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germn19
15 Posts |
 Posted - 02/15/2012 : 07:44:13
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| I have been dealing with back pain, muscle tightness & twitching and leg weakness for over 1.5 years. I've had everything checked several times. Neuro, rheumy, gp all say don't know. My symptoms have ranged from swallowing & speech being difficult to back pain and joint pain, legs ( mainly right) feel shaky and weak. muscle twitching all over arch cramps, finger tremors. Nothing seems to be 100% constant and stuff tends to move around I read sarnos book and to be honest I have difficulty applying that to me and being 100% sold due to several reasons. 1- I don't know if tms can cause the wide variety of symptoms i'm having, I've searched and just haven't read about having literal weakness and jaw and mouth issues. The other reason is I think deep down I'm a skeptic at heart. probably a defense mechanism from somewhere way back. My questions are. Is are the symptoms i'm mentioning normal with tms and what does a skeptic do. I'm being honest with myself and realize this is a bridge i have to cross. Any help would be great. |
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balto
839 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2012 : 08:35:03
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- 99.99% of the time when the GP said "don't know", it is tms/anxiety.
- You said you have everything checked out several times. And still don't know what is wrong with you then it is very very likely is tms/anxiety.
- While waiting for science to advance enough to find out what mysterious illness you're suffering from, you have nothing to loose to try Sarno or Claire Weeke. And try it with all your heart.
-You can check this list below to see if your symptoms are in it. Tms/anxiety can produce lots of crazy symptoms. I copied the list from http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-symptoms.shtml?gclid=COCS1v6q0akCFQw75QodYC2DOg
Common anxiety symptoms include:
Body (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the body in general):
Allergy problems, increase in allergies (number, sensitivity, reactions, lengthier reactions)
Back pain, stiffness, tension, pressure, soreness, spasms, immobility in the back or back muscles
Blanching (looking pale, loss of color in the face or skin)
Blushing, turning red, flushed face, flushed skin, blushing, red face or skin
Body aches, parts of or your entire body feels sore and achy, feels like your body and muscles are bruised
Body jolts, body zaps, electric jolt feeling in body, intense body tremor or “body shake”
Body temperature increase or decrease, change in body temperature
Burning skin, itchy, “crawly,” prickly or other skin sensations, skin sensitivity, numbness on the skin
Burning skin sensation on the face, neck, ears, scalp, or shoulders
Buzzing sensation in the feet, toes, hands, fingers, arms, legs
Chest pain, chest tightness
Choking
Chronic Fatigue, exhaustion, super tired, worn out
Clumsiness, feeling clumsy, co-ordination problems with the limbs or body
Cold chills, feeling cold
Craving sugar, sweets, chocolate, usual craving for sugar and sweets
Difficulty speaking, moving mouth, talking, co-ordination problems with the mouth or tongue
Dizziness, feeling lightheaded
Dizzy, feeling dizzy
Electric shock feeling, body zaps
Excess of energy, you feel you can’t relax
Falling sensation, feel like your are falling or dropping even though you aren't
Feel like you are going to pass out or faint
Feeling cold or chilled
Feel wrong, different, foreign, odd, or strange
Flu-like symptoms, general malaise, feel ill, like you are coming down with a flu
Flushed face, red face, flushed skin
Frequent urination
Head Zaps
Heart palpitations, racing heart
Hyperactivity, excess energy, nervous energy
Increased or decreased sex drive
Infection - increased infections, persistent infection
Mouth or throat clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
Muscles that vibrate, jitter, tremor, or shake when used
Muscle twitching
Nausea
Nausea vomiting
Neck, back, shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
Night sweats, waking up in a sweat, profusely sweating at night
No energy, feeling lethargic, tired
Numbness
Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
Numbness and tingling, and other skin sensations on hands, feet, face, head, or any other places on the body
Persistent muscle tension, stiffness
Pounding heart, heart feels like it is beating too hard
Pulsing or throbbing muscles. Pulsing or throbbing sensation.
