TMS, exhaustion or something else?

[Rotanzania]

hi, I posted a while back as I was so excited to read John Sarno's book and start to get better so fast. My pain is 80% better since reading his book (and reading other books and blogs etc ) on 23 December.
I was almost house bound with just short walks and hydrotherapy for 6 months, and some release and muscle work from a specialist. I have now gradually built up to swimming, walking and sitting for longer periods of time. However, I am increasingly finding that I do an activity and then become so exhausted I have to lie down, sometimes fall asleep, and feel empty.
I've spoken to doctors here ( who don't know anything about TMS) and they say this is very extreme, even given that I was quite unfit, and that the tiredness is near collapse so a bit of a concern.
I wondered if anyone had experience of this and can offer any suggestions please? Thank you

 

[Tennis Tom]

A common everyday doctor will not be able to address existential fatigue because they're only trained to treat the physical symptoms and not the underlying TMS emotional causes--it would back up the waiting rooms--you've got 90 seconds to explain yourself and then he hits the RX pad for the chemical or the PT answers. A TMS doctor may take an hour to three to get to know your life background to determine if your symptoms are structural, psychosomatic or a combination of the two.

It sounds like now that you've got your physical TMS symptoms on the run, you are experiencing the SYMPTOM IMPERATIVE. You may now be experiencing AFFECTIVE/emotional TMS symptoms.

...exhausted I have to lie down, sometimes fall asleep, and feel empty.

If you see enough white-coats they will eventually probably give you a chronic fatigue or lymes label. From far out here in the internet desert, (Palm Springs), it sounds to me more like a raison d'etre issue, or the proverbial "get a life". There's nothing wrong with napping, it's a great past-time after some exercise, a good meal and a cocktail or two. But, if you feel "empty", it's got to do with your TMS personality, and a lack of enthusiasm and passion for your life situation. The solution: find a positive distraction, something to get excited about after you awake from your refreshing nap.

G'luck!
tt/lsmft

(Boilerplate : I'm only a tennis player, so if you haven't had a hundred work-ups by licensed medical professionals, go to QUACKWATCH to research "sugar pills".)

 

[blake]

Hi rotanzania,

Tennis tom gives some great advice here. When I started doing TMs work, I felt exhausted at times. I napped every day for about 3 months ! Somehow it just felt right. I knew it was part of the process. After pressuring myself for nearly a decade, I just needed a little rest. The great news is that my energy gradually started coming back as I started doing more and more things I enjoyed. I'm still working on "getting a life," but I'm getting there one step at a time.

All the best.
Blake

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi, Blake. You are doing it right... take a break from thinking about what is causing your TMS and enjoy each day. I believe in TMS, emotions causing our pain, but also think we need to limit the time we think about that each day. I believe in keeping busy. I am 85 and still working... two jobs on the Internet.
It keeps me from worrying about things, and in this age there is a lot we can worry about. Find an activity or several that can make your days more enjoyable.

 

[Rotanzania]

Thank you all for your helpful advice. I will go and read up about SYMPTOM IMPERATIVE! It was really helpful to hear of someone else who suffered from exhaustion too, and that its ok. I suppose now I feel better, I'm so keen to get going again, perhaps too keen.