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Lindsay4k
USA
5 Posts |
 Posted - 11/24/2007 : 11:28:45
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This is my first posting to this TMS site. I recently read the book by Dr. Sarno called Healing Back Pain and have ordered the tapes. I have been suffering from coccyx pain now for 8 months and its been a life changing experience for me. I've always been a very active person and love to exercise but 8 months ago I thought I suffered an injury from too much use of my elliptical machine. My tail bone area started hurting but at first it was relatively mild so I continued my active lifestyle. The pain quickly grew in intensity and I've been very restricted since to what I can do. All the medical tests performed came back normal so this had become a very frustrating situation. I take several vicadin daily for pain but the Dr. isn't giving me more so I have to overcome this pain. Is there anyone out there who has any words of advice for coccydynia using this TMS approach. I am to the point of trying anything and just reading this book has enabled me to become more positive. Thank you.
Lindsay S. Harrison |
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mizlorinj
USA
490 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2007 : 11:44:55
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Lindsay, welcome. I used to get tailbone pain.
I will tell you what helped me. Get out a pen and pad and write down things you may be angry about, sad, afraid of. Present and past. Or future! Take some time to really think about these emotions, then feel them, and as you start writing you will be amazed at what thoughts come to you to unleash. How do you feel about not being able to exercise as you did in the past? Maybe start there.
Also, read and read the books again. If you can get The Divided Mind by Dr. Sarno (newest book), his treatment plan is in the book. Daily work for emphasis. But it does work.
-Lori |
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Littlebird
USA
391 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2007 : 15:00:09
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Lindsay, Welcome to the forum. Lori's advice is great, journaling is the thing that has been most helpful to me, although reading the experiences and insights of others on the forum has also been very useful.
Your comment in your bio about your life becoming lonely now that your children are teens would be a good place to start when journaling. Parenting can be the source of a lot of repressed emotions, as we tend to put our own needs aside to care for our children and then as they grow older they don't seem to appreciate or understand what we've done for them, especially during the teen years. (Many of them start to get it when they become parents themselves though. I see the light bulbs suddenly lighting up in some of my grown kids as they raise their children.) I think that it's particularly difficult to deal with the lack of appreciation for what we've done for them if we had dysfunctional childhoods ourselves and really made an effort to be an outstanding mother to our children because we know what it's like to have inadequate parenting. We try so hard to give our kids everything they need and they take it for granted much of the time. This may not apply to you, but the point is that there are a lot of emotions that can be tied to our families which we repress or suppress, causing us to develop pain.
Best wishes on your recovery. |
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Lindsay4k
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 11/24/2007 : 15:43:08
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Hi Lori,
Thank you very much for responding to my coccydynia questions which I posted earlier. Could you tell me a little more about your condition and what Dr. Sarno was able to do for you? How long did it take to relieve the pain a little and than A LOT! :) I started a journal this afternoon and was amazed how quickly my thoughts flowed. I'll continue this and try to get out my repressed emotions. I also plan to buy Dr. Sarno's latest book and will start reading that asap. I was amazed by his book Healing Back Pain which almost mirrored my symptoms on every page. I feel for anyone with back pain as it is a debilitating, life changing condition. If you have any more information to share I would love to hear it. You can respond to my e-mail too. Have a wonderful evening. Lindsay |
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mizlorinj
USA
490 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2007 : 08:53:36
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All of Dr. Sarno's books are wonderful. I found something different in each one.
Happy to hear the feelings flowed easily for you. That's great.
Yesterday is the one year anniversary of when I went to the ER in excruciating pain and could not sit. There was no relief from the pain. Of course I was diagnosed with sciatica. Further tests showed a large herniated disc. Early December 06 someone lent me Dr. Sarno's first book along with Andrew Weil's Spontaneous Healing. Guy had a shattered disc (more than one I think) and was healed after a short time due to Dr. Sarno's treatment. Wow. Got me realizing my pain could be this mind-induced stuff too like Dr. Sarno described.
Was totally frustrated w/ surgeons (try this or we operate), prescriptions of steroids (Dr. Sarno says nothing is inflamed) and p/t (hated it and it hurt like hell). Thought I'd die from the pain before I'd ever get to see Dr. Sarno. Chiropractor friend thought he could help me but i was slightly relieved of pain for 5 minutes after an adjustment and it was back so I knew it wasn't the answer.
