Will meds work for TMS induced stomach problems?

J

jhshiu

New Member
Hi All.

I'm a long time TMS sufferer.

I had TMS stomach issues really bad a couple years ago and it seems to have popped it's ugly head again.

My stomach has been burning, been burping, stomach is rumbling, I'm getting nauseous/dizzy at times and I seem to be reacting to certain foods now (getting this tight head, tight teeth sensation after eating meat).

My anxiety is waking me up at night, keeping me from sleeping at all and I have this uneasy feeling all over my body.

I'm literally at my witts end and the fear is overwhelming.

My question for all of you is that if this is TMS, will medicine (like zantac) make this better or worse? I actually felt worse after taking it, which is similar to my experience a couple of years ago. None of the mainstream/alternative meds worked to improve my symptoms.

At moments, I'm strong and I tell myself I can through this and to fight this feeling. When I don't feel in control, I fall apart again.

I've done lots of stress mgmt stuff like Mindful based stress reduction, yoga, meditation, etc. Yoga has helped tremendously but I'm in a bad space right now and mentally, this is very difficult.

I'm a 40 yr mother of 3.

Thanks for your help!
Jennie
 
Step #1 : See a TMS physician or a "competent" allopathic one for a physical.

Were you prescribed the Zantac by an MD or a pharmacist? I don't know you or your interactions with meds but I guess you could try it and find out.

Dr. Sarno prescribed meds for symptomatic relief when required.

You should also look into anxiety medications if your worrying persists.
 
Hi Jennie - I'm sorry to hear about your struggles, but let me tell you, I can totally relate. I've had a lot of success in keeping my symptoms at bay much of the time, but when outside stressors get to be too much, there are a couple of distressing symptoms that keep coming back, sometimes with a vengeance.

For peace of mind you can get checked out as Tom suggests. If you determine that it's TMS yet again, my advice would be to sit down and journal about what is going on in your life. Go back to the SEP (http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Structured_Educational_Program) for some good writing exercises. Think about who you might need to write an unsent letter to. Write out your list of stresses and examine your brain's hidden negative messages about them - these are the messages that your brain is trying to repress because they're so negative or dangerous - not just the shallow surface awareness that you're stressed out. Going deep is what it takes.

You can also talk to your gut. Seriously. I have had great success talking to mine when it's giving me grief. They say that our guts are like a second brain, which I feel is true - and I really believe that you can reason with your gut.

But I've also had good success with flare-ups by journaling.

Also, if you've never read Hope and Help For Your Nerves, by Dr. Claire Weekes, it's like the little bible for anxiety - many of our members have found it to be incredibly helpful and calming for anxiety. The two books that helped me the most were The Divided Mind, followed closely by Hope & Help For Your Nerves.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

~Jan
 
Wow...so weird to read this today.

You may see my thread a few below this in which I have started to get some weird and wonderful stomach issues going on...I constantly feel the need to burp but when I do it doesn't seem to relieve the gassy feeling and my stomach is making some incredible bubbling, rumbling and grumbling sounds from the moment I wake till the moment I go to bed, I also have some mild nausea and like you I also get that warm in the belly feeling and like hunger pains even though I may have just eaten. TBH, I have had so many TMS/anxiety type manifestations over the past 7 years that I've lost track of half the stuff but I did notice in one of my journals going back to 2011 that I mentioned having a 'constant noisy stomach and false hunger pains' back then so this seems to be something that has reappeared but probably worse than last time. I did have upper and lower scopes around that time in 2011 which were both clear apart from some very mild gastritis.

I've seen the GP who thinks in all likelihood this episode is IBS or gastritis and he has prescribed me PPI's...I was on Lansaprazole originally but this has changed to Omneprazole. This is where this is pertinent to your post I've come to the realisation that I'm sure the PPI is if anything making me feel worse. I'm sure my stomach is acididy (is that a word) and that the PPI stops the production of acid but it sure isn't doing much to help my symptoms. I actually took the decision last night not to take the PPI from today so I'm going to see how I go over the next couple of days.

I have been having this since last September and it pretty much directly replaced a year of daily tension headaches and dizziness/derealisation. Interestingly since the stomach issues have started I have not had a single headache or episode of dizziness.

My GP did order the Hy Plori test which was clear and he has ordered another test which by all accounts is a good indicator of stuff like colitis etc and he said if this returns clear he will diagnose it as a functional disorder...so TMS by another word.

edit. I should say that my situation is complicated by quite severe health anxiety so obviously every grumble, rumble and nausea wave is a sure sign of a serious disorder that requires immediate emergency intervention so I have the double whammy of the unpleasant symptoms and my mind constantly interpreting it as a life or death situation. I'm sure that this isn't helping the situation or helping to calm my stomach.
 
Last edited:
Omg

This is the same issues that started my TMS journey about 8 years ago…I had this for about 1.5 yrs many test no resolution and I woke up one day and it was gone…shorty after my nerve pain started and as been with me since. Many test again BS diagnosis many meds no help….TMS
 
I agree with Tom. Sarno did prescribe meds on occasion. Jennie, if the Zantac gives you relief from your symptoms, and it was prescribed for you, it may buy you some pain-free time in which to work your TMS program.
I'm a big fan of whatever works.
 
