DUDE your doctor sounds B@d@$$

For what it's worth - I'm going through some difficulty myself right now. Maybe it will help someone look at their own situation in a different light. Maybe someone will comment and be able to help through their own experience. Maybe not - either way the following is very therapeutic for me so thank you for listening

So - 2 weeks ago I woke up from a vivid dream about the impending death of my father dying of a heart attack (no worries - he is still with us). I had an immense tightening in my gut and I woke up with a gasp of breath, with my heart beating out of my chest. While I journaled as much of the dream as I could remember, I passively noticed my heart was actually skipping a beat every 10x or so.

Since that point, I've been experiencing these heart palpitations on a daily basis - particularly when laying down prior to and after sleeping, and after eating. I have also experienced several other vivid negatively charged dreams since then. Heart Chakra is definitely being influenced.

I've also noticed lingering painful tension in my 3rd chakra - the solar plexus - as if someone punched me in the gut. I have not been able to take a full breath, and the actual area is very tender to the touch.

The 2nd (sacral) and 4th (throat) chakras are also both noticeably "tight," particularly the throat. It feels constricted, as if there is a physical blockage. (There is likely none - I had a scope/barium swallow done years ago for exactly the same feeling. It found nothing - and it was chalked up to acid reflux.)

Beyond these and the heart palpitations, there are a couple of other recent physical and mental issues I've been experiencing over the past 2 weeks -

1) right shoulder pull from wakeboarding (wouldn't let go of the handle when I should have)
2) Left thumb deep bruise from wakeboarding (thumb is indicator of overanalysis and worry)
3) Ravenous appetite for sugar (a coping mechanism when I feel incomplete - "something is missing so I'll fill it up however I can")
4) Lack of joy in everyday activities and overall sense of apathy - "What's the point?"
5) Procrastination - another coping mechanism for me when I am afraid to take action.


For me I, can easily pinpoint the dream as the catalyst for the many of the physical symptoms. I watched, powerless, as my father had a heart attack in the dream in front of me, in the mall, on the floor. It was reality to me - as if I actually exerienced that trauma in waking life.


The solar plexus (where I am experiencing the most tension and pain) is the center of self-worth. It deals with assertion, emotional repression, fear of rejection, and indecisiveness.

The throat chakra (where I am experiencing constriction/blockage, acid reflux) is the center of expression and communication with others. Going deeper and being honest with myself, my throat has felt constricted now for much longer than 2 weeks. It's been closer to 2 months, with it gradually getting more restrictive.

The heart chakra (palpitations resulting from vagus nerve compression) is the center of love and relationships. It deals with compassion, kindness, apathy, and joy. The thoracic region also corresponds with my right shoulder (represents changing direction in life - doing things joyfully and easily.)


To me, the symptoms I am having seem to be very much connected. They all revolve around FEAR.

What am I afraid of? I am afraid of being wrong, and I am most afraid of being wrong publicly - in front of others. I am most afraid that I don't matter. In correspondence with that, I have a massive fear of public speaking. I've been drawn recently to partipate in speaking groups that meet weekly to face it. But I have continued to put it off and justified not going yet by letting other life issues get in the way. Work is busy and dramatic and so is life...



Crap I am doing:

1) Monitoring my breath to ensure diaphragm breathing versus shallow chest breathing
2) Examining diet for any vitamin/mineral deficiencies
3) Walking in nature
4) Taking the time to be in the sun (topless )
5) Physically manipulating the solar plexus tightness by breathing out and pushing the tension downward with my hands and fingers.
6) Drinking a pint of water on an empty stomach, standing on my toes and falling emphatically on my heels (promotes the gut feeling of falling, and the jolt plus the water weight helps pull down the tension to be reabsorbed in the stomach.
7) Determining to follow through on a) facing my fear of public speaking, and b) taking care of the little things so they do not become big ones.
8) Taking it moment by moment - paying attention rather than being lost in the cloud of the monkey mind. (Big one for me - stop and smell the roses, idiot).
9) Anytime I am driving, I am either a) playing music that brings me joy, or b) doing visualization breathing techniques while humming into my solar plexus (528 hz which is roughly a C note)
10) Much weirder stuff - like asking for guidance from my higher self - "I accept that the pain I am experiencing is here by my own doing, and it is here for a positive reason - what is it here to show me? Where are my blind spots? What do I need to learn about myself?" Also doing meditations to accept and release negative entities draining energy from my field. (Told ya it was much weirder stuff.)




