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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
 Posted - 03/26/2008 : 15:37:18
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The longer my condition has continued the more I have come to think that it may be to do with me somatising emotional and stress related factors. I am no expert on TMS but what I do know seems to strike a chord. I would be grateful if you could take a couple of minutes to read my history and offer some comments.
This all started for me last July. Basically I had a health scare and a friend died of cancer as well....whilst all this was going on I also turned 40 and was going through a stressful period. The health scare turned out to be fine and I assumed that all would return to normal.
Think again!!.....about a week after the all clear I woke up one morning to a feeling of being spaced out and also not quite being with my body, I also had a few vague aches and pains mainly in my muscles and my hip. Went to the GP who advised me was anxiety and was a classic thing as a result of a health scare. Being a quite clued up person I bought books on anxiety and came to see that it was obvious I had been suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder for years and that I had been using many negative thought patterns to get through life....I also suffered from elements of OCD i.e constantly worrying about what ifs and thinking what may happen as if it had actually happened etc etc. My GP also though I could be suffering from some depression as I was/am unhappy with various aspects of my life and turning 40 brought these into focus.
After about a month to six weeks, the spaced out feeling subsided but this was replaced with various new weird sensations. I would have all over vague aches and pains, these mainly seemed around my joints and muscles and I would generally just feel fatigued...I would also get some patches of burning skin for short periods. I would also get some internal tremors and also a strange 'buzzing' sensation which mainly seemed to be in my legs but which could strike also anywhere...I also developed a twitch in my left eyelid which has persisted to this day. The main pain as such seemed to be in my hands...mainly thumbs and pinkies and also my lower arms.
It was at this point I did a silly thing and Googled my symptoms. Before too long I convinced myself I had MS. I went to see various GP's who did clinical tests etc and all advised me the tests where A1 and there was no need for an MRI etc as this was all classic anxiety stuff and MS was not a realistic concern. At this time I then found out about ALS and about a week later, you've guessed it, the twitching started.
Before too long I was in a right state and had full blown health anxiety...I was convinced that all these symptoms where proof I had MS or ALS. I went to see a neurologist who did all the tests and who advised me that no need for an MRI or EMG as he was certain that it was a combination of anxiety and somatisation and that I should address this.
I am now at the point where I am able to put most of these fears to bed. Whereas I was constantly checking and monitoring myself I am much better now but these sensations still annoy me and I wish that I could just eradicate them.
The main issues I seem to have now are the weird buzzing sensation and also the vague all over aches and pains which mainly seem to be worse in my hands...I also seem to get quite tender spots to crop up in muscles but these only seem to last a short while...I also tend to feel more fatigued than before all this started.
I do think my lifestyle is not really helping. I am a stressed and very very pesimistic person and have both relationship and financial issues going on through all this, I have a poor diet, I excercise little and also think I probably do not as much sleep as I should. As mentioned, I'm not in a really good place in my life as I feel I should have achieved more than I have and I do feel a failure
somewhat, I also only have a very small number of friends as many moved away after university.
So, I'm just wondering if this seems to fit a TMS profile. I suppose I am diagnosis chasing a bit...I no longer worry about ALS and MS does haunt me occasionaly but I have figured that when I look how all this started and where I am in life there are probably far more 'emotional' reasons as to why I should be experiencing these issues. Yep, I would go so far as to say that my mind is in pain and that it is screaming at me to do something about it and I suppose it is natural for these issues to be expressed as physical pain at some point.
Anyway, thanks if you got this far. At suggestions much appreciated. |
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bestcaddy
27 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2008 : 16:54:16
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| Id say having TMS manifest itself in many forms to embrace what your mind is doing. Something tells me your body is producing these symptoms to distract you. It sounds to me like you are looking for things to be wrong with you. I would start to just randomly journal and write down all the thoughts in your head that you may be trying to supress. The best book ive ever bought on TMS is by Fred Amir, 9 steps to rapid recovery from back and neck pain. Just remember that you need to not worry so much about your health, and start to journal before you go to bed. Stop looking for physical symptoms, I did it, and after years of PT and Chiropractors, I realized I could be doing this for the rest of my life and my pain would not get better. Don't worry mate things will improve, just disconcern yourself with the physical, your body is conjuring up all this ballyhoo to take your mind off the core issues, you don't have to solve them, just be aware of them!!! |
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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2008 : 17:20:41
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So, just to clarify.