This is a wonderful and very helpful exchange of posts on stomach issues. There's nothing wrong in taking some medication for them, but I would encourage adding natural methods and supplements. They can be found in a Google search of the Internet and also in Youtube videos. I've always found that my stomach problems are caused by my emotions. If I am emotionally upset or angry, it shows up in my stomach. I practice deep breathing, calming meditation, and drink a cup of hot milk. Hot milk has worked for me better than a tranquilizer pill. And take a laugh break. Laughing soothes the mind and the stomach.
 
Looked up Zantac, and it both OTC and RX. I'd say if your doctor prescribed it take it or why bother seeing a doc. It's used for "stress ulcer" prevention--there's a clue--for TMS. Millions probably use this. It's meant to be used for a couple of weeks. Do you have a TMS physician near you?--that would be the best.

You may want to check out Nicole Sach's TMS book, "THE MEANING OF TRUTH". She deals with a lot of parenting issues, I think she's got about five kids. She was a patient of Dr. Sarno's and was then asked by him to be a group discussion leader. She is a therapist in Delaware and does phone and Skype sessions.

Delaware
Nicole Sachs, LCSW (Therapist)

Nicole Sachs is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas, and has been treating people with TMS for over 10 years. During that time she has seen over 100 clients with TMS. Sachs is the author of the book, The Meaning of Truth, which describes her practice and treatment methods. She is also a recovered TMS patient herself, and a previous member of Dr. Sarno's Alumni Panels, where she would tell Dr. Sarno's new patients about her own experience with TMS. In 2013, the PTPN recorded an interview with Nicole Sachs, where she again described her battle with chronic pain, and her success with the TMS approach.

Available via Phone
meaningoftruth@gmail.com
Website
Survey Response / Profile Page / Forum Threads
Nicole Sachs's Recovery Story (video)
​
 
Tennis Tom said:
Looked up Zantac, and it both OTC and RX. I'd say if your doctor prescribed it take it or why bother seeing a doc. It's used for "stress ulcer" prevention--there's a clue--for TMS. Millions probably use this. It's meant to be used for a couple of weeks. Do you have a TMS physician near you?--that would be the best.

You may want to check out Nicole Sach's TMS book, "THE MEANING OF TRUTH". She deals with a lot of parenting issues, I think she's got about five kids. She was a patient of Dr. Sarno's and was then asked by him to be a group discussion leader. She is a therapist in Delaware and does phone and Skype sessions.

Delaware
Nicole Sachs, LCSW (Therapist)

Nicole Sachs is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas, and has been treating people with TMS for over 10 years. During that time she has seen over 100 clients with TMS. Sachs is the author of the book, The Meaning of Truth, which describes her practice and treatment methods. She is also a recovered TMS patient herself, and a previous member of Dr. Sarno's Alumni Panels, where she would tell Dr. Sarno's new patients about her own experience with TMS. In 2013, the PTPN recorded an interview with Nicole Sachs, where she again described her battle with chronic pain, and her success with the TMS approach.

Available via Phone
meaningoftruth@gmail.com
Website
Survey Response / Profile Page / Forum Threads
Nicole Sachs's Recovery Story (video)
​
Click to expand...


Not sure I understand the logic of continuing to take a medication that makes your symptoms worse just because it was prescribed by the doctor...a lot of the time medication is prescribed in a hit and hope manner and I would think it pretty wise to discontinue its use if it made matters worse.

I may totally have misunderstood the nature of the original post but I read it as the OP asking if it was usual for PPI's and anti acid medication and the like not to be effective for a stomach problem of a mind/body causality rather than if taking the medication would make the process of TMS worse. Like I say I may have misunderstood but I was interested in the OP's comments as I am in the same situation of finding that the medication which logically should work for an acid stomach issue is making matters worse.
 
Thanks, everyone for your feedback/advice. I know for a fact that this is TMS. I had a bout of this a couple years ago and did all the tests (multiple endoscopies, colonoscopy, ph monitoring, h pylori, small intestine bacteria, etc.) and ultimately, the GI dr said stress. I didn't realize it at the time but I felt very resentful for being a SAHM and not appreciated. I felt lonely and would find myself waking up in the middle of the night with panic attacks. In the past, I've also had TMJ (which seems to have come back now), migraines/tension headaches, fascilations, vertigo, dizziness, anxiety, etc.

My stomach issues flared up the night after I had to inject my daughter with an epi pen for food allergies and took her to the ER. I also had a mini panic attack (tingling all over my body). I was upset but I've been living with her severe Food Allergies for 5 years so I took it in stride. I think my subconscious was more upset than I realized.

Interestingly enough, I've been having head pain after eating chicken/meats...even chick broth. This is something new for me, but I believe it's another manifestation of TMS.

Outside of my daughter's food allergies, I've also felt a lack of connection with hubby. It's something that has gotten worse lately.

I have consulted with a TMS dr and have seen my regular dr. Although I do yoga/meditation regularly, I'm starting a new meditation/journaling class through my clinic in a couple of weeks.

