| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| renee |
Posted - 07/24/2011 : 22:03:00
I need some support and reassurance. I developed a switch in TMS symptoms four months ago and struggle to get through each day. I know in my heart that I have TMS but not sure how to think to keep on the TMS track. I developed severe panic attacks and phobia the past eleven years after combating back pain. I finally got rid of the panic attacks and developed severe leg weakness, joint pain, muscle pain, burning, brain fog, depression, dizziness and vomiting among other issues. I am having difficulty standing in line for even a few minutes which makes no sense. In March, I was able to workout on the elliptical for 45 minutes without any issues. I am usually able to divert my attention away from the pain but having difficult time with severe leg weakness. I am so weak that my heart races if a stand for any length of time. I feel that I am the only person with TMS this severe. Is there anyone that has experienced anything similar? I would appreciate any advice or thoughts. |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| art |
Posted - 07/27/2011 : 11:38:08
That's all ringing very true, wrld. Two keys. The first is realizing that all sorts of painful symptoms can be, and in the case of certain personalities, very likely are psychosomatic.
The second is a willingness to challenge symptoms as a way of proving that they are in fact not real (i.e. not structural)...
I think it's one of those "faith without works is dead" kind of deals. That's an exaggeration of course, but just sitting around trying to believe something which is essentially abstract, not to mention highly counter-intuitive, is not easy.
Far better to walk or run or lift or do the very things that cause pain. It's the most direct and effective route to healing in my experience..
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| wrldtrv |
Posted - 07/26/2011 : 21:48:48
Amy, if you check some of the very old posts related to "ms" you'll find more detailed posts about this, but I can say a few things here. In 01-02 and in 05-06 I had all kinds of bizarre symptoms that I feared was ms. Both times I had ALL the tests and they were of course negative. But I couldn't understand how I could feel so shaky, trembling all the time; even my teeth chattered together. I would wake suddenly from a deep sleep and start shaking. All day long I felt weak and shaky and of course, exhausted from the nonstop adrenalin flow. At night, I would fall into bed, but wake suddenly several hours later and be unable to go back to sleep no matter how desperate I was to be unconscious. During the day, I would find that I would have to find a chair after standing for a couple of minutes because I felt I would fall.
This is amazing to me as I write it; that I could have had such symptoms, but I did. I haven't had a recurrence of it in about 6 years and I believe it is because it finally dawned on me that yes, the brain really can create all those bizarre symptoms!
Along with understanding, I think, simply gutting it out; forcing myself to challenge the symptoms whenever possible was key. Really, that's the only way you will ever conquer a fear. The only way is through rather than around. In 06, right in the middle of the worst of the symptoms, I started training for a marathon. The contradiction between this and the way I was feeling really helped to convince me that I was okay. If I could train for a marathon feeling this way, I must be okay. One reason I think I have not had a recurrence of those horrible symptoms (I continue to have many lesser, unrelated sxs) is because I continually challenge myself physically with tough endurance events like marathons and hiking 14-ers, etc. |
| amygreen |
Posted - 07/26/2011 : 03:30:20
wrldtrv -- You said "long story short" but I would be real interested in hearing the details of how you got well. The idea of being filled w/ stress chemicals really resonated with me -- I'm sure that's me too. What kinds of things did you do to get well? |
| wrldtrv |
Posted - 07/25/2011 : 19:28:55
I had the leg weakness several years ago, which I feared was m.s. It would last for days and weeks and was intermittent; being better at certain times of the day. Long story short, it was simply that my whole body was so filled with stress chemicals that I was basically in a fulltime low-level panic attack. Even now, occasionally I will get that sensation of weakness and I know all I have to do is go the the gym and sit in the sauna for awhile and it will be gone. |
| balto |
Posted - 07/25/2011 : 08:55:27
quote:
Originally posted by renee
I need some support and reassurance. I developed a switch in TMS symptoms four months ago and struggle to get through each day. I know in my heart that I have TMS but not sure how to think to keep on the TMS track. I developed severe panic attacks and phobia the past eleven years after combating back pain. I finally got rid of the panic attacks and developed severe leg weakness, joint pain, muscle pain, burning, brain fog, depression, dizziness and vomiting among other issues. I am having difficulty standing in line for even a few minutes which makes no sense. In March, I was able to workout on the elliptical for 45 minutes without any issues. I am usually able to divert my attention away from the pain but having difficult time with severe leg weakness. I am so weak that my heart races if a stand for any length of time. I feel that I am the only person with TMS this severe. Is there anyone that has experienced anything similar? I would appreciate any advice or thoughts.
I had all the symptoms you had plus more, migrain, burning tongue & inside mouth, pin & needles, muscle weakness, sensitive to bright light, loud noise bother me. I can't go though any tunel or over any hight bridge without having a panic attack. I always make sure there is a bathroom near any place I go.... for more than 15 years I have all the mind & body syndromes you can think of. I'm cured and fine for 3 years now. I'm not a very bright person and if I can got well anyone can. Try your best to persevere, catch all your negative thoughts and replace them with realistic thoughts, don't scan your body for symptoms. Don't care about what other people think of you. So what if you fall or passed out while waiting inline. You're safe passed out while in public than if alone at home. Someone there will call 911 for you. Talk to yourself: these are just stress symptoms. They are benign and harmless. They're just trying to help me forget my stressful situations. I'm not scare of it. I will focus on ellimate all stress from my life, and I will be OK. Keep talking positive to yourself.
