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ABrooks
USA
25 Posts |
 Posted - 08/15/2011 : 08:10:08
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Hi guys,
I've been getting progressively better over the past 2 months since I've been introduced to Sarno and last night I ran my first mile in over 6 years (followed by a 1 mile walk) which is really good for me especially considering that even walking for even 1 mile used to be problematic since I had been diagnosed with tarsal tunnel syndrome, achiles tendinitis, plantar fascitis and really tight leg muscles. I worked my way up from running 1/4 mile to 1 mile in one week and felt comfortable going at that pace. The whole time I was running I felt a twinge in my left ankle and both my knees were bothering me but it wasn't so bad that I had to stop. For the rest of the night I continued to walk around bare foot despite my ankle still bothering me. I woke up this morning with it feeling the same and now my calves are tight and both feet are aching and sorta tingling, both knees are bothering me, all in addition to my left ankle twinging pain.
I just don't know if this is "normal" for someone new to running, particularly someone with TMS. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to approach all of this. I could easily just take it easy for a couple days since if the pain is legit it'd probably resolve by then and if not then I know it's TMS but at the same time I don't wanna make my TMS worse by legitimizing the possible "fake" pain. I also feel like the calf and foot symptoms are pretty typical of my TMS, however, the ankle and knee pain is new.
Any thoughts, stories and advice is much appreciated.
Thanks! |
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Back2-It
USA
438 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2011 : 08:36:27
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The word is to exercise to your comfort level, but to jump in too soon may discourage a person due to an increase in pain.
Why not just keep at it at comfortable pace, as these symptoms you list are usually very much a result of TMS?
You haven't run for six years, so your body will have to get used to it in various spots, including your ankle an knee.
I found that the more exercise I got the better I was becoming. I am running now with stiff upper back muscles and an aching side, and they have not gotten worse since resuming exercise.
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2011 : 09:55:21
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Twinges are usually TMS or just "twinges"--sometimes a twinge is just a twinge. If a bus runs over your foot and it looks like a clownshoe, that's not TMS. Don't succumb to runner's irrational exuberance and increase your mileage exponentially after not running for years; there are books with formulas for how much to increase mileage.
If you get a twinge while running, pay attention to it and see if it goes away in a block or so. If it doesn't, walk and maybe think TMS'ly--maybe about that f'ing bitch or bastard who's causing all your TMS agony.
Remember the immortal words of Walt Stack the famous runner/drinker:
"Start slowy...then taper off."
"All you fast guys at the front of the pack, just remember, it's us slow turkeys at the back who make you look so fast."
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DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
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Edited by - tennis tom on 08/15/2011 09:57:16 |
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guej
115 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2011 : 10:02:00
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Some of that is just pure conditioning, meaning, you almost expect the pain / tightness and are very aware of it before and after runs. I suffered from severe, chronic pain for a few years in my lower back/right gluet. When I returned slowly to running, I would get stabbing pains in that area, every time my right foot struck the pavement. I kept running, though. I found that I needed my brain to get adjusted to running again, even more so than my body.
I would agree with Back2-It that you take it slow. Reach a plateau (e.g., 1 mile), and stay there for awhile. Let your brain become accustomed to the new normal. I found that when I kept pushing myself to run further and further, fear would unconsciously rear its ugly head. I felt somehow in danger. You almost want to train your body to know that it's ok, and there's nothing to fear. Then just slowly add to it. When you're coming out of chronic pain, it's different than pushing yourself after an injury. It's your brain and your body that both need to re-adjust. It took me 2 years, but I literally have zero pain where I used to have constant pain. Those nerve pathways that were so fine-tuned to feel pain at every step are now completely quiet. I never would have thought that possible.
Of course, I now have a little case of foot pain (!), and since I read about Plantar Fasciitis on this site all the time, I now have labelled it, which is always a bad thing. If I had never heard of it, I'm sure I wouldn't have paid it any attention, and it would be gone already. It's much better and never snowballed into anything chronic because I almost treat it with disgust now and just go about my business. I'm sure it will fade over time. I've accepted the fact that this is how my body reacts to stress and now I just try not to overly focus on it, and I certainly don't run to physical therapists or doctors anymore over every little sports-related pain (unless I really thought I had done some real damage).
