TMS and low oxygen

Today I decided to go for a walk in the park - it is an absolutely beautiful day in our city. I was feeling very anxious beforehand but I want to get back to exercising more and also just wanted to try to ignore the back and hip pain and see how far I could get. So I had had my pulse oximeter with me...yes I am scared...but I am overweight, 70 and I take my precautions. So for those who may not know, your oxygen should be >95 and mine showed 78 halfway through this walk. My heart rate should have been in the 80-90 range but it was 60 something. Never have i had numbers like this! I felt ok except for extreme anxiety. I have been just been seen by two cardiologist, had a chest CT, and last week an echocardiogram with very good results. The cardiologist in fact wants me to exercise. So I wonder if TMS could possibly cause this. I do have asthma but its mild and well controlled. I am trying to move forward and focus on stuff besides back pain but when this kind of thing happens it makes me want to lie down again. All I want right now is an answer to this and a xanax.

 

Sweetheart, yes TMS can cause this. It can cause all manner of terrifying things and this I say with great surety.

I’m going through easily the most stressful time of my life (the austerity measures in the UK are inflicting brutal assessments and sanctions on disabled people and my beautiful husband is being put through the grinder. Three months in and counting. Rage and Panic are quesy bedfellows).

I’ve been soldering on. On Thursday I went to see our MP to garner his support. I left that meeting and the back of my head exploded with pain. That night I had an emotional meltdown that would have made TMS cringe. Friday I still couldn’t function. This morning my speech was slurred and my body wouldn’t respond. Uh oh. Strokes “run” in my family.

My husband calls for an ambulance. And the paramedics are golden. I explain that I think it is the migraine from hell but this speech thing is freaking me out a bit. The younger one is lovely and has had migraines since he was six so he knows the drill. He does all the necessary tests, but most importantly he sits and listens to the story behind the stress we’re enduring.

The four of us (two paramedics and my hubby and I) end up having a good chat and they are so gentle and kind that I feel much better and most especially I have not had a stroke. It is the migraine from hell.

Now I’ve known TMS pull some dirty tricks. I even had half an eye on it throughout this whole unpleasant experience but the extent of the pain and physical mayhem it caused, especially my jumbled speech was a new low.

After they left I went and sat out in the sunshine with a novel and within two hours I was much better. I say all of this to reassure you that TMS is capable of causing truly extreme symptoms, many of which scare the bejesus out of us. Even when we know it’s stress related or TMS, even then it can still petrify us. That is what it does.

You’ve been examined with good results so chalk this up to TMS and let it go. I’m not going to dwell on the awful last two days and fret that it might turn into something more serious. I know it’s TMS doing weird stuff in my autonomic nervous system, my poor tired fearful brain terrified that we may end up homeless (we won’t). And most of all I do know TMS is only trying to protect me. The emotional meltdown I mentioned earlier was astonishing and reflecting on it now I’m struck by the primal nature of it. It’s as if the raw emotions slipped out for a while and TMS had to scramble to reign them in with something truly dramatic. Oftentimes we hear people say they would rather deal with the emotions than the pain but that experience really makes me think twice.

So chin up angel.
Chuck the oximeter in the bin and enjoy the birdsong and trees.

Sending you love from afar, where the night birdies are singing as dusk falls on the land.

Plum x

 

Plum,
Thank you for sharing your story. That is very frightening, and God bless that paramedic! I still cannot fully understand how TMS can produce physiologic changes...measurable, observable changes, not just subjective pain. When I was trying to walk I had the thought that TMS was interfering but I could not ignore the numbers. I am going to try that same walk tomorrow. I came home and cleaned my carpeting. I just did not want to sit down. Now my back is screaming. Oh well. Sending you warm thoughts for better days.

 

TMS makes use of the sympathetic branch of the nervous system. Once you understand how far reaching the functions of this system are it begins to make a bit more sense.

This article by Rick Hanson gives a nice explanation of the autonomic nervous system and Hanson is brilliant when it comes to mind~body stuff. I’m pretty sure he featured an article by @Nicole J. Sachs LCSW a while back so he’s open to Sarno’s work too.

https://www.rickhanson.net/relaxed-content-part-one-activating-parasympathetic-wing-nervous-system/

Try the same walk within the gadget. Remember it’s the way we think, the fear and obsession that are the real problems. Without the numbers you’re simply enjoying a nice walk. Don’t let them define you.

The thing about what happened to me today is how quickly I recovered once I *knew* it wasn’t anything to worry about. My whole mindset changed as I relaxed. And I’m under a huge amount of pressure which is typical stomping ground for TMS.

What is happening in your life?
In your emotional self?
Anxiety can cause weird physiological stuff too.

My husband has fluctuating oxygen levels so I do understand why it would concern you, however you’ve had good results on your tests. Focus on this and try your best not to fret about those numbers.

 

That was a great article from Hanson. I am going to look at the website he referenced HeartMath.com. I have always wanted to learn more about allowing the healing part of my brain to take over instead of the part that frightens me so regularly. Thank you.

 

God bless you.
I wish you much joy and healing in these endeavours. Be sure to explore other stuff by Rick Hanson because he has a great positive spin on many things.

 

Yesterday I went for that same walk and with much better results! In fact I walked farther and my heart rate and oxygen levels remained normal. So that had to be TMS or just crappy readings on the pulse oximeter or both. I am happy and taking a break today but will walk again tomorrow until I get to my first goal of 1 mile.