At the same time - I am keeping in mind that I could very well be wrong - and at a certain point, if I feel that enough progress is not being made, and the heart palpitations continue, I will go in for a medical opinion, scope, etc. That's the hardest part of being open minded for me - letting go... trusting and having faith in others


Medically speaking - my research indicates I am looking at a hiatal hernia. I've talked to my spouse who is in the medical field and all of the physical symptoms I am experiencing match up. Hiatal hernias also typically come with ileocal valve issues (sacral area) - I have tenderness in that exact spot as well.


Basically - all the metaphysical crap I just wrote can easily be summed up as "hiatal hernia causing acid reflux resulting in a wide range of related symptoms."

But that's only the answer - it's just what it is, not why it is. The medical field tells us they can be caused by stress, diet, genes, drugs, direct trauma, etc. Well guess what - so can everything else!

It is my belief that if I just mask the pain and heal it without accepting it, without learning from it, it will manifest again or mirror itself another way in my life. So I'm here doing my best to learn from mine.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your feedback!

Just want to quickly clarify this comment in the context of the community here - I don't mean to be insensitive to people here who are in 24/7 pain - who are desperate for any relief. I have been there and I would've done anything to mask the pain just for a moment. So I'm sorry for not keeping that in mind guys

soft 's

Hey Vision! You're fine. No offense taken here. I respect that you are someone who tries to learn and understand.

I personally have a belief on many things as long as they are beneficial ,we all can decide to follow,or belief it that work for us,I do like the links and truly practice mediation and relaxation even with my butt hurting,for real,I had scs in my buttock and get severe damage due to rsd and the surgery and siting makes suffer severe pain,but I was working for years with and asian pharmacist who tried honesty to help me with my pain and introduce me to meditation and helps me to relax my mind and so the pain gets some better relief ,obviously I'm not to deep into it because I had other belief but it won't hurt to try some thing to improve our health.
I like the fact he helped me during work and after work ours ,he is a bless ,we are not longer working together because I got lay off but he still invites me and my family to practice light yoga,reiki ,meditation whenever he can and have a day off,I truly appreciate someone who might not know 100% what rsd is but tried to help in the best away,having distracting mind is a relief! I know the rules about religions talk and all that !but what helps won't hurt us just if we try one or couple times, the goal is free our mind and body of pain,Any western or eastern traditions can help !I respect all views and sure we all have our own belief but to me ,what helps is good.
Thanks for the links and to all who participate on this thread,we can lean still something new day by day from each other's and won't hurt when we all do things we no harming intentions and respect ,that's why i like to be here.
This is the reason we are here,help and try to relief our emotions and pain,gentle hugs and take care ,Jesika .

I've spent much time since my last post as an observer of myself, watching for anything I have an immediate resistance to. I have found that if I am honest, resistance always points to some kind of inner fear that I am avoiding. Always. Then I explore the meaning of that fear - ask myself what I would do if I wasn't afraid - and then go DO IT without thinking.

For me, this has meant doing the things I've been putting off - and also facing where I've hurt people by putting them off. And where I've hurt myself by putting them off. And apologizing and being candid with people, and with myself. And forgiving myself.

It's interesting how these things work.

An example: where previously I would avoid an "important" phone call at work in order to prepare a strategy, think about what I want to happen, what I don't want to happen... about consequences... Or I would avoid a call because I was too busy doing something else, and I'd get to it later. Priorities, ya know.....

