Possible abdominal adhesions or psoas syndrome.....TMS?

I have been experiencing 24/7 pain on my left side. It started on my front lower left side then pain spread to my left hip and then to left back thoracic and lumbar spine. My chiropractor and massage therapist think it's adhesions from previous abdominal surgery. I had these surgeries over 20 years ago and never had any issues. This pain started almost 2 years ago after a very stressful time. I'm told my psoas muscle is also locked on the left side. I'm looking for any similar experiences and stories of recovery through mind/body methods. Thank you very much

 

Hi @ciaobella555
I have right side pain, and I do believe it has a lot to do with my psoas. I had abdominal surgery, however I think in my case the reason for the surgery may have actually been TMS pain, along with a physically apparent reason that may have been what physicians reasoned must have been the cause of the pain. In my case, I recognize I have probably had TMS since a child.
Dani from MyTMSJourney also feels that the psoas may play a large role in TMS - it is long considered a muscle which can "store" emotion - or that we tense with emotion. https://mytmsjourney.com/resources/the-role-of-the-psoas-muscle-in-common-tms-symptoms/ (The role of the psoas muscle in common TMS symptoms)

I have muscle tension and "compensation" in my abdomen as well as most places in my body. I'm tense all the time, and this tension follows specific patterns. It can be described as having rotated pelvis, overly pronated feet, body rotations, SI joint disfunction, overly extended posture and much more, often described as "compensations" by PT's.
For many many years I've suspected that at least part of it is psoas issues. I've had lots of physical therapy, alternative therapies, myofunctional therapy, chiro... nothing worked and nobody has really figured out why. I have had abdominal surgery for endometriosis which I have read explained as TMS by some. I don't know. I do know that I had abdominal pain and low back pain for a very long time afterwards and gripped and held on to those muscles (still do!) Currently I have a ton of muscle knots in my abdomen.
One thing I realize is that even if there are some physical issues, most of my "worst" times have been during times of extreme stress or emotional upheaval.
TMS is described as a "stress illness" or a time for emotional reflection to change our perspective of how we view pain, how we have been leading our internal lives and release (or not) tension.
Phil De La Haye is a UK TMS coach who describes similar symptoms that you have "left side pain" and hip pain. He is almost fully recovered now. Dani Fagan is fully recovered. Honestly, most folks just describe "hip pain" or "back pain" as a symptom they recover from without too much detail. Many have recovered.
I am still in the middle of my journey to complete wellness. I wish you good luck on yours!

 

Thank you Cactusflower!
I really appreciate your message. I'm sorry you are dealing with something similar. I have looked into the psoas muscle and I've learned about how it can store trauma and emotions. I have tried many methods to release the tension held there but so far I haven't been successful. I do follow he people you mentioned, Phil and Dani. What have you found most helpful for you as you go through this TMS journey?

 

@ciaobella555
Loaded question since I’m having a tough day!
Most helpful for myself is having a support team. When I desperately want to talk about symptoms, I have a TMS coach and now a psychotherapist that keep the mention of the symptoms 100% psychological and based on TMS science. I have another few team members who are able to address some of the physical, but I’m trying to use only TMS approach only so they are there if needed, but right now the physicality of their skills is not my focus.
For me, meditation and somatic tracking are very helpful with anxiety. Having a very safe and comfortable place to unwind is also at the top of my list.
I stretch and strengthen a bit daily and walk. No amount of anything physical has helped for very long.
I try and spend time feeling my feelings in my body. Journalling was helpful with me at first but I simply often do not feel I get anywhere with it. I try daily, but doing eg what is described as “journalspeak” doesn’t work for me. It works for many and I hope I can get to the point it helps me.
I read TMS books (and some self help books) - some have been helpful and some frankly have scared the crap out of me with their approach (or I just don’t relate to their mindset). My favorites right now are Alan Gordon’s The Way Out and Mary Ruth Velicki’s three book series (mind-body, not just TMS).

Lastly, keeping an open mind about how this journey to wellness can evolve.

 

ciaobella: A ton of TMS success stories which you can filter by type (back pain, sacroilliitus, neck pain, etc.) here: https://www.sirpa.org/success-stories/ (Recovery Stories - SIRPA UK)

You might have to read or watch them to see how close it is to your exact symptoms/situation, but maybe worth a shot. If nothing else they are very encouraging, if you are pretty sure you have TMS. If I need a shot of hope sometimes I watch one. Hope it helps.

