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art
1903 Posts |
 Posted - 05/14/2005 : 10:37:25
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Hi Group..
As a newbie trying to sort my way through all of this stuff, it occurs to me that biggest challenge for me lies in identifying those symptoms that are TMS based, and those that have some underlying structural reality.
I have no problem at all attributing my once chronic back problems to TMS, but athletic injuries, over-use injuries and seemingly acute trauma as well to a certain extent, are much more difficult, especially when they follow on seemingly clear-cut "trigger events."
One specific question I have...if there's some observable symptom like swelling, does that rule TMS out? It would seem at first glance that it would, but on the other hand lots of things that seem intuitively true turn out not to be so when examined throuh the TMS lens..
Aside from that, I'd be interested in a list of clues that might be used to build a case that a particular "injury" might in fact be TMS...
Any help would be greatly appreciated...
A.
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celestica
Canada
38 Posts |
Posted - 05/14/2005 : 19:43:41
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Hi Art,
from my experience, acute swelling does not rule out a TMS injury. The mind can provoke some pretty powerful physical reactions, up to and including death. I had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in one finger which spread to my whole hand. My boss came to my desk and actually said "oh my god!" when she saw it. I was being treated by a rheumatologist who gave me Bextra (a vioxx equivalent)and said this condition could last my whole life and eventually damage my cartilege and render me crippled. While I suspected it was due to the fact that I hated my job I had no proof, until the day after I quit, when the condition disappeared. I once felt a similar twinge in the finger, but that was temporary and due to similar feelings at a new job (fear, anxiety, out of control). I figured then it was TMS striking again.
As for injuries due to overuse, yes, they happen too. So if you see swelling related to recently pushing yourself really hard at the gym try ice and see if it follows the normal trajectory of an overuse injury - i.e. acute pain that responds to ice and gradually gets better, without the flare-ups and comings and goings of TMS pain.
You might want to explore if you're pushing yourself too hard at the gym and not being good to your body. Are you angry at your body? Or yourself? Do you want to prove something? If so to whom? Are you seeking admiration from someone? (someone from your childhood?)
Take care,
Amelia. |
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Baseball65
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2005 : 08:22:45
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Hi Art
TMS can cause lots of very real and observable phenomena.For one,in the 14 or so months I was stricken with my worse case,my leg atrophied to a toothpick.Also,there used to be a big gnarled mass of ??? right at the 'spot' that Sarno speaks about(the tender spot in the back)....this just went away in the last year,though I've been painfree for years.
I had a set collapse on me at work...weighed maybe 800-1000 lbs.It crushed my neck and my left hand.Having already been through the program,I guess my brain didn't go after the NASTY bruise on my shoulder/neck,but about a week later,my left hand was in so much pain I couldn't open the 2 quart pressure pot that I use every day(I'm a painter)...the ring and middle finger were so swollen I couldn't move them.
I went to the "best hand specialist" in Beverly Hills,who diagnosed me as having torn the netting that protects the ligaments/muscles of the hands.He told me it would take 4-6 weeks to heal.......8 weeks later it was still excruciating.
That's when I hit the book again.I realized I was angry at my Boss when the accident happened,was angry that I was 'laid off' coincidentally on the day I asked to see an MD.,and was scared because of the scarcity of work at the time(worked in the TV and Film biz)
I re-worked my way through the pain(and it HURT) and was better from this clearly 'structural' trauma about a week after I decided it was TMS.....If I hadn't already have done the work,I'm sure it would have been longer.
YES TMS can have all sorts of 'physical' appearances.
-out
Baseball65 |
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art
1903 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2005 : 17:05:22
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Amelia wrote quote:
You might want to explore if you're pushing yourself too hard at the gym and not being good to your body. Are you angry at your body? Or yourself? Do you want to prove something? If so to whom? Are you seeking admiration from someone? (someone from your childhood?)
Wonderful, thought provoking questions..I actually think I am angry at my body for getting old. I hadn't thought about this until you asked...All my life I've had an athlete's body. I could build muscle almost by simply looking at a nautilus machine..Without even trying my weight has always been good and I was almost never injured.
