| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Hilary |
Posted - 01/10/2005 : 17:12:44
Here's my issue: my pain seems to be lessening, to the point where I feel sore but I'm definitely not in agony every day, am not even considering taking painkillers and have stopped obsessing about sciatica. I even sat in a chair without back support today at school and guess what - I felt absolutely fine!
I'm less and less scared of bending over, putting on socks etc, and I even went swimming the other day. There was some soreness, but I was basically okay pretty quickly afterwards.
The pain still comes on, however, in two areas: 1) when I cough or sneeze; I think this is because the pain was "triggered" at a time when I had a cough, and for months I was convinced I'd popped a disc due to coughing; 2) on the toilet! - to the point where I'm starting to dread going, which isn't a good thing... I made the mistake of googling "sciatica" online a while ago and guess what came up as one of the causes? Yup, usin' the potty... and that just STUCK in my head.
This is ridiculous - right? I KNOW this is TMS and yet for some reason these are my weak areas, where those doubting Thomas thoughts creep in: I start to think that I'm somehow straining muscles that are triggering sciatica and the pain starts again...
How do I tackle this?
Thanks very much...
Slightly Embarrassed Hilary |
| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Hilary |
Posted - 01/13/2005 : 16:10:24
LOL! Laura yeah - you certainly gotta love good old TMS!! Thanks - that's a great reminder of the way we program ourselves to expect syptoms.
By the way I just looked at a MDD site - just for the hell of it - and oh my god! I left pretty quickly - I could just tell that those discussions would make me dizzy. Wow. Those people are completely lost.
I really, really feel that I've found a wonderful home here after searching for so long for an answer to my many and wondrous symptoms! |
| Laura |
Posted - 01/13/2005 : 13:05:17
Hilary,
I read once on the mal de debarquement (disequilebrium) forum about a couple of people who felt more of the "rocking" or imbalance while sitting on the potty. It wasn't long before it was happening to me. When I learned about TMS it slowly started to go away and I can't remember the last time it happened to me. With my luck, it'll happen today, just because I wrote this!!! You gotta love it.
Laura
|
| Hilary |
Posted - 01/11/2005 : 12:07:44
Mobius and Anne, thanks for your responses. I realize that I've conditioned myself to expect pain. I'll keep focussed on my feelings, and on the fact that I DO feel better and progress is being made! |
| n/a |
Posted - 01/11/2005 : 05:57:31
For some of us, and I am one, TMS at its worst becomes almost all encompassing. Two years ago, it literally ruled my life and things were closing in on me to the point that I dreaded leaving the house and if I did have to - usually for some appointment with my latest physical tharapist.
Like you, Hillary. I could identify a particular incident that triggered my first incident of excruciating pain - awful vomiting caused by a reaction to a muscle relaxing injection for an investigation into IBS (another TMS nasty trick). I couldn't move because of the pain and was very frightened of more attacks - which happened with increasing frequency until the pain was chronic, varying only in intensity. It was there all the time. The fact that this test was carried out one week after my father had died only seemed significant when I became aware of TMS.
It's not ridiculous at all to feel the way you do - TMS is a formidable opponent, but you're on to it and that's what will lessen it's power to affect you.
|
| Mobius |
Posted - 01/10/2005 : 19:43:35
Hello Hilary,
It appears to me that you are making good progress with de-conditioning yourself, i.e. losing your fear of bending, putting on your socks, sitting in a chair, swimming etc and you are learning that you can do all these things and that there is no further need to be fearful. I went through the same thing with the toilet seat, it pressed against the backs of my legs and I thought for a long time that this was what caused my sciatica. Even after I fully embraced the Sarno concept it continued to be a problem. Expectation of pain upon getting off the toilet seat is just another deeply conditioned response. I started reading a paperback book while sitting there on the throne one day and I got up still reading the book and focused on it and guess what? Right, no pain! Once I quit expecting that pain then it gradually went away and is no longer a problem for me and you can can do the same, but as long as you keep worrying about it and anticipating the pain then it will continue.
These things take time for some of us Hilary and you should be proud of yourself for stepping out there and daring to see if you can de-condition yourself in those areas, and you have succeeded and that will give you more confidence. Just build on those successes and they will carry over into these two more difficult areas, just try to temper your misgivings with a bit of patience. Hang in there and let us know how it goes. Regards, Mobius
|
|
|
