| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| koukla |
Posted - 11/29/2007 : 08:10:20
Yesterday after reading the forum and some of the success stories, I psyched myself up and started doing things around the house. I don't work because of my RSI and normally I just sit around the house and watch tv or read books. Or I obsess about my hands which is bad to do, but hard not to when you are very bored to begin with.
I did a lot of housework: cleaned the bathroom including scrubbing the grout in the shower, washed a whole sink full of dishes and cleaned the countertop and sink too. Later on I made dinner which involved opening 3 cans, opening a jar and doing a lot of stirring. This is huge because normally I don't do any of these things. It takes a lot of planning for me to even clean the bathroom and I have to do it over multiple days so I am proud of myself that I actually did it. I probably overdid it though because today I am really sore. I think it's more muscle soreness and less of the tendon pain. It makes sense because I do have a lot of atrophy I think from barely using my arms at all over the past year. I do feel a little fear every so often that maybe I did permanent damage but I'm trying to put it out of my mind when I think like that.
What's interesting is that earlier when I would try to do a lot of activity, I would feel pain in the tendons of my thumbs the most and everything else would flare up. It would get almost impossible for me to move my hand. Yesterday, I only felt soreness in the forearm muscles and some in my elbow interestingly. Overall, I am encouraged by yesterday and by the fact that I can still do things today.
Carolyn |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| armchairlinguist |
Posted - 11/30/2007 : 12:29:59
I did not wait for the pain to go away and did fine. I think this often works for people with RSI.
Remember, TMS is epidemic and normal. :-) Nothing wrong with you for having it.
In The Divided Mind, the chapter by Andrea Leonard-Segal, a TMS rheumatologist, talks about how she tells her patients that they seem very healthy and strong to her, and how that is often the first time they've heard it in a long time and it really increases their confidence. It's a great message to give yourself.
--
It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
| koukla |
Posted - 11/30/2007 : 11:36:14
quote:
It is easier to get rid of the pain by identifying with the phrase "I am perfectly healthy and structurally sound", rather than "I have a benign condition called TMS due to emotional issues"
That's funny because when I first read about the TMS stuff, I thought that there must be something "defective" with my mind somehow. I've been thinking about the goal thing recently. I know that Sarno says that you should wait until you are pain free before resuming normal activity, but I feel that I would be waiting forever. It seems like I feel best when I am doing things anyway. When I sit around and stagnate, I feel the worst. |
| campbell28 |
Posted - 11/30/2007 : 06:40:36
I find the success stories really helpful too. It was after reading one on here that i really started to get better. Have you visited this site?
http://podolsky.everybody.org/rsi/
it's very encouraging. I also copied and pasted some of the positive stories off this forum into a word document so I could re-read them all together if I was feeling bad. I can't remember who posted the comment below but I found it particularly useful. If you do find yourself with time to sit around and think, then really try to focus on your emotions, not your arms. Think about why you might be angry or upset or anxious APART from with your hands. that really does help because it shifts the focus off the physical stuff:
Hello everyone-
I have been reading the forums for a while and have a theory about the differences between people that succeed and the ones that don't succeed. I got rid of my prostitus in about one week after reading the book. My attitude was "Ohh, I guess I am fine, where are my running shoes?". However, the pain moved to my upper back and was unbearable. I even had to call into work one day and take the day off. It went away after a couple of weeks and is now back. I have been doing some soul searching as to why it went away the first time so easily and not the second time. I have come to a couple of conclusions:
1. It is easier to get rid of the pain by identifying with the phrase "I am perfectly healthy and structurally sound", rather than "I have a benign condition called TMS due to emotional issues"
--The reason I think is that once you know you are ALREADY fine and you resume normal activity, then the subconscious gives way. On the other hand if you identify with the "condition" of TMS, there is still a disconnect between a healthy you and the you in the present state. A chasm one must cross. Also, TMS people by nature are hard on themselves, so they feel they must root out all the negative feelings and stresses that have ever happened in their life in order to get better. I just don't think this is the case, but many people don't want it to be easy as a way of punishing themselves. I was so taken with the concept of TMS that I read two books on it and everything on the interent. I identified myself as a "TMS personality", so when some other stress in my life happened it came back. I have since identified with the statement "I am structually sound" and am making quick progress again.
2. You MUST resume normal activity and fight through any discomfort.
Both times my TMS went away I was running 2-3 miles a day, and fighting through pain the first .5 miles. The funny thing about TMS is that once blood (which brings oxygen) starts pumping through the body the pain dissapears. I would then say to myself "Ah ha! I knew I was healthy, and I am absolutely structurally sound!"
