| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| andy64tms |
Posted - 09/20/2012 : 15:15:48
I’ve had a wonderful summer in my first year of retirement, windsurfing in all the prime spots in southern California for the last four months. I have all the usual cuts abrasions, soreness and aches, as well as a happy heart for this is my passion. I know I will heal soon as the windsurfing season has come to an end.
I was very shocked and disturbed to find my weight has also dropped 7 lbs from my already meager 160 lbs. This weight of 153 lbs for my height of 5Ft-11ins is to say the least very low. I am skinny, and quite embarrassed to take my shirt off. I’ve always had an “underweight problem” and have never being over 162 lbs. I attribute this low weight to my nervous type A or T TMS personality, my worrying, perfectionism as well as my high metabolism.
I am always hungry; eat what I want when I want. It’s not uncommon especially during the windsurfing season for me to have a piece of cake, then another, then 12 Trader Joes caramel cookies, then a bowel of ice cream, then some raisin bran and still be hungry. This obsessive behavior stops when I realize the food has not had time to satiate my hunger or my wife makes a comment.
So I’ve signed up with a personal trainer at our health club where they have acres of equipment that I have never used due to my routine being swimming laps. I have high hopes as my fit looking trainer said he once looked like me! I am giving it six months, and my goal is to add weight in all the right places, improve my posture and be much stronger.
My concern is the question of exercise vs treatment. I have TMS neck pain, basically a Charlie horse on my neck that has caused “straightening of the normal lordotic curvature (crooked neck) over the last twenty years.
I’ve recently stopped my habit of “stretching to relieve my neck pain”. Isn’t weight lifting a form of stretching?
Has anyone else worried about their workouts targeting a specific TMS pain area? Should I consider these workouts as ”ignoring the pain” like I did in Success 2000 when I ran through my chronic back pain?
Please help
Andy
Past TMS Experience in 2000, with success.
Taking a break from Wiki Edu. due to windsurfing priorities
Charlie horse on neck for 20 years. (to be evicted soon.)
Books:
Healing Back Pain
Unlearn your Pain
The Great Pain Deception |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mala |
Posted - 09/23/2012 : 20:21:43
Balto I'm pleased you enjoyed reading about Ranulph Fiennes. I like reading about people like him coz it's inspirational.
Bottom line is I am finding it very hard to let go of fear. In fact despite reading so much I am unable to find any techniques. Nothing is working and I am a mess. My neck shoulder symptoms seem to be getting worse. I lie down & muscles seem to relax somewhat but I get up every morning with a feeling of doom & despondency. Within a little while of getting up and making tea, the muscles get tight around the neck & jaw & I start getting a headache. When this happens I can't shake it off. I can't do anything and ican't focus on anything but the pain. It consumes me. My lower back & knee on the same side are acting up too.
My family is worried. My mom, sister, husband all try to cheer me up but I don't want to talk to anyone. I can't seem to ignore pain. I also can't take too much pain medication coz of my stomach.
I went to see my dentist. He wants to take out my wisdom teeth as 2 of them have slight decay. Same side as my neck pain. He can't say for sure whether the teeth are responsible for the pain but he wants me to wear a night guard . I know there is tension in the jaw area but I don't think I clench my teeth. The idea of keeping my jaw open & having dental work is not fun.
I guess I am struggling. Sorry to sound so negative. I do know that I am extremely lucky & I am grateful for all that i have but living like this is just so awfully depressing
Mala
Honestly, I sometimes really get fed up with my subconscious. It's like it's got a mind of its own.
Alexei Sayle
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| Ace1 |
Posted - 09/23/2012 : 07:59:31
I like baltos advice, it's great. Mala I remember you told me that your the first to want to do something and always in a rush and intense. These are the reasons you are in pain and you have to take steps to take care of this along with balto said. You have to learn to be ok with and live in the present |
| balto |
Posted - 09/23/2012 : 05:42:03
quote:
Originally posted by mala
[b]
Balto thx for asking about me. What can I say. I'm still in pain. Like Andy my neck is bothering me a lot. Like Andy I too have lost the curve in my neck & now it is completely straight but I don't let that get to me too much coz I know that there are hundreds of thousands of people with similar necks that have no pain.
I do what I can but the pattern is that i get up feeling OK & as the day goes on my muscles tighten up & by midday I am in a lot of discomfort. Neck, back & knees are all acting up. But I am persevering & trying to think psychological. Trying not to fear but it is difficult.
I read your other post & agree totally with what you said about past memories. To stay stuck on the past does not do anyone any good. Once you have revisited & journalled about the past, its time to let go. I believe it is my own personality, the way I think about & react to pain that is keeping me stuck.
