Reynauds advice wanted

[claire]

I feel I'm through the worst of TMS causing my fibromyalgia and I know my triggers of stress.

I am now left with the symptoms of Reynauds and back pain. It feels now that Reynauds was fogging up the problem of what the area to concentrate on was.

After saying to my Dr in a non-medical term it feels like my blood isn't getting to my legs and feet, without even looking he quickly said "Of course it is. You don't like me much do you, and you can change Dr's".

Knowing what I know now, I should have used words to describe in his language such as "my circulation feels inadequate and my feet are grey", but instead for a couple of years I struggled on, and it was only speaking to a dermatologist I said "my feet are like they've died and they're very grey with very little feeling." She referred me to the Royal Free London hospital and after having some drugs for Reynauds, I felt a vast improvement. My electric blanket is now only on setting 2 instead of 3 in the summer.

This is where I'm struggling: is Reynauds a medical/physical reality, or TMS? I personally believe it's a medical reality and not TMS. I think the pain in my back is caused by my muscles being too cold because of the Reynauds. When I've taken my Reynauds medication, I warm up and my back feels more free, and when I'm cold my back is much more painful regardless of how warm it is in the house or outside. The only existing pain left is my back. My skin looks much pinker instead of white/grey after I've had my Reynauds medication.

I believe that feeling upset about my Reynauds and back pain caused my fibromyalgia. I'm now no longer upset about my Reynauds and back pain because I can see a way forward: I get my larger dose of Reynauds medication which is coming in a few weeks, this will help my muscles be warm and I'm hopeful this will in turn stop my back pain - and because I'm no longer upset by the Reynauds and back pain, my fibromyalgia has gone. My fibromyalgia disappeared literally overnight whilst my husband was reading "Healing Back Pain" to me - I woke up in the morning and haven't had it since.

After being introduced to TMS, I stopped taking all my back pain medication (Diclofenac and paracetamol). I now only get occasional headaches instead of constant ones.

I feel as if I'm nearly there. I'd like some help and some advice - about the Reynauds being a true medical problem for me, as I don't believe it's caused by TMS. If I can get rid of my Reynauds symptoms, my back pain will disappear too.

 

[Birdie]

Hi Claire!
I am a big believer in TCM, because I like their model of illness (not seperating between "organic" and "psychosomatic"). It's all one. The "liver" (not the western medical liver, it's more a functional circuit) is very easily disturbed by emotional patterns! Most western docs practicing TCM don't get this and in most cases the treatment fails (because sticking in some needles to make the pain go away without paying attention to the underlying emotional issues never works!).

Ok, what I found about Reynauds in TCM-terms might be interesting for you:

The Liver can be impacted by emotional stresses and constraints, longstanding anger and frustration, and suppressed emotions. The Liver is responsible for the free flow of Qi throughout the body, and Liver Qi constraints can result in Qi Stagnation. Chinese medicinal theory states that where Qi goes Blood goes. Therefore, Liver Qi Stagnation can result in Blood Stagnation related to Raynaud’s syndrome

My TCM-diagnosis too is "liver qi stagnation" along with some other conditions that sound very strange but absoluteley make sense to me.
I also noticed over time that the symptom imperativ always wreaks havoc inside a certain functional circuit like the liver or the kidney-meridian. So in TCM lower back, bladder and knees are all of the same circuit. When I have lower pack pain it can easily turn into knee pain or frequent urination. As the bladder/kidneys are linked to the emotion of fear that gives me a clue of where to look at.
The liver/gallbladder-meridian is linked to anger. In TCM-terms migraines, hypertension, PMS, menstrual cramps, Raynauds, tendon pains are due to a problem of the liver/gallbladder-meridian. I often see my TMS moving around between tendon pain, headaches and so on.
I really find this model to be very helpful. I am also taking some chinese herbs wich are very helpful but at the same time I know that these herbs can only support my healing and are a bit like a crutch. I know that I have to do the emotional healing on my own.
So if you suffer from Raynaud that means you're easily affected by cold from outside and that means you're already very cold inside. It also means your "energies" don't flow very smooth. A cold from inside, spoken in emotional terms, can also be the result of a parasympatical freeze-mechanism or lost of "basic trust". Something in you may be frozen and blocked resulting in several imbalances.
Ok, I hope that wasn't too absurd. And sorry for my English (as a people pleaser I really have to say this).


So I would say: of course Raynauds can be a form of TMS!

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi, Claire. Birdie has given you some great information about Raynaud and treating it.
I'm not a doctor or an authority on it or TCM, but agree with Birdie that you need to work more
on your symptoms being caused by TMS. Dr. Sarno believes it's okay to take medication if needed,
so he would agree about taking the Raynaud medication. Just give TMS a chance, too. Good luck.

