Sternum pain and chest discomfort

[Adsingh]

So by introducing myself I am a 22 Year old random guy,obssessed with gyming and living an active and healthy life,lately in January I got diagnosed with typhoid and that led to a long break from gym and workout for me.I was always a cardiophobic (currently not my concern anymore) due to no obvious reasons/symptoms, you can put it as a hypochondriac, so the story starts post my typhoid recovery i got hit all of sudden from a sharp sternum pain in middle of my chest and that would come like a shooting pain in a specific way ,that's it i ran down all the possible tests i could chest xray,EkgEcho, Chest Mri (this month) and all came out perfectly normal,doc diganosed my pain as muskoskeletal and that would go with time,but what happened now was i have discovered several postures (like pigeonchest if i hunch over my chest),while sleeping,etc which would trigger a chest sensation for me which no more just a sternum pain but a constant feeling of discomfort and pain in my chest area,
I feel demotivated, i tired everything i could via an ortho and a cardiologist they didnt diagnosed me with any specific sever thing ,and just asked me ro ignore,but trying my best i again get to ground zero when i try to check my pain and its still there and it makes me freak out,i feel my life is off track,no gym etc,cant do studies ,i am spoiling my life,i have this constant fear of this turning out hoepless in future,it constantly bugs me,whenever i try to be happy when the pain inst there ,i would check it out/it would come on its own and i feel like the end would approach and i get really sad.


Please tell me is it due to tms ,because i cant find any cure or absolute reason for this sensation,it get worst if i sleep over my chest and then a movement occurs, sharp pain feels like something stabbed for few seconds or so,but i feel consumed .

 

[Saffron]

So by introducing myself I am a 22 Year old random guy,obssessed with gyming and living an active and healthy life,lately in January I got diagnosed with typhoid and that led to a long break from gym and workout for me.I was always a cardiophobic (currently not my concern anymore) due to no obvious reasons/symptoms, you can put it as a hypochondriac, so the story starts post my typhoid recovery i got hit all of sudden from a sharp sternum pain in middle of my chest and that would come like a shooting pain in a specific way ,that's it i ran down all the possible tests i could chest xray,EkgEcho, Chest Mri (this month) and all came out perfectly normal,doc diganosed my pain as muskoskeletal and that would go with time,but what happened now was i have discovered several postures (like pigeonchest if i hunch over my chest),while sleeping,etc which would trigger a chest sensation for me which no more just a sternum pain but a constant feeling of discomfort and pain in my chest area,
I feel demotivated, i tired everything i could via an ortho and a cardiologist they didnt diagnosed me with any specific sever thing ,and just asked me ro ignore,but trying my best i again get to ground zero when i try to check my pain and its still there and it makes me freak out,i feel my life is off track,no gym etc,cant do studies ,i am spoiling my life,i have this constant fear of this turning out hoepless in future,it constantly bugs me,whenever i try to be happy when the pain inst there ,i would check it out/it would come on its own and i feel like the end would approach and i get really sad.


Please tell me is it due to tms ,because i cant find any cure or absolute reason for this sensation,it get worst if i sleep over my chest and then a movement occurs, sharp pain feels like something stabbed for few seconds or so,but i feel consumed .

Sounds like my costochondritis. Nasty but Harmless.

 

[Adsingh]

One of my ortho diagnosed me saying that,but it should had gone by now right ,i am exercising regulary and took the med,is costo tms releated ??

 

[Macca]

One of my ortho diagnosed me saying that,but it should had gone by now right ,i am exercising regulary and took the med,is costo tms releated ??