I was reading about Ranulph Fiennes who is now 68. What an adventurer & explorer! If anyone would have pain it would be someone like him after all that he has put himself thru physically. He even chopped off part of his hand when he got frostbite. But somehow he doesn't let it get to him. What a man.
I also read yr post about yr mom's knees. I admire what you are doing but sometimes arthritis is arthritis pure & simple. My mom had double knee surgery when she was 73 & it was the best thing ever. She could walk pain free whereas before her mobility was very limited. She is 80 this year & is doing great.
Perhaps at this stage you should not fight her decision but rather give her support so that she has peace of mind & a speedy recovery.
take care
Mala
Honestly, I sometimes really get fed up with my subconscious. It's like it's got a mind of its own.
Alexei Sayle
thanks Mala for telling us about Ranulph Fiennes. I just read about him on wikipedia and what a man he is. We can all learn from people like him. Or bodies and our minds and incredible and capable of achieve great things, he had proved it.
I do stop trying to convince my mom she can heal with tms knowledge. Her knee surgery is schedule and she is all ready for it. I just wish she do get the relieve she wants whether real or placebo relieve. I think you are very right, there are time we need to stop forcing our belief onto other, even if we absolutely believed we are right.
I hope you find healing with your pain soon Mala. It is difficult for us here to know exactly what you're dealing with, it is difficult to help someone with just a few forum post. But if what you got is tms/anxiety, you will heal. The one think I really want you to try is: even if what caused pain for you is not tms/anxiety, if you can somehow stop your fear of the symptoms, it would help tremendously.
If it is tms/anxiety, by stop fearing the symptoms you will heal.
If it is not tms/anxiety, by stop fearing the symptoms, your body will relax more, you will be calmer, your body's immune system will improve, will get stronger and help with your over all well being.
Fear exist only in our mind. I believe Mr. Ranulph Fiennes was able to achieve so much in life is because he was able to defeat much of his fear.
A friend of my, who used to be a tunnel rat in Vietnam, he went after the enemy in darken hand dugged tunnels every day without fear. But when retired he couldn't get his mind off of his foot pain. It scared him, bother him so much he thought about ending his life. He told me he got well and cure himself after he decide to accept his pain. He accepted the situation he is in (just like when he is in those scary tunnels), He can not change the situation presented to him, so just do his job and move on. When he no longer fear, when he no longer care if he has pain or not, he start to heal.
So try to replace your fear thoughts with another relax, positive thought everytime you see one, eventually it will become a habit and you will heal.
------------------------
No, I don't know everything. I'm just here to share my experience. |
| mala |
Posted - 09/22/2012 : 18:37:28
Hi Andy,
I'm sure you are in good & capable hands with yr trainer. Enjoy yr training sessions & hope you get to the kind of fitness levels you are looking for.
It seems like you wre eating a lot of sugar & carbs when you were windsurfing. Carbs & sugar are good for short energy bursts but too much can actually leave you feeling weak in the long run.
Protein is a big must. Most people as they grow older start to eat less meat which is why some have very low energy levels. I think it is important to eat everything and to have a variety. Say Monday chicken, then Tues fish, Wednesday Pork, Thursday Lamb, Friday Fish, Sat beef something like that not too much but just enough.
I get the idea that you are Sheila are into health & healthy eating.Here's a suggestion for something which I think is healthy & tasty & light.
Boil some bones( any kind will do) with some leeks, onions carrots for about an hour till you get a nice broth . Season with pepper & salt. Strain the broth & add some rice noodles, crunchy green veg & top with some sliced cooked meat. Add some fresh coriander & squeeze some lime juice. Voila. You'll be surprised how tasty, light & healthy this is. You get a complete meal in one bowl.
Good luck
mala
Honestly, I sometimes really get fed up with my subconscious. It's like it's got a mind of its own.
Alexei Sayle
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| andy64tms |
Posted - 09/22/2012 : 16:48:34
Hi Mala and Balto,
Last night I spent ½ hour with my wife Sheila going over the BMI table. I stand very corrected on the issue of my low weight, I was very surprised. As Mala stated I have a BMI of 21 which ranges in the middle for a healthy person. I can put on 20 lbs and still be considered healthy. Also I take your point about the cultural difference, as the table is based on people’s height and not their race or culture. Sheila was interested in the table from her own point of view, and I was very pleased with her openness and acceptance, thanks.
I am new to health awareness, and also think that with all the exercise I do I should be much stronger. I do Yoga, Swim 36 laps twice a week and have windsurfed four hours at a time four days a week since May. I don’t think any of these activities build muscle, I could be wrong here.