Rib or rib cage tightness, pressure, or feeling like a tight band around the rib cage
Sexual Dysfunction, sexual uninterest
Shooting pains, stabbing pains, and odd pressures in the neck, head, or face
Shooting pains in the face
Shooting pains in the scalp or head
Skipped heart beats
Sore or tight scalp or back of the neck
Startle easily
Sweating, uncontrollable profuse sweating
The floor feels like it is moving either down or up for no reason
Tightness in the ribs or rib cage area, may also feel like a tight band around the ribs or rib cage area.
Tingling sensations, anywhere on the body, including the hands, feet, legs, arms, head, mouth, chest, groin area
Throat or mouth clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
TMJ
Trembling, shaking, tremors
Twitching
Unsteadiness, dizziness, feeling dizzy or lightheaded
Urgency to urinate, frequent urination, sudden urge to go to the washroom (similar to urinary tract or prostate infection symptoms)
Warm spells
Weak - feel weak, weakness, low energy, light, soft, like you may faint
Weak legs, arms, or muscles
Weight loss, weight gain
Chest (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the chest area):
Chest tremors, trembling in the chest, chest feels like it is vibrating
Chest pain or discomfort
Concern about the heart
Feel like you have to force yourself to breath
Find it hard to breath, feeling smothered, shortness of breath
Frequent yawning to try and catch your breath
Heart Palpitations – beating hard or too fast, rapid heartbeat
Heart - Irregular heart rhythms, flutters or ‘skipped’ beats, tickle in the chest that makes you cough
Pounding heart, heart feels like it is beating too hard
Rib or rib cage tightness, pressure, or feeling like a tight band around the rib cage
Emotions (see mood) (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with emotions, mood, and feelings)
Fears (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with fear):
A heightened fear of what people think of you
Afraid of being trapped in a place with no exits
Constant feeling of being overwhelmed.
Fear of being in public
Fear of dying
Fear of losing control
Fear of impending doom
Fear of making mistakes or making a fool of yourself to others
Fear of passing out
Fear that you are losing your mind
Fears about irrational things, objects, circumstances, or situations
Fears of going crazy, of dying, of impending doom, of normal things, unusual feelings and emotions, unusually frightening thoughts or feelings
Heightened self awareness, or self-consciousness
Need to find nearest washrooms before you can feel comfortable
Need to seat near exits
Head (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the head):
Brain fog
Burning, itchy, tight scalp
Dizziness
Dizzy
Dizziness or light-headedness
Frequent headaches, migraine headaches
Feeling like there is a tight band around your head, pressure, tightness
Head, neck or shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
Head zaps, head tremors
Giddiness
Numbness
Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
Shooting pains, stabbing pains, and odd pressures in the neck, head, or face
Shooting pains in the face
Shooting pains in the scalp or head
When you close your eyes you feel like are beginning to, or will, float upwards
Sore jaw that feels like a tooth ache
TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular Joint) - clenching of the jaw or grinding of the teeth
Hearing/Ear(s) (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with hearing):
Feel like there is something stuck in your ear, that your ear canal it plugged or blocked, that there is a pebble in your ear that you can't get out
Low rumbling sounds
Reduced hearing, frequent or intermittent reduced hearing or deafness in one or both ears
Ringing in the ears, noises in the ears, noises in the head
Pulsing in the ears, throbbing sound in the ear(s)
Tickle or itch in your ear that you can't seem to get at
Mind (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the mind and thinking):
Afraid of everything
Altered state of reality, consciousness, or universe feeling
Brain Fog
Deja Vu, a feeling like you've done or experienced something before
Depersonalization
Derealization
Desensitization
Difficulty concentrating, short-term memory loss
Difficulty thinking, speaking, forming thoughts, following conversations
Disorientation
Fear of going crazy
Fear of losing control
Fear of impending doom
Feelings of unreality
Frequent feeling of being overwhelmed, or that there is just too much to handle or do
Having difficulty concentrating
Nightmares, bad dreams
Obsession about sensations or getting better
Repetitive thinking or incessant ‘mind chatter’
Short-term learning impairment, have a hard time learning new information
Short-term memory impairment, can't remember what I did a few days, hours, or moments ago
Spaced out feelings, feeling spaced out
"Stuck" thoughts; thoughts, mental images, concepts, songs, or melodies that "stick" in your mind and replay over and over again.
