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thiebane
United Kingdom
2 Posts |
 Posted - 08/15/2013 : 08:43:29
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Right .. hello there .. I am hoping I am in the right place for some direction with the aim of achieving a pain free life. Hopefully, some of you will be kind enough to sit and digest my abridged story and give me your opinion on how to proceed. I do not like living in the state I am in.
I will not go into too much detail, suffice to say I started with a foot issue in 2011 which then escalated up to right hip, buttock and abdomen. In between, I had a suspected heart attack and angiogram to further investigate. There was no evidence of a h/a despite elevated triponin. Like many of you, I have had numerous GP visits, various x rays, mris - all clear. However, to throw in some confusion, one hospital said I had "early osteoarthritis"; the other hospital diagrees=confusion for me - have I or not?
My pain is hard to bear as it is neuropathy. Around my middle feels as if it is on fire. Worsens as the day goes on and it certainly does consume me. I was given Gabapentin - it made me sick - I just take 20mg Amitrip. My social life has deminished as I have chosen to avoid friends as I do not 'enjoy' anymore. I do not enjoy going to work as I feel further anger that everyone else is "ok" and doesn't have the horrid 'undiagnosed condition' I feel I must have!
So, I obviously have spent, hours/days/months online trying to self-diagnosis. I have a file at home packed full of 'ideas'. This eventually led me to Dr Sarno around six weeks ago. I am half way through his book. I am open minded but not yet convinced. Before the book arrived I had signed up for myofacial release. I have had one appointment and I was impressed with the therapist despite my cynicism about 'professionals' who so far, have not diagnosed the reason for my constant pain. Although he had not heard of Dr Sarno, he had ALREADY pretty much described that he believed "my personality type" is prone to emotional tension wrapping itself up in the body and manifesting itself as pain. What go me was that I had hardly spoken to him and he had worked this out! No tears had been shed! I just look tired and deranged - enough probably to make that conclusion. I remained a cynic (as always) until he produced a book showing an image of the human body with the EXACT areas shaded showing where my pain was. I was flabbergasted at his knowledge and insight. He narrowed the tension down to the quadratus lumborum muscle as the area where the tension is stored. As you know, all these therapists claim to be able to help at the outset (nice little earner) but this guy is the first person who categorically said whilst he believed my pain was very real it was my head producing the tension and in turn the pain. He said I had to reprogram my head - don't know how I do that bit though - any tips? I did make a second appointment for next week but I am unsure if this will contradict what I should be believing in, ie TMS principles.
My dilemma: Dr Sarno says IGNORE physio. So what do I do? I have stretching exercises to do on this muscle? massage to do for the trigger points? I have found this guy who appears to give respect to the Sarno principles but obviously, believes I have exercises to do.
The emotional side: when I started with what was the foot pain, I was a top athlete winning national competitions. Now I am in pain putting out the bin on my drive. I have tried to 'ignore' and walk through but what happens is that although I don't have pain WHILST in action, the pain comes later that day and worsens over the subsequent two days or possibly more.
I have been through much upset due to the loss of my athletics. At the same time I was going through identity issues as I discovered my father was not my father (this happened in my 40s out of the blue). My mother developed dementia then cancer - now has died and my mother in law, fell and suffered brain damage earlier this year. The time dealing with my mother was wrought with angst and frustration as other family members made life very difficult for me as I was trying to get help and they were trying to avoid help coming in - their heads were in the sand and they did not help at all with any practical issues. My life now is without the athletics and family problems which both took up so much time. I actually used the athletics to 'help me cope' with the family problems.
I have certainly always been a worrier, touch OCD and perfectionist.
Do I go back to physio? Does this sound TMS?
Thanks so much. |
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Back2-It
USA
438 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2013 : 09:24:49
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First suggestion is to read the "cure" section of this forum.
Then take a look at Ace1's "Keys to Healing". But don't just glance at them. Read them carefully and try to apply them personally. Ace is a doctor, but not a "MindBody" doctor, though he really is. He had a severe case of horrible symptoms.
Then, don't go searching for your same exact symptoms, but I will tell you that you can find some of them in the "cure" sections -- or symptoms closely related. I had similar with the abdomen. Read "Hillbilly's" cure statement. Read Balto's. The key is overcoming the fear of the fear of the pain. Not easy. But...you sound like you stumbled onto a practitioner who understands that emotion generates pain and that the pain is real, and he apparently knows the physiological reasons for it. I was told I was "healthy" but no doctor could explain why I still hurt WHERE I hurt, so I had continuing doubts. Finally, a medical massage therapist explained what hypertonic muscles do and how they refer pain and that, to my shock, my tension patterns were normal and of no more danger than any other person stressed out.
