| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| vnwees |
Posted - 04/06/2006 : 11:09:57
had excellent results ridding myself of back (and other misc.)pain in '98 after reading sarno's books. a few years later, after the suicide of my son and death of both parents--all over a 3 year period-- i started having severe anxiety attacks and other emotional difficulties. went to a psychiatrist who said i was bipolar and had developed post traumatic stress disorder. after a couple of years on mood stabilizers and shortly after my mom died, i started getting severe headaches, sometimes landing in urgent care. after a while i began to suspect "sarno-sitis" as i lovingly refer to it. at that point i'd been essentially back pain free for 6-7 years and had great confidence in the tms diagnosis. but this time, it wasn't working. as i worked sarno's program without success, the fear grew, sometimes to quite intense proportions. after 8 monhts of this, i went to see a nuerologist who, although not familiar with sarno, suggested i wean off the mood stabilizers(bless him!). like magic, within a short time, sarno's program was working! is it possible that, in some cases like mine, the brain is harder to retrain when on certain mood stabilizers or anti depressants? it seems so in my case. these meds seem to have great value for some people and may in fact have helped me early on. but i now suspect they may have worked against me as i tried to work sarno's program for the 2nd time. am about 80% symptom free now and have actively worked to reduce the fear, too. any similar stories out there? |
| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| vnwees |
Posted - 04/07/2006 : 09:51:25
i've been "sarno-sizing' for anxiety and depression the same way i've always done it for back pain...i yell at my brain or talk to it regularly, instructing it to balance all the chemicals thruout my entire brain and body--to be perfectly balanced for optimum health and well being. i remind my brain that i am in control...that i am changing the brains programming...rewiring the cicuits. just like when i tell my brain to increase the blood flow to nerves, muscles tendons. i seem to be having good, solid success with this for the past several months...about 80% improvement. the last 20% is being stubborn but i will not give up...i am building slowly but surely on my successes.
good luck to you both. vicki |
| lobstershack |
Posted - 04/07/2006 : 08:56:39
I respectfully disagree. Some people just need a little help with their brain chemistry, plain and simple. Do I intend to stay on these medications for the rest of my life? No. Will I be on them at least until the TMS is under control and perhaps longer? Without fail. I applaud you for your strength in overcoming your anxiety sans meds, but in no way shape or form do I think these mask the problem. In my particular case they were a lifesaver, and without them I would not be able to do the work necessary to recover.
Seth |
| kjarvis |
Posted - 04/07/2006 : 07:15:17
Seth are you saying that you will be on meds for life? I beleive Sarno states that meds can help get over the hump but should not be used as a permanant fix. Do you fell your emotional difficulties are to great to overcome. I am jusy asking because I have had much success with anxiety using Sarno's meathod and when I hear stories that sarno permits meds for many patients it seems discouraging in the fact that maybe people can not beat the anxiety and such as easily as the physical pain. Somedays I feel meds would help but would that not mask the TMS and enforce its strength? I think it can be done without meds what do you think?
Kevin. |
| leonard |
Posted - 04/06/2006 : 17:36:19
I , as well , had an "episode " of back pain and in 1997 was taken to the ER . The pain was absolutely terrible and I was diagnosed with a herniated disk. I luckily found Sarno at a bookstore in 1998 and made major improvement. In 1998 my best friend committed suicide , in 1999 my dad died, in 2000 2 uncles and aunts passed away , in 2001 my granddad died , and in 2003 my mom passed. We all were very close . I took care of their affairs, which was actually worse than their deaths in many ways. When my mom was in the hospital I developed a pain in my chest and walked over to the ER and they checked my heart out and eventually gave me a diagnosis of anxiety and a prescription for ativan. The ativan really helped me the next two years handling the estate. I didn't abuse it's use, and really never had a "panic attack " , but probably would have without it. I rediscovered Sarno after this time , and it has helped quite a bit , but I still have problems at times . I am weaning off , and do not take it very often , for I know it only masks the symptoms. The rediscovery was amazing because I had forgotten how much he had discussed anxiety as an equivalent of tms.
I don't know much about mood stabilizers , but I do remember Dr. Sopher saying in his book that medication of this type hinders recovery. ....... I can't end this reply without saying how very sorry I am about your son. I lost my dearest brother at a young age and remember how very difficult it was for my parents ; just simply heartbreaking. |
| lobstershack |
Posted - 04/06/2006 : 13:22:57
I'm currently on a combo of meds. I tried going off of them last summer with horrible results: I become so anxious and depressed that I couldn't even bear to do the TMS work. I've spoken about this with Sarno and my therapist and both say that many TMS patients are on meds. For me going off of them is not an option, but I'm glad you're feeling better!
Seth |
|
|
