| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
LI8
6 Posts |
 Posted - 10/06/2004 : 11:18:13
|
Hello,
I am a newbie here , but unfortunately not new to the subject of back pain .
Could somebody answer who has a bad disk herniation and typical symptoms and who recovered from the leg pain .
I had disk L5-S1 herniation for 9 years. had bad months and good months. Now I am suffering for a pretty bad leg pain for 5 weeks. Massage therapy does not help. Symptoms are getting even worse. Now I have tingling in my left foot, that scared me. I cannot sleep, cannot sit without pain in the leg.
Seven or six years ago I spoke to dr Sarno over the phone. He told me , that in order to join his program I had to be a true believer . But , of course, I am in doubt about the source of pain. it could be explained by psycological terms , could be attributed to the structural problem.
I would like to learn the opinion of anybody who had similar experience with hernited disk, leg pain for years and who recovered afterwards using Sarno's method. Now , I am really scared . Prospective of nerve damage , surgery , etc .
I have a small child and all the physical limitaions upset me , but a bad prospective is really made me dizzy.
Thank you .
|
|
|
Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2004 : 13:54:27
|
Have you read Dr. Sarno's books? If so then you should realize that disk herniations do not necessarily cause pain. Assuming you did not have any severe trauma, the disc herniation is probably inconsequential to your symptoms. The fact that you have "bad months and good months" and that you are experiencing a range of different symptoms should be confirmation. If the disc herniation was responsible, don't you think the symptoms would be constant and consistent?
Dr. Sarno is right. If you read his books and do not believe his theory is plausible, then you will not benefit from his program. |
 |
|
|
LI8
6 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2004 : 11:04:38
|
Hello and thank you for replying. I read two books and the reason I decided to contact dr. Sarno in the first place becuase I actually was better after the reading first time. Several years ago I had a leg pain for several months. Nothing helped , pain diminished slowly. You are telling if herniation is a source of pain, the symptoms would be consstant . I am not a doctor, but as far as I know , the disks are healed by itself . It takes time. It could be a possible explanation .
Could you explain what involved the doctor's examination to rule out any other possible cause other than TMS? I wish to believe , that TMS is explanation of this pain, just do not want to make a mistake.Th
Thank you again.
|
|
|
|
Louise
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2004 : 11:34:25
|
LI8 -
Your question was interesting to me because after a year of TMS-thinking, I've almost forgotten what all of my doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists had told me was wrong with me.
So, here is a brief rundown of my back/tush/leg pain saga. I got hit with an episode of screaming back & left leg pain in April of 2001. I'd had previous bouts of low-back pain, but had placed the blame on several auto accidents, overwork from gardening, etc. Previous pain had always receeded with rest & ice. However, in 2001, I was in the process of leaving my job of 13+ years, and needless to say, it was a very stressful time. The back doctor initially diagnosed "accute spinal canal stenosis", and sent me to PT. When PT didn't help, I had a series of epidural cortisone shots. When those didn't work, he said that nothing could be done. So, I went to a Neurosurgeon with my MRI results, and he said that I had a pinched nerve, (L4/L5)and in the Spring of 2002, I had a lumbar laminectomy. I felt great for about 9 months, but when I rejoined the working world and started going through the stress of a new job, new people, etc., my back pain came back, although it had moved to the right leg. I went back to my Neurosurgeon, who sent me for another MRI. This one showed 2 herniated discs; one at L4/L5 which seemed to be causing my problems, and another one higher up, which strangely enough, was causing no pain at all. I had also visited a "pain management" doctor, who put me through another 2 epidural cortisone shots before I said "ENOUGH!" In August of 2003, the Neurosurgeon said that he could do another small, minimally invasive surgery like my previous laminectomy to remove the damaged part of the disc. He said that the surgery should alleviate most of my pain, but the results would probably only last a year or two, and then, I'd be back for a spinal fusion. Upon hearing that news, I was stunned. I went online and read about spinal fusion surgeries, where they put pieces of cadaver bones in your spine, and I felt sick. At that point, I could barely walk from my car to my office each morning. I ate lunch at my desk because I couldn't walk across the street. I had to sit down every hundred feet or so when I went to the mall. I was miserable and depressed, and didn't much care if I lived or not. Luckily, an acquaintance told me to read "Healing Back Pain". I did, and saw myself on almost every page.
