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Taoist Pilgrim
United Kingdom
25 Posts |
 Posted - 05/31/2010 : 14:36:39
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Just a general query really. I know one of, if not the hardest thing, to accept with TMS is the concept that our pain is emotional or mind based rather than physical or structural in origin but this is of course much harder if we suffer from a mental disorder such as health anxiety or hypochondria.
I understand that many people who probably have TMS live in crippling pain and search high and low for a physical cure for what they believe is a physical problem but is it easier for them to take the required leap of faith than somebody who is convinced that every ache. pain or bodily sensation is a sign of a serious undiagnosed illness or disease?
Many of my symptoms do fit totally with a psychosomatic/TMS presentation and on one level I totally see how in all probability my symptoms are not originating from a physical illness but due to my extreme hypochondria I just seem totally unable to accept the diagnosis.
So, to the point, is it really going to be possible to accept the TMS diagnosis and allow myself to recover all the time I have this hypochondria? I know Sarno talks about hypochondria and states this is a TMS equivilant, rather interestingly this makes me wonder why I therefore require a pain syndrome if I already have the hypochondria? I understand the importance of actually accepting and understanding Sarno's thesis, I can do the understanding knowledge is power part no worries but my hypochondria just totally gets in the way of the accepting. I have tried various medications and talking therapy for my hypochondria but to no real improvement as I feel I will always have the hypochondria as long as the symptoms remain and of course, the symptoms will always remain if I don't accept that I am fundamentally well. Oh the joy!
I would be grateful for any thoughts on this especially from any forum members who have suffered from TMS alongside hypochondria.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
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lindaleyner
Germany
46 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2010 : 02:08:19
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@hopeacres: Wow, your wourds are soo comforting, thank you.
Taoist Pilgrim:
I asked myself the same question: If I have RSI, so why need I hypochondriasis? It didnīt make sense to me, until I forund out what I feared the most about RSI: It was not the pain, the tingling, the numbness: It was the FEAR of having it all my life. So Hypochndria is the fear over oneīs health; thatīs exactly what I had - in my head I could seee me in 20 years, without a job, disabled for not being able to usew my hands.
I hope we will both beat this - the Hypochondria AND the pain. |
Edited by - lindaleyner on 06/01/2010 02:09:45 |
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catspine
USA
239 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2010 : 01:09:46
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T P
Among other things hypochondria may serve a purpose.
Here is what Marsha wrote to me one time and the posts link to which it relates to :
quote:
Also, I do not think you are a hypochondriac. That term implies to me that you are deliberately using illness as an excuse not to participate . TMS is not something we do to ourselves on purpose
Marsha
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6184&SearchTerms=catspine |
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lindaleyner
Germany
46 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2010 : 03:58:17
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| I think it would help if we could read a success story from someone who overcame the hypochondria - I never heard any - just people who say they got better with Xanax and friends - but as it is TMS the medication isnīt likely the answer, is it? |
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marsha
252 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2010 : 07:33:46
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I think hypochondria is TMS.
We TMSers believed initially that all our illness (aches and pains)were physical. Everything was a major event. The more you accept the TMs Theory the less your mind will create illness and pain to divert your emotions. For some it is easier to have physical pain than it is to have emotion. This is not anything we do to ourselves on purpose..It is our subconscious at work.
So the answer is yes. I no longer have health anxiety and I am no longer a hypochondriac.
Marsha
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lindaleyner
Germany
46 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2010 : 08:08:17
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| It is just so stupid, thatīs why itīs so hard to believe. Why should one hurt himself? I mean, Iīve suffered so much from my hypochondria and RSI and that for 1 1/2 years...sometime I just want to start crying :( |
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marsha
252 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2010 : 09:53:26
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You are not consciously trying to hurt yourself.
It is not a willful act. Our subconscious mind thinks that it is protecting us from bad feelings. It doesn't make sense at all but that is what is happening.
You should really go back and read MINDBODY PRESCRIPTION or THE DIVIDED MIND ..
I have a simple work folder given to me by Dr. Sarno . I wll send you a copy if you like.
Don't give up, but stop trying so hard. You can't force a cure.
Marsha
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Edited by - marsha on 06/04/2010 09:56:17 |
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lindaleyner
Germany
46 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2010 : 13:29:41
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I know, if I just let the pain etc. go it wonīt hurt me so much as if I concentrate on it. But it's the "I need 100%" thinking that is driving me mad. The obsession of a cure is TMS itself.
It would be very nice if you could send me a copy. Do you need my e-mail or sometihng?
Thanks |
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marsha
252 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2010 : 15:09:18
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Please send me your email address and I will send it to you.
Marsha |
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lindaleyner
Germany
46 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2010 : 15:11:40
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quote:
Originally posted by marsha
Please send me your email address and I will send it to you.
