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racingspoon
United Kingdom
35 Posts |
 Posted - 04/16/2012 : 15:10:29
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Hi chaps. I'm wondering if any of you guys can just give me some insight and advice into my current situation. I have been suffering from sciatica type pain/discomfort for the best part of a year and am about 90% accepting of a mind/body manifestation as the cause. The main stumbling block for me is the wax and waning element of the discomfort. The symptoms seem to flare up (as seems typical with sciatica)and this can happen a week or a month apart...between these flare ups I am totally symptom free with no hint of any pain or discomfort. Is this presentation with the symptoms coming and going typical of a TMS diagnosis?
I have seen my GP on a couple of occasions and have also been examined by a physio and no objective structural issues can be found. The physio seems to think that this is not true sciatica and is more than likely to be to do with piriformis syndrome. My symptoms are left sided, lower back, buttock and leg based (never below the knee) and I would describe the feeling of more strong discomfort rather than pain. It is a nagging feeling and most certaintly serves as a distraction.
I do have a history of somatisation and am receptive and open to the idea of TMS but of course I'm aware this is a totally different thing from full blown acceptance. I think my main stumbling blocks at the moment are the fact that my symptom comes and goes and also paradoxically that my 'pain' is not as severe as many people have to endure...i suppose I'm assuming that TMS pain would have to be severe in order for its purpose to be fulfilled.
Any thoughts and opinions would be helpful. Thanks. |
Edited by - racingspoon on 04/16/2012 15:12:24 |
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Busted
73 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2012 : 22:06:25
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I think it's very typical for pains to come and go in TMS as your brain thinks they are needed. And not all pain is excrutiating. I did have excrutiating pain in my back...but then it turned into more of a chronic aching of my shoulders and neck. I had also been diagnosed with "sciatica" at one point, and with a hip bone spur. All of it was TMS and all of it is gone now!
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Sam908
70 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2012 : 05:45:38
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I also went through an excruciating bout of sciatica several years ago; had the classic symptoms of pain, numbness, dropped foot, etc. About 3 weeks before my scheduled surgery, the symptoms disappeared (of course, to pop up elsewhere) and when I called the neurosurgeon to cancel the surgery, he became irate with me, accused me of lying to him, since "This condition is permanent and never goes away on its own," and angrily hung up on me.
This turned out to be an enlightening learning experience for me. |
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Marlawantstohike
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2012 : 13:22:16
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I have had sciatica different times in my life. First time was 13 years ago and it was real bad, went away after a week only to return about six months later and at the time I didn't know about TMS so when they did MRI as I was also having bad lower back pain and they told me I had herniated disk that ruptured I had surgery.
Was pain free for many years but I also was afraid of doing more than walking and swimming.
Then last few years back pain has come back off and on and at first I thought it was going to gym but then after getting sciatica pain this last Feb very bad then finally reading Dr Sarno's book on healing back pain and just from reading book 90% of my pain went away.
Since then it has gone back and forth and for the last 5 days is gone and I think it is more about fear for me and I was starting to believe I couldn't sit either in chair or car and when I finally saw the pain came after some emotional issues the pain went away.
Hard to describe but I am reading Dr Sarno's newest book and think the pain went away as I recognized some fear and anger I was holding in.
And my pain levels since the bad part went away after reading book have been low to mid level pain. Just enough to know its there and cause fear but not acute pain. I would read some of Dr Sarno's books and others on TMS. |
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racingspoon
United Kingdom
35 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2012 : 14:20:20
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Thanks for the replies chaps.
Oh dear, forgive me father for I know I have sinned...today I visited an oesteopath.
To cut a long story short I was told that I had the twisted pelvis scenario and a minor adjustment was carried out which by all accounts has corrected the issue. Hmmm, we will see.
I was hopeful that a oesteo would be receptive to the mindbody theory but the woman I saw was adamant that my issue was structural and that my symptoms fit her findings.
As mentioned in my OP I feel that my issue is mindbody but am having the same stumbling block of just not fully accepting the TMS diagnosis. Of course I'm fully aware that treating this as a physical/structural ailment flies in the face of TMS logic but as a councellor said to me, some issues are structural and I just dont feel qualified to write an issue of as somatic. I suppose it is the fact my discomfort comes and goes that does cause the most doubt for me.
Thanks again...as an aside I downloaded the great pain deception on my Kindle this morning on the recommendation of some people on here. Wow, that guy went through some crap, makes my issue seem laughable in comparision. |
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Marlawantstohike
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2012 : 14:46:00
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I had to quit physical therapy about a month ago because she kept saying things like that. She sort of believed in mind body but still believed it was physical too even though the MRI showed nothing.
In Sarno's books he says that is why once you see scans and know its TMS to stop physical therapy. It took awhile for me to do it and I didn't know what to say to her so when I got my bill and it was more than I thought I used that as an excuse to quit early.
I think the more you listen to doctors or other people making you doubt about TMS the larger the doubts get.
Believe me, I know the feeling of having the pain come back and the doubts creep in. Yesterday I went for a mini hike up and down small hills for a hour and today the start of pain wanted to creep in my leg. I kept telling it, you went for a hike, it is normal muscle ache and what emotions are you going through…I realized some things I was upset about and haven't felt the twinges since…
So when you start to doubt ask yourself, what am I feeling right now in my life? |
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Sarnotic-nerve
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2012 : 21:05:59
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Sciatic pain was the last straw for me! I couldn't drive, sit on the floor w/ my 1 year old kids, exercise or sleep. Pretty much everything was impeded.
