| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| LuvtoSew |
Posted - 08/25/2005 : 04:19:12
Healing Back Pain. I read it fast and will re read it. I also agree that a lot of pain is from stress as stress also brings on a lot of illnesses. One problem I see is where he says you should see a dr. to get a dx of TMS- well there are only a few doctors in the US qualified to dx this disorder.
Another thing I see is he states TMS will usually affect an area of the body that has a weakness, well now isn't he admitting that there is a structural problem then?
At this point I would think that if I'm having persistant pain somewhere, I would want it checked out by the medical profession and not just ignore it. I guess this might stem from being a nurse.
Also they accidently discovered my herniated disc in my neck because my leg went numb and they MRI'd my spine and found it. They decided it was the MS and not my spine causing my numb leg. After going on predisone my leg came back after a few weeks. In many ways I think I would of been better off not knowing I had a herniated disc, because now I worry about it. Also I had another spinal tap 2 months ago and ever since then my lower back hurts so my dr. did some manipulation on it and made it hurt more. Sometimes I think the more you mess with stuff it hurts more because your mind is centered on it.
I find this subject of mind- body very interesting, but I just can't bring myself to stop PT just yet.
I am going to read a couple more books on this. So far am enjoying this forum.
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| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Curiosity18 |
Posted - 08/26/2005 : 10:16:57
LuvtoSew,
I can totally relate to how you feel as a nurse. I used to be a physical therapist, and was indoctrinated into physical, structural, and organic causes. I remember cases in which patients did not respond to treatment, and were labeled as "emotional", or "histrionic"
I realize now that it was so derogatory. When I developed symptoms and did not respond to treatment, I think I became labeled as well (or least I labeled myself in this way). I was not aware of Dr. Sarno's work at that time. Maybe I wouldn't have felt so ashamed and crazy. On the other hand, I may not have been open to it at that time in my life. Even 10 years after reading HBP, and being diagnosed with TMS I still struggle with the diagnosis at times, especially if I have a new, or severe pain. All I can say is that I know this works, but that because of our indoctrination, and probably other factors, I believe that it takes more perseverance for people like us. stay with it!
Curiosity18
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| LuvtoSew |
Posted - 08/26/2005 : 06:26:41
I am going to reread the book and a couple others. I already have
to agree that the mind is a powerful thing and our thinking has a huge influence on our physical health. I don't know how many times I've had a pain, had a test done, the test came back neg, and my pain went away.
Also the last 6 months I've been having several different physical issues and they began after I had to put my cat to sleep and there was another stressful event at about the same time that left me uptight. Before hearing about TMS I would keep asking myself "why am I holding on to my pain".
I am also familiar with hypochondriacs- running around from Dr. to Dr. insisting there is something wrong with them- and the poor Drs. can find nothing, but then I imagine even some Drs. finally give in and tell the pt. it could be due to this ya know. I guess I just never knew someone gave a name to this mind body disorder, besides someone just being labeled a hypochondriac.
I guess maybe in my mind I'm only part way there because I have a pt appoint. I have to leave for soon.
And yes, going throught nursing school a lot of us would think we had this illness or that one, I'm sure it was just learning about all the things that can go wrong with the body, we learned about illness not health.
I also know someone who is in a wheelchair and she has been to many doctors and clinics and no one can tell her why she's in the chair, but for some reason she just has slowly lost her ability to walk.
Well got to get to Pt. Thanks for the replies. |
| leegold |
Posted - 08/25/2005 : 23:22:01
i read sarnos book healing back pain 3 times , cover to cover, and 4 more times browsing the sections i highlighted. i believed it,saw myself throughout the book, etc.
when i called to get an appt w/ sarno, on my pre-appt. interview i told him how often i read the book and believed it, and he said 'i dont care how many times you read my book and believe it, as long as youre still getting some sort of physical treatment your brain is still getting what it wants and youll never get better from the tms"
i had to stop seeing the chiro and not go see the neurosurgeon. when youre ready, youll stop the physical treatments.
