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shannclapp
62 Posts |
 Posted - 05/06/2011 : 10:22:03
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AGHHHH feel insane. Thought I was getting somewhere and then last night i start getting a tingling in my throat and mouth. Convinced it is a nerve problem, which I am always so safraid of cause of my facial pain. However no Dr ever thought it was anything but an atypical pain. Why does this beast keep giving me such alarming symptoms? They change to really try adn convince me there is soemthing wrong in this area of my head/mouth. cnat it move to my foot LOL>.
I could literally feel the fear go threw my body when it happened. So scary. |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2011 : 10:12:14
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When the symptoms change or increase, and it is accompanied by increased anxiety about the symptoms, it could be there is some new development in your life that you are not fully facing up to, and that is causing your mind to repress emotions about it. Try to find what that might be.
Any time you find your are focusing on the symptoms, take a deep breath and remind yourself that the mind is playing tricks on you, that these symptoms are benign and that they are a signal that you should shift your attention to the emotional realm.
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skizzik
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2011 : 20:14:21
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quote:
Originally posted by shannclapp
Thought I was getting somewhere and then.....
Stop thinking there's somewhere to go  |
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art
1903 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2011 : 06:04:57
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It's a process. You'll gradually learn you can control your emotional response to pain..
You must think patterns. We're always repeating our same, fear driven patterns. It's like watching the same play over and over, only with different characters playing the parts. Sometimes the star of the show is back pain, sometimes knee pain, sometimes some weird pain in the mouth. But it's all EXACTLY THE SAME.
Growth is important too. To fully live we need to fully accept uncertainty and death. There's always something to fear if we're bound and determined to find it..
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Edited by - art on 05/08/2011 06:06:12 |
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susan828
USA
291 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2011 : 08:34:33
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| But what if you know what the problems in your life are and like myself, think about that constantly? If the pain is there to distract you...I am not distracted, I am always focusing on the problems, journaling when I can, trying to resolve things. It's not like I need a distraction when I am able to face what's going on. So why do I still have the pain? I am trying so hard to understand this. |
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art
1903 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2011 : 13:17:07
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In my opinion this distraction stuff needlessly complicates things Any distraction that is theoretically taking place is with respect to the unconscious, not day to day conscious matters.
You're trying too hard Susan. All you need to do is accept and believe your symptoms are not physical. In fact, you don't even need to do that, as long as you stop fearing and worrying.
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susan828
USA
291 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2011 : 18:10:15
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Art, how can I stop worrying when first of all, it hurts (in my case, my darn teeth) and I keep thinking I need a root canal and worry about that and the money it's going to cost me, or that there's some gum problem they can't see on an x-ray. The pain/discomfort/weird feelings are very troublesome.
Sarno, etc. says this is a distraction but there is something there. I know people say that about all their pains but I am so worried that the dentists can't see it and I have gone to every specialist and they don't find anything. Still, not a day goes by where I don't have some pain in some part of my teeth or gums. It's gotten to the point where I just sat and cried in a public place to a friend, I didn't care who was watching. "It" won't let me live, but "it" is me and I am frustrated that my body has betrayed me and I can't control it.
I am going to the dentist tomorrow for a cleaning and am going to have him look at a certain area. It hurt when I used the water pik...this is not TMS (although my other pains probably are) but something is going on, some irritation. Maybe after he checks it out, I'll have some resolution at least to this new development, 3 weeks ago that has been driving me crazy. |
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golden_girl
United Kingdom
128 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2011 : 19:29:26
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Susan, I know it is much easier for me to say this, as I, as we all can, see things in other people - but of course, I still let my own fears consume me...
SO WHAT? So what if you need a root canal? What will happen? They'll find it, and you'll have it done. Every "normal" person in the whole world who has toothache sees a dentist (unless they're me, I haven't seen a dentist for over 10 years since they ripped out all four of my wisdom teeth, and my teeth are pretty damn perfect - BECAUSE it isn't a TMS thing for me  ) and then, if they're not all TMS-y like us, they accept it and move on. Or, they're told there IS something wrong, and they deal with it.
I KNOW there's nothing wrong physically with me. I know there's no real pathological issue with my symptoms - yet the symptoms persist. Because of my fear about them. That doesn't always help me. But what I mean is - yes, it could cost a bomb to get your teeth fixed (I would say thank god for the UK NHS but dentists cost even here...) SHOULD there be a problem, then the dentists MUST see it, but if numerous doctors et al have looked at your teeth, then I would assume there ISN'T anything wrong, and apply the TMS work to it.