Trapped in your mind feeling
Underlying anxiety, apprehension, or fear
You often feel you are carrying the world on your shoulders
Mood / Emotions (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with mood, emotions, and feelings):
Always feeling angry and lack of patience
Depersonalization
Depression
Dramatic mood swings (emotional flipping)
Emotionally blunted, flat, or numb
Emotional "flipping" (dramatic mood swings)
Emotions feel wrong
Everything is scary, frightening
Feeling down in the dumps
Feeling like things are unreal or dreamlike
Frequently being on edge or 'grouchy'
Feel like crying for no apparent reason
Have no feelings about things you used to
Not feeling like yourself, detached from loved ones, emotionally numb
Underlying anxiety, apprehension, or fear
You feel like you are under pressure all the time
Mouth/Stomach (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the mouth and stomach):
A ‘tinny’, ‘metallic’ or ‘ammonia’, or unusual smell or taste
Aerophagia (swallowing too much air, stomach distention, belching)
Burning mouth, feeling like the inside of your mouth is burning, or tingling, or like pins and needles, or all of these together or at different times
Burning tongue, feeling like your tongue is burning, or tingling, or like pins and needles, or all of these, or all of these together or at different times
Choking
Constant craving for sugar or sweets
Constipation
Diarrhea
Difficulty swallowing
Difficulty talking, pronouncing certain letters or sounds, mouth feels like it isn't moving right, slurred speech
Dry mouth
Feeling like you can’t swallow properly or that something will get caught in your throat
Feeling like your tongue is swollen
IBS
Lack of appetite or taste
Lump in the throat, tight throat, something stuck in your throat
Mouth muscles twitching/jumping
Mouth or throat clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
Nausea
Nausea vomiting
Nausea or abdominal stress
Numbness
Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
Stomach upset, gas, belching, bloating
Teeth grinding
The thought of eating makes you nauseous
Tight throat, lump in throat
Throat or mouth clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
TMJ
Tongue symptoms - Tingly, “stretched,” numb, frozen, itchy, “crawly,” burning, twitching, “jumpy,” aching, sore, or swollen tongue (when it isn’t).
Urgency to urinate, frequent urination, sudden urge to go to the washroom
Vomiting
Skin (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the skin):
Burning skin sensations, skin sensitivity
Numbness
Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
Skin problems, infections, rashes
Sleep (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with sleep):
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Frequent bad, bizarre, or crazy dreams
Hearing sounds in your head that jolt you awake
Insomnia, or waking up ill in the middle of the night
Jolting awake
Waking up in a panic attack
You feel worse in the mornings
Sight (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with sight):
Distorted, foggy, or blurred vision
Dry, watery or itchy eyes
Eye tricks, seeing things our of the corner of your eye that isn’t there, stars, flashes
Eyes sensitive to light
Spots in the vision
Flashing lights when eyes are closed
Your depth perception feels wrong
Touch (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with touch):
Burning skin sensations, skin sensitivity
Feeling cold or chilled
Numbness
Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
Pain
Tingling, pins and needles feelings
Other anxiety symptoms are described as:
Being like a hypochondriac, muscle twinges, worry all the time, tingles, gagging, tightness in the chest, tongue twitches, shaky, breath lump, heart beat problems, head tingles, itchy tingling in arms and legs, and so many more.
In addition to these anxiety symptoms, you may also find yourself worrying compulsively about:
• Having a heart attack
• Having a serious undetected illness
• Dying prematurely
• Going insane or losing your mind
• Suddenly snapping
• Losing it
• Uncontrollably harming yourself or someone you love
• Losing control of your thoughts and actions
• Being embarrassed or making a fool out of yourself
• Losing control
• Fainting in public
• Not breathing properly
• Losing control of reality
• Choking or suffocating
• Being alone
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lynnl
USA
109 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2012 : 11:18:26
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My goodness Balto! Are you sure you didn't forget something?
Germn19, I absolutely agree with balto!
