just joined today

Don't worry about it AND DON'T GO THINKING YOUR DUMB! That's a big part of the TMS personality and the "universal inferiority complex" that most everyone with any humanity in them possess. We're all dumb until we make mistakes, f'up, learn from them and evolve into smart.

Don't worry about what to tell your doc, they hear it all day long, probably 80% of those in the waiting room are suffering from TMS. If you get to blurt out 30 seconds to the doc uninterrupted, you'll be doing good. In modern medicine you're just like a car going down the medical/industrial assembly line. You'll get more empathy and hand-holding from your mechanic or vet. You'll get the usual tests, blood and urine (remember to save up so you don't feel additional TMS tension), they'll be sent out to the lab to see if you're outside the normal parameters, deficiencies will be red-flagged if any, and maybe get an RX for something. If you haven't collapsed in downward dog you're probably healthy. Modern defensive medicine is really good at dx'ing disease--don't forget about "gray-hair of the spine", (it's in the books), and don't ask a barber if you need a haircut. A TMS physician should be radically different, spending an hour or more discussing your emotional history etc. and do a palpation exam at the TMS tender spots. Unfortunately TMS physicians are few and far between, but by eliminating structural causes that may need attention or treatment, you are safe to pursue the TMS protocol.

Cheers,
tt

 

Hey TT

Thanks so much for this you made me laugh a lot, I do take things overly seriously at times and need to stop building myself up for failure all the time. I have had a great afternoon thinking about my pain and I got sort of annoyed with the back pain and it moved to my head and gave me a mild tension headache which then just went away....that pain certainly is a slippery customer. I feel much better for all the help I am getting on this site and less tense about seeing my GP

Big thanks

Helen

 

Thanks, I will do just that and see what happens

 

If your doctor prescribes medication, ask him or her what that's for.
Then ask about any natural ways of dealing with your pain or anxiety.
A Google search and You Tube will take you to web sites and free CDs or videos
that suggest natural ways to avoid pharmaceuticals.

 

Wow, your post generated some great responses! Just want to add that if your GP says you have fibromyalgia or arthritis or whatever, this does NOT mean learning about TMS work won't help you. Quite the opposite. Many conditions that medical doctors diagnose are actually TMS. Fibromyalgia, for one. I know because I was diagnosed with it and Dr. Sarno's book was immensely helpful. In fact, it vanished! Even conditions that have a physical component will often improve greatly when the psychological impact is acknowledged and dealt with. This is no small thing. In fact, it can make all the difference between a treatable problem and a problem that threatens your quality of life, work, family, etc..

One of the practitioners here (sorry, I dont remember who) suggests keeping a list of TMS successes and any sign that TMS is at work in your life. This will serve to bolster your confidence at those low moments when a part of you thinks, "This has got to be physical!" No, it doesn't. If TMS methods work (and they very likely will) that means "thinking psychological" is going to help you.

Did anyone tell you what SEP is? If not, here a link: http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Structured_Educational_Program

Another good starting place is Alan Gordon's program: http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/TMS_Recovery_Program

I think you will find either very helpful. All the best and welcome to the forum.

 

Hi Helen,

You mentioned that you have been reluctant to see a doctor to rule out serious illness because you are afraid of finding out something bad. I have that also. Every time I go for a test of any kind, I fear that it will reveal something terrible, even if I am relatively sure nothing is seriously wrong and even knowing that I have TMS. This is a closely related mental condition known as hypochondria. Hypochondriacs have an underlying fear that there is something seriously wrong with their health. The mention of serious illnesses is often enough to send them into endless worry and rumination, imagining that they have a specific, terrible disease. They can be extremely fearful of any test or medical procedure. No one knows what really causes this, but generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder are closely related.

You might want to read a book called "Phantom Illness" by Carla Cantor and Brian Fallon. I think it is the most up-to-date book on the subject today. This book helped me understand myself.

 

Thanks so much for your post. I have no idea if my GP will be able to call my pains anything, I don't fit the arthritis diagnosis as I don't have the typical symptoms ( I know this as have spent ages googling them and have a friend with arthritis and she is really unable to move due to pain and swollen joints. I dont think its fibromyalgia as i dont have the tender points and I am mostly very energetic....I also spend too much time reading about what this might be and often get some relief but I still keep asking myself why do I get so many aches and pains that come and go and on bad days I get so fearful and cry a lot. I am learning so much from this forum but realise in order for this to work I have to give up looking for a definite cause and look beyond the purely physical symptoms and see the bigger picture. I know this will be a struggle but I am determined to give it a go. I will let you know what my GP says

Many thanks

Helen

 

Hey, thanks for your reply. I am the most terrible worrier and know I am a hypochondriac but pretend I am not. I am quite ashamed as I know this problem causes me so many anxieties. I feel at some times my mind is really unhelpful and keeps churning up a whole host of very unhelpful thoughts and emotions. I am daunted by how far I have to go but am tired of all this self sabotage and fear. I havent told anybody about these pains or my fears around them as at the heart of it I feel very ashamed of being this way, which suggests I have some awareness of this being a psychological issue rather than just a physical one.

Thanks for all the support

Helen

 

I just realised I never answered your question, I am from Birmingham UK so am a Brit. Thanks for all the information you sent, am very appreciative

Helen