Hi

I have had chest & rib pain for 4 years. It’s pretty much consistent but my discomfort moves around . It started in the left chest pec and then moved into the sternum and then right chest pec. My whole chest is so tender to touch, under my armpits and ribs. I have been implementing tms for months. I do believe it’s mind body now and it’s took me months to realise that it’s not about the symptoms and more about the reaction to them. Fear for me, sent me spiralling and it took me to some dark places.
Costochonditris doesn’t make sense and even my Mum had been diagnosed with it, she is 69 and does Zumba and her pain has disappeared.
If you research the Costo word (I don’t like saying the word) it’s so negative but everyone who posts have got one thing in common, fear and depression/ anxiety.
I have come across a lot of people who have recovered from it, links below.
I still have discomfort everyday but it doesn’t stop me going the gym/ playing with my son etc. it took 4 years of my life, constantly thinking about it, reading about it. It’s still on my mind a lot but it’s all tms brain training.

you have to get to point where you truly believe and then hop on and try and enjoy the ride lol.
I’m not where I want to be but I’m definitely in a better place than I was.

also my pain came on after an intense stressful occasion so that was further proof for me.


https://youtu.be/iBCZs_42Lp0?si=D_3NeUOzjpNVKw_x[URL="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6kbSK6hCiMjv9dbODDP35L?si=PJor4EswTFmSw0VHCN2kKA"]https://open.spotify.com/episode/6kbSK6hCiMjv9dbODDP35L?si=PJor4EswTFmSw0VHCN2kKA (S3 Ep83: The Brain Science Behind Chronic Illness - Gigi's Story)[/URL]
https://youtu.be/iBCZs_42Lp0?si=D_3NeUOzjpNVKw_x
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cZ0DoXn9IpfT1sWWfh7Zd?si=N_tJfYO3TPKgYsA1-XmgQg (S1 Ep102: EPISODE 102 - REAL TIME HEAL - Crippling Anxiety, Chest Pain, and Neuralgias with Felicia)

 

[Adsingh]

Hi

I have had chest & rib pain for 4 years. It’s pretty much consistent but my discomfort moves around . It started in the left chest pec and then moved into the sternum and then right chest pec. My whole chest is so tender to touch, under my armpits and ribs. I have been implementing tms for months. I do believe it’s mind body now and it’s took me months to realise that it’s not about the symptoms and more about the reaction to them. Fear for me, sent me spiralling and it took me to some dark places.
Costochonditris doesn’t make sense and even my Mum had been diagnosed with it, she is 69 and does Zumba and her pain has disappeared.
If you research the Costo word (I don’t like saying the word) it’s so negative but everyone who posts have got one thing in common, fear and depression/ anxiety.
I have come across a lot of people who have recovered from it, links below.
I still have discomfort everyday but it doesn’t stop me going the gym/ playing with my son etc. it took 4 years of my life, constantly thinking about it, reading about it. It’s still on my mind a lot but it’s all tms brain training.

you have to get to point where you truly believe and then hop on and try and enjoy the ride lol.
I’m not where I want to be but I’m definitely in a better place than I was.

also my pain came on after an intense stressful occasion so that was further proof for me.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6kbSK6hCiMjv9dbODDP35L?si=PJor4EswTFmSw0VHCN2kKA (S3 Ep83: The Brain Science Behind Chronic Illness - Gigi's Story)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cZ0DoXn9IpfT1sWWfh7Zd?si=N_tJfYO3TPKgYsA1-XmgQg (S1 Ep102: EPISODE 102 - REAL TIME HEAL - Crippling Anxiety, Chest Pain, and Neuralgias with Felicia)

Actually at first when i got diagnosed by the ortho as costo,i did a pot of research and came across a roxic reddit group which didnt helped at all and all it did was made it more worse for me,rigrously trying to foam roll my back extra just didnt do anything great for me ,can you please elaborate how is your pain,my pain geta worse on certain postures ,like whike trying to hunch forward (piegon chest),ir when i sleep over my chest adn try to twist and turn ,its awful and sharp in the middle also speeads heee and there to the right and left,i dont believe ita inflammation anymore as it would had been gone by now.

Do reply ,i will appreciate it,you are the only person i could related with in the whole forum.

