| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
 Posted - 08/03/2013 : 14:27:46
|
Now this is a new one for me..I have never had shoulder/arm issues in my life! I do believe it started as a real injury, but I can feel TMS kicking in and I want to nip it in the bud and get some support/ideas from my friends and fellow TMSer's here at the forum.
My 138 pound dog pulled me toward a rabbit and I pushed myself up with one arm from the floor. Either one of these incidences was the cause of the 'injury' almost 2 wks ago now. At the time of both of these incidences I did not feel any pain or hear any popping sound. It was the next day that the sharp pain in my left upper arm on the outside began. It has progressed and now the other arm is also hurting as well as both shoulders. It's hard to sleep and I try my best to sleep on my back which is also difficult.
I did the ice, rest thing as much as I could. I had a singing gig where I needed to play tambourine and I had a couple glasses of wine and ignored the pain which made it worse. I am doing part time singing for several bands on the wkends and working, believe it or not, as a chiropractic assistant during the day. It was the chiro I work for who told me it was not my arm, but rotator cuff. He tested a couple of things and said he didn't think it was torn..but instead a sprain/strain. Whatever it is it hurts like heck is is very disabling. I am having to ask neighbors to help me walk my dog and I cannot lift anything w/ weight.
I am hoping that the fact that it didn't hurt at the time of the incident is also proof I don't have a serious injury or tear.
As for stress, I have a ton! Late May I started the new job, moved again (6 times in 2 yrs after the death of my brother and 2 dogs in Vegas and the loss of my home there). And a few days later on June 2nd (two weeks b4 my birthday my boyfriend broke up w/ me.) I had the worst bday of my life and this Summer has been tough w/ some fun moments here and there. I am finally making some friends in this area and the heartbreak isn't keeping me awake at night. There is much anger and grief over losing my boyfriend. I love him very much. We are both at 'fault' for the demise of the relationship. The break up spanned some 6 weeks and was emotionally tough on us both. Myself and friends feel that if I handled it better by letting him go and giving him space, we might have gotten back together by now. I viewed him, unconsciously as my new family, replacing my Vegas family that I lost tragically.
So, yes, TMS can sure find many excuses for kicking in right now. Oh, I forgot to mention that in May I broke and badly sprained my ankle and had to pay out of pocket for PT! What a year!
I know this is a lot to take in..hoping for some support, encouragement and suggestions. (don't want to get frozen shoulder by babying it too much, but also don't want to make it worse because there is an injury too) I am off to go do an out of town gig and there might be delays in my replies if anyone writes to me..I'll check again in an hour b4 I leave.. I will not be playing the tambourine tonight, that is for sure.. Thanks for listening!
Hugs to all,
K
|
|
|
Back2-It
USA
438 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2013 : 21:31:54
|
Dear SA,
Until you examine the underlying causes of your anxiety, the symptoms will persist. All the stresses you mention and your reaction to them deal somehow with behavior cultivated over a lifetime. It is not easy to go through any of what you have, and it would put stress on any soul.
The rotator cuff thing is one of the current syndromes of the times to explain shoulder pain, which is a very common reaction to stress. Reach around with your arm and feel how tight your trapezoid muscles is. The trap muscle is one of the most sensitive to stress.
Just as an aside, it might be a source of income, but working in a chiropractors office with anxiety problems is like a an alcoholic working as a bartender. It's my opinion, but chiropractors should be stripped of the "doctor" title and be banned from practice, as they have probably discouraged and robbed more people suffering from anxiety than all the thugs in the entire US hitting 7/11 stores.
And you CAN lift anything with weight. Test your will.
It's not a beach read, but I would buy a copy of "Mental Health Through Will Training" and really study it. It's an oldie but a goodie, and will go a long way towards changing your thinking. Also, an anxiety counselor who has experienced physical symptoms might be helpful. They have been there. You have been through hell. You might need a sympathetic ear from somebody who has recovered from where you are now.
Be easy on yourself.
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
Edited by - Back2-It on 08/03/2013 21:33:40 |
 |
|
|
Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2013 : 02:23:34
|
Thanks so much, Back to It..I never heard of that book, it sounds good! My singing gig went very well last night. It was w/ a duo, not a full band so I could hear myself well..I sang songs I have never done in my life and did them well..the audience loved us and it felt good. Although some pain was distracting me a bit thru the night, when I was in the middle of a song I was relaxed and in my element. If I could just sing full time, I would be happy..The stage is my true home. I'm awake now, at 4AM w/ chest pain..fairly sure it's indigestion having eaten a chef salad at 11pm a night when the club/restaurant fed us. This is all another wake up call..time to change the diet too..I have been using food as an anxiety reducer, not good. I deeply appreciate your empathy and good advice!
