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 Vision Problem -- Could this be TMS?
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Jeff

USA
68 Posts

Posted - 05/11/2014 :  17:52:53  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
All -- I have lurked on this forum off and on for quite some time. I am someone who has experienced a number of TMS conditions over the years, and each time I have surmounted them based on the writings of Dr. Sarno and the helpful posts from people on this forum. Thanks to everyone for being here.

I now have a new problem (one that is causing me great anxiety) and I would like any thoughts you may have on whether this is TMS. Six weeks ago I began to experience a problem with my right eye. Each time I look quickly laterally I see a quick blip in my field of vision just as I focus on something new. E.g., if I'm looking at a table and then I quickly move my eye to look at a lamp, I see the blip just as I focus in on the lamp. The blip lasts for like a nanosecond, but it is quite visible to me. And extremely annoying. It is a tiny brown dot with a white squiggle in it. (Sorry if that's too much information.) I have now been to three opthamologists, and they all seem stumped. My eye checks out perfectly. They even imaged the retina. No problems that they can find. And frankly no real good suggestions as to what this might be, or why it is happening. One of them suggested it was a "stuck floater," but he didn't seem too sure of himself, and I'm not even sure what that is. They've made vague references to "optic nerve" or "neurological" issues, but that has only scared me. Unfortunately, this problem has started to get worse, as now the blip appears when I change my field of vision up and down as well as laterally.

At first I did not think this could be TMS. I always thought of TMS as a kind of blunderbuss -- throwing a bunch of pain at my back, or a bunch of upset at my stomach, or a bunch of tingling at my arm. This is very precise, almost surgical. Yet I have learned one lesson about my health conditions -- whenever the doctors don't know what something is, it is almost always TMS.

Has anyone experienced something like this, or know of anyone who has? There are certainly many reasons why my TMS gremlins might be angry with me. I am a lifelong workaholic perfectionist who recently retired, and I've had several obvious TMS conditions since I stopped working (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome, plantar fascitis), all of which have gone away. And over the years I have experienced quite a laundry list of TMS conditions, so I am longtime TMS sufferer. Could this possibly be TMS? This one scares me, as losing my eyesight has always been my greatest fear.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Ace1

USA
1040 Posts

Posted - 05/11/2014 :  18:17:37  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Yes Jeff vision problems are usually TMS in my experience. You need to stop focusing on your eye and the blip and instead focus on the real reason it's there in the first place. You are probably too much in a rush when looking from one object to the next. Try to focus on stopping that and bringing your overall nervous state down. Obviously I am saying this after you have been thoroughly been checked out to make sure nothing serious is the cause. I hope this helps.
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Jeff

USA
68 Posts

Posted - 05/11/2014 :  18:34:30  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Thanks, Ace1. For me the gating issue here is whether this really is TMS, or is my eyesight at risk somehow. If I can get to accepting that it is TMS, then I think I will be OK. I have faced so many TMS conditions in my life, I think I can face this one too. But this one caught me in the side of the head because it never occurred to me TMS could operate in this way. Of course, that is probably the precise reason why my TMS gremlins decided to do this. Thanks again.
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tennis tom

USA
4746 Posts

Posted - 05/11/2014 :  19:18:54  Show Profile  Reply with Quote

"...there are so many things little and big that are tms, I wouldn't have time to write about all of them": Told to icelikeaninja by Dr. Sarno




quote:
Originally posted by Jeff

... I have now been to three opthamologists, and they all seem stumped. My eye checks out perfectly. They even imaged the retina. No problems that they can find. And frankly no real good suggestions as to what this might be, or why it is happening. One of them suggested it was a "stuck floater," but he didn't seem too sure of himself, and I'm not even sure what that is. They've made vague references to "optic nerve" or "neurological" issues, but that has only scared me.

...Yet I have learned one lesson about my health conditions -- whenever the doctors don't know what something is, it is almost always TMS.

...There are certainly many reasons why my TMS gremlins might be angry with me. I am a lifelong workaholic perfectionist who recently retired,

...I've had several obvious TMS conditions since I stopped working (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome, plantar fascitis), all of which have gone away. And over the years I have experienced quite a laundry list of TMS conditions, so I am longtime TMS sufferer.

...Could this possibly be TMS?

...This one scares me, as losing my eyesight has always been my greatest fear.




"...Could this possibly be TMS?"

From what you've said, I think it's safe to say that it may be--but I'm only a tennis player, so what do I know?


==================================================

TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale


Edited by - tennis tom on 05/11/2014 19:35:43
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Dave

USA
1864 Posts

Posted - 05/12/2014 :  10:00:23  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Since you have had a detailed examination by an ophthalmalogist, you should be at ease that it is not a serious problem. Of course, if the symptoms worsen or you develop other related symptoms you should have them checked out.