You MUST stop "thinking physical" and shift to 100% mental!
And when you feel the pain pop up, which it will, spit on it and go walk around your neighborhood, do some jogging or something to prove to yourself that the pain is a distraction.
It sounds like you know it...now trust it.
______________
The pain is real! The cause...well, that's complicated. ;) |
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SteveO
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2012 : 16:08:19
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Racingspoon, yours sounds very typical of tms, since you've found no structural problems. Coming and going of pain is also typical and it doesn't need to be excruciating to be tms. Your problems are only nagging you, not debilitating you.
Dr. Sopher told me that in his expereince sciatica was always tms (barring any disease process).
Flare ups are common, they arise when they are needed by the brain.
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racingspoon
United Kingdom
35 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2012 : 16:31:21
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Cheers Steve...currently reading your book and the stuff about memes is very interesting indeed.
When you say that my problems are only nagging me and not debilitating me are you talking about my physical symptom(s) or rather the 'problems' that could be the reason for the somatization process? |
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Stryder
686 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2012 : 16:57:00
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...is more than likely to be to do with piriformis syndrome.
"Piriformis syndrome" is what the docs mis-diagnose it as all the time, because they don't know how to diagnose TMS.
Take care, -Stryder |
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racingspoon
United Kingdom
35 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2012 : 13:31:53
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Cheers again everybody.
I'm in a bit of a quandary at the momement though. I was really regretting visiting the oesteopath on Tuesday as I have been getting different aches and pains in buttocks and back and was wishing I had just left it all as it was.
Just to confound matters, the worst bloody thing happened earlier and I stumnled on some stairs in the garden and managed to twist my left leg behind me and to hyperextend my knee...am now in alot of discomfort around the knee and thigh area. I'm sure this will settle down but of course I'n now worried about what could be psychosomatic, what could be what the osteopath had stirred up and what todays trauma could have caused. Grrr! |
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Sarnotic-nerve
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2012 : 13:53:32
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Lots of fear and worry it seems.
Fear was tough for me to abandon.
If you have TMS, you cannot worry about pain as a result of doing something. By worrying, you're saying, "Ok, go ahead send me some pain...this time to my knee please!"
______________
The pain is real! The cause...well, that's complicated. ;) |
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racingspoon
United Kingdom
35 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2012 : 14:56:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Sarnotic-nerve
Lots of fear and worry it seems.
Fear was tough for me to abandon.
If you have TMS, you cannot worry about pain as a result of doing something. By worrying, you're saying, "Ok, go ahead send me some pain...this time to my knee please!"
______________
The pain is real! The cause...well, that's complicated. ;)
Thanks for the reply.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't ever actually let the pain from the sciatica hold me back from running and hiking or whatever I just do what I do but with the discomfort nagging anyway. I do my utmost not to let the discomfort stop me doing usual activity and working out. The thing that has annoyed me today and that will lead to frustration is suffering a vaild trauma injury in the very spot that I'm trying to accept that it is TMS. I'll still go for a run tomorrow morning if I can move my leg. lol. |
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racingspoon
United Kingdom
35 Posts |
Posted - 04/25/2012 : 03:52:41
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| Out of interest, can somebody throw some light on how the coming and going of the pain/discomfort/symptoms fits in with the TMS theory. If the process thrives on fear would the constant pain not generate more of this? |
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happystar
22 Posts |
Posted - 04/26/2012 : 13:39:40
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| Just a quick question. Can sciatica be experienced in both legs/feet? Thanks ! |
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Ophelia
France
38 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2012 : 11:25:13
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quote:
Originally posted by racingspoon
Out of interest, can somebody throw some light on how the coming and going of the pain/discomfort/symptoms fits in with the TMS theory. If the process thrives on fear would the constant pain not generate more of this?
SCREAMING SCIATICA - just thought i would jump in as i have had CONSTANT sciatica for over 2 years, so you are lucky it comes and goes, had every test in the book, and still can't shift it, it is always in the left buttocks, radiates down the outside of the left thigh with pins and needles in BOTH feet. I have tried every TMS book under the sun, completed the excericses and still it won't shift. Best of luck to you, Ophelia |
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Ophelia
France
38 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2012 : 11:29:25
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DR SRANO'S LATEST BOOK, JUST WONDERED WHICH ONE YOU WERE REFERRING TO OR HAS HE BOUGHT OUT A NEW ONE RECENTLY. MANY THANKS OPHELIAquote:
Originally posted by Marlawantstohike
I have had sciatica different times in my life. First time was 13 years ago and it was real bad, went away after a week only to return about six months later and at the time I didn't know about TMS so when they did MRI as I was also having bad lower back pain and they told me I had herniated disk that ruptured I had surgery.
Was pain free for many years but I also was afraid of doing more than walking and swimming.
Then last few years back pain has come back off and on and at first I thought it was going to gym but then after getting sciatica pain this last Feb very bad then finally reading Dr Sarno's book on healing back pain and just from reading book 90% of my pain went away.
Since then it has gone back and forth and for the last 5 days is gone and I think it is more about fear for me and I was starting to believe I couldn't sit either in chair or car and when I finally saw the pain came after some emotional issues the pain went away.
Hard to describe but I am reading Dr Sarno's newest book and think the pain went away as I recognized some fear and anger I was holding in.
And my pain levels since the bad part went away after reading book have been low to mid level pain. Just enough to know its there and cause fear but not acute pain. I would read some of Dr Sarno's books and others on TMS.
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Sciatica...yeah, yeah TMS 101!
