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Problems not TMS related after all

C

chickenbone

Well known member
I everyone. I just wanted to say "hi" and let everyone know how I am doing. Well, I am doing great. My symptoms were back pain, allergy symptoms (sore throat, nasal congestion, asthma), acid reflux, sleep problems, headaches, over active bladder, Not to mention irritability and being tired. In fact, several doctors diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia and tried to get me to take those awful Fibro meds, but I would have none of it.

I am happy to say that almost all my symptoms have finally been addressed. For many, many years, doctors kept missing the 2 problems I had, even though the signs, symptoms and tests all clearly showed what was really wrong. I finally found a doctor (Endocrinologist) who knew that my borderline high calcium was a symptom of hyperparathyroidism and sent me for surgery in 2012. My symptoms steadily improved, but there was also another issue which doctors don't usually catch. I had sleep apnea, diagnosed in2015. They did not catch it because I was never overweight and most doctors incorrectly think that only obese people have sleep apnea. There are different types of sleep apnea. So I have been on CPAP for over a year now and, although the therapy is challenging, it has totally eliminated all of my respiratory problems, my acid reflux, my tiredness, over active bladder and most of all , my headaches.

I still have some back pain which is made worse when I am stressed, but it is greatly improved.

So I can thank doctors who are not up on the latest in medicine for my years of suffering. I told doctor after doctor, including several Psychiatrists that I felt my problems stemmed from poor sleep. None paid any attention. But I am so grateful to have finally been helped by the medical community.
 
Hi CB, I'm so happy to hear that you are feeling better. I've always enjoyed your posts as I think you achieved some great insights along the way. I'll miss seeing them as frequently, but am very happy to hear that you've found your solution.

It's interesting that sleep had such an affect on such a wide range of symptoms. The only mindbody doctor I know who consistently emphasizes sleep is Dr. Hanscom. I know that he uses a lot of scientific research in his recommendations, but it's also good to see one of us achieve results by focusing on sleep.

It's all one body-mind. It's amazing how it is all connected and sleep can cause such a wide variety of symptoms.

It reminds me of Dr. Sarno's advice: have a glass of wine and a good night's sleep. Sometimes it's just the basics.
 
It can be very difficult to get doctors to pay attention to what the patient says. In non-obvious cases, the overwhelming majority follow their pre-conceptions in my experience. Unfortunately this may include so-called TMS doctors.
 
Chickenbone,
So happy for you. There seems to be a fine line between believing 100% that our problems are caused by TMS and yet still making certain there are no other causes. These days, doctors don't seem to be diligent in seeking a cause, especially when the patient has had long-term problems. That seems to be all in the hands of the patient adding to the confusion.
It is structural, mind induced, or both?
Lavender
P.S. I did improve sleep but it hasn't helped. So glad it worked for you. Thanks for stopping by and letting us know.
 
So happy to hear of your improvement, Chicken Bone. Thanks so much for letting us know about your progress.
 
Thanks for the kind words everyone. I DO strongly believe in TMS, after all else has been looked into. I am so grateful for all the time I spent on the forum and the things I learned about myself here. I am sure this has helped greatly in my recovery.

And by the way, 2 of my worst issues were the acid reflux and headaches which made me not want to eat. So I was underweight for a long time. People used to envy me. Now I am gaining weight because I can now eat anything I want. You know what they say, "Be careful what you wish for?".

You know , my husband is retired now, but he was the Chief of Urology at a major university medical center. And he did not catch any of it! It took an Endo in Panama City who had read about Hyperparathyroidism, but never treated a case of it, who suspected and ordered the tests. It was ME who tumbled to the fact that it might be Sleep Apnea and my husband and several other doctors laughed at me when I told them I thought I might have it. I think my husband was convinced I was a hypochondriac and the other doctors thought so too. But a sleep test confirmed I had sleep apnea. You know the thing is, I have to admit that I am and will probably always be, a hypochondriac, BUT hypochondriacs get sick too!!
 
I read the above story. It is very interesting and totally true. I do have sleep apnea, so now when I do sleep, I sleep much better. My CPAP therapy has greatly improved the quality of my sleep and eliminated several physical symptoms that caused me a lot of anguish.

However, CPAP therapy cannot cure insomnia that is caused by the unconscious mind. I belong to a forum of CPAP users, without which I probably would have given up on the therapy. One thing they always stress is that CPAP can only solve your sleep breathing disorder, not your unconscious inability or unwillingness to sleep. A lot of people on that forum have had battles with insomnia. Mostly they recommend CBT therapy for it.

I still have the insomnia. I also still have back pain. I know that the insomnia is a TMS issue. I am going to get rechecked by a Orthopedic doctor for the back pain. It is interesting that for the last year, while most of my other symptoms were disappearing, my back pain got steadily worse. I had almost beaten the back pain. Sounds like the symptom imperative, doesn't it?
 
Hi, chickenbone. If you'd prefer not to take a glass of wine before bedtime, I find a cup of hot milk puts me to sleep right away.

I've read that many people have trouble getting to sleep and sleeping through the night. That problem comes and goes for me, too, but I find that the less worry about it or anything. the better I sleep. It helps to breathe deeply and say a silent positive mantra like "I am healthy. I am happy."
 
These kinds of posts are scary to read for us long timers because it makes me think I should probably start the Doctor tour again to see if they missed something.
 
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