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T O P I C R E V I E W
wrldtrv
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 23:28:08 On October 2, I abruptly began to get MS-like symptoms (discussed in detail previously) that got worse and worse and then gradually lessened and, for the past several weeks has pretty much disappeared. The problem is that occasionally some of the leg weakness (back of legs and buttocks) reappears for a few hours or a day or two. When this happens, the old fear reaction begins ("there must be something very serious wrong with me"--despite all tests being negative). The fear cycle looks like this: noticing of leg weakness; memory of previous episode; fear and dread; symptom gets worse; more fear and dread; symptom even worse; greater fear and dread...well, you get the idea. I'm pretty sure that WHEN the symptoms appear is no accident. They usually occur when I am unoccupied, bored, restless, depressed or anxious. Not when I am busy, distracted, upbeat, happy. For me, weekends are the risky time because that is the time I am more likely to be out of sorts.
As a side note, I started taking lexapro a couple of months ago and have gradually starting feeling better. This coincided with the lessening of physical symptoms, though I don't know if the two are related. In fact, though I have been feeling better mentally, the difference (so far) is modest enough so that I can't determine whether the lexapro is actually working or if I would have felt better on my own. I'll bet that if the lexapro worked better I wouldn't be having the occasional relapse of leg weakness.
Which brings me to TMS. Assuming that what I have is TMS (since any physical malady has been pretty much ruled out) what is the TMS theory say about relapse? I think I have a good idea of it, but maybe some of you can add to it. Thanks.
2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
Kajsa
Posted - 01/16/2006 : 10:38:42 Fear is the big enemy. I can agree on that. I have gone a long way with my “fibromyalgiapain”= severe TMS I do not fear it and it does seldom (almost never) bother me. Instead I fear the fatigue - and it bothers me. But now I am beginning to (slowly) lose the fear for fatigue and it is also - very slowly - starting to loose it’s grip on me. Didn´t you suffer from from fatigue? You talked about changing your inner frame - not imagining yourself as a fragile person - and so you overcame your fatigue. You can use the same process with the ME symptoms. I guess you will always deal with symptoms that you fear a lot - so you really have to overcome the obsession about the symptoms. Not easy- I know. When I can relax and be “laid-back” with symptoms and life - I normally make progress. And remember that Sarno can also become an obsession - I think you have to trust yourself the most.
Kajsa
anxo69
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 23:50:25 hi, Well your symptoms of tms will come back if you dont believe that is what is happening 100 percent. I know cause I go threw this myself a lot. You think strucure problem and BOOM hello fear and pain!