| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| duke74 |
Posted - 03/20/2010 : 05:59:45
hello i'm new to this forum and would like to get some advice. i would like to know if this is tms or anxiety or what is going on ? i'm 35 a husband and father of 2.this all started about a year ago with the passing of my grandmother. i loved her dearly and she was like a mother to me. about 3 weeks after her passing i experienced what i thought was a heart attack. was rushed to the hospital all tests came back negative. also had a stess test. everything fine. i came to the conclusion it was an anxiety attack.from a very young age i have always been a worrier when it comes to health issues and death. and after this it has seemed to intensify. about 3 months after my grandmothers passing i learned my cousin had pancreatic cancer. he passed away about a month later. he was only 40.since then it seems every little ache or pain i get i obsess on it to the point where i think of nothing else. in mid october i developed a constant headache. after 2 weeks of thinkig i was going to have a stroke or thinking it was a brain tumor i went to the doctor . she said it was nothing to worry about she put me on zoloft about 3 days later i started having a bad reaction to it and another doctor suggested i stop taking it and to go get a ct scan of my head. i did and every thing was ok. after hearing that news the head pain went away immediatly. but the next morning i woke up with pain in my chest and that started the worrying all over. i've been dealing with this since then .i have some good weeks where i dont worry about anything then it will start all over with the aches and pains.some of my other symptoms that i have or have had are arm pain {tendonitis} ,epididimitis,leg pains. lots of anxiety. recently i've been going through a very stressful financial situation and it seems that all my other symptoms have disappeared but now i'm getting pains in my head. they can be in different spots sometimes in the front or side or back of my head.on a scale of 1-10 they are a 2 or 3 just enough to obsess on them constantly thinking something major is wrong. i feel that it is tms. it doesnt bother me when i'm sleeping or for about 5 minutes after i get up.but then i start focusing on them.and that is all i think about. i've read dr. sarnos books and agree with what he says. i've also read claire weekes book on anxiety. and listened to lucinda bassets cds. i just can't seem to apply these techniques to myself. it is as if i keep going in a circle.any advice would be greatly appreciated. |
| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| catspine |
Posted - 03/21/2010 : 00:24:35
Hi Duke
The death of a loved one always leaves a void that only time can heal and what you experienced is hard to deal with, Since this person still lives through you maybe the best thing you can do in this regard is to live your life in a way that would make this person proud of you as long as it doesn't alter your health negatively.
Since you already took the usual medical tests and there is nothing wrong the best next step would be to see someone who's qualified to identify your symptoms as TMS if that the case but if you live in a remote location or if you have other limitations such as financial you still can try to do something from what you'll learn from self help to begin with as it is not counter productive.
According to your description it sounds like you qualify for TMS.
Worrying can be avoided if you recognize it as a pattern of negative thoughts being repeated until it becomes an obsession and from there it becomes a difficult circle to break but it can be done , that's basically what worrying is. Try to imagine what would happen if you had the same pattern but about something positive ...
There has been a lot of things written about TMS and you may want to continue to read about it until you find a theory(ies) or author(s) that resonate the best with you and then build upon that more specifically.
Keeping the fear under control would also help to reduce the symptoms or even stop them .
Also know that if there is no tension in your body fear can not set in .
Become aware or your physical state -tense of relaxed or somewhere in between- and release the tension. You may be surprised to discover how simple it is and how well it works. Give your mind the task to relax your body and just that and keep at it so it can not interfere with what your body wants to do naturally.
As you said it doesn't bother you until your mind kick in five minutes after you get up and start thinking . The problem is not so much with thinking but more with what you think about again and again . So when you see it coming just stop right there and focus on something naturally positive that your mind can not challenge and stay there as needed until you are ready to move to next step. With a little bit of practice ( I'm sure you'll find the opportunities) it will become easier and allow you to deal with the rest progressively when the time's right.
You may start thinking about things like what if it is a tumor or an awful disease or something like that so every time you get there just stop and tell yourself : what if it's not? As much as you can do it try not to let yourself slide into a position where doubt rules and you find yourself helpless. This part of the job belongs to you as nobody else can do that for you.
First thing first and one thing at a time ...
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| stanfr |
Posted - 03/20/2010 : 22:54:13
Well, since you mention anxiety about 50 times in your post, i may not be a pro but it sure sounds like classic anxiety symptoms! You can call it TMS if youd like, there are some on this board who think theyre one and the same, but at any rate its probably not productive putting a definitive label to it. Sounds like a form of OCD/anxiety as a result of stress. If the books arent helping, you might consider trying to get a therapist who can help you through the process. |
| Hilary |
Posted - 03/20/2010 : 18:51:17
Hello duke
Sounds like you've had a difficult time recently. What sort of advice are you looking for? My best TMS advice is: do you see yourself in Sarno's definition of the TMS personality? That's a good place to start.
Hilary |
