I'm in pain from head to toe + battling anxiety disorder

It's not that old Tom! It's a 1970 Dodge Polara convertible. Heading out in 15 mins to start her up. i'll update the thread later today.

 

Cool MOPAR! I'm a convertible/stick guy, TMS multitasking. Any convertible with a stick is cool! What engine you got in it? I just started one of mine up recently, it smelled really bad for a while--I think a rat might have made a nest in the tail-pipe over the winter.

 

STOP GOOGLING allopathic symptoms, it will only land you in the funny farm. Only google TMS stuff until you cleanse your brain of the structural and brainwash/recondition your sub-c into TMS thinking.

SteveO says listening to music is good for the TMS brain. I listen to an FM radio while I run in the pool for half an hour daily. If you don't have SteveO's great TMS book "THE GREAT PAIN DECEPTION" it's a must read! I don't know how he had the time to research all he put into it in a lifetime. It's a practical handbook to psychology. Anyone with a mind should keep one in their medicine cabinet and the glove box of their car.

Cheers,
tt

 

Car ran good......and funny you mention a stick, I'm abt ready to sell it and get a stick. They are so much more a driving enthusiast's car than an automatic.

 

Mdh, good luck with the antique car. That can be a terrific distraction from TMS.

I love distractions. Just dropped one Internet and telephone provider and took another.
Talk about distractions! Two hours later and all is well and almost 50 percent cheaper.

 

Why do you think I'm still on Xanax? I know taking benzos isn't a long-term solution. And I realize that tapering off the drug isn't an easy process either. You can end up having unimaginable panic attacks...and muscle pains. So far, it's been working as the best muscle relaxant for me, but I don't think it's safe for me to use it much longer (it's already been 3 months).

I bought the book 2 days ago. Just didn't have much time to read it. I have to finish my MA thesis first.

 

Glad it started up for you OK--now drop the top and drive it like you stole it--and then sell it, and trade up to a stick. What are you thinking of replacing it with?

 

Bunneh, you need a distraction from that thesis! The load of your schoolwork certainly doesn't help but no pain, no gain when it comes to education. Agreed Walt and Tom, distractions are a good thing when it comes to TMS, it is just impossible to keep oneself distracted all day. Like right now my throat area is twitching and of course that is worrying me. Thinking about a Poncho Tom, I owned a 69 grand prix stick before and it handled amazingly for the 40+ yr old car. So maybe a 68-72 GTO ragtop or a 70-72 Chevelle or a 67-72 Cutlass.

Maybe a nice big glass of wine will help me relax tonight!

 

mdh157 - Do not worry about the twitching. Have you ever heard about Benign Fasciculation Syndrome? Sounds like this may be TMS since it gets aggravated by stress and the symptoms DO improve in most of patients over some period of time.I read about it last month when I was really worried that I might have the ALS. Here, hope this helps a bit:
http://www.aboutbfs.com/forums/view...ation.com/aboutbfs/forums/viewtopic.php?t=203

A little update on my symptoms:
My neck pain seems to have lost it's grip, but instead I'm experiencing some strange pressure in my left armpit and the inner side of my elbow, as if my blood vessels were constrited. My arm gets a bit tingly when I try to stretch it. Could this be TMS related?

 

Bunneh, you might just be impinging a nerve a bit when you stretch your arm, this could cause all/part of your arm to get tingly. If it goes back to normal within a short time after you stop doing so then it is likely something benign. It may also be RSI/TOS, both of which Sarno says are TMS.

YEs, i've read up on BFS a while ago but it hasn't completely quelled my fears. i'm better than I was - worry a bit less, but still cannot shake this nagging fear.

 

Hi Bunneh,

I don't have much time but I wanted to let you know I suffered with panic attack for years, for 20+ years. Eventually, I learned how to avoid the most terrible panic attacks for the most part, but there was this underlying fear... fear of having one, fear of all the things that felt so real when I was having a panic attack... There are some simple videos on anxiety that I discovered on this site and I always recommend them. Just search under anxiety and video and you will find them. They are also on Utube.
I found them so helpful. They are all about accepting the fear, noticing the physical sensations associated with the fear and welcoming it. That one simple exercise had helped me so much more than all the specialists. it works!

 

"...there are so many things little and big that are tms, I wouldn't have time to write about all of them" Dr. Sarno

It could be TMS, I can't say for sure because I'm here and you're there, and I'm a tennis player and not a doctor. My tennis malpractice insurance won't cover me for bad TMS calls over the internet, only for bad calls on the court. It could be something Dr. Sarno called THE SYMPTOM IMPERATIVE. It's like when you have a leak in a dam and you plug one hole and another hole opens up. The whole dam needs restructuring, patching it one hole at a time won't make it.