Hugs,
K |
|
|
|
art
1903 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2013 : 05:49:55
|
"Either one of these incidences was the cause of the 'injury' almost 2 wks ago now. At the time of both of these incidences I did not feel any pain or hear any popping sound. It was the next day that the sharp pain in my left upper arm on the outside began. It has progressed and now the other arm is also hurting as well as both shoulders. It's hard to sleep and I try my best to sleep on my back which is also difficult."
Hi Karen: The mind is a perverse organ as it tends to fulfill it's own worst fears. As with just about every injury you've told us about over the last however many years...the only exception I can think of perhaps is your ankle...the purported cause is insufficient You're not made of glass. Do you recall the time you thought you were injured because your dog bumped into you?
So in this case, you pushed yourself up from the floor...which you ought to be able to do without injuring your rotator cuff. Had you actually injured it, it almost certainly would have hurt at the time. But you began to think about it, and worry about it and voila, arm pain. As if that wasn't enough, now you've further injured yourself shaking around a 5 ounce tambourine. (or whatever they weigh). ( I'm unclear how the other arm and shoulders have been injured as well. Was it the tambourine?)
I'm trying to show you that this is just one more in a long, long series of "same old, same old." It's good that your put "injury" in quotes, but then you went on to talk about it as if it were real.
Until you get a sense of your own patterns, and a glimpse into the way you create your own pain, you'll likely continue on in this way ad infinitum. And wouldn't that be a tragic waste of your life?
B.T.I is right on all counts. Forget about it. Lift that tambourine and shake it all about. Get down on the floor and do pushups. And while you're at it, remind yourself that life is short, and there is a better way to spend it than in constant fear.
You know me, Karen. Sometimes tough love is the way to go...
Pulling for you,
A. |
Edited by - art on 08/04/2013 05:53:49 |
|
|
|
Back2-It
USA
438 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2013 : 06:33:34
|
quote:
Originally posted by Singer_Artist
T... If I could just sing full time, I would be happy..The stage is my true home.
When you are singing you are truly in the present and not thinking of the "what ifs" of the future, or dwelling on the past.
It is very true what Art says. Once you get fixated on the pain or problem it will likely continue.
Still and all, you have been through a lot, and counseling that would help with how you deal with current stress caused by learned behavior -- and that is all that TMS/anxiety is-- might help if you can do it. Finding a good counselor is the key. I would never use one that has not been where you have been, because they cannot really speak to or understand where you are coming from, despite their intentions.
Sing all day if you can; learn new songs for a few days; it will take your thoughts to places you like.
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
|
|
|
Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2013 : 07:07:53
|
Well said, Art..You are right, I do sometimes need tough love and I thank you dear friend! I will say, however, that it was probably the time my dog pulling me toward the rabbit that may have caused an 'injury.' He is almost 140 pounds and very strong, I wasn't expecting it. I actually didn't think about it at all afterwards, however. It wasn't til the next day when I felt sharp pain in my left arm that I started wondering. I think some soft tissue injuries can kick in the next day or two after happening. So, I think there might have been a real sprain/strain (not a tear because that probably would have hurt in the moment it happened)..
Because of all the upset in my current life and essentially the past two years especially, I think TMS decided to take over when it found a good excuse to do so. I say it happened 2 weeks ago but it could have been 8 or 9 days, I am bad w/ time. The bottom line is that I feel it's mostly TMS at this point, but started as a real injury..At least, that is what I am thinking now..THe other arm is hurting because of compensation. The tambourine I kind of went crazy w/ putting it over my head, etc. So I don't think it was the weight of it as much as the movements..
You are sooo right about how TMS has plagued me on and off for years..it is so annoying..the good news is that when I stop in here it always seems to help..:)
Last night in the middle of the night I was feeling guilty about not stopping by here more often to check in. Then I realized I was doing the typical TMS perfectionistic thing and I gave myself a pass..
Thanks again!
Hugs,
Karen |
|
|
|
Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2013 : 07:21:17
|
Thanks so much, Back2It..I am actually seeing a counselor now, but not sure if she has been thru what I have been thru w/ TMS, etc. She is good though and it is helping me deal w/ the heart break especially. That was the reason I began to see her, initially. I would go more often but I have to pay out of pocket. I had gotten an acupuncturist to do a trade for one of my paintings so that I get free, but I have to pay the therapist. She incorporates Reiki and other healing modalities like EMDR as well. I like her.
I have also been thinking about the mind body connection in the way Louise Hay discusses in her book "You can heal your life." Interestingly, shoulder/arm pain is supposed to indicated feelings of being alone, isolated and rejected! That is dead on, especially since I moved to a brand new state knowing no one but my boyfriend and now he is gone. Thank God I am making friends here now..I still feel isolated and alone in a lot of ways though because I am not close to my family..That is a whole other story..