 

[Booble]

So by introducing myself I am a 22 Year old random guy,obssessed with gyming and living an active and healthy life,lately in January I got diagnosed with typhoid and that led to a long break from gym and workout for me.I was always a cardiophobic (currently not my concern anymore) due to no obvious reasons/symptoms, you can put it as a hypochondriac, so the story starts post my typhoid recovery i got hit all of sudden from a sharp sternum pain in middle of my chest and that would come like a shooting pain in a specific way ,that's it i ran down all the possible tests i could chest xray,EkgEcho, Chest Mri (this month) and all came out perfectly normal,doc diganosed my pain as muskoskeletal and that would go with time,but what happened now was i have discovered several postures (like pigeonchest if i hunch over my chest),while sleeping,etc which would trigger a chest sensation for me which no more just a sternum pain but a constant feeling of discomfort and pain in my chest area,
I feel demotivated, i tired everything i could via an ortho and a cardiologist they didnt diagnosed me with any specific sever thing ,and just asked me ro ignore,but trying my best i again get to ground zero when i try to check my pain and its still there and it makes me freak out,i feel my life is off track,no gym etc,cant do studies ,i am spoiling my life,i have this constant fear of this turning out hoepless in future,it constantly bugs me,whenever i try to be happy when the pain inst there ,i would check it out/it would come on its own and i feel like the end would approach and i get really sad.


Please tell me is it due to tms ,because i cant find any cure or absolute reason for this sensation,it get worst if i sleep over my chest and then a movement occurs, sharp pain feels like something stabbed for few seconds or so,but i feel consumed .

Oh boy, I feel for you. You are making yourself sick despite the fact that you are perfectly healthy!
Such a waste, huh? (I've been there too.)

Here is something that might be helpful to know. It's very common after an illness clears up to go through a bout of feeling like you are sick. Very common.
There is actually a physical/chemical reason as well as a psychological. The physical/chemical reason is related to the cytokines that your body produces as part of your immune system. Cytokines evidently can cause depression or anxiety in those that are sensitive to them. This can prolong you feeling like you are ill when you aren't. As my doctor put it, "You feel, worse than you are." Those magic words somehow told my brain that I was actually fine and after a month of feeling sick as a dog (which came after a month of actually being sick as a dog) things started to lift.
This was before I knew about TMS.
If I had known about TMS, I would have had a better handle on the psychological component -- which does its thing to further keeps you down.

Here's the good news for you --- there is nothing wrong with your heart!! Your cardiac system is fine. You have confirmed that with a qualified doctor and all the appropriate tests. That means you can let all that worry go. You don't have to check on yourself any more.
You are free to go live your life.

Second piece of good news. You are 22. You have years and years and years ahead of you. It's irrelevant that you've been sick or that you lost whatever time you've lost worrying about this. It's nothing in the scheme of your whole life. Just a blip.

 

[Adsingh]

Oh boy, I feel for you. You are making yourself sick despite the fact that you are perfectly healthy!
Such a waste, huh? (I've been there too.)

Here is something that might be helpful to know. It's very common after an illness clears up to go through a bout of feeling like you are sick. Very common.
There is actually a physical/chemical reason as well as a psychological. The physical/chemical reason is related to the cytokines that your body produces as part of your immune system. Cytokines evidently can cause depression or anxiety in those that are sensitive to them. This can prolong you feeling like you are ill when you aren't. As my doctor put it, "You feel, worse than you are." Those magic words somehow told my brain that I was actually fine and after a month of feeling sick as a dog (which came after a month of actually being sick as a dog) things started to lift.
This was before I knew about TMS.
If I had known about TMS, I would have had a better handle on the psychological component -- which does its thing to further keeps you down.

Here's the good news for you --- there is nothing wrong with your heart!! Your cardiac system is fine. You have confirmed that with a qualified doctor and all the appropriate tests. That means you can let all that worry go. You don't have to check on yourself any more.
You are free to go live your life.