Good luck. Stick with it. There is nothing better for your spirit than to engage in activities that make you feel good about yourself. It may take time, and you may get frustrated, but try to take a more zen approach (I know it's hard), and it will fade over time. |
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2011 : 17:02:15
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That's a real litany of injuries for someone only 28 years old, especially all foot-related. But, I basically agree with the others that there is no hurry moving up the mileage, especially if you've waited this long (6 yrs). Congratulate yourself on doing the mile and very gradually try to move up.
I'm going through an interesting running-related issue too. In the past several months I've given up orthotics, which I had been wearing for almost 30 years and tried to adopt a more minimalist style; using both conventional running shoes and Nike Frees, along with trying to walk or even run briefly in Vibram 5-fingers or barefoot. The result was no longer needing the orthotics because my feet had strengthened. So far, so good. I even started training for another marathon a couple of months ago and maybe added on the miles too fast because the old Morton's Neuroma that I had had off/on for many years, that was mostly controlled by orthotics, abruptly reappeared a couple of weeks ago and my marathon is only three weeks away!
I have almost no confidence in podiatrists, especially because I have a drawer full of expensive orthotics they have sold me over the years that seemed to do more harm than good, but I was so distressed about it that I made an appt for this week. I don't know what I expect a pod to recommend except more orthotics, just what I don't want or need. I might opt for some sort of neutral insole with the neuroma pad built in instead. That could work. Shoes with wider toe boxes would help. In the end, I'm not convinced this problem is 100% physical. I certainly have a very long history of somatisizing just about every condition you can think of. |
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Back2-It
USA
438 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2011 : 19:54:28
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guej...
quote:
Let your brain become accustomed to the new normal. I found that when I kept pushing myself to run further and further, fear would unconsciously rear its ugly head. I felt somehow in danger. You almost want to train your body to know that it's ok, and there's nothing to fear. Then just slowly add to it. When you're coming out of chronic pain, it's different than pushing yourself after an injury. It's your brain and your body that both need to re-adjust.
So true. I can go along on the outbound portion of my run, but when I start the homestretch suddenly things start aching and hurting more. Nothing changed: not the pace, not the incline, nothing. It's my brain just telling me that I'm now suddenly in danger because I've gone so far.
I am so tempted to try barefoot running.
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2011 : 20:19:19
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| If you do, Back-2-it (barefoot running), you need to be very cautious about not doing too much, too soon. There are books and clinics on the subject; the idea is to first prepare your feet for it by gradually wearing less and less arch support and walking barefoot more often... |
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Back2-It
USA
438 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2011 : 22:01:51
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wrldtrv...
I would have to adapt slowly due to my "tender feet", but it's been something I am considering. I am flat footed so I don't have to worry about arch support, I suppose. 
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2011 : 20:22:58
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I saw the podiatrist today and what a welcome surprise. He not only said I should NOT wear orthotics, which I have been doing for 30 years, but that I should not be in the stability running shoes I've always worn. Because I have fairly high arches I should be in neutral or even cushioned shoes. So, why didn't all those other pods over the years tell me these things instead of selling me more custom-fitted orthotics?
I also asked him what he thought of minimalist running and he approved, though in his opinion, very few runners could do much longer than 15 miles or so (Not sure I agree with that, but I'll accept it). He thought minimalist, even barefoot fine for shorter distances. |
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ecpasos
USA
21 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2011 : 23:01:40
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Hi,
I thought I would chime in on this topic. I'm a runner also and thought I would post as a way to encourage ABrooks on the path of recovery. I found out I had TMS back in 2007. I was kind of a mess at the time. Too long of a story to post the whole thing, but you can look it up at TMSwiki under the name Enrique Pasos.
What I want to say here though is that I had not been running very much at that time because of frequent and consistent bouts of plantar fasciitis over the years. I really had given up on running actually, especially because at 38 yrs of age, I considered myself just 2 yrs from over the hill :)
In any case, after I realized I had TMS I got excited to try to run again. I started jogging (in 2007). A year later, I ran my first 10K in many years (without injury}. I was so encouraged that I kept going longer and longer (in a very safe way, with small increases per week). I ran my 1st marathon in '09 at 40 years old (offically over the hill). Then I started doing short (sprint) triathlons in 2010. Then this year I did an Ironman (with no pain or injury).
