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alexis
USA
596 Posts |
 Posted - 01/09/2007 : 07:17:06
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Edited by - alexis on 11/05/2015 18:53:12 |
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ndb
209 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2007 : 07:32:01
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I can't say about how to treat what you think is your injury, except that I've had success with a sprain in my knee sustained during taekwondo resolving itself quickly by not obsessing about missing classes while I let it rest a bit. I was obsessing over it quite a bit, in some older posts. One way to stop obsessing is to think about your emotions instead.
My main advice is regarding returning to work. From your posts and profile, this jumps out as being something which (seems to me) you always mention as a caveat. I also recovered from RSI (perhaps it wasn't as bad as yours, but that is beside the point) and I treated going back to work *exactly* the way Sarno recommends return physical activity. (It has worked and) I would advise that you don't let this become so much of a block.
ndb |
Edited by - ndb on 01/09/2007 07:49:31 |
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ndb
209 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2007 : 07:59:35
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That really sucks, and sorry that the circumstances are like that. You were forced to leave for taking one day off!!??
Perhaps then try to tell yourself that its only a matter of getting a job and you'll go back to work. I know it may be difficult to shake the thought that you'll see what happens to the RSI once you *really* start work...but at least don't reinforce it.
Good luck with the job hunt. Again, one of the best ways to deal with obsessive thoughts about injury, real or not, is to think about your emotions.
ndb |
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ndb
209 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2007 : 08:00:53
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quote:
Originally posted by alexis
I was thinking "maybe I should concentrate on my emotions to avoid obsessing". But I really didn't want to.
When this happens to me, I take it as evidence I am trying to avoid feeling painful feelings! Over the last few months, I've become very good at recognizing when this happens, and I force myself. It invariably helps with whatever is going on...e.g. last night, a headache. |
Edited by - ndb on 01/09/2007 08:03:15 |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2007 : 08:36:54
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I'm really glad to hear of your success so far, and pleased I may have helped a bit with my ramblings. :-) That Seattle RIST site is fascinating -- a whole group involved! Wow.
It's really a huge step when you get to that point of daily functioning. The fear is so much less, because you know at least you can have a life. You may think I'm being overly optimistic, but I'd say that at this point your ultimate success is assured. A gradual return to work(/school?) may have a few bumps, but it'll give you new opportunities to feel strong! One of the biggest encouragements I got when I was starting out was simply the direct feedback of being able to keep and work at my job that I had just started.
Sorry to hear you had lost your job before. People can be really ****ty about RSI issues. I wish we could tell the whole world it's nothing to fear!
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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Redsandro
Netherlands
217 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2007 : 12:38:02
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Thanks, alexis, I like this major update on your status. Sorry about your job. Like Armchair said, people are so stupid about it. I think bosses shouldn't know about TMS because that would prove 'em right. Not exactly, but in their eyes..
I am wondering - your other non-cured symptoms, were they there all along? Or are they symptom imperatives?
I'll post my summary here, for whom it may concern, since I too are from the RSI realm.
I've had RSI for 6 years to the point of severe disability. When I learned about TMS I found out some other of my problems were related. I didn't know. After doing the work, things changed. I'll list them in order of importance.
Before knowing TMS:
RSI (The unbearable thing that made me try everything in the world)
Chonic Fatigue
Frequent Colds
Tinnitus
Spastic Colon
After doing the work for a while:
Cured:
RSI cured 95%! (at the moment, flare-ups are real unpredictable)
Not cured:
Random severe back pain *new
Occasional severe depression *new
Occasional footpain *new (still not sure it's TMS though)
Chonic Fatigue
Frequent Colds
Tinnitus
Occasional insomnia *new
Spastic Colon
I know now why it works like this. I know it's myself holding me back. This is better than the severe RSI. But I'm pretty far from okay, and so different in my symptoms.
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TMS is the hidden language of the soul. |
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HilaryN
United Kingdom
879 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2007 : 14:14:22
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Hi alexis,
I'm glad my posts helped.
I think doing some part-time voluntary work would be good. I did that when I was out of work. It helps when you're looking for paid work and it'll give you less time to obsess, too.
