11 weeks ago I have kind of withdrawn from life which is giving the pain a greater importance than it deserves.

 

[Twinny22]

I developed TMS from a vasectomy where I obsessed over the post op pain. Developed TMS from a jaw dislocation where I obsessed about the pain afterwards. Try not to be so rigid in your thinking of what can be TMS. You don’t need total belief right now. But as you put in the work your belief increases.

 

[Twinny22]

I developed TMS from a vasectomy where I obsessed over the post op pain. Developed TMS from a jaw dislocation where I obsessed about the pain afterwards. Try not to be so rigid in your thinking of what can be TMS. You don’t need total belief right now. But as you put in the work your belief increases.

Rabscuttle thanks. My twin sister correctly observed that I have a history of identifying an ailment (real or imagined), running to consultants, requesting endoscopies or other procedures then off the back of said procedure developing a fixation - most recently a painful nasal endoscopy which gave rise to a painless but intense sensation in my soft palate that I obsessed over for a year. Looking back, i now realize it was TMS.

 

[cafe_bustelo]

Cafe_bustello - so glad you can relate. Because of where the injury was (and how it happened), it's more 'taboo' to discuss openly with people around me. You're spot on, it's hypersensitivity not numbness which argues against nerve damage. Can I ask what your pain was like? Constant or intermittent? Provoked or unprovoked? Mine has settled into a constant baseline soreness with random twinges.

With my severe tinnitus of 3 years, I can still hear it 24/7 but am indifferent so my reaction has changed even though the static in my head has never stopped. I never thought I would get to that stage. I mean it's not normal to go about life with constant loud white noise roaring away in your head every waking second. However, the clitoral pain is an entirely different beast. I can't imagine becoming blase about pain but I guess I will have to see how I get on with the TMS resources.

When you went back to normal clothing after the TMS work do you mean the pain was gone (or reduced) or that it was there but you changed your reaction to it?

Constant at first, then intermittent. It was a weird mix of provoked and unprovoked - often just bending over would flare me up for hours or the rest of the day when I was in the worst of it. I had all different kinds of sensations that included soreness for sure. But as you’ll find with TMS the exact symptoms don’t really matter and will vary pretty much infinitely person to person.

Going back to normal clothing I had to do in spite of symptoms, which was uncomfortable but pretty soon after I started to have less sensitivity so it got easier. I had to keep telling myself I was fine though for a while. Over time the sensitivity has reduced a ton though the most annoying symptom is still hanging around some days. It comes and goes. I’m still recovering and have been doing this work for about four or five months (hence why I’m still posting on the forum unlike the many people you’ll find on here who have gotten back to their lives), and during that time I’ve made a lot of progress and have days now where I feel 95-100%. But it’s essential to not to put a timeline on your recovery.

 

[Alouqua47]

"The exact same thing happened to me with doctors. They even sent me to psychiatry, as if I were somatizing this pain myself. I think I would have believed it if it had been a headache or stomach pain, but for it to be nerve pain inside my elbows seemed completely ridiculous to me. I know perfectly well how difficult it is to cope with that type of pain, especially when it's permanent.

In fact, my pain is very similar to yours: a constant pain and, on top of that, random pains. I also usually get tinnitus, except mine only appears sometimes at night. I observe it calmly for a few moments, redirect my attention to something else, and it usually disappears within seconds.

I recommend you watch video number 5 on Dr. Schubiner's YouTube channel. He clearly explains how you can calm the danger alarm in your brain to reprogram the neural pathways that were created based on fear. At the same time, you can work on the emotional side; you need to take better care of yourself in that aspect, find things that distract you and also make you happy. The key is to show your brain that you are safe."

Alouqua, eso es muy tranquilizador, gracias. Cuando vi a los médicos y enfermeras poco después del incidente, parecían realmente desconcertados cuando insistí en que tenía dolor, ya que no podían ver ningún traumatismo en los tejidos. He visto con mi tinnitus que la reacción a un ruido constante puede cambiar con el tiempo, aunque la señal del tinnitus permanezca 'activa', pero siento que el problema del dolor clitoriano es más desafiante simplemente porque una sensación dolorosa exige más atención que una indolora.

Tienes razón sobre la distracción. Desde que esto empezó hace 11 semanas, me he alejado un poco de la vida, lo que le da al dolor una importancia mayor de la que merece.

 

[Alouqua47]

"Congratulations! Coffee. Exposing ourselves to what scares us, despite the pain or discomfort, basically shows your brain that the area is safe. Because of that, your sensitivity has gone down and your symptom has become intermittent. That's exactly how you retrain a fearful brain. Wishing you the best of luck. I still have a long way to go myself, though I try not to look at it that way. We've been on this forum for pretty much the same amount of time."

Al principio era constante, luego intermitente. Era una extraña mezcla de dolor provocado y no provocado; a menudo, con solo agacharme, el dolor se intensificaba durante horas o el resto del día cuando estaba en su peor momento. Tenía todo tipo de sensaciones, incluyendo dolor, sin duda. Pero como verás con el EMT, los síntomas exactos no importan realmente y varían prácticamente infinitamente de persona a persona.

