Chronic issues started at 60

Hello, my chronic pain and other weird symptoms like nausea, nerve pain, numbness, tinnitus and vision disturbances all started for me at the age of 60. This was following a fall I took in December where I suffered an injury. Have traumatic circumstances preceded chronic pain for anyone else?

 

Absolutely, my chronic symptoms started with a head-on car crash where I had acute injuries. However, the chronic issues I experienced including tinnitus, nerve pain, and other musculoskeletal pains have now been resolved by following the TMS approach.

As long as the injury has healed, which after 8 months is likely, then it shouldn't be causing chronic issues especially the range that you have described. As Dr Schubiner says, "All injuries heal and scars don't hurt."

Also, it is common for chronic symptoms to start after a traumatic injury -> especially one that is scary such as a fall, car crash etc... these without the proper emotional aftercare are prime events to generate a shit-load of fear, grief, anger which are the inner fuel for the chronic pain fire.

How new are you to this work?

Have you read any Dr Sarno?

A great starting place to learn is the Structured Educational Program which is free, easy-to-follow, and a genuine gem of a resource to learn about the TMS approach in a digestible way. I highly recommend anyone new to check it out!

 

Thank you both for your input. I am fairly new to these concepts as I have never suffered pain and symptoms like I have now. I have read Sarno and Weekes and Gordon books. I have done so much reflection on my life and my current circumstance and I can now recount many things in my past that were probably TMS. Things like becoming allergic to lipstick and developing skin rashes and a pain in my upper left trap that was not consistently there. I used to think of myself as a strong woman. Then I fell in an ice storm and broke both my wrists and then a year later fell again and really hurt my neck. Now I am just full of anxiety and I see myself as weak and fragile. I just turned 60. I know that I have lived a life on the edge of anxiety ever since I was a child. I will continue working toward recovery because I think I can get there.

 

Oh amazing with the reading - that is a powerful platform you are starting from.

It is quite remarkable how many symptoms pop up as TMS when we look back with curiosity and depth. A few of mine include tinnitus, hayfever, regular stomach aches.

Jan mentions a really important part of why TMS has developed - a fall is a huge trigger (let alone two) especially as it it has negatively impacted your sense of identity. I get the feeling that there must be a lot of rage, grief, despair, sadness and whatever else associated with this shift in identity. It likely would be a good area to journal about!

When I looked back I realised I was anxiety-prone as a child too. Sometimes this can get me down like "I'll always be like this", but at other times I am so grateful I have the awareness and TMS knowledge to continue to process the emotions, thoughts, and fear that keep anxiety alive.

I love that you are keeping work towards recovery -> I am rooting for you!

 

Hi, @lkelse
I’m in my 60s, too, and always thought of myself as strong til this most recent TMS. I know how tempting it is to be overwhelmed. But it sounds like your underlying belief is one of hope. Mine too! We will get there because of this hope. And a lot of hard work. The 60s are the new 40s, so we’re still young!

 

Thank you so much for the support. It means so much to me to know I am not alone in this!!

 

Thank you Diana-M and Yes, we are still young. My doctor even told me I am the picture of health, I just need to believe it!! Positive vibes and attitude go a long way!!

 

I believe this very much! And that’s great that your doctor gave you such a good bill of health! Onward and upward!

 

Sorry to hear about your fall.

I had similar issues. I am 67 this September.

On Boxing day last year I went on a hike & fell badly from steps onto the hillside landing flat on my back. I strained my neck to avoid hitting my head. At the time, I was amused & a bit bewildered as was my friend with whom I was hiking as it happened without any provocation as such. I picked myself up & thought Ok everything feels fine, looked for my sunglasses which had been flung some distance away, saw the ferry approaching & actually ran to the pier to get it.

I was a bit shaken but i didn't feel any different & even went to a New Year's Eve party staying up till 4am.

Then first week of January I got headache. Had it checked. They said perhaps concussion & wanted to do a scan & I said I'd wait. Of course then I went home & read up concussion symptoms & then I get vertigo. Back to the doctor & we do a brain CT. Nothing shows up. I get an injection, some pills & go home. Vertigo is better & I start getting heart palpitations & my BP starts going up & down. This is early February by now . Back to the hospital this time they admit me for 2 nights. i have a portable BP monitor on & I get a brain MRI, echocardiogram, & tilt table test. All comes back clear. I'm back home & OK for a week when I get bad gut pain after drinking a cup of hot chocolate (go figure) & along with that I get v bad back pain. Back to the doctor who prescribe Arcoxia & valium. I do the Arcoxia for a week & valium for 3 days. Doctor recommends colonoscopy & endoscopy.

I had a break planned in Phuket where we have a second home so we go anyway & since medical tourism is excellent there I get my endoscopy & colonoscopy done there. Except for some v mild inflammation in my stomach otherwise everything looks good.

But I still feel awful.

After 3 weeks I'm home & then out of the blue I get a UTI which I never have which then leads to a month of pelvic pain. More MRI's of back & pelvis which guess what -come back normal!!!! Even then I'm given a low dose of gabapentin which makes me nauseous. Its now May.

Now I'm well & truly fed up & then I realise what has happened. The dr that I saw for the pelvic pain actually suggested that perhaps my nervous system was over sensitised & I should try meditating. Boom that was it! I realised I have scared myself silly. I have fallen into the TMS trap. I had noceboed myself sick after the fall.

I had surrounded myself with DIMs. The fall shifted something- made me feel frail, old, afraid, afraid of the future, vulnerable. I was angry, I was scared. Aging is enraging. Friends started telling me to be more careful. These are friends who are on various pills for HBP, cholesterol, sugar, heart problems, thyroid problems etc etc who don't walk, don't exercise. I had somehow started believing them. I had started seeing myself as someone frail. My brain in its attempt to help me started protecting me by giving me more & more symptoms .

I knew I had to break the cycle. I knew that if I was to be believe this is TMS that I had to break the fear cycle & get back to normal living, break the anxiety.

So I changed things around. I started collecting more SIMs. My husband is my biggest supporter & he said you are a very healthy 67 year old. He reminded me of all the things I could do at my age- hike, travel, yoga etc, he told me I was healthy, that i don't take any medication for any illness & to stop thinking of myself as an 'old' person. Beginning June I started engaging in all my previous activities. Confronted my fears. Started with small hikes, meeting friends for coffee again, kept an evidence journal, kept a gratitude list, ate what I liked, ignored the symptoms.

Yesterday I did a 6 km hike. V strenuous uphill & downhill & in v hot weather.

We are as young as we think we are. Believe in yourself. Injuries heal. Yours will too.

All the best.

 

Great story, @Mala! (What are SIMs?)