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Jim D.
USA
63 Posts |
 Posted - 10/04/2011 : 14:44:54
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I realize that this topic has been discussed many times (I wrote some of the entries myself). I have successfully dealt with TMS in back pain and tennis elbow, but I have recently encountered a situation that has me stymied.
About 10 days ago I was working out, doing a leg exercise I have performed many times, and adding just one more pound than I had used the previous week. I felt a sharp pain in my knee, but (being hyper-TMS-aware), I kept on going. There was no major pain afterward, but a day later my knee began to ache. It appeared to be swollen some, though not a great deal. I looked up knee problems in a sports injury book and decided that I hadn't done anything major or else I wouldn't be able to walk. I had a very similar situation some years ago when I fell and bent my thumb back farther that it is supposed to go. After a week of being careful not to use the thumb but having the pain continue, I decided that it was probably TMS taking advantage of the situation, and, sure enough, the pain disappeared. So with the knee I was on guard lest the same thing develop.
As time went on, the pain would disappear for part of the day but would return at various times. That made it look like TMS, but the pain continued in spite of my efforts to think about psychological factors. At that point all the "catastrophizing" began--I'll never be able to walk again, never be able to exercise again, I have done permanent damage to myself, etc. I avoided going to a doctor because I knew the approach he or she would take. Yesterday I decided to confront the TMS possibility and resumed some light exercise (rowing machine, for example). Later in the day the pain was horrible, and, needless to say, I got very depressed. So now I am babying my knee again and the pain has lessened. I know these situations where there is real pain involved are difficult to deal with, but I am really having a hard time determining the role (if any) of TMS.
At the risk of boring forum members with excessive detail, I will explain a bit more: You might wonder why I turned to the TMS possibility so quickly. In the spring I went through one of the worst situations I have ever endured. My secure, comfortable administrative job of 33 years, in which I was trusted by everyone and mostly did my work on my own terms (always overdoing it, of course, as a true TMS person would) totally changed. A new chair took over the department and basically drove me out of the job by trying to micromanage the department (which had always been my job), watching everything I did, finally yelling at me and pounding on my desk in rage. Although he was rebuked by the dean of the college, he was not removed from office, so I decided to retire a year early, thereby foregoing approximately $50,000 I would have earned in the year. I had previously purchased a home in another part of the country to use in retirement, so I had to rush the sale of my condo so as to be able to move to the house, had to move all my possessions to tne new home and then say goodbye to all my friends and start a totally new life. BUT the funny thing is that I had absolutely no TMS symptoms during the weeks I was preparing to move; I fully expected my arm to fall off or something equally dramatic to happen, but I got through the crisis without a physical issue. I can certainly accept that my current knee issue may be TMS-related, a sort of delayed reaction to all the stress in the spring. But I don't want to damage my knee by making this assumption too readily.
Any suggestions would be most welcome.
Jim |
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Javizy
United Kingdom
76 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2011 : 08:02:36
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It sounds like you've endured a pretty standard injury and in trying to decide whether or not it's TMS, you've caused enough stress to interfere with the healing process. You've had success before, so why allow yourself to catastrophise, succumb to depression etc? Let your past experience reassure you that you're the only one standing in the way of your recovery, and you can step aside whenever you want.
Prolonged stress literally stops your muscles from regenerating. The body starts to remove proteins to continue to fuel the increased metabolic needs, among other nasty things you could do without when trying to recover from injury. You have little chance of recovery until you restore homeostasis, or in other words, chill out and allow your body to do it's thing.
If you find yourself worrying, force yourself to think exactly the opposite and allow yourself to believe it. 'I'm never going to get better' -> 'I'm definitely going to get better.' After a surprisingly short time, your brain will adapt to the positive line of thinking, until it becomes effortless. |
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Joy_I_Am
United Kingdom
138 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2011 : 08:30:53
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Jim,
First, I have such sympathy for your situation in the spring. No one should have to work in conditions like those; but I really think you did the right thing by getting out - it's not worth your health and happiness to cling on to the bitter end. And it sounds like your body thought you did the right thing too!  Enjoy your new lease of life!
As for the injury, I think Javizy is absolutely right! TMS aside, our bodies can take a knock here and there; and given the time and rest, they will heal themselves. That's what bodies do. If you had your appendix out next week, the wound would heal, just like a knee. It takes a little longer when as we get older, and we might have to adjust to that (I mention it because I fought this for ages)... Just take it a little easy and you'll soon be back to strength, I'm sure.
As for the monster in your department, I'm sure his rotten temper will be its own punishment throughout his life, ha ha ha...
All bests, Jim!
Joy |
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Jim D.
USA
63 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2011 : 07:32:47
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Thanks for the replies--both from the UK, I see.
I had never encountered the thought that "Prolonged stress literally stops your muscles from regenerating" (as Javizy wrote). I'm not sure I fully believe in the power of positive thinking. That approach does not seem to be completely compatible with Dr. Sarno's emphasis on thinking about what is really going on underneath the pain. As for "chilling out," you have a point, though it is a difficult thing to do in practice--and, by the way, I assumed "chill out" was a uniquely American phrase!
To Joy_I_Am: Thanks for your kind remarks about my experiences last spring. The events are beginning to fade but are still with me (in dreams and random thoughts and--I am sure Dr. Sarno would say--in moments of rage). It doesn't help that a few well-meaning faculty members think it is useful to report everything the department chair says about me; I think I may have to ask them to stop these reports. I am happy to be able to say that my knee pain has now diminished. I wonder what there is about people who experience TMS that causes them to see such injuries/pains in catastrophic terms.
Jim |
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Real Injury vs. TMS