Be encouraged that your body IS truly stronger than you think. TMS woke me up to a new realization and the quote that "The body is the servant of the mind" is a very deep, true statement that many people never fully comprehend.
You're advantage now is that you know know about TMS. It is a huge advantage in life.
Best!
Enrique
Enrique |
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ABrooks
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2011 : 10:18:55
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Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for the advice and support! I am regretting that I built up to a mile in one week because here I am a week and a half later and I still have this damn ankle pain and now it's also on the medial side of that same ankle and now I have similar occasional twinges on the right outside part of the ankle as well. And I know there's a very good chance it's TMS, but it's difficult for me to believe it 100% because I know I went from wearing orthotics all day to not wearing them at all and then not running at all to running 1 mile in 1 week (in addition to all the walks I was doing, and 3 other "runs" that week to build up to the mile).
I know I'll probably catch some sh*t on here for this, but I've been seeing a physical therapist since before I found out about TMS and continued to see her once a week just for strengthening exercises and I'm happy to say that I actually did get significanly stronger and am pretty much ready to get discharged. Anyways, she said that my ankle sounds like a peroneal tendon issue based on my "flat feet" and the stress of going back to running so quickly, without orthotics - said it was alot of sudden change and could have put strain on my peroneals, etc. However, she said to just hold off on anymore running for a few days and stick to the bike or elipitial and I should be fine. Well one week later of doing what she said and I wasn't any better. Mind you I was doing a ton of barefoot walking around my house all day and doing a ton of housework, so if I did have a legit, small "injury" or problem then I guess I wasn't completely resting it, but then again I wasn't told to limit my activity that much. I'm going to the podiatrist on Fri. to see if I can get an MRI, mostly for my own peace of mind to make sure it's nothing, like a stress fracture, which I know is highly unlikely. I just can't help but believe that some pains might be legit because of returning back to certain activities so soon. Plus I know that plenty of really fit people get injuries sometimes, like my boyfriend (who did a 1/2 marathon in May) who strained a ligament or tendon around his knee while playing football a month ago and although it got better, it still bothered him last week when he went for a run.
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ABrooks
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2011 : 10:30:01
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wrldtrv - glad to hear you finally found a good podiatrist! I'm holding my breath about going back to mine! He's very nice but I'm sure he won't be happy about me ditching the orthotics and now I'm coming to him with a problem. Good luck on training for your next marathon!
ecpasos- I looked at your story on TMS Wiki and remembered that I actually read it when first learning about TMS and have to say it was very inspiring! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks everyone!
T O P I C R E V I E W
ABrooks Posted - 08/15/2011 : 08:10:08
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Hi guys,
I've been getting progressively better over the past 2 months since I've been introduced to Sarno and last night I ran my first mile in over 6 years (followed by a 1 mile walk) which is really good for me especially considering that even walking for even 1 mile used to be problematic since I had been diagnosed with tarsal tunnel syndrome, achiles tendinitis, plantar fascitis and really tight leg muscles. I worked my way up from running 1/4 mile to 1 mile in one week and felt comfortable going at that pace. The whole time I was running I felt a twinge in my left ankle and both my knees were bothering me but it wasn't so bad that I had to stop. For the rest of the night I continued to walk around bare foot despite my ankle still bothering me. I woke up this morning with it feeling the same and now my calves are tight and both feet are aching and sorta tingling, both knees are bothering me, all in addition to my left ankle twinging pain.
I just don't know if this is "normal" for someone new to running, particularly someone with TMS. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to approach all of this. I could easily just take it easy for a couple days since if the pain is legit it'd probably resolve by then and if not then I know it's TMS but at the same time I don't wanna make my TMS worse by legitimizing the possible "fake" pain. I also feel like the calf and foot symptoms are pretty typical of my TMS, however, the ankle and knee pain is new.
Any thoughts, stories and advice is much appreciated.
Thanks!
10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
ABrooks Posted - 08/24/2011 : 10:18:55
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Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for the advice and support! I am regretting that I built up to a mile in one week because here I am a week and a half later and I still have this damn ankle pain and now it's also on the medial side of that same ankle and now I have similar occasional twinges on the right outside part of the ankle as well. And I know there's a very good chance it's TMS, but it's difficult for me to believe it 100% because I know I went from wearing orthotics all day to not wearing them at all and then not running at all to running 1 mile in 1 week (in addition to all the walks I was doing, and 3 other "runs" that week to build up to the mile).