Hugs,
K |
|
|
|
Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2013 : 07:24:24
|
| PS...and you are so right..When I sing I am 100% in the present and happy. Being in the Now is very important, indeed! And doing what you love is as well..I would love to leave my day job and sing full time..hoping this will come. I also haven't painted since leaving NJ in January and I miss it. Just haven't been in the right frame of mind and that is something one cannot force... |
|
|
|
tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2013 : 09:25:35
|
quote:
Originally posted by Singer_Artist
...I actually didn't think about it at all afterwards, however. It wasn't til the next day when I felt sharp pain in my left arm that I started wondering.
...I think some soft tissue injuries can kick in the next day or two after happening.
...So, I think there might have been a real sprain/strain (not a tear because that probably would have hurt in the moment it happened)..
NO! This goes contrary to TMS thinking. Dr. Sarno preaches that the body is STRONG! It's the mind that's weak. When you really injure yourself you KNOW it then and there. My shoulder "hurt" starting about two weeks ago. I kept hitting tennis balls and swimming, not feeling anything doing those activities. I thought of it as TMS. It has faded away, yesterday I noticed it was gone.
Chiro, Reiki and EMDR are contrary to TMS thinking also. You are getting some stress relief from them so they won't hurt you invasively, but won't help you reach your core TMS issues. You may get some emotional benefit depending on the empathy the practitioner shows you.
Did you ever buy one of those Koban ace style bandages I recommended to you for your sprained ankle?
G'luck! |
|
|
|
Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2013 : 10:33:03
|
Hey Tom,
I could not find that Koban ace anywhere I looked..The good news is I don't need it now anyway for the ankle..:) I appreciate your candidness and putting me in my place regarding my thinking on this..I have been saying affirmations almost continuously today because I am so stressed about everything.
Hugs,
K |
|
|
|
Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2013 : 20:04:41
|
Sorry to bring this up to the top again, but something happened tonight and I need to talk about it a bit..I brought Kaya (w/ the help of a friend) to a Law of Attraction class a friend teaches..Kaya is a very strong 140lbs wolf-dog..he doesn't realize his own strength. Since my left arm was 'injured' when he pulled me toward the rabbit I have been using my right arm as compensation and there has been pain in that arm too. That is the arm I paint w/ and hold the microphone..So, when this arm hurts the fear is deeper.
Tonight Kaya gave me his paw very intensely as a way of 'thanking me' for bringing him w/ me. I was at work all day and he didn't see me..Normally that doesn't hurt but his leg is very heavy..Well, just afterwards while still in class it did start to hurt and it continues..So now I am talking to my brain and telling it to STOP making me feel like a piece of GLASS..so darn fragile..I don't want to think I have a real injury or tear in a tendon/shoulder etc..this is soooo annoying..So I thought I would write about it b4 it takes over..
Hugs,
K |
|
|
|
Birdie78
Germany
145 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2013 : 12:55:41
|
Singer Artists
,
really sounds like typical TMS to me. When I "tms"-ed my right elbow and shoulder it shifted to the left side, too. Of course I thought that was because of compensation. But that's bull**** (sorry). All people with a broken arm use the other hand/leg for a few weeks and none of them injured the other hand due to "compensation" or overuse!
I can understand to 100% what's going on in your mind. It's the "what if....-anxious thing" that makes it worse. I am in the same place. Knowing on a very intelectual level what's going on but still fearing the symptoms (especially new ones). No wonder the TMS is still with me...
Kind regards from Germany sends Birdie |
|
|
|
Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2013 : 14:53:06
|
Thanks Birdie...I know you are right..The reminder about someone w/ a broken arm really helped!
Hugs,
K |
|
|
|
Birdie78
Germany
145 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2013 : 15:03:12
|
Oh, just see I was censored...oops sry for the bad word.
Singerartist, glad the example helped a bit.
Kind regards from Germany sends Birdie |
|
|
|
Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2013 : 07:15:38
|
Thanks Birdie..:)
Well here's a bit of good news for my fellow TMSer friends..I am improving. The hives went away, the arms are feeling better..still not 100% and I am only gradually increasing activity as Dr. Sarno recommends. The weird pain in my abdomen is gone too..(thanks Back2it!)I am saying affirmations a lot and praying a lot as well. Also reminding myself that I am not made of GLASS..that is a big one..
Hugs to all,
Karen |
|
|
|
NextAdventure
USA
57 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2013 : 08:12:33
|
I have a rotator cuff tear from poor posture sitting at a computer all day....and a lifetime of athletics.
I have had an MRI and an ultrasound and the tissue is damaged.