Much like a traditional somatised thing it could be that my mind is aware that there are core issues that need to be addressed but that on a specific level it blocks these out and then manifests the physical sensations to distract me?
I know what you mean about the idea of wanting to find things wrong with me. Even though I feel I want to be 'normal' again I do think that subconciously feeling like this somehow dissolves me of all 'real world' issues if that makes any sense. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2008 : 17:42:59
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Yes, it sounds like TMS, and yes, you should probably also work on your lifestyle factors. The way you describe your life and lifestyle it sounds to me as if you know it is not very healthy or happy but you aren't using language that suggests you believe this is both your responsibility and your capability to change. Being "vaguely ill" contributes to your ability to avoid dealing with these things, because it provides a distraction that you have to address that seems more urgent than attending to and fixing the larger problems.
I think the 'knowledge cure' (understanding the connection between unconscious emotions and pain/symptoms and breaking it) is important, but I think in some cases people just need to take action to face what they know is going wrong in their lives, and this is what I'd recommend for you. Don't give in to the distraction; get on with your life and sorting out the issues you are aware of. As part of that, you'll probably have to acknowledge that there may be a lot of fear, grief, and even anger around these issues (losing a friend to cancer would be a potentially huge grief trigger), which is where the knowledge cure comes in, understanding that having these difficult emotions and having them try to come out as pain instead of as emotion is normal and common and is also avoidable provided you're willing to acknowledge them straight out.
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It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2008 : 18:20:22
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Funny because I was going to mention what you have refered to as the knowledge cure.
I'm sure that many people would point blank refuse to accept the 'new age mumbo jumbo' of the mind producing pain in the body but even though I'm more than willing to accept this it is like the knowledge is not quite enough. What I mean by this is that even though I'm aware that there are issues that are troubling me I seem to lack the necessary gumption to go address them and put them right. I do agree that 'mantle of illness' I currently have does a very nice job of allowing me to put off the hard work until that day that I'm well again.
Don't get me wrong, these sensations are very real and I do often cannot but help feel that there is an organic illness at the root of all this but interestingly when I think about it logically it just seems to make sense that my mind is playing games with me and I'm allowing it to call the shots....every new sensation and it gets the desired results. It is obvious to me that my thought patterns have not served me well in life yet I still repeat them over and over...the same thing with this health anxiety really, I know focusing and catastrophising these sensations leads only to more anxiety and stress but I just stay stuck in the same uselss and damaging thought loop.
It is interesting that you say that it sounds as if I don't want to take responsibilty for my issues....this may well be true but I obviously cannot pick up on this, there are a lot of things from my childhood revolving around being mollycoddled which I'm sure has made me see the world as a dangerous place and one in which I'm a helpless 'pawn in the game' rather than a person in control of my own destiny.
The issue of the friend dieing of cancer was not a huge trigger as this was a guy I had grown up with but lost contact....the main thing with this was that I had not really thought of my own mortality but this brought it into view, this coupled with the health scare just focused all my anxieties on my health I think.
As mentioned, I have been operating at a high stress level for years and I think this period (about a week of madness) just finally pushed my stress threshold over the edge. I can't help but feel that i'm suffering a double whammy of a fried central nervous system, anxiety and TMS issues....a heady cocktail of fun as I'm sure you will agree.
Anyway, thanks for the input and the time you have taken to reply. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2008 : 20:35:27
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I hope I didn't offend too much with the responsibility thing. I don't really mean you are shirking or something like that, but just that your language has an overtone of "well, this is the way it is/I am" that doesn't necessarily lend itself to making changes. On the other hand it's important to see what currently is, and I may have been a bit presumptuous to think it's more than that. So, apologies if so.
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It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2008 : 03:35:35
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quote:
Originally posted by armchairlinguist
I hope I didn't offend too much with the responsibility thing. I don't really mean you are shirking or something like that, but just that your language has an overtone of "well, this is the way it is/I am" that doesn't necessarily lend itself to making changes. On the other hand it's important to see what currently is, and I may have been a bit presumptuous to think it's more than that. So, apologies if so.
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It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment.
No offence taken....like I say, other people's perspectives on the language you use etc etc can often be very insightful as we do not always pick this up ourselves.
Yeah, I do think I see what is but I just feel somwhat overwhelmed and powerless against it all....I imagine that is the negative and self defeating part of me coming to the fore again.
I am interested in how these sensations and pains can be classed as TMS...is there a guideline for diagnosis? It appears to me that in order to recover from TMS pain you need to fully accept the mind/body link and I think this can be very hard...especially in a Western dualist culture.
