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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
 Posted - 06/19/2006 : 08:26:44
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| I was thinking about how this bout i am dealing with happened just from bending over to pick up an ice pack that fell off my knee...It makes sense that something that benign which caused only an initial twinge of pain Is TMS..However, my neck never FULLY recovering from what happened 1 1/2 yrs ago when the chiro did a high speed adjustment..There was a chronic tightness in the upper right occipital area and I couldn't look up normally..Range of motion only half of normal..I was working out in the gym and gradually working on regaining full range of motion,but it never came back fully..and..my neck felt weak and vulnerable..YET i was able to do most normal things like bending over, lifting groceries and working out with the machines on low weights...So i was wondering if it all did start as TMS and then just from babying my neck for so long, did my muscles weaken? ANd the hardest part of getting this "physical" diagnosis out of my head is when i think about that spot in the upper right part of my neck that never fully went away..I just lived with it..It seems now after the 2 Nucca adjustments i had a couple weeks ago that it is looser in there, but i still cannot look up at all and am frightened to try..Every time i do, things just tighten up even more in the back of my skull and then the pain in other areas(fingers, hands, arms) acts up...It's best in the morning which also makes me wonder for a second, is it cuz the weight of my head has been off my neck all night long..or is it just conditioning? AHHHHHHHHHHHHH...i do feel some improvement, thank God.but i want to HEAL COMPLETELY..And,btw..i forced myself to go to dinner for my bday last night..I rarely drink but had one glass of wine and lo and behold the muscles did relax a bit in my neck... |
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ndb
209 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2006 : 12:36:20
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karen, about the red wine...when my neck was at its worst, it was just like yours, and i noticed when i would sit down to eat...especially if it was a good meal at home, with my boyfriend, my neck would be almost totally relaxed! i think its more when we are in a good mental state that the mind does something which makes the oxygen deprivation temporarily subside.
ndb |
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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2006 : 14:00:29
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| That makes sense NDB, and I am so glad I found someone on here who had neck issues like me...Most people with TMS have back issues...I realize it is all the same, however, i was hoping to talk to someone who could relate to the arm, finger pain, tingling, twitching, etc...I remember that post about when your boyfriend went out of town and it helped me sooooo much..My roomie is out of town and since my TMS is very flared up right now, I had to ask a friend to stay just to help me with very basic things like turning on my shower and pouring juice from a larger container..I am feeling some healing going on and i just don't want to get set back...Question: was looking up almost impossible for you? It seems that my range of motion is worse in that direction...As for having dinner with your boyfriend being calming..i so relate...When my ex fiance from Canada was here in Oct. i never used an ice pack, my neck and my knee were FINE...also when i was in NJ for 9 weeks a few years back i had the same experience...I don't like living here, and yes i do miss my ex...Yesterday we spoke for my bday and it kicked up some old feelings..but i am working hard to continue to move forward with my healing...Sounds like you are doing much better now..That is so encouraging...I wish i had some friends here in Vegas who understood about TMS..it would be nice to form a group in person too... |
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ndb
209 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2006 : 14:58:42
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Hey Karen
I can sense from your posts that you are doing better and more confident. Its good you managed to find a friend to help out especially if you think there is healing going on (yay!), and it makes you feel better.
Yes, at one point, looking up was really painful. The memories have faded a lot now, but I think most painful was looking down...like when you brush your teeth, or eat, you have to sort of hold your head up to prevent it from falling down. When I would sit at the table, I would have to support my arms on a cushion just so, so that I could hold my chin in my hands. the downward direction was really tiring and painful for me. The muscles all the way from the base of the neck to the point where muscles attach to the skull at the back used to be very tight. i definitely couldn't look from side to side either. It is probably a little different for everyone. I can completely relate to how frustrating it feels not to be able to move it freely.
Try not to remember the things that cause your neck to be worse, e.g. lifting juice containers, just do the action without thinking about what'll happen to your neck. hopefully, you'll soon decondition yourself. don't get frightened if you feel a bt of tightness or feel a twinge.
By the way, you have to promise to think once about your emotions every time you analyze in detail which angles your neck feel most painful at 
In my fingers I mostly had a numb, heavy sort of feeling, especially in the finger next to the pinky. from time to time, there would be a sharp shooting feeling in the elbow (i think the nerves go through there) which would travel down to my fingers. oh i forgot one really frustrating thing...i JUST couldn't sleep on my side, because my shoulders would hurt a lot, and my arms and fingers would become totally numb. so i would sleep on my back all the time (i must have bought 5 kinds of pillows, trying to find one that was comfortable, finally, the only thing that felt ok was towels), and would have to wake up every couple of hours because my back was so stiff from lying straight!
Karen, you have to believe me...the pain is so gone, that I cannot even feel what it felt like then. I can remember the details now if I think hard, but not as a feeling, only a thought that it was once like this. Its good you realize that the exact symptoms aren't what matters, but I know that it helps to talk to someone who has similar symptoms. Whenever I get a new symptom now, I always search through the old posts to read about how people got over the exact same thing, and I definitely feel the need to do that.
Sometimes I wish my friends/parents would be more interested in the tms stuff (though my boyfriend is totally supportive and believes in tms), but I am really happy to have found the message board.
take care,
ndb
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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2006 : 15:18:19
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OMG NDB you are so kind to take the time to write me such a great letter..Thank you so much...I understand about the sleeping on one's back only, had to do that for weeks...Now i can for short periods sleep on just my left side...When i do, however, my right hand tends to get temporarily numb and tingly..I am soooo happy for you that you have gotten past all of this, that is wonderful! I just wish i could snap my fingers and be there too...The neurological stuff like my head moving on it's own when i was laying resting really freaked me out..Thank God that has stopped since i got over that Nucca chiropractic adjustment...Wow, i have so much to say to you...maybe i will write the rest to your email address...
big hugs,
Karen |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2006 : 15:53:13
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Singer, you are asking and then answering all of your own questions. For the most part your answers seem correct.
However you are clearly still very firmly planted in the physical realm, obsessing over the symptoms, fearing injury. This is what TMS is about, more so than the actual pain. It grabs hold of you and doesn't let go, if not with pain itself, then with the fear of injury, the obsession with structual diagnoses.
You are posting many messages here asking questions, but they are all answered in Dr. Sarno's books. I strongly suggest you read and re-read the book and spend your time absorbing those concepts.
Step 1 is to repudiate the structural diagnosis. It doesn't seem like you are quite there yet. You need to stop thinking physical and start thinking psychological. Put chiropractic adjustments out of your mind. Take words like "occipital" out of your vocabulary. Stop focusing on your bones and muscles. Until you can do that, I'm afraid you cannot expect much relief. |
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Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2006 : 15:55:55
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| thanx Dave...I know you are right... |
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chronic TMS, question?