Lee
A tranquil heart is life to the body, but passion is rottenness to the bones |
| Jim1999 |
Posted - 08/25/2005 : 23:02:30
quote:
Originally posted by LuvtoSew
One problem I see is where he says you should see a dr. to get a dx of TMS- well there are only a few doctors in the US qualified to dx this disorder...At this point I would think that if I'm having persistant pain somewhere, I would want it checked out by the medical profession and not just ignore it.
No, Dr. Sarno does not say that you have to see a TMS doctor. Obviously, that is preferred if a TMS doctor is available. Most of us do not have that option, at least not without long travel and/or high out-of-pocket expenses.
What Sarno says is to go to a doctor and get a diagnosis. Then, look that diagnosis up in his books. So, for example, if you get a diagnosis of TMJ, you could look that up in The Mindbody Prescription on pages 78-79: "Fibromyalgia, MPS and TMJ are part of TMS." In this case, Dr. Sarno's advice is to use a combination of your diagnosis and Sarno's book to conclude that you have TMS.
quote:
Originally posted by LuvtoSew
Another thing I see is he states TMS will usually affect an area of the body that has a weakness, well now isn't he admitting that there is a structural problem then?
No, he is not admitting that there is a structural problem. He says that herniated disks, for example, are usually normal abnormalities. "Normal abnormalities" are things that happen normally with age and are harmless. He states that TMS will take advantage of the herniated disk as a way to manipulate the doctor into giving a physical diagnosis. The doctor will often diagnosis the disk as the cause of the pain, even when it is harmless.
I realize that many will find it hard to believe that TMS can be devious like this. I know I was skeptical after initially reading Dr. Sarno's books. Over time, though, I came to accept that TMS does work like this.
Jim |
| Dave |
Posted - 08/25/2005 : 13:08:46
quote:
Originally posted by LuvtoSew
Another thing I see is he states TMS will usually affect an area of the body that has a weakness, well now isn't he admitting that there is a structural problem then?
No, it is cleverness on the part of your brain to give you symptoms that are likely to be considered a real physical problem, and thus serve as a successful distraction.
quote:
At this point I would think that if I'm having persistant pain somewhere, I would want it checked out by the medical profession and not just ignore it. I guess this might stem from being a nurse.
Of course. Those are the first words in Dr. Sarno's book and it is absolutely essential. Chronic pain can be due to serious illness or disease such as a tumor and that must be ruled out.
quote:
They decided it was the MS and not my spine causing my numb leg.
You mean they guessed. |
| n/a |
Posted - 08/25/2005 : 11:56:28
You sound very open to Dr Sarno's ideas, LuvtoSew. You are on to something when you realise that it would probably have been better had you not found out about the herniation and you are so right when you say that the more you mess with stuff it hurts more because the brain does indeed 'pick away at it'.
Being a nurse is probably a mixed blessing as far as accepting a mind/body link in many illnesses - you will no doubt have come across patients that you believe are stressed to the point that you suspect the stress is playing a role in their condition, but on the other hand, you are seeing physical treatments that actually work day in day out.
For my own part, I probably would not be alive today, if it were not for the skill of a surgeon and other health professionals, for which I am eternally grateful, so it's hard at first to accept that there are some things that the medical profession does not handle well - chronic pain conditions, for one.
Two years ago, I had given up work and was leading a life of increasing disability because of chronic, severe lower back pain. I was depressed and had just about lost the will to live. I started a new job three months ago, which I love and do all the things I want to. No physical treatments - no surgeries - just working away at the psychology behind the pain. They found a herniated disk in me too - L4 and the vertebra below it has partially collapsed, but once the fear had gone - the pain lessened and bothers me very rarely now - if it does it's short lived and I know that I can safely ignore it.
Best wishes
Anne
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