So, the sensations I seem to be having that is the muscle and joint aches, the pins and needles and the buzzing and twitching can be explained with a TMS thesis?? I do apologise for labouring this but I just feel that acceptance is crucial here. |
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mizlorinj
USA
490 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2008 : 07:26:13
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Pan, if you haven't done so, I suggest reading Dr. Sarno's books. All of your symptoms can be TMS. I had agonzing pain, numbness and pins n needles. Docs tried to blame herniated disc. I followed Dr. Sarno's program, immersed myself in it, realizing it was my ticket to getting my life back!
Perhaps start writing out your feelings about the situations you mentioned? You CAN change your thought patterns. Check out Louise Hay's I CAN DO IT book/cd. I listened to it just this morning--the importance of making the CHOICE to change our thinking.
I did not find searching my symptoms on the internet valuable. Once I learned herniated disc was a possibility, I checked out websites and all it did was scare me with possibilities. I won't do that again!
Best wishes for healing,
Lori |
Edited by - mizlorinj on 03/27/2008 07:27:45 |
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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2008 : 07:36:16
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quote:
Originally posted by mizlorinj
Pan, if you haven't done so, I suggest reading Dr. Sarno's books. All of your symptoms can be TMS. I had agonzing pain, numbness and pins n needles. Docs tried to blame herniated disc. I followed Dr. Sarno's program, immersed myself in it, realizing it was my ticket to getting my life back!
Perhaps start writing out your feelings about the situations you mentioned? You CAN change your thought patterns. Check out Louise Hay's I CAN DO IT book/cd. I listened to it just this morning--the importance of making the CHOICE to change our thinking.
I did not find searching my symptoms on the internet valuable. Once I learned herniated disc was a possibility, I checked out websites and all it did was scare me with possibilities. I won't do that again!
Best wishes for healing,
Lori
Will check the Hay book out.
Agreed on the symptom surfing madness....it was doing this that led me to the MS and also the ALS terror. Funny thing is as I researched more I then convinced myself I had the symptoms. The twitching actually started when I found out what ALS was....go figure!! |
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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2008 : 12:13:33
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| Sorry, one other thing that I wanted to ask. My GP's (about 10 of them) and my neuro have all reassured me that the buzzing, twitching and other sensory stuff is anxiety related rather than a neuro nasty. With that in mind, is it quite common for TMS to present in this manner as most of the things I've read seem to mention things like backaches etc...whilst I do get these muscular and joint aches etc I suppose it is the sensory stuff that concerns me most. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2008 : 13:56:13
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Common, probably not, known, absolutely yes, even on this board there are several who have had these odd symptoms.
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It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
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Hillbilly
USA
385 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2008 : 16:09:24
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Pan,
You are experiencing an acute anxiety condition. You can solve it rather quickly with determination and discipline, but this is one of the areas that bothers me terribly about Sarno and Sarno-ites. If you are experiencing a distraction syndrome, why do you need 134 distractions instead of just one? Your history is so familiar to me that I can't describe it. If you think you can get better through Sarno's method, great.
If not, there are highly specialized treatments that are highly successful utilizing self-help or short-term thought and belief structured cognitive therapy. If you have lots of anger stored, I have heard some people beat the couch or scream in their car, ala Alexander Lowen's The Spiritual Body. Whatever you decide to do, reading up on anxiety will help so that you understand physiologically what is happening to your nervous system. The trick is to calm it down by giving your body as little focus as possible and your real issues as much effort as possible.
I could recite 100's of examples just like yours (including my own story) where it started with GI upset or a pounding heart and shakiness and progressed from there. Neuro consults, back specialists, etc.
One of the hallmarks of GAD is muscular tension. That is the T in TMS. So in that regard, you are seeing the outgrowth of pain and aches that happen because your incessant worry has caused your body to be on alert all the time and so your muscles (especially the postural ones) never calm down and release. Torturously painful, but utterly harmless. Cheers! |
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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2008 : 17:50:15
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Thanks for the reply Hillbilly.
I do take on board your concerns about the distraction theory and that also resonates with me....if my mind is trying to distract me from anger or whatever how does it actually benefit me to then distract and worry me about these sensations.
I think the main think I am picking up from TMS is the crucial need to accept that there is not a serious organic undetected neurological condition causing all these weird sensations.
