| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| soxfan3530 |
Posted - 10/16/2013 : 18:51:40
Hello everyone. Ive had a variety of symptoms for the past 2 years or so and I guess I always somewhat expected they were psychologically induced, but always had that doubt and fear it was something serious.
It started with a trip to Las Vegas where one too many Corona's with lime gave me a case of bad heartburn. I had never had it before and it only got worse the next couple days. When I got home, I thought I might be having a heart attack. I now realize that was my first panic attack. I went to the ER where they assured me everything was fine.
I was ok for the next couple of months, but had occasional chest stuff. It wasn't typical heartburn but I was convince I had GERD and was scared to death since my father had esophageal cancer. I had scope. all good. Then i was worried about my heart. I had all the tests done. All good again.
Then my friend was diagnosed with lymphoma. Well sure enough I started having horrible armpit pains. After that was ruled out, I had horrible stomach pains that hurt so much it hurt to put a shirt on. I was convinced I had Chron's disease and sure enough my joints started hurting.
My skin broke out as well, but a battery of tests ruled all those things out. Now my latest fear: Fibromyalgia. The thought of having it terrifies me because everything i read: how its permanent, debilitating, etc.
I constantly google, my symptoms. My pain move around, but seem constant. My stomach hurts to the touch, I have burning skin on my arms, my neck is stiff and my fingers ache. I have had jaw pain, tender rib pain and ibs symptoms as well. I worry I can't exercise like other people, and about what i eat and about how I look and how my problems will my affect my future.
My girlfriend is also going through a very hard time with her sister battling a brain tumor, so i don't want to burden her with my problems too.
The weird thing is my mother had a similar issues years ago and when she was told she was fine by doctors, her symptoms disappeared.
I never worried about stuff like this before, but for the past 2 years its all I can think about most days. It almost seems like my brain has learned these pains and now they are like a habit. Like it knows the hurt my stomach when I put a shirt on.
I guess I'm basically looking for some assurance and support. Sorry for rambling, but hopefully some of you can relate to this.
Thank again.
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| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| andy64tms |
Posted - 10/17/2013 : 11:49:11
Hi Sox fan,
Welcome to the TMS forum. It certainly appears you have medical issues and concerns; part of TMS theory is that you realize these concerns are invalid and benign as Dr Sarno would state.
In your opening paragraph you state that you suspect these symptoms to be psychologically induced. Understanding this is a great step in deciding whether a pain is real or not.
A difficult aspect of TMS is determining if the pain is real. Most people like you fear illness. We have a need for knowledge and turn to the internet and the medical profession for advice. Sometimes in our attempt to gain re-assurance we do the opposite, giving our TMS personality additional fuel to burn. I believe this worry fear and anxiety is the fuel of TMS.
Going over your symptoms in list form you have had a lot of issues for a two year period:
Heartburn
Heart attack worries
Panic attack
GERD and esophageal cancer concerns
Lymphoma worries and subsequent armpit pain
Stomache ache
Chron’s disease (my wife had this concern once)
Joints hurting
Fibromyalgia
Burning skin
Stiff neck
Finger ache
Jaw pain
Tender rib
IBS
All of these are the type of pains that Dr Sarno has written about. Only you can decide and believe in your heart of hearts – deep down in your subconscious that the pain is real but the reasons for them are psychological.
If you read SteveO's book “The Great Pain Deception”, as Tom suggests you will read about “Meme Theory” and how these illnesses are attracted to you.
I agree with Tom best thing you can do is read books. Start with Dr. Sarno then follow this with SteveO’s. If you have to use the Internet or Medical profession I would be all of the following:
Questioning / Cynical / Discerning / Disbelieving (until proved otherwise)
/ Argumentative and Critical. Eventually you will have no need to seek information.
Your girlfriend is dealing with a real illness with her sister’s cancer. I am doing the same, and know what she is going through. Give her by best wishes and love.
Welcome to the forum
Andy
Past TMS Experience in 2000, with success.
Charlie Horse on neck for 20 years, is almost gone.
Books:
Healing Back Pain
Unlearn your Pain
The Great Pain Deception |
| GTfan |
Posted - 10/17/2013 : 10:28:13
quote:
Originally posted by tennis tom
Hi Soxfan, I see you've been languishing here for several days with no one answering you--maybe they're all Yanks fan. Dr. Sarno practiced at NYU Rusk. But he wasn't too popular there either with his peers--maybe he was a Sox fan too. He rocked the med/industrial complex boat--popular acceptance of his TMS theory by the "suufferers" would make it tougher for the white-coats to purchase the latest Jag or vacation home in the Hamptons.