Easier said than done, I know, and I agree so much that "I am frustrated that my body has betrayed me and I can't control it." Oh yes I know that. What's ridiculous is that any actual physical pain (the "TMS" I have is not "pain-oriented") that shows up for me disappears within days because my brain, the good part, doesn't believe in pain (probably couldn't deal with it! I have a REALLY low pain threshold which I like to attribute to red hair  - science proves it!!) so all the weird back/knee/chest/chin/jaw/wherever-you-would-like-to-pick pain goes away, because I just won't tolerate it, and I just don't believe in it. All the times I freaked out over the past 15 years about: my sore throat being meningitis, my headache being a brain tumour, my breast pain being cancer, my abdominal pain being appendicitis - I must be a cat with nine lives! And now pain, as such, can bugger off, because it doesn't work for me, however much it might try.
Every piece of TMS-related literature says: if you've been checked out by a doctor (or many!) and there's nothing wrong, then it's TMS. Dr Dave Clarke even wrote a book called 'They Can't Find Anything Wrong!' http://www.amazon.com/They-Cant-Find-Anything-Wrong/dp/1591810647 - a great book, if you haven't read it. I feel for you, as I feel for everyone on here, I just think we all (myself included most definitely!) need to relax, look at the bigger picture, and then relax some more.
"F.E.A.R.
Forgive Everyone And Remember
For Everything A Reason"
Ian Brown |
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susan828
USA
291 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2011 : 20:35:20
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Golden girl, I do have that book. I could start a library with all the TMS and health anxiety books I have. I know that "norma;" people have what I have and they don't even give it a thought. I have had appendicitis hundreds of times, many heart attacks, brain tumors. I remind myself of the joke of the person who has on their tombstone "I told you so!".
I try another technique where I make believe I am someone else, someone who woldn't give it a thought. Sometimes this works. I do understand your "So what?' theory and that is what helped me overcome anxiety, panic attacks many years ago. Cognitive therapy at its best. But with this...you're right on the root canal thing. I have had them, they are not bad. But the money is and I always have some sort of residual effects after extractions and root canals, pain that lasts a long time or forever which is caused by nerve damage. Not TMS. So, every dental intervention scares me for this reason. I was cursed with bad teeth. Sometimes I wish some sympathetic dentist would pull them all and give me dentures.
However, I will find something else to scare myself about, like appendicitis. This is so tiring, so emotionally draining and makes me feel really abnormal in the head :-( |
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art
1903 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2011 : 08:25:53
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TMS self-treatment may be inadequate in certain cases.. I share these hypochondriacal traits, but I've learned I have a measure of control over them.
If you've tried everything, read all the books etc, and still aren't getting anywhere, I'd suggest focusing on the OCD aspect. That CAN be treated successfully.
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susan828
USA
291 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 06:33:24
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| Art, I haven't tried everything yet. I am trying Schubiner but have been lazy. It's hard to do the part I'm up to (emotionally hard to bring out all the pent up stuff) so I put it off. I am not giving up and would hate to think I have OCD. I hate labels and definitely would not want drug treatment, can't afford cognitive therapy, so I am hoping I'll improve after finishing this program. As always, I respect your input tremendously but what you said is scary...although I see an OCD component in myself (and a lot of us here).The associations with that term (hand washing, the other things that make people nuts) make me upset. |
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shannclapp
62 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 07:12:04
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I am not sure I am pretty comfortable with the fact that I have some sort of OCD about my health. I am obsessed with my symptoms, I am not sure it means you are in need of being medicated but I am pretty sure I have some sort of OCD about my body & health. I think mnay of us do. It is just a different obsession as opposed to cleanliness and germs.
Just my opinion.
How many weeks in on the program are you susan?
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susan828
USA
291 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 08:17:54
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I am in the second week, been there for a few weeks. I know this should be a priority but I wait until the evening, then I'm too tired or don't want to deal with the issues. Avoidance, I know. I have to force myself to do this because living like this is too hard. I went to the dentist yesterday for a cleaning, had x-rays and nothing is seen. I am thinking of taking some supplements. There is a dentist who specializes in orofacial pain and he suggests a few things (he answered an email I wrote to him). Nothing to lose, heals heal nerve damage and just keeps our nerves in good shape. My focusing on it is another story. I know that other people wouldn't give it a second thought.
I see your point about our obsession vs. the cleanliness and germ thing. I read all of your posts and we have a very similar situation. Atypical odontalgia, atypical facial pain. I have had so many consultations over the years, tried Elavil 15 years ago (helped a little) but there is no way I would go on an anti-epileptic drug like Neurontin. It isn't constant, if it were or if it were trigeminal neuralgia, maybe. But not for this. |
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shannclapp
62 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 08:21:32
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Susan, is your pain always in the same spot? What does your tooth pain feel like? Is it alwasy the same teeth or does it vary?