If you affraid to wait in=line alone then ask someone you trust to go with you. Explain to that person your situation and ask them to call 911 if you passed out. Then just stand and wait in-line. Standing there, talk to your friend about the weather, the news... Do it often enought then your thought process will change, you will desensitize your body to that particular conditioning behavior. I did the same to over come my agrophobia. Over come my fear of flying, going over bridge and through tunnels. Overcome my fear of eating foods that I once thought is the cause of my stomach problem...
Goodluck. |
| Back2-It |
Posted - 07/25/2011 : 07:30:50
quote:
Originally posted by renee
I need some support and reassurance. I developed a switch in TMS symptoms four months ago and struggle to get through each day. I know in my heart that I have TMS but not sure how to think to keep on the TMS track. I developed severe panic attacks and phobia the past eleven years after combating back pain. I finally got rid of the panic attacks and developed severe leg weakness, joint pain, muscle pain, burning, brain fog, depression, dizziness and vomiting among other issues. I am having difficulty standing in line for even a few minutes which makes no sense. In March, I was able to workout on the elliptical for 45 minutes without any issues. I am usually able to divert my attention away from the pain but having difficult time with severe leg weakness. I am so weak that my heart races if a stand for any length of time. I feel that I am the only person with TMS this severe. Is there anyone that has experienced anything similar? I would appreciate any advice or thoughts.
Hello, yes. I was unable to stand still or stand in a line for more than a few moments. My problem was not my legs but the upper muscles in my back, along with a weakness in my side. I felt weak and the pain was terrible. I literally began to feel twisted like a pretzel. More than once I had to leave what I was buying in the check-out and race out of the store.
If you've had all the doc tests you can rest assured that it is your mind doing this to you. Your heart is racing because you are anxious. It is classic fight or flight.
You are highly conscious of all your body movements. This "scanning" is a very hard thing to change. You have to change your thinking. When standing in line -- and you can stand there; your legs will hold you; force yourself and surprise yourself-- pull yourself back to the present. Read the scandal mags; notice somebody's bad haircut, and, most important, take some deep belly breaths. Don't fight the pain or weakness; take a deep breath and accept it. Be proactive and be one of those people who insist on chatting with another person while in line. So what they don't want to listen... ...you're not chatting them up for them.
If you believe that it is the past or current stressors that are doing this, focus on them and how to resolve them. You have been conditioned and sensitized to expect wobbly legs and a racing heart when standing.
The muscle pain, burning and "brain fog" is all anxiety. You are so stressed that you are in a state of perpetual panic.
I don't know what your symptoms were before --oh, back pain-- but if you recognize that they have changed that is probably the good news.
It takes some time to reduce the body scanning and do things naturally. I still have actions that I scan and others now that I do naturally. If you can exercise without this happening, do it every day or as often as possible. It can help with your confidence that you are okay. This is what I do with jogging and bike riding. How come I can do those and not have the body come crashing down or be constantly scanning? The reason is that my conscious brain is occupied with the movement of jogging and riding the bike and leaves little time to focus on whether I'm going to go wobbly and fall over.
Try meditation or prayer or both. It helps to relax the unconscious. Really try it. Twice per day if you have to.
Read the "balto" posts, too. Puts things in perspective.
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
| amygreen |
Posted - 07/25/2011 : 04:55:20
I have the same problem with leg weakness; in fact all of the same symptoms except the vomiting. I can manage around the house, because I can sit down a lot, and can occasionally go for walks outside and go even a mile sometimes, but I cannot stand still for any appreciable length of time, especially in public places since I seem to react to electrical grids. Like you, my ability to stand in line is limited to a few minutes (literally) -- beyond that, my legs start to shake from weakness, and burn, and I can start to feel faint. I find it strange that it's easier for my legs to function if I keep them moving. My doctor says it's dysautonomia and if you research it, trouble standing is very common. Your other symptoms are all there too, including the racing heart! Dysautonomia is just the autonomic nervous system going on the fritz, and with what I've read, TMS can hit the autonomic nervous system and cause all kinds of havoc. So, I've just started Sarno's program -- nothing doctors have ever done has helped and I've been dealing with this for 5 years -- and my tests come back normal -- so I'm thinking it's just an unusual form of TMS.
So, you're not alone! I've only been doing the Sarno stuff for a little over a week and can't say I've noticed any real change yet, so I don't have an encouraging success story to tell you -- but at least you're not the only one here with weird symptoms! |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 07/24/2011 : 23:23:19
Look at the Holmes-Rahe list in the link below and identify what stressful life situations you have gone through or are going through. This will confirm you have TMS if you have already eliminated structural issues through medical testing.
Also repeat the 12 Daily Reminders in the link below.
DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
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"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
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