A year later, I have about an 80-90% reduction in pain. It varies, and right now, I'm in the midst of a very stressful mess at work, so I've got a couple of spots which have been trying to act up. The discomfort is usually minimal, but even when it isn't, I really don't pay it any mind. I use it as a signal for me to think about something or someone that I'm harboring anger about. At this point, I am able to walk as far as I like. I feel like I've gotten my life back, and more importantly - I feel like I can handle whatever else life throws at me, because I now have the key to what's going on with me.
So, my advice is to read the books. Does the TMS personality type sound like you? Are you hard on yourself, or are you a perfectionist? Are you a goodist who wants to be liked? Do you have low self-esteem which produces feelings of inadequacy, and also drives you to succeed? Do you have other TMS-equivialent symptoms? Me, I had asthma (which I've stopped taking medication for since January), allergies (which have disappeared), stress-induced stomach upset, and more. Did the onset of your pain coincide with a particularly stressful time of your life? All of these things are telling. But, the idea of TMS has to make sense to you in order for you to heal yourself this way.
And those are important words - heal yourself. There is no magic pill. There is no magic surgery or treatment. This is hard work. you have to take responsibility for your own recovery. People here can offer advice or support, but you have to do the work, and it can take a long time.
Good luck with your recovery. The fact that you're open enough to consider Sarno's theory means that you can get there, if you want to. |
|
|
|
LI8
6 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2004 : 13:31:54
|
hello, Louise.
Thank you very much for your response. It made me feel more confindent and realize that it should be a light at the end of the tunnel.
I also had other symptoms that could be attributed to TMS, not just leg pai. Now ,I am pretty stressed ( loss of job , could not find new , family issues etc) , so it could be attributed to TMS.
The previous bad period of leg/back pain was related to some similar experience . Then leg pain has ended only to be replaced with stomach pain.
My question , if you do not mind to answer ,about the treatment. Did you partissipate in dr. Sarno session in NY , or found a different therapist or you were alone with the books ?
I live closed to NY ( one hour by train) , but for some reasons it is very inconvinient for me to be in NY every week.
With regards.
|
|
|
|
Louise
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2004 : 17:30:12
|
LI8 -
I live in Los Angeles, so I consulted with Dr. David Schechter a few times last year. Initially, even though I felt that I did have TMS, I was mentally hung up on the picture of the MRI that I had seen showing my "pinched nerve". It was so graphic. I felt that I needed confirmation from a "white coat" that I actually had TMS - before, during, and after surgery.
After being told by my Orthopedic doctor in the fall of 2001, that there was nothing that could be done for me and that I just had to live with debilitating pain, I was overjoyed to find the Neurosurgeon who said that my problem could be fixed. Unfortunately for me, I was hospitalized in September of 2001 with Pulmonary Embolii (a side-effect of taking birth-control pills, not TMS!), and my back surgery had to be postponed for 6 months while I took blood-thinning medication, so I wouldn't produce any more blood clots. During that long painful waiting period, I placed a whole lot of faith in my surgeon, and the belief that surgery would relieve my pain. And, so it did, for a while. During that lovely post-surgery placebo-cure period, I was a poster-child for conventional medicine, believe me. So, I had a whole lot of conditioning to break in order to fully accept the idea that I had TMS. I think that it did help me to receive a diagnosis of TMS from an MD. A lot of people don't need the verification, but if you feel that it might help you, go for it. I looked at it as just another weapon in my arsenal of anti-TMS weapons. You've got to fight it with whatever you can.
I think that if I lived as close to NYC as you do, I'd be a patient of Dr. Sarno. I think that there would be tangible benefit to consulting with the father of TMS theory. Like I said, whatever ammunition you can throw at it, the better.
|
|
|
|
LI8
6 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2004 : 19:56:10
|
Thank you for your support, Louise.
For me it is very important to learn from somebody, who had such experience with conventional medicine and recover afterwards.