Today I feel like sh*t. I haven't slept through the night in weeks, I have the flu (took 2 nyquils last night and was so anxious I couldn't sleep), been having these daily headaches/TMJ issues, etc. I know from my own personal experience, things will get better. BTW, I decided not to take zantac because it made me feel worse. I'll tackle it with the TMS approach. Thanks for listening.

Jennie
 
Jennie - I was totally in your shoes 11 years ago. 40 years old, 3 kids, SAHM, HOMESCHOOL mom to boot. TMS was at it's worst - complete with panic attacks that would wake me up at night - shaking, headaches, horribly, horribly neck issues, omg - I could fill a page. I was in a TMS shit storm.

You're doing all the right things. Just make sure you're doing them with self kindness and compassion. :) And if kindness and self compassion means releasing yourself from "doing" anything - you're still fine. You're in a very intense season of life and it's a lot of work. Hang in there, girl, the days demands will ease as the kids grow. And the fact that you're already onto TMS is a HUGE gift. It wasn't until my late 40s that I became so DONE with pain that I opened my mind to Sarno's teachings.

And btw - that needing to feel in control or you'll fall apart.....that too is TMS. And it comes dressed up as being a good mom. By that I mean we moms put on unbelievable amount of pressures on ourselves to "be a good mom." Gawd, there were some days my children were lucky to make it through the day without me killing them. And then the guilt for thinking that....

It's a crazy train!

You're going to get through this. You really will!
 
jhshiu said:
Thanks, everyone for your feedback/advice. I know for a fact that this is TMS. I had a bout of this a couple years ago and did all the tests (multiple endoscopies, colonoscopy, ph monitoring, h pylori, small intestine bacteria, etc.) and ultimately, the GI dr said stress. I didn't realize it at the time but I felt very resentful for being a SAHM and not appreciated. I felt lonely and would find myself waking up in the middle of the night with panic attacks. In the past, I've also had TMJ (which seems to have come back now), migraines/tension headaches, fascilations, vertigo, dizziness, anxiety, etc.

My stomach issues flared up the night after I had to inject my daughter with an epi pen for food allergies and took her to the ER. I also had a mini panic attack (tingling all over my body). I was upset but I've been living with her severe Food Allergies for 5 years so I took it in stride. I think my subconscious was more upset than I realized.

Interestingly enough, I've been having head pain after eating chicken/meats...even chick broth. This is something new for me, but I believe it's another manifestation of TMS.

Outside of my daughter's food allergies, I've also felt a lack of connection with hubby. It's something that has gotten worse lately.

I have consulted with a TMS dr and have seen my regular dr. Although I do yoga/meditation regularly, I'm starting a new meditation/journaling class through my clinic in a couple of weeks.

Today I feel like sh*t. I haven't slept through the night in weeks, I have the flu (took 2 nyquils last night and was so anxious I couldn't sleep), been having these daily headaches/TMJ issues, etc. I know from my own personal experience, things will get better. BTW, I decided not to take zantac because it made me feel worse. I'll tackle it with the TMS approach. Thanks for listening.

Jennie
Click to expand...

Jennie

I also was going threw the same shit about 8 years ago but I was on the opposite side…I was doing everything and my wife was not putting in the time she was starting a new business and as the years went by we grew further apart and my ANGER was put on my emotional shelf to be paid in SPADES later…please take care of your first…remember put the oxygen mask on you first…then everybody else
 
Boston Redsox said:
Omg

This is the same issues that started my TMS journey about 8 years ago…I had this for about 1.5 yrs many test no resolution and I woke up one day and it was gone…shorty after my nerve pain started and as been with me since. Many test again BS diagnosis many meds no help….TMS
Click to expand...

Hey Boston...hope you don't mind me asking but did you have any investigations or did you just accept it as TMS from the get go? When you say similar symptoms did you get the bloating and grumbling stomach along with the burping, burning etc?
 
Think I'll try and have a break from here for a while as feel I'm probably only feeding into my anxiety over this. I'm just reassurance seeking which I know cannot be found on here.
 
Huckleberry, it's time for you to do the SEP. Trying to match symptoms with others is pointless, because TMS is brilliant at making your symptoms different from everyone else's. It has to, because it wants you to stay worried and distracted. Right now you are doing exactly what it wants.
 
Tennis Tom said:
Before you leave can you elaborate on that please.
Click to expand...


Of course.

Whilst I may or may not be suffering from TMS it most certainly overlaps with a health anxiety disorder. One of the defining behaviours is the constant requirement for reassurance...to be honest no matter what reassurance is given it is never really enough and only serves to reinforce the negative beliefs/behaviour.

Hope this helps.

N.B I wasn't planning on leaving this forum specifically. My comment was mainly about my intent to stop posting reassurance seeking threads.
 
Huckleberry said:
Hey Boston...hope you don't mind me asking but did you have any investigations or did you just accept it as TMS from the get go? When you say similar symptoms did you get the bloating and grumbling stomach along with the burping, burning etc?
Click to expand...
Sorry I been off for a while going threw a rough patch my pain as escalated and it really bothering me.
I made the decision myself I had tms dr don't know what's wrong can't find any issues
 
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