| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| jeppollard |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 18:33:22
Hey everyone, I wanted to share my story because I'm new to this diagnosis and am having a hard time trying to rid myself of the pain. I'm 24 and have had sore neck problems since I was 18. I use to lift weights a lot and doctors would say that caused it. It made no sense to me because I would get terribly stiff necks for no reason. The constant sore neck caused me to stop lifting and the pain got worse. It also got worse after college. I got into a fender bender over a yr ago and have had back pain ever since despite physical therapy and chrios. No doctor has ever been able to tell me what's wrong with me except it's a soft tissue problem. Not lifting has made my pain worse, I've had IBS bouts for a few weeks, tension headaches everyday for a month, and constant sore neck and back. If my back hurts then my neck doesn't and vice versa but this changes from day to day. I believe I'm a perfect diagnosis for TMS. How can I get rid of it tho? Knowing that I'm repressing emotions with pain hasn't done the trick. How patient should I be? I need help, this disease has ruined relationships and my confidence. Thanks,
Justin
No quitter |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| woodyb |
Posted - 11/14/2009 : 21:18:53
DEADLIFT....that's what made my backpain go away. I couldnt move without my back searing with pain...I had already found Sarno, but I wasnt listening.. One day a friend dragged me back in the gym... I was so scared... but I said screw it, how much worse can it get.. and for two months, i hurt like h***.. but I kept going, it'd be rotator cuff on chest day, my elbow on arms day, my knee on leg day, my back on back day, then one day it all just stopped... I realized that after i hit that part of my body it felt sooo much better, i started journaling. meditating. focused concentration. I bought every book I could find on anything related to TMS. (Fred Admir's Book is a personal fav.) and I just refused to stop lifting...
2 Years ago I couldnt bend over, now I'm Dead-Lifting over 400 lbs, My Bench is 260, and I can Sqaut around 400. You gotta get in there, hit it with all you got, and say I will not be beat and limited by my own mind... I tell my self I am Invincible (but I still warm-up and use proper form), I tell myself I can't be hurt, look at all these other monsters in the gym who dont get hurt... you'll get aches and pains but you gotta fight through them...
Woodyb |
| MatthewNJ |
Posted - 11/12/2009 : 19:35:59
jep,
Sorry dude, there is no fixed answer. Everyone is different. But what you post sounds very encouraging. particularly how you could run a race without pain and then return home in pain. Classic! Been there done that. When I click into my snow skis, I am pain free! I have been on the TMS journey since 2003. And I have heard of people who just hear about Dr. Sarno's idea's and their pain vanishes. I have had relapses too. But I keep at it. I have been down Dr. Sarno's path by seeing him. He sent me to counseling. I now travel the path of mindfulness and being in the moment. I have also started meditating.
I must agree with the others though, loose the PT. It is NOT the way to go to accept TMS. I highly recommend counseling.
If that interests you look up Dr. Jon Kabit-Zin and Dr. Peter A. Levine.
Matthew
Ferretsx3@comcast.net
--------------------
The difficult we do right away, the impossible just takes a little longer. |
| jeppollard |
Posted - 11/11/2009 : 13:01:13
So I have been thinking more psychologically. Last weekend I endured a 6 hour car ride while on vacation and ran an 8K race with no training. I was very nervous, thinking my back or neck would hurt but to be honest they felt great. It was nice to compete again and not hurt. The day before coming back from vacation my symptoms came back and have been pretty persitent since then. I really hate my job and I think the stress of coming back triggered my pain. I'm having a hard time trying to get rid of it and get very angry and frustrated. As far as physical therapy I said if I could run that race without hurting then I'd quit. I intend to stick to that and am quiting. Does anyone have a gauge of how long it takes to recover from this monster? Thanks guys
No quitter |
| la_kevin |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 18:03:38
As long as you do ANYTHING to give TMS attention (physical therapy), you will be feeding it what it needs. It's my honest opinion that nobody can heal from TMS while focusing on "improving" the pain through physical means. Physical begets physical and TMS is anything but a physical problem.
