| Author |
 Topic  |
|
carbar
USA
227 Posts |
 Posted - 08/16/2006 : 09:05:34
|
quote:
Originally posted by kether
I only just discovered Sarno's work in May 2006 by reading the mindbody prescription. just stumbled across it at the library, after reading so many books & research online. it has changed my life & mind completely. how I wish I had found it earlier. I look at what I've just written and cannot believe it's only been 3-4 months since I learned about TMS. amazing! exciting to think where I could be a year from now! I used to wonder how I was going to live the next 40-50 yrs that way. now I know I don't have to  thank god!
Yes, right on freedom from fear! How were we going to live that way? I mean chances are we weren't. Because burdened with all our symptoms, were we really living anyway? It is so exciting! Your post really makes me want to cry in happiness because I can feel your excitement and freedom *from* turning into the excitement of freedom *to*.
Looking into the future 40-50 years seemed like looking at a prison sentence to me. If I couldn't use my arms to type, how could I get anywhere in a profession? If I couldn't get started in a profession, how was I going to have the vague things I wanted like a family, a house, satisfaction? If I couldn't play an instrument or write or make art for long stretches, how could I relieve my stress? If I couldn't play tennis or do yoga, how could I relax? The cycle of this is just ridiculous! So, perhaps it is a little ridiculous to "just read a book" to feel better, but look at what we were putting ourselvs through before that. Equally ridiculous!
|
 |
|
|
Bonnie
Canada
33 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2006 : 10:11:19
|
Good thread, It's really impressive to see how many things people have overcome.
I've had lower back pain.
upper back and neck spasms
hip pain
anxiety
heart palpitations
panic attacks
migraine and muscle spasm headaches
plantar fascitis
ringing in my ears
dry eyes
nerve pain in my teeth and jaw
numbness and tingling in my arms and hands etc.
There are other things but my mind just went blank so I'll end it here.
Almost everything is gone except the upper back spasms at time and the occasional headache when I don't pay attention to what I'm feeling.
Bonnie
|
|
|
|
Stryder
686 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2006 : 18:48:35
|
| Too many to list. As TT would say, "In The Womb". -Stryder |
|
|
|
Suz
559 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2006 : 10:26:22
|
Wow - what an amazing thread. It really helps to see how many of us have the same kind of equivalents in addition to our back/neck pain
My list is as follows:
Sinus problems (8 to 12 years old)
Total loss of voice for 3 months (at 17 years old)
Food allergies/Wheat/dairy/sugar (from 21 to present age - 36)
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (23 to 25 years old)
IBS (constipation mainly) (21 to 35)
Depression/anxiety (26 to 30)
Sciatica/Back pain (25 to 35)
Mild Acne (22 to present)- reaction to foods (nocebo)
Hives occasionally on face (24 to present)
Rosacea (31 to 35)
Insomnia (occasional present)
What a list! Ok - the only thing i have left now is
Food allergies
mild acne (linked with above)
occasional hives on face (linked to above)
Insomnia - occasionally
I have NO BACK PAIN, NO DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS, NO ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION. YEAH!!! This is mainly all because of Dr. Sarno. I am currently using his approach to get rid of the food intolerances. This week I am eating wheat - every day and ignoring symptoms. It's quite fun really!
I feel so so free after so many years of misery. It took me a year and a half of doing Sarno's work. I also saw one of his psychologists for 4 months
All pain, anxiety
What a list!
|
|
|
|
sonora sky
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2006 : 09:18:08
|
Wow, this has become an amazing thread! Headaches/migraines, heart palpitations, and general anxiety seem especially common among TMSers.
I hadn't thought to break down my skin issues (earlier in this thread), but I think it would be helpful. They include(d): tinnea versicolor (deemed a misdiagnosis by my 2nd dermatologist), eczema (maybe...); pruritis (itchy skin); itchy scalp which led to serious flaking (got prescription shampoo which I refused to use--side effects said "may cause pustules." ~Eek!~ Pustules or flakes? Not a tough decision.); mild adult acne; rosacea (this developed right before my wedding--where's the emoticon for rolling your eyes??).