Interesting you say about the physical effects of anxiety as this is where I get somewhat confused. In the first instance I could not believe an anxiety explanation as I did not get anxiety in the traditional sense, that is no panic attacks or palps, my anxiety seemed to arrive from a specific stressor, was health centered and was marked by constant sensory sensations. The more I considered it the more I could see I probably had free floating GAD for years and that the health scare and other stuff just ramped up the anxiety level so high that my CNS was fried.
This is the problem....I'm not sure that I am totally somatising as I think my problem is more a case of a false interpretation of the sensations generated by a tired and exhausted nervous system...instead of just accepting the buzzing and twitching etc as the outcome of this I falsely see it as a sign of MS etc. This of course leads to the anxiety loop which is so hard to escape from.
Interestingly I do think that one of the main tenants of TMS can help and that is the need to totally accept that my sensations are benign...be they physical or mental I have to accept that they cannot harm me and do not mean anymore than what they actually are...as soon as I do that I think I am well on my way to breaking the loop.
Of course, all this can be negated by the arguement that the actual anxiety was somatised in the first place but I do not know enough about TMS to even go there.
I read a thread a few pages back about why someone left the forum...I was somewhat confused by the context of the thread but there was loads of stuff in there that related to the role of anxiety in TMS and made very interesting reading. God only knows at this stage whether it is TMS but I do believe that there is a lot of info I can take from here that will enable me move forward and hopefully put me in a better place. I'm aware that I need to change my thinking patterns and how I relate to the world and if nothing else this whole thing has certaintly shown me that the mind and body link is far more complex and persuaive than many of us think. |
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Penny
USA
364 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2008 : 18:28:15
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quote:
Originally posted by pan
So, I'm just wondering if this seems to fit a TMS profile. I suppose I am diagnosis chasing a bit...I no longer worry about ALS and MS does haunt me occasionaly but I have figured that when I look how all this started and where I am in life there are probably far more 'emotional' reasons as to why I should be experiencing these issues. Yep, I would go so far as to say that my mind is in pain and that it is screaming at me to do something about it and I suppose it is natural for these issues to be expressed as physical pain at some point.
Hi Pan,
Check out this link from last year. Start at the bottom to read LaKevin's situation and work your way up. There is an amazing list of symptoms of anxiety that Miche posted (I think).
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3847
Before my breakdown I had no idea that my body was capable of all the physical disfunction I went through. Anxiety is VERY underrated! I thought I had MS, SLE, LG, Parkinsons ... doctors fueled my worry and also my symptoms. My body twitched, I developed tremors in my hands, along with migraines and many other severe pain problems. Excrutiating burning in my back. All were TMS. After visiting several specialists and ruling things out, I accepted the fact that many of the symptoms I had were ONLY mimicking known and debilitating diseases that I did NOT have. Then I fortunately found Selfrige then Sarno and began my recovery. I stepped away from conventional medical research, so to speak, and started dealing with a completely unbalanced life.
You were once healthy, from that health your body learned to create these symptoms, so within you lies the possibility of getting better.
I wish you all the best as you find your way to getting better.
Penny
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Hillbilly
USA
385 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2008 : 20:32:16
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Pan, the point about the TMS tenant is precisely the point about anxiety sensations. They aren't harmful, only feel so. What Dr. Sarno is describing is not a new medical entity. It has been around a long time. Penny's post makes this clear. Anxiety hits when we are vulnerable to stress, but we have had a habit of living this way for most of our lives. The friend's death was a match thrown on a barrel of gasoline.
Soft tissue pain is common among anxiety (condition) sufferers. It is fueled entirely by attention and fear. If you learn to stop fearing and paying as little attention as possible to the symptoms, you will be fine in a short while, likely a couple of months. Every time you catch yourself thinking about MS, snap back to reality. You are fine. Your body needs to calm down, and so does your mind. Once this happens, the crazy thoughts and body feelings will go away on their own. Be patient but cut off the fear flow ASAP. |
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Wavy Soul
USA
779 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2008 : 01:02:11
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quote:
I'm not sure that I am totally somatising as I think my problem is more a case of a false interpretation of the sensations generated by a tired and exhausted nervous system...instead of just accepting the buzzing and twitching etc as the outcome of this I falsely see it as a sign of MS etc. This of course leads to the anxiety loop which is so hard to escape from.
YES! I have had these weird sensations for decades, and along with severe all-over pain and fatigue I was diagnosed with various things according to which doc I went to. All TMS. At this point if I die I will consider it TMS! I find it absolutely amazing - Industrial Sound and Magic Special Effects-level amazing, how the brain can produce these complex body sensations that then morph into whatever one is thinking.