Tuve que volver a usar ropa normal a pesar de los síntomas, lo cual fue incómodo, pero poco después empecé a tener menos sensibilidad, así que se hizo más fácil. Sin embargo, durante un tiempo tuve que repetirme que estaba bien. Con el tiempo, la sensibilidad ha disminuido muchísimo, aunque el síntoma más molesto todavía persiste algunos días. Va y viene. Todavía me estoy recuperando y llevo haciendo esto unos cuatro o cinco meses (por eso sigo publicando en el foro, a diferencia de muchas personas que encontrarás aquí que ya han retomado sus vidas), y durante ese tiempo he progresado mucho y ahora hay días en los que me siento al 95-100%. Pero es fundamental no ponerle un plazo a la recuperación.

Al principio era constante, luego intermitente. Era una extraña mezcla de dolor provocado y no provocado; a menudo, con solo agacharme, el dolor se intensificaba durante horas o el resto del día cuando estaba en su peor momento. Tenía todo tipo de sensaciones, incluyendo dolor, sin duda. Pero como verás con el EMT, los síntomas exactos no importan realmente y varían prácticamente infinitamente de persona a persona.

Tuve que volver a usar ropa normal a pesar de los síntomas, lo cual fue incómodo, pero poco después empecé a tener menos sensibilidad, así que se hizo más fácil. Sin embargo, durante un tiempo tuve que repetirme que estaba bien. Con el tiempo, la sensibilidad ha disminuido muchísimo, aunque el síntoma más molesto todavía persiste algunos días. Va y viene. Todavía me estoy recuperando y llevo haciendo esto unos cuatro o cinco meses (por eso sigo publicando en el foro, a diferencia de muchas personas que encontrarás aquí que ya han retomado sus vidas), y durante ese tiempo he progresado mucho y ahora hay días en los que me siento al 95-100%. Pero es fundamental no ponerle un plazo a la recuperación.

 

[Twinny22]

Constant at first, then intermittent. It was a weird mix of provoked and unprovoked - often just bending over would flare me up for hours or the rest of the day when I was in the worst of it. I had all different kinds of sensations that included soreness for sure. But as you’ll find with TMS the exact symptoms don’t really matter and will vary pretty much infinitely person to person.

Going back to normal clothing I had to do in spite of symptoms, which was uncomfortable but pretty soon after I started to have less sensitivity so it got easier. I had to keep telling myself I was fine though for a while. Over time the sensitivity has reduced a ton though the most annoying symptom is still hanging around some days. It comes and goes. I’m still recovering and have been doing this work for about four or five months (hence why I’m still posting on the forum unlike the many people you’ll find on here who have gotten back to their lives), and during that time I’ve made a lot of progress and have days now where I feel 95-100%. But it’s essential to not to put a timeline on your recovery.

Thanks for clarifying. Which TMS book did you find the most helpful for our apparently similar theme as there are lots out there?

 

[cafe_bustelo]

Thanks for clarifying. Which TMS book did you find the most helpful for our apparently similar theme as there are lots out there?

I read the Way Out, which I liked and started to persuade me that my issues were not physical, but didn’t help me that much on its own. Mindbody Prescription and the Great Pain Deception by Steve Ozanich were the next ones I read and found immensely helpful in strengthening my belief in the TMS diagnosis.

That said I don’t think it really matters where you start. I also did at least the first couple weeks of the SEP here and found it useful. But I get the sense you’re looking for reassurance around your specific symptoms and I think for that the best place to look is success stories; Dan Buglio on YouTube has a ton for various pelvic symptoms that have helped me.

 

[Twinny22]

I read the Way Out, which I liked and started to persuade me that my issues were not physical, but didn’t help me that much on its own. Mindbody Prescription and the Great Pain Deception by Steve Ozanich were the next ones I read and found immensely helpful in strengthening my belief in the TMS diagnosis.

That said I don’t think it really matters where you start. I also did at least the first couple weeks of the SEP here and found it useful. But I get the sense you’re looking for reassurance around your specific symptoms and I think for that the best place to look is success stories; Dan Buglio on YouTube has a ton for various pelvic symptoms that have helped me.

Many thanks, I will have a look at what you have mentioned and see what helps to break this endless loop of pain/fear.

 

[cafe_bustelo]

"Congratulations! Coffee. Exposing ourselves to what scares us, despite the pain or discomfort, basically shows your brain that the area is safe. Because of that, your sensitivity has gone down and your symptom has become intermittent. That's exactly how you retrain a fearful brain. Wishing you the best of luck. I still have a long way to go myself, though I try not to look at it that way. We've been on this forum for pretty much the same amount of time."

Thank you - same to you. I do want to be transparent that I’m still recovering (today I’m in a flare for instance) and that it’s not been perfectly linear for me.