Then, after reading the Sarno books, study up on anxiety. Many books are suggested, most good. Most all say the same thing. A key book, which is no beach read, is "Mental Health Through Will Training". It was written some sixty years ago by Dr. Abraham Low. He is no wimp about telling you what you have to do, and what you have to do is very simple yet daunting. You have to resume your life, discomfort, pain and all, and you have to sit in that situation and not get emotional about it. Most important, you must change your thinking and the words that describe your thinking, because that is what eliminates fear.
All the advice from the books and from the "cure" statements tell you the same thing: you must overcome the fear, bear the discomfort, and resume life. But...you sometimes have to go back in time and explore what learned behaviors/habits got you to where you are. I do not mean deep Freudian therapy ( a very few may need it), but examinations about how you reacted to, let's say, fearful events as a child, and how you might have carried them through to adulthood. Similar, if you never set boundaries and never knew when to say "no" or stick up for yourself, you will recognize those learned behaviors recalling events small and large in your life.
Sometimes people need a dose of therapy, as they cannot objectively see what they are doing or have done, but so many therapists are just pathetic. You might want to check out some of Alan Gordon's posts. He is also on the TMS wiki. To sooth your concern about TMS/anxiety symptoms you may want to take a look at Anxietycentre.com.
Patience and practice are the key. Understanding yourself better is a way out of the maze of confusion. And, believing what you are told by knowledgeable medical professionals, such as the one who has given you valuable advice, is also key. You are not a doctor, and self-diagnosis with the aid of Dr. Google is harmful.
I'm no doctor, but I've been there. When the symptoms are a little bit different from what many people experience, such as low back pain, it is scarier, but no different, because those are muscles that effected by anxiety and stress, but just not as common.
If I had to guess, I'd say that your abdominal problems are related to the "fight or flight" reflex, and that you are tensing your abdominal muscles unconsciously. Very common. Not to mention you can get referred pain there from the back. I did.
"Practice and patience" and believe that your symptoms are anxiety related, and try to examine why.
You will get there.
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
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Dave
USA
1864 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2013 : 09:48:27
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quote:
Originally posted by thiebane
Right .. hello there .. I am hoping I am in the right place for some direction with the aim of achieving a pain free life.
First of all, having a goal to be "pain free" is not realistic. You have to embark on a life-long change in the way you think about and react to the pain, and trust that in the long run, the pain will subside on its own. Focusing on the pain in any way impedes recovery.
quote:
My dilemma: Dr Sarno says IGNORE physio. So what do I do? I have stretching exercises to do on this muscle? massage to do for the trigger points? I have found this guy who appears to give respect to the Sarno principles but obviously, believes I have exercises to do.
It is not a dilemma, it is a choice. You must choose to stay on the physical path, or accept the TMS diagnosis. If you choose the latter, you must cease physical treatments for the pain. You must reach the point where you fully believe in the TMS diagnosis, or at least act as if you believe. You must commit 100% to the treatment methods described by Dr. Sarno. It may take some time and repeated reading of his book(s) before the concepts sink in and you are ready to commit.
Your story has the hallmarks of somebody with a TMS-prone personality. If you choose to accept that the pain is TMS, you need to follow the required steps: (1) Ignore the pain as best as you can; (2) Stop all physical treatments; (3) Resume normal physical activity as soon as your are able; (4) Explore the potential psychological triggers. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
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plum
United Kingdom
641 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2013 : 14:01:51
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Angel, you're assimilating a lot of information at the moment. While you are still fresh to Sarno I am reluctant to fill your mind more so suggest you continue with the reading.
Your situation and story do ring the tms bell. Regarding myofacial release and trigger points, the concept is fine as far as it goes. What it misses is that emotions lie at the root. Many of us has travelled the tp route before landing at Sarno's door.
Read more. Muse a little. Pitch back in here with any questions.
My best to you. |
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thiebane
United Kingdom
2 Posts |
Posted - 08/19/2013 : 10:19:09
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| hi. I know its quite few days since I posted but I have been trying to digest your kind responses. At this point, I'll thank you, digest and decide how to move forward. All I do know is that the mind and body are soooo complicated!. Thank you all and speak soon. |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 08/19/2013 : 10:32:05
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quote:
Originally posted by thiebane
All I do know is that the mind and body are soooo complicated!. Thank you all and speak soon.
Don't over think this. Dr. Sarno says the mind is so complex we may never in our lifetime understand the mechanism of TMS. It's enough to understand the theory that the pain is benign, will fade with time and just go with it. |
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my first posting - direction needed