---------------------------
"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans"- John Lennon |
| Dave |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 13:10:25
quote:
Originally posted by jeppollard
I'm also still in physical therapy and am scared to quit.
Afraid you just have not taken the necessary steps towards recovery.
It's not enough to read the book. You have to follow the treatment suggestions. Step 2 is to stop all physical treatments. If you have not taken that step, then you do not yet have the commitment required for recovery. |
| Monte |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 12:17:39
Justin,
Journaling is a great tool. It is one of the most efficient ways to reach your subconscious feelings. One of the big keys is to be open and honest with yourself.
Re: - "afraid to give up physical therapy" - More than anything I would encourage you to stop the physical therapy. The distraction strategy is so powerful in this disorder that when you engage in ways to "fix" your body instead of address your thoughts/feelings, it has you and there is no reason to let go!
Stay the course,
Monte Hueftle
www.runningpain.com |
| jeppollard |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 11:29:51
Thanks everyone for helping me deal with this. My father actually told me about Sarno which he heard about from Howard Stern. I've been in talk therapy for about 4 months due to some unhappiness. Anyways I feel like my pain is definetly the least it has been in over a year but still painful. This happened pretty fast after reading Sarno's book. I'm trying to think psychological and remind myself that it's just repressed emotions. I guess I'm just being impatient and sometimes hopeless on bad days. I'm also still in physical therapy and am scared to quit. I will try those books and am trying to recondition my mind and stop being so pessimistic. Does anyone do journal writing? I think I'm going to try that too.
No quitter |
| MatthewNJ |
Posted - 11/02/2009 : 20:28:34
I agree with Sarita!
Sarita,
Are you using those books too? They are awesome.
I just added meditation to what I do daily. Do you have a profile anywhere about your TMS journey?
Matthew
Ferretsx3@comcast.net
--------------------
The difficult we do right away, the impossible just takes a little longer. |
| sarita |
Posted - 11/02/2009 : 19:00:18
try "healing trauma" by peter levine...and "waking the tiger". |
| la_kevin |
Posted - 11/02/2009 : 17:59:57
I would take what Baseball65 said to heart. Good comment.
---------------------------
"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans"- John Lennon |
| Baseball65 |
Posted - 11/02/2009 : 05:35:26
Hello Justin
Welcome
I know it's just semantics, but YOU aren't doing anything. It's just a condition to which we have a propensity.... we don't choose to have pain instead of experience the realm of the emotions, it gets conditioned into us over time by a variety of factors in our personal make-up and environment. The LAST thing you need on top of your pain is feeling guilty, as if there is fault or blame....might as well feel guilty about how tall you are or what color your eyes are.
You can rid yourself of the pain, but just like you didn't get it overnight, it takes time and work...mercifully, we can recondition ourselves to heal a lot faster than it took for the stuff to creep on us. Being young, you are actually heading off years of agony by being exposed to the concept younger. Most of us had to be beaten into submission over a number of years before we became listeners.
The rest would be "What Monte said".... Re-educate yourself, Recondition your mind, Return to normal activity...the three 'R's....i like stuff simple 'cuz I tend to convolute and complicate things.
be well
|
| Monte |
Posted - 10/28/2009 : 19:45:00
Hi Justin,
#1 Think Psychological to the "T" - no physical treatments but not even thinking about about physical treatments.
#2 Become aware of how you are generating inner tension? Worry, striving, pleasing, perfection, controlling, etc. --- This is also how you are repressing emotions...
#3 Resume normal activities - if you are shying away from certain activities you are "feeding" the strategy.
#4 Think Clean and be mindful - This is redirecting out of your tension producing activities into patterns that are more open, allowing and aligned ---this automatically gets communicated to your nervous system and then to your body.
Hope this helps,
Monte Hueftle
monte@runningpain.com |