I've found that the same sensations can morph into bliss if I think in a different direction. I'm just working with that one now.
Pan - you are on the right track. The main thing I would need if I were you would be some loving reassurance. Don't worry. You are okay. Your life is going to be okay. You have not fallen down a crack in the universe. The very fact that you are awake and aware of what's happening inside you means you are quite awake, and that's more important than struggling against this stuff. Very often just by staying very aware of one's patterns they run out of steam.
If you believe in any Higher Power or in your own brain's higher intelligence, ask it to get you through this. My own growing faith in a mind-blowing infinite intelligence is the most healing thing of all for me.
xx
Love is the answer, whatever the question |
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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2008 : 02:48:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Wavy Soul
quote:
I'm not sure that I am totally somatising as I think my problem is more a case of a false interpretation of the sensations generated by a tired and exhausted nervous system...instead of just accepting the buzzing and twitching etc as the outcome of this I falsely see it as a sign of MS etc. This of course leads to the anxiety loop which is so hard to escape from.
YES! I have had these weird sensations for decades, and along with severe all-over pain and fatigue I was diagnosed with various things according to which doc I went to. All TMS. At this point if I die I will consider it TMS! I find it absolutely amazing - Industrial Sound and Magic Special Effects-level amazing, how the brain can produce these complex body sensations that then morph into whatever one is thinking.
I've found that the same sensations can morph into bliss if I think in a different direction. I'm just working with that one now.
Pan - you are on the right track. The main thing I would need if I were you would be some loving reassurance. Don't worry. You are okay. Your life is going to be okay. You have not fallen down a crack in the universe. The very fact that you are awake and aware of what's happening inside you means you are quite awake, and that's more important than struggling against this stuff. Very often just by staying very aware of one's patterns they run out of steam.
If you believe in any Higher Power or in your own brain's higher intelligence, ask it to get you through this. My own growing faith in a mind-blowing infinite intelligence is the most healing thing of all for me.
xx
Love is the answer, whatever the question
Funny you should say that. I was thinking the other night that the spacey feeling and internal vibration could even be construed as similar to a sort of drug high....something some people are happy to shell out good money for.
That is the thing, the sensations in themselves are fine and I don't get too much pain more aches really but it is purely the THOUGHTS I attach to the sensations, that they are symptoms of something rather than just a mild annoyance at this moment in my life. I'm sure once I fully address the thoughts things will fall into place more.
TBH, I have actually been there and had a good month/6 weeks of a good outlook with it but recently just fell off it slightly and started to doubt it just a tiny bit this was mainly due to my mindset but also I has some symptom shifting which did concern me, the thing with this is that I’ve now recognised this as my mind no longer getting the desired response from me so having to invent some new fun and games.....as soon as I did this it sort of was like a house of card effects and it all tumbled down round me. I do feel much more positive reading peoples thoughts on here.
Thanks to each and every one who has taken the time to reply to my concerns.
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2008 : 15:16:12
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quote:
if my mind is trying to distract me from anger or whatever how does it actually benefit me to then distract and worry me about these sensations.
It's not clear to me why people find this connection difficult to make. The point isn't that it's consciously beneficial to worry about symptoms. The point is it's EFFECTIVE. It works. You cannot pay attention to the underlying (dangerous) emotions if you are effectively distracted by physical symptoms. The more worried you are, the more effective the distraction. The mind wishes to avoid the powerful underlying emotions; the anxiety and pain are effective distractions. My experience with unearthing some of my repressed emotions was that indeed, they WERE almost worse than the pain, even in my conscious opinion where I knew the pain was awful and that getting to the emotions was the solution.
The less worried you are, the less the distraction works. That's why the solution to making the symptoms go away is to stop worrying about them (and you stop by believing they have no worrying physical cause).
And to answer Hillbilly's point about why you might need many (134 even, not that anyone lists that many) things to distract you -- one is not enough to distract some people. Many people experience progressive distraction, beginning with, say, minor joint pain on exercise, and progressing to chronic multiple-area pain as the distraction fails or the emotional pressure from continued repression increases.
I don't dispute anxiety as a component or equivalent of TMS, but the distraction theory is actually a very compelling one when understood, and one that I have personally found very explanatory.