I'm skeptical about the rosacea being TMS, despite its timing, because it seems to occur (for me) during periods of extremely hot weather. Like now, for example, when temps are consistently over 100--get me out of this Texas (insert your favorite expletives here)!! I suppose the TMS could just be using the heat as a convenient "trigger." Arizona heat (10 yrs ago) never seemed to bother me. . .
SS |
|
|
|
Suz
559 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2006 : 09:26:16
|
Sonora,
Rosacea - big fat TMS. I got it during a very very stressful time. I can go in the Sun now and I get nothing. It is just another distraction - skin stuff is a great distraction for a woman as we are pressured to look good all the time. i am quite vain and hate breaking out. My brain knows that and uses it |
|
|
|
HilaryN
United Kingdom
879 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2009 : 10:11:34
|
I always meant to post on this thread but never got around to making the list. So rather than waiting until I get around to it, I'll list the ones I can think of now, then add to it as I think of others.
RSI
Visual migraines
Eczema (apparently caused by certain foods)
Toothache (for which the dentist can find no cause - it still crops up every now and again)
Urinary infection / cystitis (there was a "real" infection, but the symptoms didn't go away with antibiotics - I had to "TMS" them away)
Headaches linked to menstrual cycle
Occasional lower backache
Ankle pain after tripping up
Foot pain after stumbling
Foot pain apparently caused by certain shoes
btw I've also posted a link to this on the Success Stories forum
Hilary N |
Edited by - HilaryN on 04/14/2009 10:16:53 |
|
|
|
cfhunter
119 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2009 : 19:55:18
|
wow...unreal.
Here's mine (you can almost hear me sigh with relief at the similar posts!):
-Foot pain (of all kinds but mostly PF)
-neuroma (amazingly had two docs try to cut my foot open but continued running for 3 years on it)
-low back pain
-tail bone pain (to the point of getting epidural!)
-carpal tunnel (never had surgery amazing I survived-HA!)
-chest pain and heart palpatations (resulting in cardiac evalution where everyone laughed at me duye to my resting heartrate of 49 nad my blood pressure of 90/63.
-ringing ears
-hip pain
-tennis elbow
-golfers elbow
-knee pain of all kinds
-tmj
-dental pain
-nerve pain in ankles and feet
I am looking back at how stupid this sounds.
I am one of the healthiest people everyone says they know and here I have all this **** going on? Stupid stupid stupid...
This kind of realization HELPS me to see how crazy this all is!
Thanks for starting this post.
|
|
|
|
TotalStrangerFigure
USA
24 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2009 : 14:27:29
|
I love this idea because you can spot symptoms in others that perhaps you never thought of as TMS, or maybe suspected but weren't sure.
I've had lots of pain and anxiety symptoms already mentioned, so I'll add one that I haven't seen.
Eardrum palpitations. At first I thought they were heart palpitations that I could feel in my ear when my head was resting on my pillow at night, but then they starting fluttering wildly, clearly out of sync with my heartbeat. It actually felt like there was something pounding on the inside of my eardrum trying to get out! |
|
|
|
Chrysalis
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2009 : 16:45:08
|
| This is a great thread; it's very inspirational to newcomers like me. |
|
|
|
cfhunter
119 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2009 : 19:32:24
|
I forgot to mention one of my favorites...every time I took a hot shower or bath my feet would burn like the fires of hell.
I mean BURN.
Baths were the one thing I was able to enjoy when my whole body was going haywire a few years ago..it was like my brain said "Oh..you like baths huh? We'll fix that for you!"
It sucked and miraculously disappeared on day.
|
|
|
|
Northerner
62 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2009 : 21:39:15
|
10 days ago I came down with a chest cold. In the past, my chest colds have tended to hang, and usually last 3-4 weeks, with the last two weeks being mild symptoms that stop me if I go out in the cold or something.
On the fourth day of this chest cold, I thought that this might be TMS, or that TMS has been making my chest colds last longer. I wrote a little about it in my journal, took a nap becasue my cold had been making me very sleepy, and woke up feeling refreshed an hour later. The chest cold was pretty much gone, to the point where I was able to play basketball that night. And it stayed away. This may have been a coincidence - a different germ this time - but four days is short for a cold in any book you read.