Second piece of good news. You are 22. You have years and years and years ahead of you. It's irrelevant that you've been sick or that you lost whatever time you've lost worrying about this. It's nothing in the scheme of your whole life. Just a blip.

Really thanks for your support and kind words..I really dont have fear of my heart anymore ,i do workout regularly.All my concern is trying to fix this sensation in my sternum which i get in specific postures (when hunching forward over my chest,sleeping on the chest and trying to twist and turns it hurts) but now as you said tms ( i am new at it) ,i am understanding things now,it was just a heavy feeling that this sensation will never go and that something is stuck inside causing pain and discomfort (not my heart obviously), it has consumed a lot of my happy moments just by anticipation of pain even though when it wasnt there,and when it comes yeah feels depressing...yeah i accept i got obsessed with it,but now i am trying to look at it from different and learning this mind body thing.

Though,Thanks Booble.
Respect.

 

[Booble]

Really thanks for your support and kind words..I really dont have fear of my heart anymore ,i do workout regularly.All my concern is trying to fix this sensation in my sternum which i get in specific postures (when hunching forward over my chest,sleeping on the chest and trying to twist and turns it hurts) but now as you said tms ( i am new at it) ,i am understanding things now,it was just a heavy feeling that this sensation will never go and that something is stuck inside causing pain and discomfort (not my heart obviously), it has consumed a lot of my happy moments just by anticipation of pain even though when it wasnt there,and when it comes yeah feels depressing...yeah i accept i got obsessed with it,but now i am trying to look at it from different and learning this mind body thing.

Though,Thanks Booble.
Respect.

Excellent. I think you'll get through this.
It's nothing dangerous so no need to try and figure it out. Once you stop dwelling on it one day it will be gone and someone will ask you, "Hey how's that pain in your sternum?" and you'll say, "Oh, I forgot about that! It's gone."

Take care.

 

[Macca]

Actually at first when i got diagnosed by the ortho as costo,i did a pot of research and came across a roxic reddit group which didnt helped at all and all it did was made it more worse for me,rigrously trying to foam roll my back extra just didnt do anything great for me ,can you please elaborate how is your pain,my pain geta worse on certain postures ,like whike trying to hunch forward (piegon chest),ir when i sleep over my chest adn try to twist and turn ,its awful and sharp in the middle also speeads heee and there to the right and left,i dont believe ita inflammation anymore as it would had been gone by now.

Do reply ,i will appreciate it,you are the only person i could related with in the whole forum.

I was exactly like you when it first started.

a quick time line

becoming a parent for the first time and having difficulties with the birth of my son - sat in the waiting room and had a sharp stabbing pain in my chest which turned into pressure. Luckily I was at the hospital so I went for all the tests, bloods, ecg and chest scan, they all came back good. Ironic thing was my poor pregnant misses was sat with me till the early hours until I had the all clear.
I had the pain and anxiety for another month until my son was born and then it went away.
Looking back I couldn’t control or do anything about the issues with my partners pregnancy so the fear was so intense.