In an effort to become healthy Sheila and I eat very little meat with an emphasis on fish and poultry, and I think this might be the problem with my weight loss, and so does my trainer. He mentioned 100 grams of protein a day, (about 4 chicken breasts), which is four times what I eat presently. I might even have to start drinking those nasty protein drinks. I’ll do this if I have to!
I read about Steve whacking those golf balls, my equivalent to this is; “just one more run” (across the lake and back), Like a little kid that wants to play. I’m definitely obsessed - no apologies, as it’s so much fun. At the end of any session I’m completely bedraggled and completely happy. It might be this last hour of windsurfing that my energy is taken from my muscles, as I start to get very cold and shivery.
I remember we discussed our necks before, sorry to hear it’s so bad for you and you also have back and knee to mess with. I feel very lucky indeed for I wake with hospital pain level of 1/1/2 to 2 and with stretching and a cup of coffee is reduced to a constant level of 1 all day. It’s always there reminding me of its presence every time I move my head sideways. The level of pain is so low that I do not fear it, I don’t get angry either. I have relegated it to the level of “nuisance”, as you say “physical a la Sarno”.
Sheila is doing well with her arthritic knees, she recently stole my book “The Great Pain Deception”, I’m glad she did, we both understand TMS and can give each other the support we need.
Thanks also to bryan3000 and Sam908 for your comments, my young trainer is the fun type and not the bully type, so I’m in good hands.
Andy
Past TMS Experience in 2000, with success.
Taking a break from Wiki Edu. due to windsurfing priorities
Charlie horse on neck for 20 years. (to be evicted soon.)
Books:
Healing Back Pain
Unlearn your Pain
The Great Pain Deception |
| mala |
Posted - 09/21/2012 : 20:28:20
Well it’s nice to hear that least two people don’t think I’m underweight, this could be a difference in cultures. The fact is I’m painfully thin, and how I wish I could lift that gallon of milk out of the fridge with ease. Mala I don’t really see my low weight as a negative thing, I am very healthy as Balto commented
Andy I would have thought that with all the swimming and windsurfing that you do, you would be pretty strong & fit and be quite able to lift a gallon of milk with no problem whatsoever. Also the fact that you have ignored the pain & been very physically active shows that you have repudiated the symptoms a la Sarno. A bit like SteveO whacking those golf balls. Have you not noticed any change in yr symptoms at all?
BTW the BMI index doesn't differentiate between Asian or Caucasian so any way you look at it you are still very normal for yr weight & height & it isn't a cultural thing. More like perception thing.
Balto thx for asking about me. What can I say. I'm still in pain. Like Andy my neck is bothering me a lot. Like Andy I too have lost the curve in my neck & now it is completely straight but I don't let that get to me too much coz I know that there are hundreds of thousands of people with similar necks that have no pain.
I do what I can but the pattern is that i get up feeling OK & as the day goes on my muscles tighten up & by midday I am in a lot of discomfort. Neck, back & knees are all acting up. But I am persevering & trying to think psychological. Trying not to fear but it is difficult.
I read your other post & agree totally with what you said about past memories. To stay stuck on the past does not do anyone any good. Once you have revisited & journalled about the past, its time to let go. I believe it is my own personality, the way I think about & react to pain that is keeping me stuck.
I was reading about Ranulph Fiennes who is now 68. What an adventurer & explorer! If anyone would have pain it would be someone like him after all that he has put himself thru physically. He even chopped off part of his hand when he got frostbite. But somehow he doesn't let it get to him. What a man.
I also read yr post about yr mom's knees. I admire what you are doing but sometimes arthritis is arthritis pure & simple. My mom had double knee surgery when she was 73 & it was the best thing ever. She could walk pain free whereas before her mobility was very limited. She is 80 this year & is doing great.
Perhaps at this stage you should not fight her decision but rather give her support so that she has peace of mind & a speedy recovery.
take care
Mala
Honestly, I sometimes really get fed up with my subconscious. It's like it's got a mind of its own.
Alexei Sayle
|
| Sam908 |
Posted - 09/21/2012 : 06:19:50
Be careful that you don't overtrain, in which case you'll lose even more weight. Many "personal trainers" tend to cause their clients to overtrain. |
| bryan3000 |
Posted - 09/21/2012 : 01:18:24
Seems to me that lifting and stretching are activities normal, healthy people take part in.
TMSers should strive to include those activities in their lives, IMO.
Good luck with the program, Andy. Hope you bulk up and feel great. Just try to be okay with yourself as you are during the process. That's one of my issues as well.