There's another TMS Forum at the Wiki, you may want to post there too. This board doesn't get much action, most who come here--and get it-- move on. Hopefully that will be your experience here too.
Best thing you can do is read the books--or any one book--bottom line they all say the same TMS theory. I'm in the middle of "THE GREAT PAIN DECEPTION" by Steven Ray Ozanich. It's a veritable textbook tome on TMS. Every page has TMS gold nuggets of TMS wisdom, he's distilled all the books and talked with the authors. You can email him and he will talk with you personally. It would be good if you can get an accurate dx from a TMS doc, it would be worth travelling for or mailing your imaging to one. There's links to TMS practitioners in my sig below.
G'luck!
tt
==================================================
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
==================================================
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto
"The hot-dog is the noblest of dogs; it feeds the hand that bites it." Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter
"...the human emotional system was not designed to endure the mental rigors of a tennis match." Dr. Allen Fox
======================================================
"If it ends with "itis" or "algia" or "syndrome" and doctors can't figure out what causes it, then it might be TMS." Dave the Mod =================================================
TMS PRACTITIONERS:
John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035
Dr. Sarno is now retired, if you call this number you will be referred to his associate Dr. Rashbaum.
"...there are so many things little and big that are tms, I wouldn't have time to write about all of them": Told to icelikeaninja by Dr. Sarno
Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm
Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist
I'm almost done with Steve O's book. It has been an outstanding read which really takes Sarno's basics and runs with them.
@soxfan, I would recommend reading one of Sarno's books first to gain a generally understanding of TMS. Then I would read "The Great Pain Deception" by Steve O, it really will take your understanding to a whole other level.
I also experienced GERD, but I had the "something stuck in my throat feeling". I worried about it all day every day for months, with antacids doing no good. It eventually turned to a sharp pain in the back of my throat/chest area. I had an endoscopy which showed slight acid damage, but nothing that bad. I then decided that I had TMJ, and the pain really moved around and starting hurting in my throat as well as my right jaw. It didn't matter what kind of label I put on it, though. They were all just symptoms of TMS moving around in the same area.
I understand the fear you have of symptoms. Being a TMS believer, I sometimes read about symptoms and think, "Wow, that would be terrible if my mind were to put some of those symptoms on me". However, since I know how the process works, my mind doesn't try to put new symptoms on me that I know are only TMS. I think the fear itself becomes a manifestation of TMS. All the time you spend worrying about TMS symptoms that you don't have becomes the distraction. |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 10/17/2013 : 10:01:37
Hi Soxfan, I see you've been languishing here for several days with no one answering you--maybe they're all Yanks fan. Dr. Sarno practiced at NYU Rusk. But he wasn't too popular there either with his peers--maybe he was a Sox fan too. He rocked the med/industrial complex boat--popular acceptance of his TMS theory by the "suufferers" would make it tougher for the white-coats to purchase the latest Jag or vacation home in the Hamptons.
There's another TMS Forum at the Wiki, you may want to post there too. This board doesn't get much action, most who come here--and get it-- move on. Hopefully that will be your experience here too.
Best thing you can do is read the books--or any one book--bottom line they all say the same TMS theory. I'm in the middle of "THE GREAT PAIN DECEPTION" by Steven Ray Ozanich. It's a veritable textbook tome on TMS. Every page has TMS gold nuggets of TMS wisdom, he's distilled all the books and talked with the authors. You can email him and he will talk with you personally. It would be good if you can get an accurate dx from a TMS doc, it would be worth travelling for or mailing your imaging to one. There's links to TMS practitioners in my sig below.
G'luck!
tt
==================================================
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
==================================================
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto
"The hot-dog is the noblest of dogs; it feeds the hand that bites it." Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter
"...the human emotional system was not designed to endure the mental rigors of a tennis match." Dr. Allen Fox
======================================================
"If it ends with "itis" or "algia" or "syndrome" and doctors can't figure out what causes it, then it might be TMS." Dave the Mod =================================================
TMS PRACTITIONERS:
John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035
Dr. Sarno is now retired, if you call this number you will be referred to his associate Dr. Rashbaum.
"...there are so many things little and big that are tms, I wouldn't have time to write about all of them": Told to icelikeaninja by Dr. Sarno
Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm
Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist
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