 

Thank you! I find the success stories so helpful and motivating.

 

Hello , I’ve been experiencing the same symptoms. Has this work helped you?

 

Hi,

I have had similar symptoms for 3 years. It brought me to this forum 2 months ago. I think my biggest obstacle has been that these symptoms seem so unusual. But I am learning, there is honestly no limit to what TMS can do. If it scares you— it’s working. It will keep it up. So the goal is to get to the point where it doesn’t rule your life. Easier said than done!

Right now, I can barely get out of my house. When I head to the door, my psoas grips me like a vice. It’s almost laughable. If I go back to the couch, it eases off. This TMS lizard brain of mine doesn’t want me to do anything. But that’s not living. So I’m fighting it. I go out anyway.

For the past 30 years, I’ve had TMS, and without knowing about Sarno, many times I made it go away by ignoring it. So that’s a clue!

This forum is a gold mine. I pore over it. Every thread has nuggets!

Journaling seems to be universally discussed here as a significant healing factor. It’s hard for me and doesn’t seem to help much (yet). But I believe that perhaps I have a long way to chip through this rocky outer shell I have. And maybe one day, I’ll bust through all the way. So I’m sticking with it. In the meantime,‘I truly am learning a lot about myself and things that bug me. I had no idea!

Fear causes tension. So we have to get rid of the fear. There are so many sources for it. Past trauma is one. For really bad stuff like mine, it takes a psychotherapist.

Fear from this crazy world can also cause it. Sometimes you just have to dial that down by turning off social media or TV, or even friends and relatives that always bring negative and scary thoughts. The best TMS teacher on getting rid of the fear I have found is Dan Buglio. He has a daily 10-min. video. It is really worth it.

I also do a daily app on anxiety. It’s called the DARE method. It is fantastic. I consider my symptoms to be a type of anxiety in my body, so I’m approaching it that way.

The free courses here on the wiki are also a really good place to start. https://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Structured_Educational_Program (Structured Educational Program)

and

https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/ (Pain Recovery Program)

I hope any of this helps. But I can say, I believe we can heal. I really do. It’s just a lot of hard work.

 

Thank you for this! I’m sorry but I never got a notification for your reply. How have you been lately? Do you have abdominal adhesions as well?

 

Hi! I’m doing better than when I last wrote you. Many of these symptoms have subsided somewhat. I’m just working on it day by day. How are you doing?

 

I’m having ups and downs and not sure how to deal with this. In July, I had an ultrasound done it showed I have a hydrosalpinx which is a blocked fallopian tube from scar tissue. So there is something structural there. But, sometimes structural findings don’t necessarily mean there should be pain, right? I mean I had an ovarian cyst in that same side that reached my liver and I had zero symptoms. This was 8 years ago. But I’ve always had this fear in the back of my head that one day these adhesions will cause me problems because my gynecologist informed me I have them. Im curious though , do you have adhesions? Have you had surgery in your abdomen? I’m happy your feeling better

 

No. No surgery. The thing you have to be careful of is doctors scaring you. They don’t acknowledge the mind- body connection. So all they can do is point out something they think they could use to explain your symptoms. YOU have to build up your confidence that you have TMS. You can do this by reading a lot of Sarno and reading posts over time on this forums helps. So many people are told things that just aren’t true. And they heal using the techniques for TMS. But you have to get to the point that you’re willing to do the introspective and usually painful internal work to get better. Focusing on medical diagnoses is just a distraction.

 

I agree with you, but it’s so hard for me to convince my brain that it’s TMS when the pain is in the same spot the blocked fluid is at. It started as reoccurring functional cysts that would grow in that area. Then the pain became chronic and after imaging it was seen twice on an ultrasound (hydrosalpinx) . Interestingly, I read online that some women have it and don’t even know it. It’s found coincidentally. Maybe my body is sensitive to pain. To be fair though, I’ve had my TMS experience many times over most of my adulthood years. I’m just stuck on this one.

 

You are stuck because it found a place you will finally believe is a real medical problem. Your TMS brain is YOU. It knows good and well how to scare you. You have to keep mentally fighting it. Over and over in your head. Say, “Nope! Not believing you! I’ve had TMS my whole life. This is just another time. Another version. Another day.” Then: do some journaling (or get therapy, as the case may be) and figure out what your TMS wants you to avoid feeling or thinking about. Take way it’s reason. If you access these “hidden” feelings, TMS will be pointless. It will go away.