Hilary N |
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MikeJ
United Kingdom
75 Posts |
Posted - 01/11/2007 : 08:08:20
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| I strongly second doing part-time voluntary work or being involved in your community. Being busy and involved was very helpful for me and I no longer obsess over the possibility of symptoms reoccuring. |
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carbar
USA
227 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2007 : 21:59:29
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quote:
Originally posted by alexis
I haven't volunteered yet, but took my first class last night and it definitely took my mind off things. Looking into volunteering. Man, so many places nowaday's want references before you volunteer! I get it, but you'd think helping people would be easier...
Hi Alexis. Hmm, I'm an RSI person, too. Just a word of encouragement re:job searching. When I knew I had RSI to contend with it really screwed up my self-confidence as a job seeker. I'd see things posted and read about typing required or excel skills and just pass, pass, pass. Not even send a resume because I was so scared that I couldn't do the work. That's why I decided to be a teacher. Of course, the age group I wanted to work with was preschool, so please tell me why I thought I could lift a tantruming 30 lb. child with RSI, but not do light typing in an office setting?
Anyhow, I know job searching is daunting, so I guess I'm encouraging you to put those resumes out there and go after anything that sounds interesting. Don't listen to any TMSpain related doubts! You sound so smart and savvy in your postings, I'm sure you'd be an asset in any chosen field, so good luck and when in doubt, just go for it! |
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Redsandro
Netherlands
217 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2007 : 04:55:13
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How do you feel about it today then?
Did you rid your RSI by doing TMS work and would you dare starting a 'typing job'?
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TMS is the hidden language of the soul. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2007 : 10:51:31
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Great to hear you are going ahead with the job search. I think a job can provide just the environment for breaking conditioning, positive reinforcement, and really feeling like you are getting back to normal life!
I still wake up grateful almost every day that I can get up, get on my bike, ride to work, type all day, and come home and type more, if I need to, or chop and cook!
I still get a little stiffness periodically, when I am doing things I don't like mostly! It's not something that worries me. 
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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Redsandro
Netherlands
217 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2007 : 12:54:07
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Alexis, is was to you and carbar and everyone in similar scenario's, because I'm especially interested in RSI cases due to my personal story. 
Still it's good to know you had a scary weekend. Do not get me wrong, I wish everyone better. But it makes my own worries average or however I should put it. 
I had this odd flareup today. During my work as video editor (computerwork), everything went sort of smoothly, which I usually doubt, and I had.. well.. fun. I enjoyed today.
Now I have the most severe RSI flareup of all I had this year.
It reminds me of how I'm not totally in control. 
About your foot, what exactly do you mean by lumb on your achilles? My mother is troubled by this knuckle sized anomality on her achilles tendon. I think she doesn't really have a TMS history or there's stuff I don't know but if it's similar I understand it actually is another manifestation of TMS?
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TMS is the hidden language of the soul. |
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h2oskier25
USA
395 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2007 : 14:22:42
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I just have to say, nobody was more scared or traumatized than I was vocationally speaking. It's not pleasant to admit, but I made career decisions based on how much typing vs. cut and pasting I could do. It was pathetic.
Remember, the body is strong and was made to work all day if need be. I kept reading that part on Nate's website that said we OWE it to ourselves to heal completely from RSI and remove ALL physcial restrictions! Believe me it's true. You wouldn't believe the typing I do now all day at work, only to go home and work on the computer some more for my personal business.
Write me for my personal RSI mantra that I still keep on my computer desktop, but haven't had to reference for over a year. I'm cured of RSI TMS. Now, I occasionally get pains elsewhere. I laugh and say "is that the best you can do.", or I try to think about what's going on psychologically, and it's over.
Beth |
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ndb
209 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2007 : 10:15:59
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I climbed on a climbing wall after I started my RSI recovery -- for the same kind of ideas. It gave me a lot of confidence.
ndb |
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ndb
209 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2007 : 11:08:03
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| I've been told you're not really supposed to use your arms to pull yourself up...the key is supposed to be to use your legs+thighs to push up. But certainly its a workout for the arms as well especially if you're a beginner like I was. I would think its not so much that you did something wrong, just that we usually don't use our arms that way, so the muscles just run out of oxygen quickly perhaps. |
Edited by - ndb on 01/26/2007 11:09:48 |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2007 : 12:17:54
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Cycling and swimming are also good activities. They work your whole body but rely a lot on hand and arm strength.
