Q&A Question About Buzzing Foot

[MsMetaP]

There is no question I have TMS. I find myself on every page of Dr. Sarno's books. I've had intermittent sciatica since August of 2010, chronic since October of 2011. MRI "revealed" bulging lumbar disk. I had no back pain prior to the MRI and "diagnosis." Now I have back pain. LOL

My question is about buzzing in my left foot. The sciatica is in the right leg, and occurs only in the morning when I first get up. Intense pain, like no other pain I've ever had. Interestingly, I finished the first book I bought of Dr. Sarno's last Sunday, and had no sciatica all week. Then on Friday night I had a "fear" that something I did would bring it back and - no surprise here - it's back.

My question is about the buzzing. Sometimes it's constant and sometimes it goes away when I'm reclining or in bed, but it did not abate this past week when the sciatica pain was gone.

Is buzzing a "typical" symptom of TMS? I've read about tingling, but this is more intense, rather like a mild (although it has been intense at times), pulsing electrical current in my foot. I'm hoping this is a TMS related phenomenon, and not something else (that fear again).

Thanks for any replies to my first post on this forum.

 

[veronica73]

Hi MsMetaP

I've had buzzing before too...for me it feels like part of my TMS and it comes and goes as I work through all my emotional stuff.

Welcome

~ Veronica

 

[MsMetaP]

Thanks for the quick reply, Veronica. It helps to hear this seems to be part of the TMS picture. I sure have enough to deal with...without some other unrelated. issue.

 

[Forest]

There is no question I have TMS. I find myself on every page of Dr. Sarno's books. I've had intermittent sciatica since August of 2010, chronic since October of 2011. MRI "revealed" bulging lumbar disk. I had no back pain prior to the MRI and "diagnosis." Now I have back pain. LOL

It is great to hear your confidence. On first glance, it sounds like you have TMS/PPD, especially since you got back pain after you saw your MRI. It is always great to hear that you were able to have some relief just by reading Sarno's book. Use this success to help you gain confidence that you can recover long term. If you had a structural problem, the pain wouldn't go away for a week and then come back. One thing that stood out to me was that your pain increases in the morning. Start investigating why this is. Are you worried about work or something else? Understanding our triggers is a big part of recovering from PPD.

As for the buzzing, I think it is very common in people with PPD. It kind of sounds like your unconscious is looking to create another symptom that will occupy your attention and Think Phyisical. Your unconscious knows that you understand what's going on with your Sciatica and now it is putting up a last ditch effort to prevent you from breaking those old thought patterns. Don't give in to it. Continue to do the work and educate yourself about what is going on.

I am so glad that you have found this site. You are in the right place.

Best,

Forest

 

[MsMetaP]

My apologies, Forest. I wasn't very clear. I've had the buzzing foot, intermittently, since last summer. I had not, at the time, connected it to the sciatica. It took a while to even diagnose the sciatica, because ALL my pain was in my lower right leg, on the outside of the leg rather than the back. To further complicate things, I broke the right ankle in 2005, so my orthopedic surgeon originally suspected problems with the hardware in that ankle.

The good news is...ever since I wrote the post yesterday about the buzzing, it's greatly diminished. Seems that just knowing it's a TMS "thing" (instead of another unrelated issue), is enough to start letting go of it. Still had sciatica this morning though. I'm working on identifying the morning connection, but I think it just may be a "pattern" that got set up from when the sciatica started. That's another interesting story!

My neighbor, and friend, who I love dearly, is a bit of an hysteric. (She probably also has TMS, but I doubt she'll accept it. She's very into Dr's and medications for everything!) In any case, my first incidence of sciatica was the morning after this friend awakened me from a sound sleep in the middle of the night pounding on my front door and screaming and calling me on her cell phone all at the same time. Turned out it was not the emergency she thought it was, but she scared the wits out of me. I finally went to bed and fell asleep after my heart stopped pounding around two hours later. The next morning I woke up, got out of bed and had the worst pain I've ever had in my life, from my hip to my ankle. Like I was being electrocuted and couldn't die!

That bout lasted around two weeks. Then it went away. Came back a few months later and I went to my general Dr. She sent me to the ortho, believing it was the ankle. Xray's showed no problems with the ankle and he put me on an anti-inflammatory. That worked...the first time around. A few more months go by...another bout. Same pattern. Now the pills don't work anymore. PT didn't help. Minor relief from spinal-decompression after the MRI (which I now believe was placebo). Then I found Dr. Sarno's books!

I have quite a long history of child abuse, the memories of which did not surface until I was 40. I did have therapy at that time, but I'm thinking my "personality pattern" includes a tendency to repress? (LOL! Ya think?) Hiding child abuse from yourself for 37 years seems to indicate I'm pretty much of an expert at that!