Now, suddenly (or so it seems), I'm 54 years old and feel betrayed by my own body. I'm injured all the time now. On top of at all, I'm angry at myself for being such a narcissist. I mean, who cares if I don't have the body of a twenty year old any more? But I can't help it. I feel sad that I can't lift the weight that I used to and that the young girls don't notice me any more. I know that sounds pathetically vain, but the emotions nonetheless are real..
And I think I'm full of fear as well...not so much of dying, though I can't say it's a pleasant notion...but of old age. If I'm having a hard time at 54, even though by most standards I'm still in excellent shape, what's it going to be like when I'm 64 or 74? Obviously, I have an awful lot of work to do if I'm going to make peace with all of this... |
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art
1903 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2005 : 17:21:18
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Baseball wrote quote:
YES TMS can have all sorts of 'physical' appearances
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Thanks so much Baseball..You know, this stuff is just fascinatingly powerful. As I think I asked once before on this board,is there no limit to the power and treachery of our own minds?
The thing I find myself admiring the most as a new member is how courageous so many of you are..
I'm a golfer and I've had a rib injury for years now. It just won't get better. Before I started to try to think in TMS terms I would have staked my life that it was real. Now I'm beginning to understand that it's not so simple...That is, something that begins as a "legitimate" injury can become exacerbated and chronic under the evil ministrations of the mind...Last year I really went whole hog and played lots of golf despite my pain. Then in early October I went to the driving range and was having some problems with my swing so I hit balls for a couple of hours. I finally had to stop the pain was so bad. I had no reason at all to question the reality of the injury..
But...and this is a big "but" I'm beginning to see...I haven't touched a golf club in six months..One would think an injury like that would have healed in all that time...So, why did it begin hurting again after hitting just a few balls..? So now I'm thinking that perhaps its TMS keeping this thing alive..I don't know (big sigh)...
You could fill a decent sized building with all the things I do not know in this world..
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Baseball65
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2005 : 18:50:14
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Art.
Just to show you how ridiculous TMS symptoms can be,when I realized my hand was indeed TMS,I immediately went out to play a hard game of catch....I put on a firstbasemens mitt because it was the closest one on the rack.
I played through the pain focusing on my anger towards my boss.
so.....months later after it's just a memory,my finger goes 'stiff' for a split second every time I put on a firstbasemens mitt...no other glove,just a Ist sacker....
TMS is really funny
Baseball65 |
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wolf29
USA
108 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2005 : 09:23:31
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quote:
Originally posted by art
I actually think I am angry at my body for getting old.
I'm injured all the time now. On top of at all, I'm angry at myself for being such a narcissist. I mean, who cares if I don't have the body of a twenty year old any more? But I can't help it. I feel sad that I can't lift the weight that I used to
And I think I'm full of fear as well...not so much of dying, though I can't say it's a pleasant notion...but of old age.
You pretty much just described me there as well Art. I'm 42 and in the best shape of my life but I'm never satisfied and get frustrated when I can't lift what I used to. So I push myself a little harder each time.
But lately, even when I am careful in how I lift, I seem to easily get injured. Resting doesn't seem to help so I do feel it's classic TMS. The fear of getting hurt is now in the back of my mind with each workout. Something I'm working on breaking. It's silly because I feel fine during my workouts and nothing hurts, yet I expect to be in pain the next morning and I usually am. Viscious cycle I need to break and will.
Hang in there. It can be overcome. I am doing exercises now I couldn't do months ago so I know it's progress no matter how slow it may feel.
Jay |
Edited by - wolf29 on 05/16/2005 09:24:55 |
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miehnesor
USA
430 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2005 : 12:18:39
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quote:
Originally posted by art
The thing I find myself admiring the most as a new member is how courageous so many of you are..
Art- Thanks for saying that- it triggered me once again. Not only are TMS'ers courageous for what we are doing now to heal ourselves (and saying no to the misinformation we get from the medical community(Baseball's horror story- really got me) but we were also courageous as kids in that we survived some difficult stuff as children in often messed up families and very painful situations. |
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wisdom to know the difference