When you have mysterious symptom, and especially when they tend to move around and vanish, only to be replaced by others, you can take it to the bank that you're having TMS symptoms.
In my own case it was sciatica that drove me to Dr. Sarno's "Healing Back Pain." The main aspect of my case that enabled me to see and acknowledge that my problem was TMS, was the fact that my sciatica would be strictly in the left leg and buttock for a year or so, then suddenly switch over to the right side for while, then months later switch back. It did that several times over a span of more than three years.
That caused me to ask myself, "why?, how? ...if there's something physiologically wrong on one side, how can that possibly clear up and the same problem spring up on the other side?" That's totally illogical! Plus, interspersed in that prolonged bout with sciatica there had been a few short periods (a few days or couple of weeks) when some other pretty severe symptoms (e.g. gastro-intestinal) had popped up, during which time the sciatica had noticeably diminished.
In fact, the sciatica itself had been a replacement for neck pains that I'd lived with off and on for several years, and had flared up again with great intensity immediately before the sciatica.
When I carefully considered all aspects of my experiences, the only logical conclusion was that there were no physical abnormalities. Therefore there MUST be some "on going" factor continually reinforcing the pain process.
Now there's one other little twist. About a year before discovering Dr Sarno, at the suggestion of a pain doctor I'd been seeing I undertook a weight loss program. ...not that I was grossly overweight, but just to do something, anything, to alleviate the pain.
I used the "Hilton Head" diet plan, which incorporates a high metabolism diet PLUS LOTS of exercise, specifically walking. I started that about the 1st of September. The walking was excruciating. I could only go about 50 yards then have to rest my buttock/leg. Within a month or so, as I lost weight, it got a little better, or at least more tolerable. Sometime around Christmas, after I'd dropped 20 or 25 lbs, I starting noticing a nice pleasant warm sensation in my legs, AND a noticeable decrease in my pain. It felt like something nice was flowing into my legs.
So when, a year or so later, I read Dr Sarno's model or theory about diminished blood flow and oxygen as the direct physiological cause of TMS, it all made perfect sense! That nice pleasant sensation in my legs had been simply an increased blood supply.
Those factors, taken together, enabled me to see that TMS, just as described by Dr Sarno, was exactly my problem. Once that sank in, I felt a tremendous sense of relief, and with that sense of relief my pain immediately extinguished. It was not like flipping a light switch, but more like turning the dimmer switch down until the light goes out.
Germn19, I will say this to you, you do have one VERY IMPORTANT thing going for you: You are honest with yourself! That is crucial. Throughout my recovery process one expression stuck with me ..."To thine own self be true!" We can fool others. We can even sometimes fool our conscious selves. But we can NOT fool our unconscious selves.
Dr Sarno makes it clear that in order for the healing to take place, the knowledge that it is TMS and is a mental/emotional problem must be fully accepted and integrated into your mind. Just reading the book and accepting that "maybe" that's the problem isn't sufficient. It's a good first step, but you need to ponder and reflect and mull things over until you do fully accept and integrate Sarno's ideas.
And here's one other piece of advice. When you do start to fully accept it, and you experience just the slightest relenting of a symptom, consciously acknowledge the connection. There will be no bells or whistles sounding. It will feel very natural, like any other moment of a brief lessening of pain. That's somewhat of a paradox. In order to banish the pain we need to remove all focus on the body, yet in order to fully and absolutely "KNOW" that our thoughts are controlling the pain we do have to monitor the relationship between pain and thoughts.
We commonly hear people say "well my pain briefly eased..." or "my pain had stopped for a little while..." Well, there's a reason for that, but that reason was either below the level of consciousness, or they just didn't make the connection with their thought process at the time.
Good luck with this germn19, and by all means express yourself freely here. Ask questions, seek further advice and counsel. I'm pretty new here myself, but it's abundently clear that everyone here is eager to help.
