| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| zenobia13 |
Posted - 11/26/2006 : 13:25:48
I'm very excited to find this website, and I'll try to make my explanations as brief as I can. My 18 y.o. daughter has been suffering for years from chronic pain (neck, shoulders, head, back) and mis-diagnosed and treated unsuccessfully for everything from Fibromyalgia to Celiac Disease. We have no health insurance and limited means, so lots of time and money have been wasted. (She has some coverage now that she is in college.)
A woman on a plane told me about Dr Sarno and the more I learn the more I think this describes my daughter perfectly. Her older sister was killed in a horrible accident in 2002 and I realize now that the pain started (or got worse) around that time.
My child is a very stubborn young woman, frustrated after years of useless treatments, and I have to be very careful how I present this information to her. To buy Dr. Sarno's books or DVD and hand them to her wouldn't do any good at all.
We are in the Atlanta GA area and I need to know how to get started on this program. What MUST we do first? What should we NOT do? What advice can you give me to give her?
All your success stories are very inspiring and I hope to learn from everyone here. Thank you SO much.
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| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 11/28/2006 : 09:43:10
Hi Z-13,
http://www.tarpityoga.com/directory.html
The above link has the most comprehensive list of TMS MD's and practitoners I know of. Also the HOME PAGE of this site has buttons for valuable TMS resources, materials and links.
Dr. Sarno's latest book THE DIVIDED MIND, does a very good job of claryfying the psycholgy of TMS.
TMS practitoners are few and far between so you may have to do some traveling.
Can your daughter exercise in a pool? Swimming or deep water running, which is what I do for aerobics and resistance work, is easier on the joints. Atrophy do to not exerciseing is a real loss of muscle, but the lsot muscle tone can be quickly recovered in a few weeks after returning to exercise.
The fact that a long string of MD's and other practitoners have labeled your daughter hypochondriacal may be a good sign. That means they collectively could NOT find anything structuraly/physicaly wrong with her. That's a good thing, that leaves the door open for TMS as the DX.
The coincidence of the trauma of losing her sibling could well mean her issues are of a psycholgical origin.
Good Luck,
tt
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| HilaryN |
Posted - 11/28/2006 : 09:18:38
Healing Back Pain is also available on audio CD in abridged form, read by Dr Sarno. It's much cheaper than his video. It's available on Amazon.
Hilary N |
| ndb |
Posted - 11/28/2006 : 09:17:09
quote:
Originally posted by zenobia13
Does anyone know how to go about finding a doctor who supports this work? She saw a psychiatrist a couple of years ago - what a fiasco that was. She's been dismissed as neurotic and hypochondriacal by neurologists, rheumatologists, pediatricians and chiropractors. She clearly is NOT because while the constant pain fatigues her, she continues to push on until she can't push anymore, hardly the sign of a malingerer.
I saw Dr. David Lipsig, a TMS psychiatrist in Atlanta a few times. Your daughter might find this helpful for getting confirmation of the TMS diagnosis. Its helpful to have someone say 'yes, I think its TMS'. He can also explain all the subtleties and mechanics of it to her. You could also begin by explaining to your daughter in your own words about TMS.
ndb |
| zenobia13 |
Posted - 11/28/2006 : 06:55:11
Thanks again for some very useful advice. I havbe already ordered "The Mind-Body Connection" and I'm thinking about getting Dr Brady's video series. My daughter is a college student who lives at school not *too* far away, and while I have told her I'm "studying something that I think will help", she greets the notion of more reading (beyond her college workload) as absolutely unthinkable.
Does anyone know how to go about finding a doctor who supports this work? She saw a psychiatrist a couple of years ago - what a fiasco that was. She's been dismissed as neurotic and hypochondriacal by neurologists, rheumatologists, pediatricians and chiropractors. She clearly is NOT because while the constant pain fatigues her, she continues to push on until she can't push anymore, hardly the sign of a malingerer.
She *does* have hyperextended joints, and has had many injuries such as dislocated knees, etc, because of it. This has limited her ability to work out and be stronger than she is.
How many people here have experienced most of their pain in the upper back, neck and head?
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| Stryder |
Posted - 11/27/2006 : 17:46:45
My child is a very stubborn young woman, frustrated after years of useless treatments, and I have to be very careful how I present this information to her...
very stubborn and years of useless treatments would pretty much describe most of the members here as well.