Marsha
Just wrote you an message.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you for the mails. |
Edited by - lindaleyner on 06/05/2010 05:19:57 |
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EileenTM
92 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2010 : 21:35:41
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| Marsha, I would like a copy of the work folder that you got from Sarno. I want something simple. I have another book, but it is a bit complicated. And I want to keep it simple; not wrap my life up around TMS. |
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marsha
252 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2010 : 08:16:05
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Eileen,
Please send me your email address.
marsha |
Edited by - marsha on 06/05/2010 08:29:01 |
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lindaleyner
Germany
46 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2010 : 11:19:33
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Thank you.
It was very kind of you to give me a copy.
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Taoist Pilgrim
United Kingdom
25 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2010 : 11:11:49
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Hey guys, not be around much so just to say thanks for those who have responded.
I don't know if hypochondria is serving a purpose for me but it is doing a fine job of totally blighting my life so I suppose I am allowing it to serve that purpose if nothing else.
I got myself totally worked up again last week and managed to convince myself that my neck glands had swollen up and booked at appointment at the GP. As I was walking to the GP I was having the thoughts that I was about to be told I had some form of lymph cancer and I then became aware that my bladder just didn't feel 'right'...I had never noticed it before and it just suddenly started quick as a flash.
I saw the GP who advised me that my glands were totally fine and then went home. I didn't really think about my bladder as it wasn't troubling me but the following morning I became aware that I had a lot of pressure in my bladder and that my pee was flowing very weekly. Over the course of the day this got worse and I was in the loo every 2 minutes, it just felt that I couldn't fully empty my bladder and that I constantly had a nagging feeling of needing to pee.
So, back to the GP who did a dip test and lab test on urine which were totally clear and therefore no infection and also a manual external prostate examination (he said he was sure that this would be fine as I'm only early 40's) which was fine and he said that he had no idea as to what could be causing the urination problem.
This issue has been going on for a week now and is driving me potty...I'm OD'ing on cranberry juice and still not getting relief. It sure is strange as I feel the constant need to go the loo but I'm able to quite easily hold this and go just every few hours...it is just living with the nagging feeling and the fact that when I go I seem to pee very little and never feel fully relieved.
I did call my GP back a couple of days ago to get the lab urine result and he told me to give it a fortnight and call back if there is no improvement. I asked him about getting a PSA blood test but he poo poo'ed this idea as I have zero discomfort at night with it...once I go to bed I sleep through without having to get up or wake for the loo but I do feel the urge to go as soon as I wake.
Of course, I have Googled this and have self diagnosed my self with everything from bladder to prostate cancer or even back to my old MS stalwat. I actually broke down in frustration a couple of days ago and ended up sobbing like a baby for 20 minutes as I'm just so damn tired and frustrated with the situation.
I'm sorry for making this such a long moan but I suppose I'm just venting. I have read all the books and listen to The Divided Mind on my iPod all day and I do sometimes have a fleeting moment of clarity but this is then engulfed by the fear, frustration and doubt...it just feels to me that unless I get this diagnosed correctly then I'm letting myself down...this is why the next 2 weeks are going to be hell for me if things don't improve as not only will I have the physical discomfort but also I will be thinking that I have a tumour the size of a golf ball in my bladder and that valuable time is being wasted. I know this is madness, this is probably the 15th symptom I have had in the last 3 years and they pop along either concurrently or one after the other and it is quickly becoming a life consuming problem.
I have searched on here for anybody who has had bladder issue/increased urination as a TMS equivalent but with little success...anybody know if this is likely to be TMS/somatic especially considered alongside all the other crap I have going on?
Thanks for sticking to the end. |
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catspine
USA
239 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2010 : 13:15:27
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TP
Sorry to say but you should know better: Why on earth did you Google it?
Weren't you supposed to find what was bothering you instead?
Or use all that you know already to reduce the fear and stop the anxiety cycle dead in its track? I'm sure there are plenty links and techniques available on this forum for this purpose.
According to what I read in your post I would explore feelings of dependency (if only on medical diagnosis for one thing) and for the frequent need thing oh well! your brain had to find something that works best and succeeded for now. Return to sender...
As for the break down, I understand. What if you let it happen more often? One way or the other as long as it comes out every little bit helps.
quote:
it just feels to me that unless I get this diagnosed correctly then I'm letting myself down...this is why the next 2 weeks are going to be hell for me if things don't improve as not only will I have the physical discomfort but also I will be thinking that I have a tumour the size of a golf ball in my bladder and that valuable time is being wasted. I know this is madness, this is probably the 15th symptom I have had in the last 3 years and they pop along either concurrently or one after the other and it is quickly becoming a life consuming problem.
Here you just wrote down all you need to know : You need a diagnosis ? you have it. you need to make yourself think you're sick ? you have it too. Time may not be wasted though : understanding comes with time but it's only a life consuming problem if you let it be so. After 3 years and 15 different symptoms how many more will you need to realize what this is really about? You may want to revisit the mind/body prescription I think it has something in there about frequent urination needs. Oh, and 2 weeks is still far away...what about the present moment?
The fate of your TMS is "in your hands"...
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Taoist Pilgrim
United Kingdom
25 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2010 : 13:44:03
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Thanks for the reply.