I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.
- Mark Twain |
|
|
|
Logan
USA
203 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2009 : 08:28:13
|
In chrono order starting from when I was about 4
severe "growing pains" in legs
severe seasonal allergies
knee pain - "femoral patellar whatever"
hives
fluid and heartbeat pounding in right ear
THEN TMS HIT! Was on a 4 year long "whiplash" - "fibromyalgia" continuum before I found Sarno and got pain free
After ditching TMS pain:
hives have come back during high stress times
allergies are back but not severe
now have occasional visual migraines when I feel like I "should" do something but really, really, really don't want to - however, I can make them go away by acknowledging that
currently have some fluid in my right ear probably due to being really furious with/hurt by a couple of people in my life - time to hit the punching bag and have a good cry
I kind of think of these post healing equivalents as canaries in my emotional coal mine; they let me know when I'm letting stuff slide and not feeling.
Sarno's books + journaling + Facing the Fire by John Lee + punching bag = pain free |
|
|
|
Chrysalis
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2009 : 12:08:32
|
quote:
Originally posted by cfhunter
I forgot to mention one of my favorites...every time I took a hot shower or bath my feet would burn like the fires of hell.
I mean BURN.
Baths were the one thing I was able to enjoy when my whole body was going haywire a few years ago..it was like my brain said "Oh..you like baths huh? We'll fix that for you!"
It sucked and miraculously disappeared on day.
How weird! I've had that too a few times and couldn't imagine what was causing it. |
|
|
|
nikita007
Spain
16 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2009 : 16:26:06
|
wow!!!!!!!!!!
I am soon coming with a list,
but it was a revelation to see this word :
rectal sphincter spasm
I did not even know that this existed outside myself!
This is EXACTLY what I had summer 2006 and I could not even describe it to any doctor so they understood me!
They just wanted to do a colondoscopi(?), and I said no way!
I was convinced I would die of cancer right away (YES I am hypocondric), but luckily I found a greta lady who treated my elevated anxiety with Flowers of Bach. In a few days when I calmed down it went away and has never returned.
BUT I had forgotten all about it until I saw this... another great confirmation that I have suffered from TMS since I was 7 (growing pains)
and that summer I was so anxious about so many things, I see that now, and I was so angry at two good girlfriends and we lived some very nasty episodes that we really to this day not have healed well...
THANK you so much Carolyn!
quote:
Originally posted by Carolyn
Diagnosed with all of these at one point in time - am now 95% symptom free!!! And- I agree that the key for me was getting a little Zen- just accept what is and stop fighting it. Become the observer.
Pelvic Pain - this was my big one
Interstitial Cystitis
rectal sphincter spasm
pelvic floor dysfunction
chronic hip pain
sacroilliac joint dysfunction
low back pain
heart palpitations
mitral valve prolapse
anxiety
knee pain - chondromalacia patella
headaches
upper back muscle spasm
wrist pain
allergies
I endured so many doctors visits, so many co-pays, so many different drugs, countless hours of physical therapy and 7! surgeries and what helped? Reading the book and opening my mind to the possibility that it was not a physical problem- my body was not mysteriously falling apart, my mind just didn't know how to cope with all the stress in my life.
Carolyn
|
|
|
|
tractorgirll
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2009 : 20:45:01
|
Wow. This is definitely encouraging to me. It's especially interesting for me to look back and remember how scared, confused and discouraged I was by each of these symptoms, and now I see them for what they really are--harmless TMS. It's all about perspective and, as Sarno and Marc Sopher say, "accurate thinking."
Like many of you, I have experienced (in chronological order):
Growing pains
persistent severe keritosis pilaris
severe back & chest acne
tension headaches
anxiety/panic episodes
severe post-nasal drip (regardless of time of year, care for dust, air filters, mattress covers, despite every allergy medication on the market, 2 years of allergy shots, moving to a different part of the country--even Prednisone--and allergy tests that were inconclusive and didn't show much reaction.)