NB For cycling to work for this you have to ride in the jockey crouch that experienced cyclists use, not the upright "coaster" position, and have some knowledge about proper grip (straight wrists, most of the weight on your upper arms), or you'll just end up in positions that genuinely do cause temporary wrist pain.
I still have crap upper body strength because of hardly using my arms for three years, but it's getting better! I'm thinking of doing pushups, too.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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Littlebird
USA
391 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2007 : 14:12:51
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I don't usually say much about pain in my hands and arms because I've never considered it to be RSI, since I don't do enough typing or anything else with my hands and arms to suspect that as the reason behind the pain, but I did have a lot of pain for several years, especially in my dominant hand, and this was among the symptoms that cleared up very quickly for me upon reading TDM and finding this forum.
The reason I'm commenting is that the idea of working with clay seems to be similar to the one thing that always helped to temporarily relieve the pain for me--massaging my husband. He has chronic pain and during the last years that he worked, when he was really struggling physically, I felt like massage was one of the things that would help him to keep going. But I didn't think of it as physically treating his pain, I thought of it as a stress reduction technique for him. Though it did often hurt my hands and arms to do the frequent rub-downs, the next day I'd always have less pain.
When my husband stopped working we had to let go of a caregiver who worked in our home to help me with caring for my mother, so I ended up being too exhausted most of the time to continue doing regular rub-downs for him. And my hands began to hurt more, to the point where I had steroid shots a couple of times and was given a brace to wear.
But I finally figured out that when the pain was really bad, the best thing was for me to make myself give a rub-down, even though it would initially hurt me a lot. Now that I understand how TMS works, I'm realizing that maybe it wasn't just the physical workout that helped my hands and arms, it was the emotional connection and the feel-good chemicals that are released in the brains of both parties during massage. It's an emotional stress reducer.
So maybe doing any physical activity that you enjoy does more than just keep your muscles toned and show you that your hands and arms (or whatever body parts are involved) are not as fragile as you've feared. Maybe it's also a way to reduce the emotional reservoir that leads to pain.
Alexis, I like your point about not getting into a cycle where only volunteer work is "worthwhile." I have a hard time allowing myself to do "non-productive" activities, which surely contributes to TMS.
It's good to hear that you are having success with overcoming pain. |
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ndb
209 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2007 : 17:22:36
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| Push-ups are a great idea! 'Cuz you can start right away! You can do easy ones to start with, leaning against a table/stairs to start with if you like. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 01/26/2007 : 18:21:33
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I definitely enjoy being able to massage people again! My boyfriend and I give each other backrubs. It is definitely great for stress reduction/relaxation and also for bonding time!
Doing pushups on the wall I highly recommend. This was given to me as an exercise by my physio even when I was still in pain, so it can safely be done even when you are feeling a setback. You can also get on hands and knees and slowly move back and forth and side to side, without going up and down. (You can also do it on your elbows to improve tricep strength. It's an isotonic version of a pushup, basically.) This was given to me by a Feldenkrais practitioner. Hang your head to relax your neck -- feels great!
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2007 : 11:16:10
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What I've found pretty helpful as far as maintenance:
Try to maintain an awareness of emotional state if perturbed, and vent emotions when they're strong. (Journaling is how I do this, or rarely pounding a soft object.)
If noticing a pain not correlated with excess activity or correlated with non-harmful activity, recall TMS theory, think about the psychological a bit, laugh at the brain, and move on. If anything major comes up in the thinking, journal about it.
Otherwise, be as normal and active as possible.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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HilaryN
United Kingdom
879 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2007 : 02:27:10
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I like it!
Thanks for updating us on your progress and tagging the post. It looks like you're cured. Congratulations!
Hilary N |
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Topic |
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RSI "success-so-far" to "full success"