the pandemic then kicked in and I was shit scared of catching it, my mum & dad, Girlfriend and son.
I watched all the news briefings and googled it constantly, I had the odd stabbing pain in my chest but it went away. 6 months later I was watching a news briefing on coming out of a lockdown, I was playing with my son and I had stabbing pain in my chest which took me to my knees. Somehow I managed to survive for the next two weeks and I had to call an ambulance because I thought I was having a heart attack. Had all the same tests and they came back ok but this time the pandemic was still in full flow so I couldn’t relax. The fear and obsession became to intense, it’s all I thought about and I was in pain all day, I kept saying that I wasn’t stressed or anxious because I loved my life but I didn’t realise at that time my brain was trying to protect me from the constant worry and stress, in away my brain did it’s job because I was distracted with chest pain.
The doctors were shite tbh, I was screaming inside for help but they just said I was fit.
That was 3 and half years ago and I still experience daily chest and rib pain, chest so tender to touch but I’m getting better with the fear and at times I don’t feel it. I have always managed to sleep well but within 15 minutes of being awake the thoughts and sensations come back.
I also found the Reddit page and that pissed me off. I brought the back pod because they said it was structural and did all the exercises but imo it was a load of shit. Sorry for the language but it makes me angry.
They say that it’s due to your thoracic spine being locked which causes inflammation on the sternum but millions of people are hunched forward with no chest pain. I listened to a podcast the other day about inflammation and I also don’t believe it’s related to my chest, it’s fear and rumination about the discomfort.
I’m an obsessive & inpatient person so I want things done yesterday, I read the Reddit page and even posted on there and for along time I kept thinking but could it be structural, are those guys correct. If you look through the page most of them have had it for years and the fear and depression that comes along with it will just keep putting fuel on the fire. The odd few who recover from using the structural idea are because the brain thinks it’s safe now, a bit like a placebo effect.
The doctors put me on acid reflux, gabpentin and strong anti inflammatory tablets but none of them made a difference. Bio freeze helped a bit but that was probably placebo too.
I have been doing the tms work for 6 months, no real difference to my pain and symptoms but the fear and anxiety has dialled down.
I do believe I will get better in time.
Chest pain is quite common in the tms world and when I first started looking I couldn’t find much about it but I dare say it’s probably one of the most common.

 

[Adsingh]

I appreciate your reply

I was exactly like you when it first started.

a quick time line

becoming a parent for the first time and having difficulties with the birth of my son - sat in the waiting room and had a sharp stabbing pain in my chest which turned into pressure. Luckily I was at the hospital so I went for all the tests, bloods, ecg and chest scan, they all came back good. Ironic thing was my poor pregnant misses was sat with me till the early hours until I had the all clear.
I had the pain and anxiety for another month until my son was born and then it went away.
Looking back I couldn’t control or do anything about the issues with my partners pregnancy so the fear was so intense.

the pandemic then kicked in and I was shit scared of catching it, my mum & dad, Girlfriend and son.
I watched all the news briefings and googled it constantly, I had the odd stabbing pain in my chest but it went away. 6 months later I was watching a news briefing on coming out of a lockdown, I was playing with my son and I had stabbing pain in my chest which took me to my knees. Somehow I managed to survive for the next two weeks and I had to call an ambulance because I thought I was having a heart attack. Had all the same tests and they came back ok but this time the pandemic was still in full flow so I couldn’t relax. The fear and obsession became to intense, it’s all I thought about and I was in pain all day, I kept saying that I wasn’t stressed or anxious because I loved my life but I didn’t realise at that time my brain was trying to protect me from the constant worry and stress, in away my brain did it’s job because I was distracted with chest pain.
The doctors were shite tbh, I was screaming inside for help but they just said I was fit.
That was 3 and half years ago and I still experience daily chest and rib pain, chest so tender to touch but I’m getting better with the fear and at times I don’t feel it. I have always managed to sleep well but within 15 minutes of being awake the thoughts and sensations come back.
I also found the Reddit page and that pissed me off. I brought the back pod because they said it was structural and did all the exercises but imo it was a load of shit. Sorry for the language but it makes me angry.
They say that it’s due to your thoracic spine being locked which causes inflammation on the sternum but millions of people are hunched forward with no chest pain. I listened to a podcast the other day about inflammation and I also don’t believe it’s related to my chest, it’s fear and rumination about the discomfort.
I’m an obsessive & inpatient person so I want things done yesterday, I read the Reddit page and even posted on there and for along time I kept thinking but could it be structural, are those guys correct. If you look through the page most of them have had it for years and the fear and depression that comes along with it will just keep putting fuel on the fire. The odd few who recover from using the structural idea are because the brain thinks it’s safe now, a bit like a placebo effect.
The doctors put me on acid reflux, gabpentin and strong anti inflammatory tablets but none of them made a difference. Bio freeze helped a bit but that was probably placebo too.
I have been doing the tms work for 6 months, no real difference to my pain and symptoms but the fear and anxiety has dialled down.
I do believe I will get better in time.
Chest pain is quite common in the tms world and when I first started looking I couldn’t find much about it but I dare say it’s probably one of the most common.

