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dwinsor52
USA
81 Posts |
 Posted - 03/25/2005 : 04:32:37
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I am new to this board and find it very, very positive and helpful, compared to others I have been on. I saw Dr. Sarno in 1997 and then a few years later saw Dr. Sopher. I may be the slowest learner on the planet. I just couldn't get it because fear and doubt got in the way. But when I had a major crisis in my life a few years ago that distracted me, my pain went away. I went around preaching Dr. Sarno to friends, thought I was cured, would never have pain again. etc. I felt quite smug!!!! However, I didn't realize how many TMS equivalents I was having - and that at some level I was having a placebo cure because I believed that a medication I was on was somehow helping. Actually, I kind of new the medication was a placebo but I think in the back of my mind I didn't care. Anyway, after the crisis was over, several months ago, the pain came back. I was devastated because now my life was finally back on track and I had to have pain again. I find myself obsessing, fearful, angry about it, and feeling helpless again. When it comes back all the memories of living with it (in my case 20 years) come back, and it makes the pain worse. Like others on this board I have had many manifestations of TMS including back and leg pain, skin hypersensitivity all over my body, IBS, reflux, etc. etc. I even had nose pain at one time. I also had burning mouth!
I do realize these were all equivalents but to me they were more tolerable that the initial TMS pain with the exception of the skin hypersensitivity which made it hard for my clothes to touch my body.
Anyway, I am posting to get encouragement around my fear, my obsessing, and my creeping doubt that I can make this go away!
Debby |
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Fredarm57
USA
72 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2005 : 07:18:59
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Debby: I suggest that you get Dr. Siegel's book "Back Sense" and read it. It's a good approach for us slow learners. Rather than focusing on making the pain go away, you focus on regaining your life, doing the things that you enjoy, and deal with the emotional issues that underlie the pain. He describes some useful mindfulness techniques in the book which can help you to cope with the pain in the present moment.
Most of our stress around this stuff comes not from what we are experiencing right now, but from our fears about the future (how long will the pain last, will it ever go away, I have to do X in a couple of weeks, what if I'm still in pain, etc.). If you can come to accept the idea that you can't control the pain, sort of like the weather, that it is just a barometer of your anxiety level, you begin to relax about it, and surprise, it starts to go away. Dr. Siegel uses the analogy of Chinese handcuffs--the more you struggle with them, the tighter they get.
I had back, neck, shoulder and knee pain in the early 1990's, went to see Dr. Sarno, didn't improve, he referred me to Dr. Siegel. It took two years, but I was finally pain-free. I had a relapse in 2000, went back to see Dr. Siegel and he shared with me the draft of his book. I was pain-free in a few months. I just had another episode which started in February and I'm pretty much over it in a few weeks. Each time it takes less time to go away, but I always panic and obsess over it when it starts until I remember that trying to make it go away doesn't work for me. I then try to accept it, figure out what emotional stuff could be causing it (usually job-related in my case) and just keep going on with my life. The pain then fades and goes away on its own.
Some of us are just prone to get TMS episodes, the key is not to let them rule your life. Some people are "cured" after one visit to a TMS doctor or after just reading a book. Others take longer and have relapses. Focus on living your life that is "back on track" and don't worry that the pain is going to "derail" it. It will go away!
Fred A.
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Baseball65
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2005 : 08:41:26
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quote:
I do realize these were all equivalents but to me they were more tolerable that the initial TMS pain with the exception of the skin hypersensitivity which made it hard for my clothes to touch my body.
Hi Debby...you might want to post on Holly's string...she has had this problem with sensitivity to touch(in her case it's her toes) for quite a while,but hasn't found anyone else with the problem.You might be just the person she's been looking for as far as support goes.
quote:
Anyway, I am posting to get encouragement around my fear, my obsessing, and my creeping doubt that I can make this go away!
Well you seem to have an understanding of the basic principles,grasp the concept....I see no reason why you wouldn't be able to beat it as long as you do the work.
peace
Baseball65 |
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Colleen
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2005 : 18:15:21
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Dear Debby,
I am fairly new here too and I just wanted to let you know that I have had painful,burning feet for about 11 months now. My brain is having a hard time believing it is TMS because it is so constant (in length and pain). I wear sandals in the winter because closed shoes and socks hurt and cold air feels much better.
Colleen |
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Carolyn
184 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2005 : 21:35:20
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I would just like to add that I have also had hypersensitivity issues. In my case, my primary complaint had been pelvic pain and my hpersensitivity that went with it was mostly on my inner thighs and groin area so that at times I couldn't stand to wear pants. Easy to make jokes about but very hard to live with. I have also had a hypersensitive patch on my lower back just on one side. I find these are both more likely to flare when my whole body is in its TMS state.
Carolyn |
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Steve
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2005 : 15:16:15
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Debby,
This is scary, but I could have written the identical post you did. I am also currently on TMS2, saw Dr. Sarno for the first time in 1997, was a slow learner and fearful so it took awhile for the pain to go away, had distractions in my life, experienced a number of TMS equivalents that I didn't even realize were TMS related, preached Dr. Sarno to my friends, and my most recent TMS manifestation is burning mouth (and skin rashes)!! |
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TMS 2 for me, too