Now I just pick it up, am blatantly honest, and go with it. What is the worst that can happen? Then when good things OR bad things happen - it's all somehow good.

Another example: I was at the pool last weekend watching kids go off the diving board, and sat there deeply missing that freedom that came with flying through the air. I realized I was afraid of reinjuring the cartilage in my foot, even though I am walking and moving fine and have been for a while. Suddenly stopped thinking about it and sat up abruptly and walked over to the board and took a little hop and flew through the air and loved it. Then did it again with a 1 1/2 flip into a dive like I used to 20 years ago. After a couple more dives I started thinking about my foot and didn't commit to a jump. Tweaked my old injury and am still recovering from a limp 6 days later. It was in exact act of non-commitment that I landed wrong and lost my balance, and I got hurt.

So for me, it is about being a passive observer of where I get scared (and this is hard - because ego likes to pretend it's not afraid - and then even when it acknowledges fear - it will justify the reasons why it's OK to avoid it til kingdom come). When I notice tension - I think about why I am afraid. Then I face it, do it, doing it releases the tension, and I expand through the experience and feel a million times better afterward. Once I make the decision to do it, there can be no hesitation. Hesitation brings doubt...


Current Symptoms:

The heart palpitations have completely vanished. !

The tension in my solar plexus is very greatly reduced. I can take a deep breath with my diaphragm again.

The tightness in my throat is reduced by 50%.

Many of the stressful scenarios in my life are now resolving in ways I never expected. And many new ones are forming - and I'm addressing them head on - it's like I'm excited about tension now because I know it's a signpost for where I can grow!

The 3 keys I've found are 1) acknowledge my fear 2) ask myself the worst that can happen 3) Ask myself, "What would you do right now if you weren't afraid?

This frees me up for whatever the appropriate course of action is to release that particular fear. It doesn't have to mean jumping off buildings - and the diving board example was a bit extreme too - it's LITTLE THINGS.... like taking out the frickin' trash when you feel resistance to it.

In the case of RSD, the worst that can happen is that we wither away in hellish pain in front of our loved ones. Or that they leave us. And we are suffering alone. I have found that to truly acknowledge and face and accept that fear is the only way rise above it. Not by ignoring it - by going deep into it.


"What would you do right now if you weren't afraid?"


Not saying I'm right or wrong - just one person's opinion and experiences in the hope it helps someone else. Thanks for the ramble guys:hugs:

I'm so sure the mind is strong enough to help us to get heal and feel some relief ,just need to focus your energy on get better and stay positive ,the mind is so powerful ,keep trying .
Few tips ,when you try to reset your mind ,don't use the quote : I lost, what you lose you will find it .
I block pain, when the pain is finally dominant will be released with more and painful pain.
I stop,thinking on, no let things flow ,if you stop,try to block your thoughts ,all will appear at once and so many bad emotions at the time will tigger more pain .
I wish you the best and hope relief get your way soon,take care ,with loving gentle hugs,Jesika .

Thanks Jesika. You're so right. Avoidance over the long term makes problems compound on themselves.

But it's really tough to think or do anything positive in the midst of crushing pain.

Although they seem shallow and cheesy at first, positive affirmations are the real deal. And here's why: the mind and body associate certain sights and sounds and motions with either positive or negative stimulus. Notice that certain music will uplift us and make us forget the pain, or reduce it dramatically - for a short time. A smile - even a fake smile - still activates many muscles that stimulate an internal positive conditioned response.

So with affirmations, you don't even have to believe in what you're saying at first. The physical body is one living structure comprised of billions of cells. The vibrational sound that you are creating influences every one of them. And they are more effective done in the mirror, looking yourself in the eye, in order to include the visual aspect.

Affirmations are like training wheels - constant reminders of who we are choosing to be. I've "outgrown" them now, but they were a big key in my early recovery.