I know I'll probably catch some sh*t on here for this, but I've been seeing a physical therapist since before I found out about TMS and continued to see her once a week just for strengthening exercises and I'm happy to say that I actually did get significanly stronger and am pretty much ready to get discharged. Anyways, she said that my ankle sounds like a peroneal tendon issue based on my "flat feet" and the stress of going back to running so quickly, without orthotics - said it was alot of sudden change and could have put strain on my peroneals, etc. However, she said to just hold off on anymore running for a few days and stick to the bike or elipitial and I should be fine. Well one week later of doing what she said and I wasn't any better. Mind you I was doing a ton of barefoot walking around my house all day and doing a ton of housework, so if I did have a legit, small "injury" or problem then I guess I wasn't completely resting it, but then again I wasn't told to limit my activity that much. I'm going to the podiatrist on Fri. to see if I can get an MRI, mostly for my own peace of mind to make sure it's nothing, like a stress fracture, which I know is highly unlikely. I just can't help but believe that some pains might be legit because of returning back to certain activities so soon. Plus I know that plenty of really fit people get injuries sometimes, like my boyfriend (who did a 1/2 marathon in May) who strained a ligament or tendon around his knee while playing football a month ago and although it got better, it still bothered him last week when he went for a run.
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balto
839 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2011 : 10:41:45
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I think you're in a very confuse stage right now. Your mind is here, there, and everywhere. You posted 19 times in 14 posts and rarely follow up or join the discussion. You come here not looking for solution you are looking for sympathy more than anything right now. We long time tms sufferers often got stucked in that stage for awhile, unable to make up our mind and try to use all the treatment method suggested to us all at once.
Some day you will realize. Some day you will see the way out. goodluck. |
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ABrooks
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2011 : 12:54:04
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quote:
Originally posted by balto
I think you're in a very confuse stage right now. Your mind is here, there, and everywhere. You posted 19 times in 14 posts and rarely follow up or join the discussion. You come here not looking for solution you are looking for sympathy more than anything right now. We long time tms sufferers often got stucked in that stage for awhile, unable to make up our mind and try to use all the treatment method suggested to us all at once.
Some day you will realize. Some day you will see the way out. goodluck.
Balto, while I appreciate you taking the time to reply and the advice you've given me before, and while I think you're right, I am a bit confused, you are definitely wrong about me looking for sympathy and not a solution. I take great offense to that because (1) that is certainly the last thing I want or EXPECT from a group of people who are struggling through similiar issues, and (2)I've worked far too hard and come pretty far to simply be avoiding a solution and wasting my time trying to get sympathy. It's called needing reassurance that's why people come on here, again, and again, for support because many of us, as part of this condition, are doubters and need reassurance and support. Especially those of us new to this condition who don't have enough of our own experience with TMS to encourage and reassure ourselves.
I view this forum as a good tool and value the feedback I get on here. I don't usually reply right away because my internet time is limited as I'm very busy usually during the day at work and have little time to come on here and then I try to spend my evenings dealing with this TMS by journaling and going to the gym and then prefer to spend the majority of my spare time later in the evening or on the weekend enjoying life and spending time with the people I love, no offense, rather than putting in more time on this forum - and that's not a dig on anyone who does spend hours/day on here, and I actually appreciate the time that others, who are seasoned TMS-ers and have much to offer the rest of us, do spend on here.
Plus, I don't have internet access after I leave work unless I'm at someone's house. I had some time today, so I started responding to the easiest of my posts to respond to and am working on another.
I'm reluctant to participate or reply to many posts because I'm not confident enough yet to offer advice to people because I feel bad advice is worse than no advice. However, I have replied to a three people's posts because I felt I had something to offer them and had the time to reply, as I said before I don't have tons of internet access and time. And, knowing how much success stories have helped me, although it may not seem like it, I spent a long time writing mine and wanted to post it not for attention and certainly not for sympathy, but was hoping to make a contribution and inspire and/or help others.