I would suggest you complete reading Healing Back Pain (Sarno's 2nd book by the way) and then go read the good doctor's latest (4th) book The Divided Mind. At this point you will have some ideas on how the good doctor's thinking has matured over the years, and you will be able to make a determination which of the 2 books would best apply to your daughter.
As many of us will confirm for you, its pretty much an uphill and unrealistic battle to try to get another person to take the TMS diagnosis seriously. It really has to come from within the person who is looking for the answers. That said, if I were you, I would send my daughter the book that you think may apply best in this case, and let her take it from there. You could also include the link to this web site www.tmshelp.com. The thing you need to do after that is nothing. Just back off completely. Sooner or later your daughter will take a look at Dr. Sarno's work, and hopefully see herself on the pages (the Ah ha moment), and see how the TMS diagnosis applies.
So, in the nutshell, supply the good word and let your daughter make the connection on her own. She has nothing to loose but her pain.
I'm currently reading "Healing Back Pain" but worry that it lacks a real step-by-step plan...
Yes, common reaction, worry not. Often just understanding the condition and the diagnosis is enough to start one down the path to recovery. If not there are books by other authors and if you really need it seeing a TMS-aware doctor can help with the diagnosis in some cases and recommend treatment.
The most imporant thing is to just get the ball rolling and let your daughter make up her own mind.
Take care, -Stryder |
| ralphyde |
Posted - 11/27/2006 : 15:44:52
You might also consider Freedom from Fibromyalgia : The 5-Week Program Proven to Conquer Pain by Nancy Selfridge, MD and Franklynn Peterson, both of whom cured themselves from fibromyalgia by using Dr. Sarno's approach, and they mention him frequently in the book.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812933753
Ralph |
| Redsandro |
Posted - 11/27/2006 : 06:33:38
I would secretly love to see the video's 'leaked' because I'm curious if they'd help me more, but getting them here would take over $150 and I can buy a lot of socks for that.
In my opinion the very best method to practice the Sarno method is to read one of his books and recognise yourself in every line, so she'd indeed need to be open for it. That's kind of essential. I don't know your daughter, but reading success stories convinced me.
I think you should read all success stories you can find, and print the ones that identify to your daughter most. You can search this forum by going to the search page (http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/search.asp?FORUM_ID=2) and enter 'Success Story' without the quotes and the space) and then it will be up to your parental judgement to find a way of letting her read it normally.
You can also type down a lot of sense making quotes you read in the books and present them as a printed list, if that would convince her into reading the book.
Fred Amir has a book with steps to recovery. It's partially about designing a recovery plan. It's about thinking, knowing you can become better, and it's written more simple with a lot of repetitive text, and the author doesn't hide the fact that he believes in God. Some people like it very much. But I don't like that approach. I prefer more in-depth explanation of 'why' this happens, and for many people this understanding is (part of) the cure. I have to admit it has many interesting insights about dealing with the recovery, but if I had to choose it would be at the bottom of my list.
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Do not base your joy upon the deeds of others, for what is given can be taken away. |
| zenobia13 |
Posted - 11/27/2006 : 06:09:02
Thanks, Littlebird! Yes, I'm currently reading "Healing Back Pain" but worry that it lacks a real step-by-step plan. That's why I turned to you. I have seen Dr. Brady's website and may order his book. Has anyone seen his or Dr. Sarno's videos? THese might be easier for me, anyway, if they have usable, practicable info on them and aren't just more about the concept.
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| Littlebird |
Posted - 11/27/2006 : 00:54:58
Hi there,
Sorry to hear about your loss and your daughter's pain. It must be hard for you to deal with all of it. It's great that you want to help your daughter find relief from the pain. As you said, it's something she'll need to be ready to look into.
Have you had the opportunity to read any of Dr. Sarno's books? If not, that would be a good place for you to start reading yourself. Another good book is called Pain Free for Life, by Dr. Brady. And this forum is a great source of information. Once you have a little more background in the way TMS works, then you'll probably be able to get a better idea of how you might introduce the concept to your daughter without making her feel pushed or resentful.
Best wishes in your efforts to help your girl. |
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