GERD (regardless of what I ate. bread and water would give me heartburn)
arm pain (of course I thought it was a RSI from my computer work, but it went away pretty much overnight after a very painful 6 weeks during which it was unresponsive to major drugs like Vioxx)
heart palpitations and "skipped beats"
IBS
ocular migraines
persistent low-grade yeast infections only temporarily cured by medication, despite all necessary precautions and good hygine
a feeling of a lump in my throat that I couldn't swallow down
irregular periods despite meticulous taking of oral contraceptives (I've been on them for years with no problems, then all of a sudden, despite taking them at the same time each day religiously, I start getting my period up to 10 days early).
sciatica
hives
All this is even more ironic, when you consider (like CFHunter said in their post above), how healthy of a person I really am. None of my visits to eye doctors, neurologists, gastroenterologists, etc. ever revealed anything other than normal findings. I just had a physical a few weeks ago and it revealed excellent health, low blood pressure, low cholesterol, a perfect EKG etc. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. I'm going to check back with this post off and on and re-read it when I need to be reminded that all of these symptoms are really just different faces of the same thing. Don't be fooled!! And don't be afraid.
|
|
|
|
tractorgirll
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2009 : 21:02:29
|
Whoops--sorry. I forgot one (probably more than that, actually).
A few times, after sun exposure while on vacation in Florida, I've developed this really uncomfortable rash, despite wearing sunscreen. It definitely wasn't sunburn. It was raised, red, bumpy and hot to the touch. It itched, but itching it hurt, like scratching very sensitive sunburn. After a few days out of the sun, it went away (usually when I left for home and vacation was over). When I sat in the sun, even if it was covered, it burned--no fun. I took pictures, as I never had it when I was home and could show the dermatologist. He was really stumped and had an ANA blood test done to rule out lupus or anything like that. The tests came back normal, so he figured it was just a sun-related allergy. That was so strange because in my whole life, nothing like that had ever happened before despite plenty of sun exposure. Since then, I have taken trips to Mexico (even more intense sun than Florida) and baked (I know, I know, not good for you) in the sun at home in the upper midwest summers and nothing happened other than a tan (and the occasional sunburn). I had a mild recurrence of this rash this year while on vacation, though now that I know about TMS, I am suspecting this to be the case here and it wasn't nearly as bad. Dr. Marc Sopher told me it sounded like "polymorphous light eruption" and agreed that it might well be TMS, as no one really understand why people develop this reaction and it is harmless, though annoying. Also, my intermittent symptoms seem odd. Has anyone else experienced this? |
|
|
|
miche
Canada
283 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2009 : 13:14:09
|
Tractorgirl,
You could be allergic to any of the active ingredients, fragrances and preservatives in sunscreen, paba has been removed for the most part because of it's allergic properties but a number of paba chemicals are still in use today including padimate A and O. Many sunscreens are falsely labeled “hypo-allergenic” since they do not contain PABA, but can still cause contact dermatitis from other active ingredients. I cannot wear foundations with sunscreen less I break out in a rash |
|
|
|
tractorgirll
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2009 : 19:50:53
|
| Thanks for the idea. Who knows!? And, I'm inclined to say, who cares, as I no longer think it's something serious. It might be an allergic reaction like that if it didn't seem to come and go with no rhyme or reason. I have used sunscreen for years between episodes with no reaction whatsoever. Thanks for the thoughts though. They're always appreciated. |
|
|
|
playsinpain
28 Posts |
Posted - 04/23/2009 : 12:12:53
|
| Has anyone been diagnosed w/ atrial fibrillation and dealt w/ it as a TMS Symptom. I believe this is the last possible thing my mind can use to distract me....I was ignoring it pretty well until my routine Cardiologist visit yesterday when the Med student who ran my EKG started to freak out that I had an "abnormal" rhythm. My Dr. came in and told me it was not a big deal, no worse than when I was originally diagnosed, but the damage was done; my anxiety level was way up. I totally believe this is TMS, but it's just hard to fully break the fear cycle. I see alot of palpatations and Mitral Valve Prolapse being cited; has anyone actually been diagnosed w/ A-Fib? |
Edited by - playsinpain on 04/23/2009 12:16:05 |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
List of TMS or equivalents people have overcome?