I appreciate your reply Mecca,Thanks for taking out time for my query and making me understand that i am not the only one feeling anxious with it ,that reddit group really sucks,it did no good to me, and yeah it is not structural 100%,i can do heavy workouts in gym with zero sensarion and trust me when you desrcibe your symptoms to me they are exactly the same but as soon as i go in any posture i am scared of ,ring ring the alarm goes on right like a stab sensation..btw you will recover for sure if you start physical activity (jog or gym whatever suits you),the speed of recovery will intensify, in my opinion


I will try to be in touch with you more frequently,appreciate your time, thanks Sir.

P.s-that reddit group is shitty,dont go there,its really aint structural, its kinda fools us,trust me on this,as your tests are normal,whats the harm on trusting ?

 

[JanAtheCPA]

@Adsingh, you asked me privately for advice even though you've received helpful and supportive responses on this thread and also from @bobbyPT on the duplicate thread you started here (I'm linking that in case anyone wants to see the good advice from a mindbody PT). So I'm not going to be supportive and repeat the things they have already said. You should go back and read them all again, more than once, and with mindfulness.

Now it's time for you to do the work to educate yourself.

I also have to say that I am having a hard time reading any of your messages because they are so long and rambling and panicky, and you are not taking the time to carefully put words together so they can be followed, even though I suspect that your English is fine - IF you take the time to use it carefully. This is not because you're from another country - it's because you are 22. I have the same problem with many young people who post here.

So I skip over a lot of what you write, but my general impression is that it is repetitive, and it is full of physical details which are irrelevant. I also get that you are extremely desperate - that comes through loud and clear.

You have anxiously asked for my advice, so here it is:

1. You need to CALM THE FUCK DOWN.

2. Read The Mindbody Prescription by John Sarno MD.

3. Start doing our free Structured Educational Program which is on the main TMSWiki.org site

4. Do NOT rush through the SEP. The more you rush, the less you will achieve. Don't do more than 2 "Days" at a time.

5. Don't keep posting here looking for reassurance. Reread the responses you have already received.

6. Stop talking about your symptoms. If you keep posting with the same old panicked desperation, people will lose interest and ignore you.

7. You absolutely may post about the things you learn about your emotions as you do the SEP, or questions about the emotional work. We want to see signs that you are making a sincere effort to do the work, and we want to see emotional changes in your communication. Be mindful of submitting mature and thoughtful responses from now on.

8. If you find that your fearful brain is too resistant to do this work on your own, you will need to seek professional therapeutic help. Many people are not able to do this on their own, which is not failure, it just requires skilled one-on-one help, which is not possible to get on a free and anonymous internet forum.

 

[JanAtheCPA]

BTW, those two Spotify links provided by @Macca won't work unless you have or are willing to install the app, but they are podcast episodes which she publishes on YouTube and as an audio podcast. To find all things Nicole, search Nicole Sachs The Cure for Chronic Pain and you'll reach her website with all of her wonderful resources. Subscribe to her podcast on your favorite platform: The Cure for Chronic Pain with Nicole Sachs LCSW

 

[Macca]

I appreciate your reply

I appreciate your reply Mecca,Thanks for taking out time for my query and making me understand that i am not the only one feeling anxious with it ,that reddit group really sucks,it did no good to me, and yeah it is not structural 100%,i can do heavy workouts in gym with zero sensarion and trust me when you desrcibe your symptoms to me they are exactly the same but as soon as i go in any posture i am scared of ,ring ring the alarm goes on right like a stab sensation..btw you will recover for sure if you start physical activity (jog or gym whatever suits you),the speed of recovery will intensify, in my opinion


I will try to be in touch with you more frequently,appreciate your time, thanks Sir.