It sucks! I have been to facial pain specialists and gotten no where LOL
Yes well thank God we dont have trigeminal nueralgia, although that is a big fear of mine. |
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susan828
USA
291 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 13:44:38
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The pain moves to different areas. It feels kind of sharp, sometimes stabbing, sometimes like someone is taking a knife and stabbing the gum between two teeth. I have to say I have had herpes on the roof of my mouth, very visible. They prescribed Valtrex but I don't like to take things so I just let it run its course.
With shingles (which I DON'T have), there is something called post-herpetic neuralgia. I was told and read also that even with herpes simplex, the nerve is always "on alert" and ready to misfire. This is the explainable part of my pain. My upper molars proximity to my sinuses is the other explanation. Many people's teeth hurt because of this and as you probably know, endodontists are hesitant to perform root canals on people such as us when nothing is seen clinically.
This said, I know that my pains come on during stress. Some people get stomach aches, some headaches and some anything else, in my case, tooth and jaw pain. have had real toothaches. They are persistent, going out of your mind painful, that resulted in root canals. This is not what I feel but when it starts and is hard to differentiate, I freak out.
I hope I/you find a resolution to this. Art talks about fear and worry being such a huge component. I have to conquer this. You sound so much like me, maybe we can help each other.
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shannclapp
62 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 14:51:42
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So different teeth hurt?
We do sound like we are in similiar situations, so I agree we can help each other!
I know I have had real tooth pain, this is not it. It is a dull ache in all my upper teeth on one side.
Where in your face does it hurt? Mine is always the same spot.
Have you ever used Capsian (spelled worng) cream for your facial pain? Burns but helps.
In terms of your facial pain and possibly dental have you ever looked at trigger points? I always belived that was the root of my problem and searching abotu them i ended up here. So what casues trigger points? Stress! So I belive this is the right direction. |
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art
1903 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 15:06:53
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I've a pretty reliable litmus test when it comes to TMS. If I can honestly say I've stopped worrying about something and it hasn't gone away in a week or two, then it's probably real.
I have to say though that it's never happened.
Of course this is a roundabout way of saying you have to give it a chance, really get in there and have some faith. I mean what the heck. If you've had a certain pain for several months let's say, then it's probably not going to kill you n the next few days, right?
So just stop worrying for a while.. See what happens. You can always go back to worrying about it later if you choose. |
Edited by - art on 05/10/2011 15:09:16 |
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shannclapp
62 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 15:21:44
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I agree Art very very right. I have gotton over other things by treating them as induced by anxiety. But they were more obvious to be anxiety like chest pain, tingling, etc. And they took some time to get over.
I know with this tooth pain I have not stopped worrying (except for my vacation in January at which time it was very minimal, there but minimal and gone some days too). I have to really give it 100% and I am not doing that. So I will LOL. So hard not to worry & be afraid. This is where I struggle, obviously why I still ahve the symptoms.
Thanks everyone. |
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susan828
USA
291 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 16:02:54
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| Shannclapp, when you worry, can you tell me exactly what goes through your mind? You worry that what will happen? If it's a few things, please tell me. |
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shannclapp
62 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 16:06:33
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Good question, when I feel the pain I start to worry, I panic because it is all in the same area, and I think uh oh this is it I have something really wrong and I will forever be in this pain. It used to be brain tumor or MS but since I have been tested endlessly I know it is not. But know it is trigeminal nueralgia and I will forever be in pain and/or on meds. Therefore how can i live the life I want or be the mom I want or be the wife or be the person i want to be. I will be like this forever.
wow that was a good question! |
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art
1903 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2011 : 16:34:39
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The fly in the ointment is we all will eventually get something. We're mortal after all. I just got so exhausted getting some symptom or other, then going through the same old cycle of fear and dread, then deciding it was just more TMS, and sure enough then watching it evaporate....only to start the whole process all over again with the next weird symptom.
Like in AA, I just sort of surrendered. I'm going to die, and fear and worry won't save me. They'll only ruin the precious time left to me.
It's almost as if we worry that if we fail to be afraid, that's when something really terrible will happen, as if fear itself is some sort of talisman.
I'm convinced we all suffer from a primary anxiety disorder. Which is why the cure is simply to learn to relax. I know it can be done because I'm doing it. |
Edited by - art on 05/10/2011 16:35:15 |
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Just when I thought I was getting somewhere
