| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| vikki |
Posted - 06/14/2005 : 22:54:48
I just started reading Dr. Sarno's book and am by now pretty convinced I have TMS. I've had buttock and thigh pain (sciatica), as well as neck/shoulder (trapezius) pain for a while now. I've had every imaginable medical test, and all are normal. The buttock pain has been diagnosed as "piriformis syndrome," "SI joint inflammation," "gluteus medius syndrome" and various other things. It's quite a relief to know that I don't have to surrender my life to chronic pain. At the moment, though, the buttock pain is pretty disabling because I can't sit. Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and to ask a question. I haven't finished reading the book, but I understand that I should resume my normal activities (including sitting on hard surfaces, running, and everything else I've stopped doing) as soon as I can. I do want to do this. But how do I get past the unbearable pain when I try to do this stuff? I try to focus on psychological issues (any anxiety I'm feeling), but when I try to do certain activities (sitting, especially) the pain is so bad that I can barely think. |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Fox |
Posted - 06/16/2005 : 09:05:46
You're right, Vikki, to say that belief is the key to recovery. It's good that you are going to see a TMS doc for assessment as that will help to validate the Sarno approach for you. I tried Sarno twice before without success because I didn't put in enough work, didn't get the TMS doc validation, didn't have the courage and the tolerance for temporary pain to push through the pain to defeat my conditioning, and didn't totally banish all ideas of structural explanation. When things didn't improve substantially right away those first two times that I tried Sarno, I tried more last ditch physical treatments -- even though they did not have a strong empirical evidence base of successful outcomes -- like accupuncture and deep muscle massage and saline cleansing of the "impurities" in the disk spaces. I found some borderline, anecdotal support for these methods on the internet and foolishly desperately tried them ...The third time I tried Sarno, I did it right and that's when that substantial reduction in sciatic pain resulted. |
| mala |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 21:08:15
Vikki,
Sorry to hear that you are in pain but do take heed of what others have posted. Each and every one of the posts is teeming with far better advice than any doctor will ever give you and many of us have experienced almost exactly the same symptoms you have mentioned if not more.
I must have gone to over 20 doctors and each persons opinion of what I had varied as did the treatments they prescribed. I was told that i needed an operation, that I didn't need an operation, that I had SI problems, that I had facet joint problems etc. etc.
I had injections which were supposed to help determine if I indeed had problems with my facet joints the idea being that if the injections numbed the pain it would mean that the pain was definitely coming from that area. Well the pain didn't go away and yet they still said it was to do with the facet joints. The back industry is a big money making scam. The doctors don't really know what is going on.
Only one thing has worked and that is Sarno. Read and reread any info you can get on tms. Order the videos, CDs whatever you can afford. Read Fred Amir and Dr. Marc Sopher. Make reading the posts on this forum a regular part of your daily routine. Take responsibilty for and control of your own healing and follow the steps. Do not be afraid. Resume normal activity as soon as possible and remember no one has ever gotten any worse doing Sarno.
Good Luck & Good Health
Mala |
| Stryder |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 17:40:45
Hi vikki,
Do not under any circumstances agree to spinal injections of any kind. Depomedrol (the agent often injected) is dangerous, and even if it were safe, it will not solve the root cause of your TMS pain.
You have gotten some great advice in the replies to your post, go with them.
Also, I know its very hard to be patient, you are likely pushing yourself to "get better". Well, that doesn't work. For now you have to accept your pain, don't fight it. Do the Sarno work. Talk with us here. Have faith that your TMS pain will not harm you. You will improve.
Take care, -Stryder |
| vikki |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 17:34:57
Wow, okay -- I'm not going to schedule an appointment for that injection. Seems like the doctor is just guessing about what my problem is anyway, and I doubt the injection will help. I did schedule an appointment with Dr Schechter since I think it will help me to believe in the diagnosis of TMS if I hear it from him. Belief seems to be the key to recovery. I've accepted it intellectually -- it makes perfect sense. It just needs to sink in a bit deeper.
I'm going to have a pretty hard time stopping PT, though I know I need to. The PT has given me the confidence to exercise again, particularly the muscles that are allegedly causing my problem (piriformis). But I do want to give Sarno's treatment a good faith effort, so I'll stop going.
Thank you for all the help!!  |
| Fox |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 11:42:36
Yes, Vikki, it does hurt like heck to undergo cortisone spinal injections. You won't believe how much it can hurt until you try it....I experienced three sessions of this many years ago and each time only had relief from my sciatica (for me, pain in the left butt, leg and foot) for a few days -- which I attribute now to the placebo effect....I also tried saline injections which washed out the disc space which was another painful and expensive waste of time....Stop all physical treatments and go seriously Sarno....Since I focused on Sarno to the exclusion of any other treatments, my sciatica has improved about 85% and when it comes, I can usually get rid of it in minutes by asking myself "What am I angry about?", by creating mental images of past traumatic life events, by refusing to think physical/structural, by trying to express/release my anger in ways described on this web site, by pushing myself to continue my normal activities while ignoring the pain as best possible.....I've had similiar successful results for my headaches, dizziness, ringing of the ears, and knee pain. |
| Dave |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 11:10:22
First things first ...
1. Repudiate the structural diagnoses.
2. Stop all physical treatments.
3. Resume physical activity.
You've ruled out all serious medical problems so it is highly likely your symptoms are TMS.
If you believe it is TMS, you must stop physical therapy immediately, and stop seeing doctors. This cannot be overstated. If you continue to treat your symptoms as a physical problem in any way, recovery from TMS is not possible. You must forget all of the diagnoses you have been given.