Why did I Google? Simple answer is reassurance even though I know damn well I will never find it and that I'm just opening up a can of worms! Believe me, I am very open to the idea of TMS and somatic illness but that isn't really enough. I have read the books and scoured this and other forums and on one level it is obvious that my symptoms are somatic but when it is happening to you and the stakes seem so high talking the talk is one thing but walking the walk is a different ballgame.
Yep, 15 different symptom sets is suggestive of TMS or somatic symptoms but this is just as easily distorted as further proof that whatever illness disease it is I have is spreading in me.
From an emotional point of view I can see tenfold while I may be converting emotional pain, anger or frustration to physical symptoms but I just don't see how this knowing actually solves anything. I can see the problems I have with my life and my esteem and anger issues and can see all the frustrations I have with feeling unfulfilled and by seeing myself as a failure but even though I am aware of all this this doesn't solve the physical symptoms. This is the paradox for me (and others I'm sure), I think I know what is really bothering me but how does the knowing translate to a cure?
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marsha
252 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2010 : 18:35:44
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About a year ago I posted a topic on What is the good of Knowing..I think I have finally discovered the answer.
You really don't know what is bothering you. You only know what is happening in your life now. Knowing what is happening is the beginning.
Understanding and feeling comes next .
Good luck.
A
Marsha |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2010 : 19:16:27
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TP, have you tried searching the topic "urinary urgency"? There are medications such as FLOWMAX that are very effective for that.
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
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pan
United Kingdom
173 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2010 : 21:15:43
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| Flowmax has recently just come off prescription. I too have frequent urination but was refused it by the chemist as I am under 45 and have no sign of benign prostate enlargement. I have just been advised by the GP to carry on with my usual fluid intake and take cranberry juice or supplements. Frequent urination is a classic anxiety symptom. |
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catspine
USA
239 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2010 : 22:29:25
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TP
In order to benefit from a search on the symptoms without undesirable side effect it is better to leave that to a third party because the level of objectivity required is high and hard to achieve when you're the object of your own questions and anxious.
It takes years to become a competent doctor and even more so to become a specialist in a particular discipline and even when highly skilled these people are reluctant to give you a straight answer but you're still better off asking them about the symptoms you tried to google than to research it by yourself if the answers you read produce confusion. At this time it looks like it's not so much the content of the answers that is problem but more so what you think of them.
The idea here is that you must trust the method you 're going to use to heal and then decide who and what you're going to trust and that there will always be a doubt you must learn how to live with but you can not keep on bouncing back and forth without consequences if your mind is over sensitive to what you hear or read.
The difficulty you have to see how the knowledge translate to a cure seem to be coming much more from skepticism than from lack of knowledge.
At this point you seem to be aware of that there is a greater chance than not for TMS to be causing your problems so try to determine why you are so skeptical of either the theory or the medical diagnosis.
Once you got this figured out and if the TMS theory appeals to you it is basically a matter of putting your faith and trust into it helped by the fact that simultaneously you just cleared all the tests your doctor ran you through and see what happens.
The tension fueled by doubt and fear which can turn into prolonged anxiety which also increases your symptoms or can create new ones if you let doubt rule the game . You don't really need that and the good thing is you can have some leverage on doubt voluntarily and therefore on your chances to heal.
It needs time but the best reassurance you can get will come from the changes you'll start to notice as the doubt gets eliminated. |
Edited by - catspine on 06/21/2010 23:40:55 |
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2010 : 20:05:42
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Taoist Pilgrim
I haven't been on this site in a very long time, but your post about hypochondria got my attention. As a fellow hypochondriac, it all sounded so familiar. You described 15 symptoms in two years. That's about right. Mine tend to disappear for awhile, return, disappear, return; the same basket of symptoms with the occasional new one to keep me on my toes. Just for fun, here is a brief list from the past 10 years or so: fear of MS along with appropriate neuro sxs, ringing in the ears, fear of prostate cancer, plantar fascitis, morton's neuroma, hamstring tendonitis (many times), knee pain, trigger finger, shoulder pain for many months, leg weakness & tightness, skin conditions, testicular pain, hip pain for many months, teeth, gum, and jaw pain, back pain for many months, fear of high blood pressure, palpitations, jitteryness, dysthymia, continual anxiety, and many more I can't recall. Of course, all the potentially serious conditions listed were medically checked out and nothing ever found.
One would think, based on the above, that I'm a basket case; fragile, afraid to leave the house, out of shape. Instead, (and this is the key, I think), I have run two marathons in the past several months and even qualified to run Boston next year. I hike tough mountains every summer, hit the gym several times a week, and just got a new road bike.
I think where I have arrived at this point in life, is the realization that hypochondria will probably be with me always. I no longer think I will ever conquer it completely. It's one of those one day at a time deals, like sobriety for an alcoholic. Some days the health anxiety rages and others, it is quiet. The only thing I have discovered that really works for me is to confront the fear by doing the fearful thing whenever possible, eg running with the fear of doing permanent damage to _____. Afterwards, I am rarely disappointed. I have yet to regret accepting the challenge. |
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Do I need to beat the hypochondria first?