Perhaps you should also think before you are quick to write certain things, like that someone is just looking for sympathy, when that comes off as pretty offensive and is definitely not the case. This probably comes across as a bit defensive, and I am a bit defensive, but I also felt the need to fully explain myself because I'm sure you're not the only one who thinks I'm not participating enough. |
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balto
839 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2011 : 14:26:22
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Abrooks, I didn't mean to offended you at all. Sorry you feel that way. I should have worded my post better. I should have said I was in that position years ago and I was very confused. Not sure how to go about treating my illness. I tried all kind of med, therapies. Western med, eastern meds... I felt hopeless and desperate and always in need of help. Where I came from it is normal for people looking for sympathy. Looking for a shoulder to cry on, for someone to share your feeling, to listen to your trouble... People in the west look at that as a sign of weakness. In the east people are a little more accepting to the idea of asking for help, for sympathy when needed.
Sorry I offended you. Didn't really want to do that.
At this confusing stage sometime nothing will work. It will just take time for your mind settled down before you can pick and choose what is the best treatment for youself.
I promise to be more careful with my words nexttime. I will try my best to better my English. I was just trying to share some thought from personal experience. Sorry again. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2011 : 07:59:44
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I'm glad I revisited this post, because I missed the snit between Balto and AB. It's so refreeshing to see other's inner-childs showing a modicum of anger and not being repressed (or the more advaced version, suppressed). Very good (clown face so no one thinks I'm saying this with a straight face and wind up popping up hidden away in someone else's bio.
To the core of the topic, "bare-foot running", I have some personal experience with this so feel qualified to speak. But, I can only speak for my own bare feet since I've never run a mile in anyone else's barf-feet, (I like that typo so let's keep it. If you run long enough bare hoofed (dang, there's another one--I'm typinf or trying to on my 9" Dell Netbook and can see why it was discontinued due to it's crappy keyboard and became the dell 10" netbook--(screw the caps, before I lose the post altogether).
I'm on a road-trip to play in a tennis-tournament, (hence the name), on beautiful grass courts, (actually pretty lumpy, but any grass courts are good!). I play this tournament every year barefoot. I look forward to it as if I going to Lourdes. After a week of running around barefoot, my body feels great! It's like a hundre3d chiro visits--if I beleieved at all in chiros--quack, quack, quack. I'm gonna' post this before Ihit the wrong key, and it disappears altogether and my TMS reservoir overflows. more to follow.
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DR. SARNO'S 12 DAILY REMINDERS:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale
Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown
"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst
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Edited by - tennis tom on 08/28/2011 20:10:56 |
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ABrooks
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2012 : 08:27:32
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quote:
Originally posted by balto
Abrooks, I didn't mean to offended you at all. Sorry you feel that way. I should have worded my post better. I should have said I was in that position years ago and I was very confused. Not sure how to go about treating my illness. I tried all kind of med, therapies. Western med, eastern meds... I felt hopeless and desperate and always in need of help. Where I came from it is normal for people looking for sympathy. Looking for a shoulder to cry on, for someone to share your feeling, to listen to your trouble... People in the west look at that as a sign of weakness. In the east people are a little more accepting to the idea of asking for help, for sympathy when needed.
Sorry I offended you. Didn't really want to do that.
At this confusing stage sometime nothing will work. It will just take time for your mind settled down before you can pick and choose what is the best treatment for youself.
I promise to be more careful with my words nexttime. I will try my best to better my English. I was just trying to share some thought from personal experience. Sorry again.
Balto, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding and I'm more sorry for not replying a long time ago. As much as I was getting alot of help from this forum it was also a bit too much for me and I found at times I was spending too much time and focus on here and it was hindering my improvement, SO I had to stop consuming myself with this TMS stuff like I was doing constantly. I'm happy to say I'm probably 100% better with most symptoms, particularly the pain and am now running 6 miles. I'm mostly just working on the acid reflux right now. Thanks EVERYONE for all your help! |
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balto
839 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2012 : 20:51:48
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I'm so glad you're are much better.
We all heal in a different way. Some quicker than the other, but we will heal sooner or later once we found out about tms/anxiety.
Acceptance of our tms/anxiety symptoms and stop fearing what it will do to us and we will be cure. |
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Question for Runners