Got driven in to NYC (could not sit) laid on his office floor while we spoke. Talked about childhood issues (raised in strict religious household), current issues (teenage son, divorced, etc.) and my goodist/perfectionist personality. Poked the pressure points and showed me how it was sore on both sides of lower back and if herniated disc to the right, why would left side be tender? Told me I had TMS! YAY! I wanted to hear that so much! Game me the treatment plan (in the Divided Mind book almost word-for-word) and I got writing. Made list of things I thought bothered me in the slightest way. Started writing out feelings.
Pain still bad first few days (5 maybe?) but then I was able to move a bit more. Get in and out of tub easier. Walked a bit more (in the house). Two weeks later went back to work 2 days that week and by the next week was back 5 days. When it happened, it happened quickly. Took longer for slight pains here or there to completely go away, but I was so happy to be functional again!!
Now I realize how much pain/dis-ease (latter is Louise Hay term) is mind-induced! Most!
OH, kicker for me showing it was emotional pain was family wanted to drive to Niagara Falls over xmas/new year holiday 06. I wanted to go (against my dad's wishes; he thought I should rest but I thought it would be good to get away and out of bed!). Had pain here and there on ride and at hotel. Then I went to my favorite Canadian grocery store and lo and behold--walked through the store for 45 minutes with NO PAIN!!! Hmm, brain, what are you doing to me?!?!?! That was a real eye-opener for me. Doing something I LOVED to do, at a place I loved to be. No pain.
It takes as long as it takes for the pain to go. Everyone's different. For me the worst pain ended within a few weeks, with some pain when I bent over for a few months.
Can you tell I really believe in this? LOL I don't think I can write just a little . . .
-Lori
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Lindsay4k
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2007 : 18:27:38
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Hi Lori,
Thank you for sharing your TMS story with me. At this point I am 100% convinced I have TMS and have had it in a variety of forms for possibly 10 years. I initally had problems with my knees in college but I feel that was a physical condition due to swelling. With rest this condition did improve but I gave up jogging for various other forms of exercise, most recently an elliptical machine which I love but haven't done since the onset of this back condition in April, 2007. Yes, I miss it tremendously and even gave up my daily walks with my dogs as everything physical made the pain so much worse for days and weeks after trying. Now I am seeing why my pain continued through reading Dr. S's books. These books mirror my symptoms completely which is mind boggling to me. I feel so much less alone after reading his books and the messages on this site. After my knee injury, I had a heel spur when my kids were young, then tennis elbow which I believed was from snow shoveling one bad winter. Now I've developed coccydynia and have been almost immobilized by the pain. I'm no longer that severe but have noticed it easing up a little since learning of TMS. Its amazing to me how easy my journal is to write. I really have no one I can completely share my feelings with and have grown to completely shut the feelings down and repress them. I know my over all stresses in life will not change but I can change how I deal with life and that is my goal. I know acceptance is a huge part of healing and I'm there completely. I'm anxious for Dr. S's tapes to arrive to continue my knowledge of this.
So many of my personality traits are prime for TMS. I have four children........all teens now. We've had ups and downs with them but now things are pretty stable but you never know with teens how long that will last. Marriage alone is tough and every day stresses of living can be very difficult. I do like my life a certain way and this has no doubt added to my TMS symptoms.
I am eternally grateful for all the support this TMS board is giving to me now. I'm learning so much from other people's shared experiences and hope we will all continue to heal. I will NEVER take a painfree life for granted again after living through this horrible coccydynia. I have mild sciatica but the coccyx, buttock pain are much more severe. Most of the summer I was housebound. I feared the grocery store due to standing in line which was excruciating and any errands were tough. Its impossible to be a mom and live life this way which is why I have to get my life back. I still am 100% dependent on my donut pillow and am uneasy about retrying my elliptical quite yet. The book mentioned letting a couple of weeks of accepting TMS and noticing the pain subside a little before starting an exercise program so that is my plan. I'm hoping to set a date and start mid December to resume an active lifestyle again. Until then, I'll keep journaling daily! No one can ever read it though. lol Thank you again Lori. Have a wonderful evening and share anymore ideas you might have with me. Thanks a bundle! :)
Lindsay S. Harrison |
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skizzik
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2007 : 04:20:38
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Lindsay, your'e gonna get better!!!