Lynn |
Edited by - lynnl on 02/15/2012 12:00:37 |
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germn19
15 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2012 : 13:55:23
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| Thanks for the responses. I guess the feeling of weakness in my leg kinda has me doubting the tms thing a bit. I just never run across any others with this. Am I wrong about this? Have you guys heard of others with this same issue? I know that focusing on symptoms is not good as far as sarno says but I somehow feel that knowing others have had the same issues and gained victory over them would also have to be helpful, or at least a point of stable ground to walk out onto the journey of being healed of tms. Am I off on this? Thanks again for the feedback |
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tennis tom
USA
4746 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2012 : 15:28:55
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The weakness could well be caused by atrophy from lack of use. If you haven't been using your muscles for a year and a half they will certainly lose strength. The good news is a couple of weeks in the gym or exercise will bring it back to normal functioning. If you've been checked out buy the white-coats and they can't find anything structural that's a very good indicator it may be TMS.
Just Do It!
==================================================
DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
==================================================
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto
======================================================
TMS PRACTITIONERS:
John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035
Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm
Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/page/Find+a+TMS+Doctor+or+Therapist
Here's a map of TMS practitioners from the old Tarpit Yoga site, (click on the map by state for listings).:
http://www.tarpityoga.com/2007_08_01_archive.html |
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jaya
USA
175 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2012 : 17:56:37
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wow balto..Hope you used cut and paste....
leg weakness is pretty constant with me,I worry the least about that symptom,my neuro symptoms distract me the most |
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lynnl
USA
109 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2012 : 18:18:27
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For two or three years during the height of my bout with sciatica, the muscles in my lower leg got so weak I felt like Donald Duck. As soon as my heel touched down the foot would just flop down like my ankle was made of rubber.
Lynn |
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renee
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2012 : 21:06:38
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It's sounds like TMS. I share almost all the same symptoms. I developed severe weakness, pain and burning in both legs in April, it was so bad when it first started that I could barely walk and get around. It has improved and I am able to go to store for brief trips. Last week we went on a cruise and my old TMS Anxiety & phobia came back while on the ship. I was able to walk around and even climb stairs, had very little leg pain. This is proof that the leg weakness/pain is TMS. I also had doubts that the leg issues could be TMS and went through many neuro test including spinal tap & MRI'S. I also have joint pain muscle spasms, charly cramps, twitching. My leg pain came back full force this weekend so I visited this website to get my mind back on track.
TMS is the cause of many bizzare symptoms & sensations, don't fear them and they become useless and leave. |
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germn19
15 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2012 : 17:28:23
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| the thing that kinda freaks me out is the hand stiffness and finger and toe dancing( for lack of a better descriptive). My hands and forearms are always stiff and often when I use them they rebound twitch. They also move slightly all the time when at rest. My right big toe has been like this for a year and a half. I haven't read this on any other post |
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Tippy
31 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2012 : 22:15:40
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Im just curious those of you who had the leg weakness how did you stand up and take a shower or get in the tub? I had to have a nurse come and wash me three times a week! The other days I had to hold on to the sink with all of my might I dont know how I got through it.
Did you sit in a chair in the tub I was afraid to because I felt I would spasm.
Stephanie |
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Rose12
Australia
18 Posts |
Posted - 02/26/2017 : 09:28:45
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On the norm, leg weakness is often overlooked by many people due to the reason that it is usually based on their own perception. Leg weakness can be the sign for paralysis which come from the compression of nerve at the lower back section. You might experience leg weakness together with sharp pain and occasionally loss of touch. You should watch out for those signals especially in case your lower back is not in good condition, then leg weakness will have the perfect conditions to develop.
In fact, the legs are controlled by nerves which come from back bone and spinal cord in the lower back section. In the part call vertebrae which are located in the lower back, problems such as slip disc, sciatica and leprosy often take place there.
The problems can come from various sources such as spine, trauma, neuromuscular or drugs and toxins.
Those problems will damage the nerves, thus take impact onto the parts controlled by those nerves. As a result, when those problems occur, your legs will lose the capability to move as well as touch sensitivity.
You mustard, coconut or olive oil to massage your legs as it can efficiently alleviate swelling and inflammation as well as pain. Moreover, massage is well-known for being excellent at relieving anxiety and stress and helping you relax.
https://authorityremedies.com/how-to-strengthen-weak-legs/ |
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