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It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2008 : 07:48:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Hillbilly
Pan, the point about the TMS tenant is precisely the point about anxiety sensations. They aren't harmful, only feel so. What Dr. Sarno is describing is not a new medical entity. It has been around a long time. Penny's post makes this clear. Anxiety hits when we are vulnerable to stress, but we have had a habit of living this way for most of our lives. The friend's death was a match thrown on a barrel of gasoline.
Soft tissue pain is common among anxiety (condition) sufferers. It is fueled entirely by attention and fear. If you learn to stop fearing and paying as little attention as possible to the symptoms, you will be fine in a short while, likely a couple of months. Every time you catch yourself thinking about MS, snap back to reality. You are fine. Your body needs to calm down, and so does your mind. Once this happens, the crazy thoughts and body feelings will go away on their own. Be patient but cut off the fear flow ASAP.
I think that this is what is concerning me most.....the timescale that this has been going on for. I know it is impossible to put a timescale on a recovery but the longer it goes on for the more concerned I get that there has to be a physical explanation for these weird sensations. I was under the impression that I had actually aceppted the sensations as benign and that I wasn't worrying about them but I suspect that under the service I was still stressing about them. |
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Hillbilly
USA
385 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2008 : 08:17:17
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Pan,
Here is something that you can do that will help, I think. Go to google and download the free ebook The Freedom of Life by Annie Payson Call. This was written over 100 years ago. It is a very good primer on nervous health and how it gets interrupted. Read especially the sections on how to deal with discomfort.
Then after reading it, keep track of the amount of time that you are spending thinking about your body and what it is doing, what you are restricting yourself from. You will find that you are living in a state of constant fear, which sets up vicious cycles of fight or flight responses. This is not terribly difficult to understand. The trick is to stop the cycles. The body in this state is never at rest, and your constant focus upon it makes it remain so. When you accept the diagnosis as TMS or anxiety or whatever benign condition, there should be a conscious effort then made to accept or ignore the pain and related sensations as transient, normal stress responses that will resolve when you no longer react to them fearfully. This will take some effort. Be patient with yourself. If you are impatient, that will trigger the stress response. If you get upset because you can't do something and want to, that will trigger it as well. Problem is most if not all of us have lived so stressfully and so reliant upon adrenaline to get through the day for so long that we think that is normal.
The thinking you just posted will lead to more illness. I have seen countless people whose refusal to accept the symptoms as stress related suffer endlessly, going from doctor to doctor and having them find nothing at all clinically wrong or getting some nebulous diagnosis like myofascial pain or fibromyalgia or CFS, which just led to more suffering because they read lots of scary stuff on the internet and didn't follow a set program of recovery. Anxiety conditions can last a lifetime if not interrupted on the conscious level. You must understand what is happening, accept that it is the ONLY thing causing your problems, and make a constant effort to stop fearing your symptoms. Simplify everything to prevent worry and you are on your way to lasting health.
If you allow yourself to ruminate about physical explanations, you are doomed. There is nothing that you can do to set your mind at ease even for a moment. I know. I was there for two years. You have to break this habit of self-diagnosis right away to get on the way back to health. |
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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2008 : 09:18:37
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Cheers for taking the time to reply all..Hillbilly, I totally understand what you are saying and 100% agree with it but when you get those bad moments of doubt it is awfully hard to ‘float’ through it….sure you know what I mean if you have had the same concerns in the past.
I will download the suggested book when I get home tonight. Have lost track of the books I’ve read about anxiety, somatisation etc yet I still find it incredibly hard to accept and let go.
As I said in my original post this all started for me following a health scare that really freaked me out…..you are spot on in that for years before this I had lived at a very high stress threshold and whilst this was never a physical problem there where some issues with negative thinking etc….it is only since the health scare and other stressors that this all took a physical turn. From your experience is this quite common?, meaning that a stressor can turn a high working level of stress into physical sensations…I can see why this could happen but when you suffer from both GAD and elements of Pure O you sort of feel ‘responsible’ that you need to constantly monitor and check these sensations in order to ensure nothing serious is missed.
I suppose one of my major worries is that I’m being fobbed off by my GP’s etc with the anxiety explanation as it seems the easy explanation bearing in mind it all began after an easily identifiable stressor.
Anyway, thanks very much for your replies. I know what you are saying makes perfect sense as it is what I would say to others but it is the age old thing of putting the words into action.
edit: downloaded the book you suggested. There are some interesting facts and observations in there....strange to think how long ago it was written as we tend to think this is a modern thing. |
Edited by - pan on 04/04/2008 02:11:54 |
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Opinions on my situation please.