My wife got coccyx pain and I kept telling her theirs a ton of stress we're going thru. She kept complaining about it for a while, and I kept needling her w/ TMS theory. I think she half gets it (theory).
Well, I forgot about it, and she has'nt complained. I'm not sure when it ended for her, and did'nt think of it till this posting. 
She's back to her normal gerd and now newer panic attacks...Still trying to get to her, but she has no time to write. Or wont make time. And she's plagued by big bubble letters like a school girl, and thats not fast enuff to get out emotions. W/ our 3 little kids, and both work full time I think she will get stess symptoms for a long time since they scare her a bit, but are not so dibilitating that she would start doing "the work." Hopefully, you have a lot of time to write since your kids are older now.
Mizlorinj, You are such an inspiration, to go from horizontal, to standing for 30 secs at a time, w/ absolutely no sitting whatsover. Not even in Sarno's office . I will be using you for inspiration all day today. Could you give more details of your recoverey? Could you look back and tell us possibly month by month how you gained more and more of your life back post Sarno? Thank you.
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Edited by - skizzik on 11/26/2007 04:22:27 |
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mizlorinj
USA
490 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2007 : 12:37:23
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Thanks Skizz. Appreciate your kind words. I am very passionate about the healing I have experienced through Dr. Sarno's treatment, and I love to see others heal themselves!
To Lindsay. One thing I forgot to mention. I "dislocated" my tailbone when giving birth (doc said she heard a pop). I had pain afterward for months, and thinking further on this just yesterday, it hit me why I would've had pain after birth of a beautiful baby. I was so scared! Scared I would mess up, scared to be alone with him, and the fears went on and on. So clear now. years later!
ANYWAY. My ob/gyn told me tailbone would likely never completely heal.
I brought this up to Dr Sarno during my visit and asked if any tailbone pain I had now could be due to the tailbone incident (many years ago) and he said not likely since you body heals and adjusts to changes. Which is why I try to explain to my brother who had knee surgery 20 years ago that pain he occasionally gets there now is not from the surgery! But it's what your brain wants you to think! 
In other news, I had another pain incident the other day--totally new pain. Friend joked to me about something my dad used to say. Back up. I was raised in strict religious household--you dated only members of your religion. Or you were asked to move out. So friend's comment reminded me of that situation, THEN to add insult to injury (or maybe release what needed to be?) I watched some movie about English families who would not let their already-in-love children date (think Romeo & Juliet). Was a bit annoyed. Went to bed. Woken up by excruciating arm pain--never had it before. From shoulder all the way down to fingertips. Ow. Hmm, haven't lifted weights or anything that would cause muscle strain (I get muscle ache once in awhile when doing new weight routines, but it goes away in a day) so I had to probe my brain. AH! The not allowed to date outside religion! It was so clear. So I sat up, woke up partner and told him I needed to vent about something and he listened as I freaked out, cried, etc. Sigh. Went back to sleep and felt relieved emotionally. Woke up and have had no arm pain since. YAY!! The more I get rid of pains by journaling, talking, etc. the more I realize how much pain people have probably is emotional!
ok I'm repeating myself.
I love this stuff!!!! I am adding suggested readings to my Success Story entry.
I am healed and you can heal yourself too!!! (hmm. nice tagline!)
-Lori |
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Lindsay4k
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 11/26/2007 : 13:42:53
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Hi Lori,
Wow, that is amazing you were able to recognize this arm pain and apply the process of accepting pain being all "in your head!" For it to just go away is unreal. This is what I am striving for. I hope the Dr. Sarno tapes arrive today so I can begin reviewing them. You are also very blessed to have a partner willing to wake up and listen to you with no complaints. I don't know many women with that in their lives. I am not really talking to anyone verbally about this other than my journal entries and a few TMS persons from the site. I do need to tell my husband more about what I am learning. He is actually the person who bought the first book about TMS that I read so I give him much credit there. He is also in the medical profession so a bit sketical of this mind over pain process but at this point the pain being a physical thing is not making sense. He's pretty fed up with me being immobilized too as it has adversely affected my entire family. Lori you are so lucky to have conquered this. I'm very inspired by your experiences. I wish you well. :)
Lindsay |
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coccydynia pain