"Constricted blood vessels" sounds an awful lot like Dr. Sarno's constriction of oxygen to a few cells creating excruciating, but benign , pain. That's when the TMS acronym stood for Tension Myositis Syndrome, now it stands for THE MINDBODY SYNDROME, covering more things. Dang it, I can't get the bold and purple to turn off now--if your armpit turns the color of my post then get it checked out by a doc. I'm impressed by your excellent English for someone in Poland. Was that picture of you and Lars taken there or were you here? Can you post a pic of more you and less Lars, you look cute, no offense.

 

Hi MDH, how did that big glass of wine work out, the Good Doctor did say to curl-up with a bottle of wine if the pain gets to be too much. I'm partial to the Olds 4-4-2 since my first and second cars were Old's. I wasn't familiar with the term "poncho", looking it up I found this : http://www.carseatponcho.com/, I think I want one for me in my Jeep on cold days in Colorado with the top down.

Cheers,
tt/lsmft

 

Tom,

"Poncho" is slang for Pontiac. Also, I've owned two '67 Cutlass ragtops, loved both of them!

 

I've been living with anxiety and panic attacks that began when I was a teenager.
I still have to keep positive, that anxiety is just part of who I am.
I am a goodist and believe that is the basis of it all. But that's who I am.
I would rather be a caring person than be free of anxiety.
I am still learning not to take life so seriously.
Anne, you know what I mean.

 

I think we do a lot of this stuff to ourselves Walt, trying to be something we are not, pushing ourselves too hard, etc.

 

Pushing too hard is what I've been doing my entire life. I think it's due to my mother being bipolar and when she's in a psychotic state, she criticizes everything and everyone around. I've been trying to get used to it since childhood, but back then I didn't even realize her behavior was related to mental health issues. Whenever she told me how stupid and hopeless I was, I tried to do everything right just to please her. I developed Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder when I was about 11. You know, putting books in alphabetic order (or by colors of covers), being obsessed about symmetry, etc. - crazy stuff.
This is what gave rise to my perfectionism. As I've said before, I have difficulties accepting failures in life and also, honestly, I hate my reatil job. Will have to do something about it after my graduation (in a couple of months, I hope). I realize that trying to make my biggest dream come true - becoming a tattoo artist - will only generate more pressure, but hell, I'm doing this anyway.

Tennis Tom - thank you for your kind words. I've been learning English for 15+ years, so pursuing an M.A. degree in English philology was the only reasonable option for me. It's extremely inspiring to hear such a compliment from a native speaker. You boosted my confidence.
As for the profile pic, I'll update it later (I'm a redhead now,lol). The current one was taken a year ago before 'Tallica gig in Warsaw.
I've never been to the USA but I'm planning to go there one day. Once I'm there, I'll go to Walmart to pick up some spray cheese. I wonder how it tastes like and we don't have it here. Lol, now it sounded like Poland was a sh*thole. It isn't, trust me. It's just me who is in love with American culture, customs, literature, music, products... (the list goes on and on). I also dream about my very own GMC. God, they're so awesome!

 

awesome clip meeting Kirk, he is a really cool gentle hearted soul! not what you'd expect in a metal band.
Your English is excellent by the way! keep on learning and challenging the symptoms.

 

I want to leave Ireland as its really depressing at present with the country in ruins. I am struggling to get up the guts(&money) to emigrate somewhere and feel I missed my chance a few years ago post graduation.
again I know I would probably do fine but I made the decision I was getting to the bottom of my chronic back pain before moving on with life...thats how important it is to me.

 

Bunneh, you will never be free until you can back off on your pushing/OCD, at least to some extent. I have been working on it and although I have a long way to go I can already feel different, less on edge sometimes. I have also had a high stress part-time job for the past 27 years that I have decided to retire from effective 30 June. Hopefully all my symptoms are anxiety; and if they are then life should get a lot better as I work through this stuff.

It is so darn hard to 'let go' sometimes, but if you look around you will notice that many who are always pushing seem to be stressed out. The happiest people that I've noticed seem to be those who have just enough to get by and no worries about making more $$, getting a bigger house, car, etc. None of that crap is worth your sanity and peace of mind. Perhaps it is what we all need - to buck the trend of society and stop trying to emulate everyone else.

It won't happen overnight, but I can guarantee you will be living a happier life.