P.s-that reddit group is shitty,dont go there,its really aint structural, its kinda fools us,trust me on this,as your tests are normal,whats the harm on trusting ?

yeah definitely keep me posted

BTW, those two Spotify links provided by @Macca won't work unless you have or are willing to install the app, but they are podcast episodes which she publishes on YouTube and as an audio podcast. To find all things Nicole, search Nicole Sachs The Cure for Chronic Pain and you'll reach her website with all of her wonderful resources. Subscribe to her podcast on your favorite platform: The Cure for Chronic Pain with Nicole Sachs LCSW

Ok thanks Jan, when i first started this work I was struggling to believe I could heal with the symptom I had because it rarely get’s mentioned.
Then boom I come across a few people healing from Costochonditris and for the first time I started to feel snippets of my emotions coming back . I know know that the symptoms don’t matter it’s the reaction to them. I’m not out of the woods yet because the symptoms haven’t changed but my fear has. Just need to dial down how much attention I’m giving them now.

many thanks

 

[JanAtheCPA]

Yeah, I've had short-term Costochondritis. The first time that I was doubled over in pain I called the urgent care hotline and the nurse went over the standard questions to rule out heart symptoms. She diagnosed costochondritis, explained that it was inflammatory and perhaps stress-based, recommended ibuprofen and ice and to come in if it got worse. I looked it up online and between her advice and the information I found I calmed down, stopped worrying, took the ibuprofen. The area between two of my ribs was a little tender to the touch the next morning but the stabbing pain was gone. Mind you, this was probably several years before I discovered Dr Sarno and this forum back in 2011. It was just one of my many lifelong TMS symptoms that disappeared as soon as a medical professional assured me there was nothing wrong. I've had a few small attacks since then, but I just assume they'll go away, which they always do, and I get out the pen and paper and do my writing.

Inflammation and stress go hand in hand. Our modern world is subjecting us to a constant and unrelenting avalanche of everyday stressors, and evidence of growing TMS is everywhere.

 

[Macca]

Yeah, I've had short-term Costochondritis. The first time that I was doubled over in pain I called the urgent care hotline and the nurse went over the standard questions to rule out heart symptoms. She diagnosed costochondritis, explained that it was inflammatory and perhaps stress-based, recommended ibuprofen and ice and to come in if it got worse. I looked it up online and between her advice and the information I found I calmed down, stopped worrying, took the ibuprofen. The area between two of my ribs was a little tender to the touch the next morning but the stabbing pain was gone. Mind you, this was probably several years before I discovered Dr Sarno and this forum back in 2011. It was just one of my many lifelong TMS symptoms that disappeared as soon as a medical professional assured me there was nothing wrong. I've had a few small attacks since then, but I just assume they'll go away, which they always do, and I get out the pen and paper and do my writing.

Inflammation and stress go hand in hand. Our modern world is subjecting us to a constant and unrelenting avalanche of everyday stressors, and evidence of growing TMS is everywhere.

One thing I have noticed in this tms work is that it clicks for different people at different times, but when it does click and you start to believe that you will get better, wow the fear just starts to dial down.
My Mum who got diagnosed with Costochonditris on two occasions, the last time last year and she has completely healed and is back doing Zumba, nearly 70 years old.
I have noticed recently that I have a lot of Sadness , my inner child didn’t feel good enough and didn’t think I would ever have a decent job, nice house and get married. I have achieved all those things and when I have gone back to him and told him it’s ok and you’re not alone, I can feel slightly emotional so there is a bit more work to do.
Anger - that it’s gone on for so long and towards people who put on me during the pandemic.
Grief because I feel I neglected my son because I have been so consumed with myself, pain etc. I have forgiven myself for that though
Watching a 4 year old with all his emotions is crazy how quick they turn them all on. I’m slightly jealous lol