I am reading "Healing the back pain" now. Hope it will help to make the right decision. Meanwhile ,I have scheduled MRI of lumbar spine. Last time I had it 4 years ago.
|
|
|
|
tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2004 : 23:32:47
|
Dear LI8,
If I were you I would stall on the MRI and read and re-read Sarno until you can quote him verbatim. The MRI will probably show "normal" anomalies that the doc's interpretation of the radiological report will attribute the pain to. Reading Sarno will teach you that everyone's x-rays and MRI's show these anomalies from the age of 20 and up. He refers to it as gray hair of the spine. Studies show that some people with such anomalies have pain while many with identical films do not.
It has taken me years to erase the negative effects of seeing my x-rays and MRI and being told by many doctors that it shows "significant arthritis". I believe they are all wrong and that Sarno is right. I have proven them wrong on a daily basis. I am 98%better and plan on being 100% in the near future. |
|
|
|
LI8
6 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2004 : 07:52:29
|
To Tennis Tom:
Thank you for your support. It is really what I am doing now, re-reading the book. As I mentioned in my original post, I believe that the pain that bothered me in the past diminished after reading the book.
I even started to think that very strong migraines that I had in my childhood could be considered TMS. I was in daycare since I was less than two years old. My mom always telling that I was crying for six months, until had adjusted to daycare. The intensity of headaches started subsidized only in my teens.
There are many other health issues that also have very strange nature. 15 years ago I have experienced low fever for several months. I had seen doctors of many specialties. Never had any specific diagnose. One day fever disappeared, but something else was waiting ahead.
As you can see, I am really pretty closed to anticipate that my current condition is product of TMS. I
I am really happy to find this forum. It helps to realize , that many people are not just sheeps that follow the doctors , but are thinkers.
Thanks , again
|
|
|
|
Suzanne
USA
66 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2004 : 09:24:10
|
I tried to post this last night for about 15 minutes, but I couldn't...everything else worked online.
LI8,
Why not take the plunge and see Dr. Sarno for an appt., the exam and 45 minute review, and then come back in for the lecture? That's two trips to NYC total. I'm one hour away by train, too, so I did it. Then you can decide from there what to do next.
I was told I had degeneration L4/L5, via MRI, pinching a nerve. The specialists mentioned L4, L5 and S1. This can't possibly be causing my pain, since my TMS isn't in my back. And, at my age, degeneration is normal. (30's) That was pre-Sarno, and it only made me think more physical. Luckily a neurologist who saw my MRI's then said No, this can't be it. But the MRI still makes you think too much. I agree with tennis tom; I'd hold off on the MRI.
You don't have to go weekly to the group sessions. It's offered, not required. And if you find you need therapy, he does suggest psychologists that are not in NYC. I know he has suggested a Long Island one recently, so it's possibly he's gotten more in the TMS group now, in the tri-state area. Worth finding out.
At least seeing Dr. Sarno might help you put things into better perspective and stop you from focusing on your body and needing the MRI or "proof" of some physical reason.
My leg pain was bad while sitting, 4 years ago, and would wake me up from sleep, but since seeing Dr. Sarno, that symptom disappeared, as did IBS. I have one TMS area left to deal with. And, prior to seeing Dr. sarno, as I was getting more frightened by my symptoms, I got severe hip pain, nerve pain, and that went away after seeing Dr. Sarno, too. In the years before finding out about TMS, reading the book and seeing Dr. Sarno, the pain grew, spread and became frightening. My foot would tingle often. My hip had sharp nerve pain, mostly while in bed. The pain going down my leg was unbearable at times. The pain had begun growing, moving, taking over my body, but after seeing Dr. Sarno, it stopped it's takeover and just stayed in it's main spot. It stopped within days, literally. No real physical problem would just halt like that and never return, and all of them just stopped like that. (except the one hold-out, the main TMS area, which i'm working on like a pitbull!)
Good luck, and keep reading the book  |
|
|
|
LI8
6 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2004 : 15:12:30
|
Thank you Suzanne.
The symptoms you are describing very similar to what I am experiencing now( leg pain, sleep about 2 hours, tingling sensation in the foot, pain when sitting).
Probably ,the best is to follow your advice and call dr Sarno in NUY ASAP and to find out about the appoitment. When I called 6-7 years ago it was two month wait as far as I remember.
But , it is worth trying. Because just a thought about possible spinal surgery makes me nauseated.
With regards.
|
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Could it be TMS ?