YOU WILL NOT DAMAGE YOURSELF BY RESUMING NORMAL ACTIVITY!! SO DO IT! Do NOT ease into activity, this sends a message to your subconscious that says that you don't truely believe you are structurally sound on all levels. Thus the pain will persist. Also, lets say that sitting in a chair is your "trigger" for pain, then your activity should not be sitting in a chair. Your activity should be something related that gets the blood moving through that part of your body, something much more strenuous. Then you will tell yourself "come on i was just doing squats and lunges, sitting in a chair is a peice of cake, I am not buying this pain....I am structurally sound"
3. Do not set goals!
---This is going to cause a lot of controversy, but by setting a goal you are still saying to your subconscious that AT THIS MOMENT you are NOT structurally sound. You need to just resume activity and KNOW that you are ok. Don't even identify with the TMS condition. IF you are going to set a goal do it for your own athletic prowess and not for the TMS.
4. Identify with the feeling of the emotional issues rather than the logic. Accept that you feel this way, accept yourself for feeling this way and then release the emotional stress anyway that works for you. Absolutely KNOW that this issue has been resolved.
----If it is a person that has wronged you accept the fact that you can not control other people's actions, accept yourself for feeling this way, forgive yourself, and then the other person.
5. Know that you are a perfect creation, and that there will never be another "you" ever to grace the earth again. Try and truely love and accept yourself. (obviously this will be hard, and it is just so you can be happier in life. Your TMS will go away even if this step is not mastered.. hell, look at all the people that don't have TMS that haven't mastered this step)
|
| mamaboulet |
Posted - 11/30/2007 : 06:12:04
quote:
Originally posted by koukla
It's funny because I was thinking of making scones--cranberry orange! I do think the original mindset must have worn off a bit because yesterday I started getting pain back and I woke up with it again. Interestingly, I pretty much took it easy yesterday and didn't do much of anything. I think I did leave myself too much time to think and doubt though and that is why I might have relapsed. I seem to be feeling my best when I read the success stories--I wish there were more of them.
I still have some mental conditioning about walks. I'll tell myself that I can't walk two days in a row because that's just, like, way over the top. Then I think, "are you nuts? You used to walk EVERYWHERE all the time. Won't hurt you a bit. Get your butt out there." |
| mamaboulet |
Posted - 11/30/2007 : 06:09:51
Yes, three cheers for real soreness! And that funny moment of recognition after nothing but TMS pain. Good for you!
I've been digging a ditch in the back yard. I'm a very small woman and can't seem to get my husband to help with the ditch. I was telling myself yesterday that my back and arms were going to hurt, but they really aren't that sore today because I've been doing a lot more physical activity lately and getting my muscle tone back a bit. |
| koukla |
Posted - 11/30/2007 : 06:05:28
It's funny because I was thinking of making scones--cranberry orange! I do think the original mindset must have worn off a bit because yesterday I started getting pain back and I woke up with it again. Interestingly, I pretty much took it easy yesterday and didn't do much of anything. I think I did leave myself too much time to think and doubt though and that is why I might have relapsed. I seem to be feeling my best when I read the success stories--I wish there were more of them. |
| campbell28 |
Posted - 11/29/2007 : 17:44:34
I have been off with RSI for a year and a half and only in the last 3 months realised it was TMS - it has been up and down but the last month has been definitely up. Your muscles probably haven't deteriorated as much as you think - it is partly doing things they're unused to and partly I think the TMs trying to trip you up.
It's weird but you do have to have a kind of mind shift. One of the first things I did after reading the book and realising it was TMS was to go and make scones. This involved lots of things I hadn't done for ages like stirring, rubbing sugar and butter together etc, and I was scared. But I did it all while thinking 'ha, I've got you rumbled' and trying to ignore the bits of my brain that were going ' no no this is a bad thing it will hurt!'. Kind of like mentally looking the other way and whistling. And it worked.
I am still being a bit careful - if I feel Ok about doing things I do them. If I start getting worried and anxious I stop, so as not to reinforce the pain message. But it does get through after a while. Don't worry if it goes up and down - I had a very good 3 weeks, then a bad 6 weeks, and since then its been all good. It really does take a while to get into your subconscious. But keep at it! Three months ago I couldn't write a sentence and now I've just typed all this. You will get there. |
| mala |
Posted - 11/29/2007 : 17:19:19
Hi koukla,
What a huge achievement. Well done. The soreness you are feeling is the 'good kind' which comes from working the muscles. By psyching yourself up the way you did, you were telling your subconcious that you are not afraid and you are not going to give in.
This attitude is very important and what is even more important is that you remember your pain DID NOT get worse even after you did such a lot. Remember this because your subconcious is very sneaky and will try to thwart your efforts. It happened to me till it realised I was on to its sneaky little tricks and it slowly but reluctantly gave up. You must not let it win.
Savour your victory & save it in a part of your psyche where you can draw from it when you need to.
Good Luck & Good Health
Mala |
| armchairlinguist |
Posted - 11/29/2007 : 13:32:09
That's great to hear. Your capability probably has not diminished as much as you think, and will come back quickly. That "real" soreness is a good feeling, isn't it!
I did much like you did and got a bit carried away the first day. :-) It was fun.
--
It's not 100% belief that's required, but 100% commitment. |
|
|