Anyway, thanks for the post! I do agree...I'm surely in the right place! (And so very, very relived that I'm not headed for back surgery or some other equally unnecessary, painful and expensive procedure.) My only regret is that I "found" all of this too late to see or talk to the wonderful Dr. Sarno.

 

[Forest]

The good news is...ever since I wrote the post yesterday about the buzzing, it's greatly diminished. Seems that just knowing it's a TMS "thing" (instead of another unrelated issue), is enough to start letting go of it.

Hence, why Dr. Sarno called education the penicillin of TMS. Understanding the true cause of these symptoms can lead us to no longer be afraid of or focus on our symptoms, which eliminates the need for our unconscious mind to create them. Your story is a great case as to why this approach is effective.

I think you are right about the conditioning in regards to your Sciatica. Our unconscious mind can become conditioned to create symptoms at certain times. The good part is that we can re-condition ourselves and eliminate this pain. It sounds like you are making great progress in doing this, so keep up the great work!

 

[Michael Kadoch]

The buzzing is a TMS equivalent. It is a type of muscle fasiculation (i.e., benign fasiculation syndrome (BFS)) and is very common among TMSers and is almost always benign in the absence of other objective neurologic deficits. Rest assured and stay the course.

Best,
MK

 

[honeybear424]

I've felt a type of buzzing in different parts of my body over the years as well. I've even felt like I was shaking on the inside before. That was during a very stressful time about 7 years ago when we were building our own home (as owner-builders). I called it anxiety at the time, but know that it is part of TMS

 

[happystar]

I have the tingling and buzzing too. Have been very very anxious for the last year. Hoping the TMS therapy will get rid of this! Good luck to you.

 

[Pandagirl]

Buzzing is probably my most severe and troubling symptom. Has anyone had it go away. I've been buzzing for 22 months!

 

[Michael Kadoch]

Yes. Once you completely believe it is benign (TMS) and learn to totally ignore it, then it should go away. It did in my case (after ~6 months).

MK

 

[Pandagirl]

Thank you Michael! I know I've let it bother me for far too long, which I'm sure just made it stronger! Doing my best to let it go!

 

[Shanshu Vampyr]

Hi all,

I FIRMLY believe neurological symptoms are TMS. I'm a good example. Back once several months ago, when I went to see a non-TMS (conventional) MD for issues of depression related to pain, wondering what the rest of my life would be like, I was placed on Cymbalta for the depression/pain (which are two of its indications). I was on 30 mg (the lowest dose) for about a week, with instructions to taper up to a maintenance of 60 mg thereafter. I remember I was riding in the car with my Mom (who stresses me out) on the way to Pittsburgh one Saturday when it was time for my first 60 mg dose. *BAM*, sciatic-type pain, numbness, down one of my legs (I've had muscular-TMS style LBP before, NEVER sciatica) out of the blue right after this dose, and I freaked. Then the rational part of my brain said, Hold on, wait a second, I tolerated 30 mg fine, why sciatica on 60 when the drug is INDICATED for neuropathic pain? And I realized it was a TMS trick and I *REFUSED* to be afraid. I slammed my foot on the ground and said, "I REFUSE to be afraid!" Lo and behold: it took about six hours or so, but the sensation WENT AWAY AND HAS NEVER EVER EVER COME BACK.

So,

1. I empathize COMPLETELY with sciatica sufferers.
2. YES, TMS can cause weird nerve symptoms.

Hope this story helps.

 

[ashcatash]

Wow, this is exactly what I have. Buzzing, on and off, all day in my right foot. Then, it switches to my left. Then it stops. Then my back spasms and goes out of place.

Doctors don't know what's wrong with me. MRIs came back clean. It's totally because I'm stressed. I just started today by telling myself "It's all in my head" and I feel a little better. I ordered his book and can't wait for it to get here.

I'm definitely a perfectionist and "people pleaser" kind of person.

 

[Forest]

Wow, this is exactly what I have. Buzzing, on and off, all day in my right foot. Then, it switches to my left. Then it stops. Then my back spasms and goes out of place.

Well this really does sound like TMS is at play, especially if your MRIs came back clean. Having symptoms move around like this can be extremely frustrating, and that is exactly how your unconscious wants you to feel. The good part is that you can use the illogical movement as a sign that you have TMS. For me, understanding how non-sensical my symptoms were is one factor that led me to accept the diagnosis and gain Outcome Independence.

As odd as it may sound as well talking to yourself like you are doing is also really helpful. If you haven't seen it yet check our Affirmations page.

 

[ashcatash]

Thank you very much! I really enjoyed the Outcome Independence page. I do that often, sadly, saying things like "I'm 50% worse today. I'm a 4/10 today". I need to quit doing that and focus on my life, not my pain and buzzing.