Read Healing Back Pain or The Mindbody Prescription repeatedly, and follow the directions in the treatment chapter. Many people get results simply by reading the book and, most importantly, giving it time. It takes weeks if not months to get significant relief. If you don't get results after a couple of months, then maybe it is worth seeing Dr. Schecter. But first, give it your best shot.
As far as physical activity goes, it's a delicate situation. If you push too hard, your symptoms will get worse and that could undermine your belief in TMS. Start slow -- walk, and do your best to ignore the pain. Sit for a few minutes, ignore the pain. Take Tylenol if you need to (or if the pain is truly unbearable, take something stronger). Increase your physical activity slowly each day. The more you are able to do, the more confidence you will have in the diagnosis. |
| vikki |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 10:17:10
Thank you all for the support -- I really identify with everything you've been through. I've spent the past 5 months in agony, obsessed with doing research and figuring out what my weird pain problem was. I went from being a super-active, healthy person to barely being able to walk for 20 minutes a day. (But I guess that's the strategy, right? Keep me focused on my body pain so I don't have to deal with the emotional stress.) I've heard all kinds of different theories from doctors from a herniated lumbar disc (ruled out by MRI) to "maybe it's multiple sclerosis" (totally freaked me out -- but again ruled out by MRI). I've been to chiropractors, acupuncturists, and several physical therapists. When all the tests came back normal, I was sent to pain management, with the comment, "maybe it's fibromyalgia." The PT I'c currently working with thinks it's piriformis, while the pain management doctor wants to inject my SI joints (which scares me -- I've heard this is horribly painful). Would it be worth seeing a doctor who diagnoses TMS? I live in LA, and I've found a website for someone in Beverly Hills (Dr. Schechter) who does. I think it would help me a lot to hear this diagnosis from a medical professional ... I also wonder if a psychotherapist could help me deal with this? |
| almost there |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 08:28:50
Vikki-
This was the area of pain my TMS took this past winter....I was frantic with it....it seemed to come out of the blue....I searched the internet daily... desparately looking for relief and an explanation....I came across all the same "diagnoses" as you...."piriformis syndrome" etc.....the one that stuck in my mind most was "levator ani syndrome"....I down-loaded a book (not Dr. Sarno!) early on which seemed at least to be talking about what I was experiencing....it assured me that this was treatable and beatable....but it would take a long time and I would have to perform several exercise sessions and sitz baths daily...I felt really depressed at this time, as it seemed my whole life was going to be wrapped around dealing with this pain....I went to three different doctors....soaked in hot tubs, took cortisone suppositories, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, pain pills, tranquillizers....had a CT Scan and MRI...both negatine... NO relief...my husband knew someone who had left the business world to study and practice massage therapy...he actually called her from the supermarket to see if she thought she could help me (I never did see her)....my lowest moment was when the colorectal surgeon said to me, after examining me, that he could find nothing that would justify this kind of pain...I should go home...sit in a hot tub with a glass of wine to relax...and that I would have good days and bad days...this indicated to me that this was something he felt I would have for the rest of my life! Yikes! Also, I should let out anger and don't hold it in.....I guess looking back he wasn't completely wrong! At this point I didn't know how I could continue working...
My son gave me his copy of Healing Back Pain....since I had no place else to go...I started reading it...out of curiosity at first...then,I began to see myself on every page....it made such sense...I kept looking for my exact problem....even e-mailed Dr. Sarno to find out if he thought it could be TMS...by the time he answered I had finished HBP and was reading Mindbody Prescription...I had found my answer on page 58...second to last paragraph....there it was in black and white...I could not believe it...I finished MBP and carried both books with me every day...re-reading a few pages whenever I could...I stopped fearing the pain and thought about things in my past life I hadn't thought about in a while....I talked to my brain ....telling it it wasn't necessary to cause this pain any more and that it could allow the blood flow to that area to increase...nothing bad would happen....as the days went by the pain sub-sided....slowly...not all at once...today it is gone! I have become Dr. Sarno's greatest advocate...
This can be done...you can do it...refuse to give into thoughts that there is something structurally wrong! Stay in touch! |
| Carolyn |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 07:23:29
Vikki,
I also had so called piriformis syndrome and an unstabel SI joint. I had trouble even walking and they had me wearing this thick band around my hips to hold the joint in place. Turned out I really didn't. What helped me most was not so much pushing myself into physical activity as stopping my avoidance of everyday activites that I was afraid would cause me pain. You don't have to start running right away and if you do while your muscles are in the state they are, it will hurt and that mya be discouraging, but you definitely should start walking, go to the movies, stop saying no to activities you enjoy because you are afraid it will hurt.
I abrubtly stopped all physical treatments which meant cancelling appointments I had already made with my physical therapist and chiropractor and made myself write in my journal for 30 minutes every night right before I went to bed. It doesn't go away overnight for most people because the pain is not all in your head. You do have a legitimate muscular issue going on in your hip, it's just that it is caused by something going on in your subconscious so all the physical therapy in the world isn't going to help that. Work on the psycholgical issues then allow the physical issue to go away on its own.
Carolyn |
| marytabby |
Posted - 06/15/2005 : 06:12:16
Vikki,
I have/had all the same syndromes you do. It's a gradual process, so don't try to do all the resuming normal activity all at once. Go one at a time. You'll find more success in taking steps towards getting back to normal instead of trying to force progress, only to get discouraged and overwhelmed by all the symptoms. The only thing that got me through the pain while resuming walking/running again was the self-talk, the self-assurance of all the concepts Sarno suggests, and there are 10 daily reminders that he specifically suggests that we acknowledge on a daily basis. Not sure where in the book(s) they are but those help me regularly. My chiro told me I had the piriformus syndrome, yet he couldn't stop it. All the other syndromes, including that, I have banished on my own. So much for "subluxations" and adjustments. Good luck and let us know how you do.
Mary |
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