| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| JohnO |
Posted - 06/16/2007 : 06:03:52
I’m one of the few posters here with levator syndrome symptoms – deep lower GI misery. You don’t need to know a lot about that to relate to this post. I had been doing better for about six months but have had some bad days too and maybe stupidly went back to see the GI doctor who referred me for biofeedback treatments. That seems to make some sense but I think now I have fallen off believing this suffering is 100% TMS. I feel really stuck. I know there have been other posts on here about doubts and I have read a lot of those but can anyone talk about how to get the brain to stop any shadow of doubt that suffering is anything less than 100% psychological. I feel caught in the crossfire of thinking both physical and psychological and the pain is all ramped up again. |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Scottydog |
Posted - 06/18/2007 : 00:52:11
Louise Hay's book You Can Heal Your Life has advice on improving self esteem. The cover is very flowery but her story is interesting and inspiring and I found her advice really worked. It was recommended on this messageboard by Baseball65 (I think). His posts are worth reading.
Anne |
| Paul |
Posted - 06/17/2007 : 19:45:15
Anne,
You mentioned Self Esteem and advice you read in books about that. THAT is one area I really struggle with. Having pain for so many years has put a huge grip on self confidence and esteem...how did you break out of that?
Thank you so much! |
| Scottydog |
Posted - 06/17/2007 : 15:08:19
Hi Paul,
I didn't really battle through - more like struggled along. The only battles I had were with my poor husband who got the worst of some of my mood swings!
But it was reading your post made me realise that I have had no depression for many months. I read books - Louise Hay, John Lee, Deepak Chopra etc - which had advice on experiencing your anger and improving self esteem etc etc and that has helped me understand how problems started. The journalling helps alot so now I am better able to deal with stuff.
You are probably making progress but it just feels like you aren't!
Anne |
| Paul |
Posted - 06/17/2007 : 11:50:44
Anne,
How did you battle through the anxiety and depression? Also...did you fluctuate from pain to anxiety/depression and so forth?
Just curious...
Thanks! |
| Scottydog |
Posted - 06/17/2007 : 00:23:58
Paul,
I went through a phase depression and anxiety on my road to recovery - scary, expecially as you can't perceive of it letting up when you are in the depths. Also some roller coaster emotions of self pity and rage.
But now I'm through that and on the other side. It's probably something your brain needs to go through to reach the saner calmer beliefs that come out on top.
Best of luck,
Anne
|
| Paul |
Posted - 06/16/2007 : 10:26:10
John,
I've got the same thing as you know...levator ani syndrome. After having it for 7+ years or more and been all around the country...I'm stuck between these two ideas for treatment:
1. The Stanford Protocol (Dr. Wise, "The Headache in The Pelvis). This consist of having internal treatment on the trigger points to break them of spasm and stretch them. And combine this with daily relaxation to stop the chronic tension in the body.
2. The TMS Approach: Realizing it is just muscle pain and based on stress or disorder in the mind/body and doing nothing physical to fix it...just work on one's thinking and beliefs.
I'm SO tempted to do internal massage on myself (I know, it sounds gross) but at the same time, in TMS theory, this will only reinforce the physical component of it.
Dr. Rochelle even said it is TMS, along with Dr. Sopher in an email.
Lately, the depression and anxiety have been really bad. I stopped taking Risperdal for anxiety/depression...and BAM!...here it is again.
There is no doubt I'm unhappy in my life...and I know the pain has played a HUGE role in my unhappiness. It is just moving beyond it MENTALLY that is so tough when the pain is screaming...or, the anxiety creates so much fear and unease that life just feels SO heavy.
The one big glimpse of hope is the correspondence I had with Carolyn on here at one time. She had levator ani syndrome so bad she could hardly go to the bathroom....and she beat it with the TMS approach. Took over a year and it was a roller coaster for her.
This is such a tough road and I don't know if I will ever be normal again. If I do gain full health again, I can't imagine how that will feel, I won't know what to do with myself and all this excess energy that I've used to fight this for years and years. |
| Shary |
Posted - 06/16/2007 : 09:46:45
LTS, I sympathize regarding pain management. The name alone is a total turnoff. Who in their right mind wants to manage pain? We want to get RID of it.
A hundred years from now, when traditional medicine hopefully finds its way out of the 19th century, I think they will discover that most non-trauma pain and even most diseases are psychological in origin. |
| LuvtoSew |
Posted - 06/16/2007 : 08:25:50
I'm caught between the medical and psychological too so don't feel bad. Its so hard to just ignore the pain.
My neuro order me to pain management. I have an appoint Mom but I'm not going to let him doing anything like steroi shots or that. I'm tempted to cancell but I'd have to pay anyway.
I am now having tailbone area pain, and I really do believe its from the chiro pushing on my sacrum- never hurt before that- but now I just have to believe it'll just go away. Upteen years ago I fell on my but and had tailbone pain and it went away in a few weeks.
Right now I use some bengay which helps.
I do believe muscles are the cause of most pain problems.
I use to have a total gym and just loved it. I feel like ordering me another one and just start using it. My muscles are weak since I haven't been exercising for 1.5 years. It may not help my pain, but I use to feel so good doing it. I have MS and doing highly physical activies like running is out for me. But the total gym would stretch me out and work my muscles.
I would like to add that I'm such a whimp when it comes to pain, now my husband comes home with sorenss (he is highly physical at work) but the next day he goes to work and works it out, so it has to do with muscles- he gives them a workout every day. |
| skizzik |
Posted - 06/16/2007 : 07:39:00
From reading your post I would assume that your'e convinced "conventional" is doing nothing for you (perhaps some temporary relief) which is where I'm probably at w/ my treatment of symptoms. I think deep down we both know our symptoms are 100% psychological, so we keep reading and coming back here.
I think it's ok to "lose your religion" for awhile, because thats what it takes to see the flaws in conventional medical treatment, and then we come back. Fortunately, I think I've seen enuff improvement this week to go full bore Sarno again. I hope you do too. |