Keep us updated. |
| andy64tms |
Posted - 09/20/2012 : 23:39:11
Hi Mala and Balto,
Well it’s nice to hear that least two people don’t think I’m underweight, this could be a difference in cultures. The fact is I’m painfully thin, and how I wish I could lift that gallon of milk out of the fridge with ease. Mala I don’t really see my low weight as a negative thing, I am very healthy as Balto commented. I think it is just something that I am going to work on. Sorry if it sounded negative.
The main reason for the post was my concerns about exercise vs. treatment and targeting a TMS pain area which got overlooked.
Thanks for the BMI link Mala I’ll show it to Sheila.
Wishing you both well
Andy
Past TMS Experience in 2000, with success.
Taking a break from Wiki Edu. due to windsurfing priorities
Charlie horse on neck for 20 years. (to be evicted soon.)
Books:
Healing Back Pain
Unlearn your Pain
The Great Pain Deception |
| balto |
Posted - 09/20/2012 : 20:43:12
couldn't agreed more with what Mala posted above.
You are very healthy Andy.
How you're doing Mala?
------------------------
No, I don't know everything. I'm just here to share my experience. |
| mala |
Posted - 09/20/2012 : 20:35:31
Hi Andy, Good to hear from you. I am so pleased that you had a great summer windsurfing. Here are some observations about yr post.
I was very shocked and disturbed to find my weight has also dropped 7 lbs from my already meager 160 lbs
Wow three words here. Shocked, disturbed & meager. Quite a strong reaction perhaps maybe even an overreaction??
Yr BMI is 21 and that your weight even at 153 is ideal. Do you know how many people in this world would kill to have that ideal weight you lucky devil you? Where did you ever get this idea that 162 is
underweight. Have a look at this link.
www.livestrong.com/article/425337-bmi-index-calculator-for-men/
Most healthy men here in the Far East weigh about that much maybe even less & are considered very healthy. Perhaps people in the US have forgotten what a healthy weight really is?
I attribute this low weight to my nervous type A or T TMS personality, my worrying, perfectionism as well as my high metabolism
I see you are attributing a negative thought to something, which is a positive in yr life.
I am always hungry; eat what I want when I want. It’s not uncommon especially during the windsurfing season for me to have a piece of cake, then another, then 12 Trader Joes caramel cookies, then a bowel of ice cream, then some raisin bran and still be hungry. This obsessive behavior stops when I realize the food has not had time to satiate my hunger or my wife makes a comment
Most men are like you. My husband is always hungry no matter how much he eats. In yr case I think you may be justified because of yr windsurfing. We have a friend who is 6ft 1ins & weighs 162. He is 66 this year & still plays lots of sport & is considered very healthy. He eats pretty much want he wants and has no health issues apart from slight hearing loss.
Has anyone else worried about their workouts targeting a specific TMS pain area? Should I consider these workouts as ”ignoring the pain” like I did in Success 2000 when I ran through my chronic back pain.
Working out is a good thing & most people work out to improve something, which is good. Enjoy the process but most importantly stay positive about yourself .
Sorry for the abruptness & format of the post but i lost the first post (has been happening a lot to the slightly longer posts) & decided to do this one quickly on Word & copy & paste.
take care
Mala
Honestly, I sometimes really get fed up with my subconscious. It's like it's got a mind of its own.
Alexei Sayle
|
| andy64tms |
Posted - 09/20/2012 : 17:09:59
Thanks Ace1,
Actually, I am not in much pain compared to other people here. My pain is at the hospital scale of about 1 to 2. Sometimes my neck blossoms into a nasty headache of maybe a 3 or 4. My pain is like my personality- it just grinds on and on, varying very little throughout the day. Always present, always there to niggle me every time I turn my head.
If I trust my motives fairly, I really need to put on weight, and keep my energy level going through the winter. As a windsurfer and swimmer I’m quite fit, but not very strong. I’m new to actually working out with weights and equipment so I got a trainer to give me the push I need.
I do know that physical activity to relieve pain is only temporary and that mind work is what really counts, even though I have not done much lately.
Thanks
Andy
Past TMS Experience in 2000, with success.
Taking a break from Wiki Edu. due to windsurfing priorities
Charlie horse on neck for 20 years. (to be evicted soon.)
Books:
Healing Back Pain
Unlearn your Pain
The Great Pain Deception |
| Ace1 |
Posted - 09/20/2012 : 16:33:43
Well if your lifting weights to get rid of your pain it won't work, but if your doing to it bc you want to be fit and do more normal things then that's ok |
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