If I subscribed to the TMS - just forget it mantra I would be in surgery.
Not everything is one color - physical defects are not TMS. Before anyone buys the TMS as sole cause have tests done. You can damage yourself and never heal.
My wife continued to play tennis after an elbow injury and she is damn near crippled in that arm and it has been 25 years |
|
|
|
tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2013 : 08:56:12
|
quote:
Originally posted by NextAdventure
I have a rotator cuff tear from poor posture sitting at a computer all day....and a lifetime of athletics.
Nice try Ric--BUT--that is so antithetical to TMS it's FUNNY! You can NOT get a rotator cuff tear from POOR POSTURE--a bogus concept in itself and also contrary to the teachings of the Good Doctor--maybe if you AND and your computer fell out of a 4th story window landing on your shoulder. I have a "lifetime of athletics" too and am still in the game for life. I'm on the courts everyday, about to go out to play, and know lots of senior players who competing hard into their 90's and Ken Beer who played until dying at 102, hitting on a make-shift back-board at the senior home to keep tuned-up and his family taking him down to the club.
Too bad your wife didn't come to me for some coaching on proper technique, maybe she wouldn't have given up on the game. Hitting the ball wrong can make your arm sore but worse, makes the game mentally frustrating doing things in opposition to gravity, not being able to feel the joy and process of improvement, developing to one's fullest mindbody potential.
I dare say your wife's injury is more due to a combination of poor technique AND TMS. Has she thought of starting over, using her opposite arm, like Nadal does? I know a number of players who have switched arms and getting some proper coaching on how to create sound tennis strokes. I recently hit with a pro who played left handed to make matches with club players more competitive.
I just hit a basket of serves to a 15 year old kid the other day, hundreds of balls for over an hour, and my arm was a little sore afterwards but I'm not "crippled". You could say my right hip is "crippled" due to "arthritis"--(whatever that is?)--but I still play everyday for hours. The body is strong, it's the mind that's weak.
Chees,
tt/lsmft
==================================================
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
==================================================
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto
"The hot-dog is the noblest of dogs; it feeds the hand that bites it." Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter
"...the human emotional system was not designed to endure the mental rigors of a tennis match." Dr. Allen Fox
======================================================
"If it ends with "itis" or "algia" or "syndrome" and doctors can't figure out what causes it, then it might be TMS." Dave the Mod =================================================
TMS PRACTITIONERS:
John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035
Dr. Sarno is now retired, if you call this number you will be referred to his associate Dr. Rashbaum.
"...there are so many things little and big that are tms, I wouldn't have time to write about all of them": Told to icelikeaninja by Dr. Sarno
Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm
Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist
|
Edited by - tennis tom on 08/08/2013 10:12:17 |
|
|
|
Singer_Artist
USA
1516 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2013 : 09:53:24
|
| "The body is strong, it's the mind that is weak." I love that, T! Thanks for the advice NextAdventure but I really don't think mine is a tear because nothing violent enough happened to cause an actual tear, sprain/strain...yes..but now it's TMS I am battling. My dog pulling me was a strain, he is 138lbs..but it didn't hurt at all at the time it actually occurred..It started later that night/the next day and got worse. I think w/ a tear you feel something at the time it happens.. |
|
|
|
NextAdventure
USA
57 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2013 : 22:09:43
|
Tom
Wrong again but pedantic as usual...and dangerous Tom!!! Hours spent with the right arm extended “mousing” rotates the humorous forward in the glenoid where is comes into contact with the acromion and does micro tears to several soft tissue areas. The rotator cuff micro-tears from over compensation as can the traps.
As a FYI there is now case law the allows people to sue forum posters that cause pain and suffering or other damages due to incorrect information. You can relate what worked for you but when you make suggestions for treatment or non-treatment you are culpable.
Beware what you tell people – you are totally traceable and tort cases are costly.
The only people more dangerous than doctors are know-it-all forum Gods...self elected!!! |
|
|
|
tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 08/09/2013 : 00:22:14
|
| Ric, You've got me trembling in my boots. I forced you to keep on mousin', HA, HA, HA. There are two sites on the planet dedicated to TMS and you have to come here destroying people's HOPE. Right, like this is the first place that people have come to for a dx for their pain. How's that motorhome of yours, still sitting in the driveway? There's thousands of pain sites on the planet, so what do you do, go to all the others and tell them it's all in their heads and to read Sarno? See ya' in court. |
|
|
|
Back2-It
USA
438 Posts |
Posted - 08/09/2013 : 07:48:06
|
quote:
Originally posted by NextAdventure
The only people more dangerous than doctors are know-it-all forum Gods...self elected!!!
Well, then, "doctor", know thyself and do no harm.
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
Rotator cuff as TMS