Seems like you have already reached your own conclusion that it is TMS, but this particular symptom is proving a successful distraction and it is likely to persist until you can learn to ignore it. Don't put pressure on yourself, just treat it like any other symptom: when you are aware of it, remind yourself that it is benign and shift your thoughts to potential emotional triggers.
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Jeff

USA
68 Posts

Posted - 05/12/2014 :  10:29:28  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Thanks, Dave. Yes, I certainly want to believe this is TMS, but that's not exactly the same thing as believing it is TMS. I think my fundamental problem is that I always thought TMS dealt in pain, or at least feeling of one kind or another. This is obviously different. So in a way it's like I'm confronting TMS again for the first time. It took me awhile to believe in TMS the first time round (and I finally did so), and I guess now I have to replicate that. It would just be easier if I heard from others that they too have experienced vision problems as TMS and have overcome them in the same way that we address physical maladies. It's easier to believe when others have done so and with good results.
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tennis tom

USA
4746 Posts

Posted - 05/12/2014 :  11:02:15  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
"...there are so many things little and big that are tms, I wouldn't have time to write about all of them": Told to icelikeaninja by Dr. Sarno


May I suggest using the "SEARCH" feature here and you'll likely find much info on your topic.

G/luck!

tt/lsmft


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Jeff

USA
68 Posts

Posted - 09/17/2014 :  16:49:29  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Just a quick followup. My condition was not TMS. I went to a 4th opthamalogist, who diagnosed me as having the onset of vitreous detachment in my right eye. The symptoms were unusual, but that's what it was. A retina specialist confirmed the diagnosis. As they predicted, the symptoms began to alleviate within four months. Unfortunately, I came up with a new symptom, a Weiss ring floater. Essentially, this is a very large floater in the shape of a ring or lasso that doesn't leave your eye. It's there constantly. This just occurred earlier this week. We'll see how that progresses. Hopefully, it will dissipate with time, assuming I don't go crazy first. But I wanted to report back to the Forum. This just underscores the first rule of TMS - rule out the physical first. Also, if it's not pain-related (or sensation-related) in some way, it may not be TMS.
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Darko

Australia
387 Posts

Posted - 09/17/2014 :  17:28:37  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Hi Jeff, aren't you a lucky man?! If I'm not mistaken, a detachment results in blindness?

Thankfully you persisted and got it resolved.

good luck with it

D
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Jeff

USA
68 Posts

Posted - 09/21/2014 :  09:05:46  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Darko -- I think you are confusing a retinal detachment with a vitreous detachment. The former can lead to blindness, the latter usually does not. In fact, I'm told that most people, if they live long enough, will have a vitreous detachment in both eyes. For most people, this happens and they are not even aware of it. No symptoms. But for some people, especially the very near-sighted, it becomes more problematic. I'm glad that the first set of symptoms is gone, but the second set is worse. I will soldier on. Thanks for the support.
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Darko

Australia
387 Posts

Posted - 09/21/2014 :  15:52:05  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Ah yes I did. Thanks for clearing that up.

D
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Susie

USA
319 Posts

Posted - 09/27/2014 :  20:28:08  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Jeff, I've had a vd in both eyes with the first causing a retinal detatchment. They are very common with age and usually occur in both eyes. Just check out any new symptoms to make sure your retina is not torn. The floaters never leave but they become fainter and you just look past them. Cloudy days are the worst.
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tennis tom

USA
4746 Posts

Posted - 09/27/2014 :  22:48:58  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6670&SearchTerms=vitreous,detachment
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altherunner

Canada
511 Posts

Posted - 09/28/2014 :  19:37:23  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I had persistent floaters for about 6 months. I didn't think they were tms, but they may have been. I tried taking serrapeptase, an enzyme, and they went away overnight. They went away so fast, that looking back, it may have been tms. Serrapeptase is really good for your health, so it wouldn't hurt to try it.
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Jeff

USA
68 Posts

Posted - 09/29/2014 :  19:46:34  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I've had floaters since I was 18 years old, and they have never really bothered me that much. The problem I have now is that when the PVD occurred, the part of the vitreous covering the optic nerve broke off separately. They call this a Weiss ring. It is horrible. It is like a tire swinging by a rope from a tree limb. It swings across the vision in my right eye every time I move the eye laterally (i.e., when you read or write). I am now onto the third week of this. I'm just trying to cope for now, hoping against hope that it will go away. However, if you read the Internet about this, that doesn't seem to happen much. Instead, people seem to adjust to it in various ways. I hadn't heard about enzymes. Those who don't adjust try risky stuff like vitrectomies and laser surgeries. I will raise the enzyme with my retina doc when I see him at the end of October. Fortunately, my retina has survived the PVD intact. But this Weiss ring floater is the worst thing you can imagine. A form of torture.
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