Birdie, thanks for the information and encouragement for Claire.

 

[Ellen]

Hi Claire,
I've had the diagnosis of Raynaud's, along with fibromyalgia and migraines and a list of other conditions. I'm happy to report that after about a year of using TMS healing techniques I no longer have Raynaud's, fibromyalgia, or migraines. I still occasionally feel some numbness in my fingers and feet, but it doesn't bother me so I just notice it and move on. Only once since then have I had a flare-up of the pain associated with Raynaud's, but it was during a very stressful episode, and it quickly left. So for me, Raynaud's is clearly TMS. I never took medication specifically for Raynaud's, but was able to stop all the meds I took for fibromyalgia pain and to prevent migraines. But I stopped medication very gradually and only when I felt confident doing so. We all have to go at TMS healing at our pace and in our own time. There are no hard and fast rules. It is a very individualized process.

Best wishes and welcome to the Forum!

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi, Ellen, Thanks for posting about your Raynaud's recovery success, as well as recovery
from fibro and migraines. You are a true TMS believer and an inspiration.
And for reminding that healing can take its time for each person. Stay well and happy.

 

[Waterbear]

You know this is so crazy. I forgot I had it, until just now. Most of my family has Reynolds. I've always had cold feet even in summer. I never really stressed it because I've always had it. I actually thought that was feet felt like normally for everyone.

A few years ago, my doctor told me I had it officially just like my sister and I was like, "meh". I was busy having panic attacks at the time.

This is my first summer of practicing TMS techniques and now that I'm actually thinking of it, my feet actually can get hot now. I completely forgot about it.

huh, I really need to forgot about the other pains more so.

** Further note: My mother, my sister, and I were told that there is no medication for it, so unless this medicine is less than 3 years old, I wouldn't trust it.

Good luck!

 

[jlm]

Lyrica helped with Reynaud's, but had too many side effects to continue taking it. I had it indoors often, too. The best way to stop the intense pain was to take a nap with a dog to warm my hands. Epiphany, when did I develop Reynaud's? When my husband's gambling and related lying became so serious I had to do a legal separation and later a divorce (at his request.) When did it become much worse? When I became involved in his health care 9 years later. Why? Because I'm a good person and his wife wouldn't help him. Some part of me felt I owed him something for the 40 good years and the 5 wonderful children. When did the Reynaud's leave - when he died last August. Last year was my first winter in a long time without any symmptoms. So, Birdie, the TCM concept that anger is involved certainly makes sense. For me, Reynaud's is TMS.

 

[Tennis Tom]

Here's what Steven Ray Ozanich has to say about REYNAUDS'S phenomenon (vasospastic attacks), from his book "THE GREAT PAIN DECEPTION" :

"Bloodflow restriction to the hands and feet that stems from the same autonomic overreaction to external stimuli that encompasses TMS, causes the hands or feet to turn white or blue when they sense cold, while the ANS shuts down blood-carrying vessels to preserve heat for the core. It is harmless."​

From page 351, Appendix A: "TMS Equivalents Serving the Same Purpose as Pain".

​

 

[Ellen]

Tennis Tom is always good at quoting from the experts. Thanks. I'm too lazy to look these things up.

 

[Ellen]

Hi, Ellen, Thanks for posting about your Raynaud's recovery success, as well as recovery
from fibro and migraines. You are a true TMS believer and an inspiration.
And for reminding that healing can take its time for each person. Stay well and happy.

Walt, thanks for your kind remarks. I am a true TMS believer, but don't feel like much of an inspiration right now. I have been able to overcome some major TMS pain symptoms that I had for a very long time, but the symptom imperative and TMS equivalents are keeping me from being able to say I'm truly healed--yet. I'll get there eventually. Thanks for the support.

 

[claire]

Thank you all for a better understanding of what I'm going through, and it's nice to know that I'm not alone.

My fibromyalgia went on the first day of reading, apart from one incident today after speaking to my husband on the 'phone. He was in the middle of work, instead of saying "I'll call you back when I'm free" he put the 'phone down on me, which is very unlike him. I immediately had pain from my hands to my elbows of fibromyalgia! When he called me back when he was free, I explained how it made me feel and what happened, and it went away. Luckily he does understand.

As for the Reynauds, they have said I can increase my dose as I'm still sleeping with an electric blanket in the hot summer. Something that is quite important is that I woke up with cramp in my leg last night; after rubbing it better I went back to sleep again. It does feel like my muscles are never warm enough.