Can't believe I'm a SUCCESS story - Feet pain 15 years 90% gone!!

I'm 65 years old. I feel pretty good about the podiatrist...he and his family are neighbors down the street and we've chatted with him a number of times when we've been out walking. I don't believe he would put me through any unnecessary tests. This whole mess started last July when I injured both feet (rammed the little toe on my left foot and dropped something on my right foot....I need to stop going barefoot!!). I also broke a glass bowl and got a tiny piece of glass in my left foot near my little toe (it might still be in there!) and stepped on something in the garage with my right foot which caused swelling and itching. I may have actually fractured my little toe and stepped on an insect, but who knows?!!!! The right foot started healing and the skin completely peeled off that area. Very weird. During the same period of time I broke out in hives on my feet and ankles (we thought it was from the Bactrim I had been taking). Since that cleared up, I have had the burning. So, is it TMS or not? I don't know!!!!

 

It all started with me when I broke my little toe ? Then I ended up with back pain ? I think this is all related.....3 years ago. Had a laminectomy then a fusion. Foot healed (you'd never know). But pain in both feet (b4 surgeries) and got worse after plus butt pain. I believe this is all TMS. So painful. So weird.

 

You got that right, Click#7.....it's all a bit of an enigma, but I feel like through this program I'm getting an education....and a mind adjustment.

 

I've been to "the best running" podiatrist for my hip pain because I was told it could be from improper running footwear--got three sets of orthotics and other stuff for several thousand $$$--the result is they did nothing for me, were painful, and sit under my bed useless.

I went to another podiatrist for foot fungus, he rx'ed me some $50 a bottle special nail polish, penlac, that I applied religiously twice a day for a year--and it did nothing!! Tangentally went to a dermatologist for hot-tub itch and was prescribed lamisil tabs, which are always badmouthed as sure death for your liver--it cured my rash and coincidentally cured my years of toe-nail fungus which I figured out later.

If you do a search here and at TMS Help, you'll likely find a lot on feet--I've seen the topic come up freqeuntly--the TMS gremlin plays a trick on us making us think thar OUR TMS symptom is a rare one.

 

Oh my gosh...I had tailbone for a while too. No reason why. It just came on and the next thing you new it was so challenging to sit. Ironic since standing was really hurt. I bought a donut cushion for long drives and for airplane rides. Then when I had my daughter, but OB said to me, 'you have a very pointy tailbone'. That was enough to reinforce a 'cause' for the pain and the tailbone pain increased. Then one day it was just gone and hasn't come back since! TMS is bizarre!!!

 

Wow oh wow! I love your story Jodie,simply love it! Thank you for posting it.How good is it to be almost pain free! And one day so will I be! Huge hug!

 

Hi WantToBelieve,

I finally read your story, and it is wonderful. I had my own Dr. X in Phoenix who I almost went under the knife with. It is hard for me to even read those passages in your story. You are a strong person, and you're inspiring so many others, both in what you've overcome with this method, and in the specifics of your recovery. Thank you!!

Andy B

 

Thank everyone! Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that was my life. It went on for 17 years, which is nearly half my life, but it still seems unbelievable that I went through all of that. I still have ups and downs but it's a far cry from crawling around or using a scooter to get through daily life. Yesterday I ran sprints and cooked dinner all pain-free!

 

What did you do when the pain was so bad you couldn't take your mind off the pain ? Do you require pain meds ?

 

Yes!!!

 

Well, luckily for me my pain is basically gone if I can sit down. So I always have that as a saving grace to take my mind off the pain temporarily. Pain meds did nothing to help with my pain. Tried tramadol, Oxycontin (for a day or two), lyrica, even had a prescription for morphine that I never filled.

I'd try to change my focus to a tv show, read a book or a seated task. When I attended the rehabilitation institute pain program they talked about rotating tasks to keep the pain at a manageable place. Like cleaning for a period of time but then, Instead of pushing through the rest of the cleaning, sitting down to do bills and then going back to finish the cleaning later. TMS principles like continuing to tell myself 'I'm safe and this will pass'. Lots of times I'd sit down and read a small bit of The Great Pain Deception. Lots of praying too.

Can anyone else chime in on what they do when they can't take their mind off the pain?

 

Can anyone else chime in on what they do when they can't take their mind off the pain?[/QUOTE]
I had a bad pain day yesterday...not feet, but pain elsewhere that I get from time to time. I was at a function which lasted several hours and there was a lot of sitting. I just felt more and more uncomfortable as the day wore on. Finally I left early. After I got home and moved around, the pain started to ease. I found that getting busy on a sewing project took my mind off of it so that it wasn't as uncomfortable. Never totally went away, but it was bearable. I also went into a quiet place and did some deep relaxation breathing. This morning I am back in that tension mode where I'm afraid it's going to come back while I'm sitting in church today. Or in the car on the way there. So, I need to do some breathing and then tell that stupid fear to get outta here and keep repeating that Bible verse, "God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind".

 

I had a bad pain day yesterday...not feet, but pain elsewhere that I get from time to time. I was at a function which lasted several hours and there was a lot of sitting. I just felt more and more uncomfortable as the day wore on. Finally I left early. After I got home and moved around, the pain started to ease. I found that getting busy on a sewing project took my mind off of it so that it wasn't as uncomfortable. Never totally went away, but it was bearable. I also went into a quiet place and did some deep relaxation breathing. This morning I am back in that tension mode where I'm afraid it's going to come back while I'm sitting in church today. Or in the car on the way there. So, I need to do some breathing and then tell that stupid fear to get outta here and keep repeating that Bible verse, "God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind".[/QUOTE]
What a beautiful verse....here is another "Thank God ahead of time". Are you allowed any pain medication ? If so just keep some in your purse for times like that when you really want to stay. I believe that is part of TMS...working you up and worrying about it before you ever get to Church or a function. Realize that could be a trigger "eh ? Fear of the function. Tell your brain sternly..."I am staying and you aren't going to stop me." Try and get out more to overcome it. And maybe something or someone was bothering you ?

 

What a beautiful verse....here is another "Thank God ahead of time". Are you allowed any pain medication ? If so just keep some in your purse for times like that when you really want to stay. I believe that is part of TMS...working you up and worrying about it before you ever get to Church or a function. Realize that could be a trigger "eh ? Fear of the function. Tell your brain sternly..."I am staying and you aren't going to stop me." Try and get out more to overcome it. And maybe something or someone was bothering you ?[/QUOTE]

Thankfulness is very very powerful. I actually did just that earlier.....took a few minutes and thanked God for so many blessings in my life. As far as pain medications, the only thing I've found that takes the pelvic pain away is Lorazepam, but I feel like that's just a band-aid and not a solution. I really don't like taking that stuff. I do know that getting ready to go anywhere is a trigger. My mind goes like this: "Get ready, be sure to wear the right thing, be sure to drink enough water before you have to leave, make sure the iron, stove, and flatiron are all turned off, don't be late, blah, blah, blah". By the time I leave I'm all wound up and then the pain comes. So this evening I pulled out my notes from the program here and was reminded to say these types of things when the pain comes: "It's going to be OK.....these feelings will pass.....you are safe". I was reminded that I need to develop an indifference to the pain and doing so will eventually cause the pain to leave. So the main thing I need to remember is to respond to pain that way instead of being afraid of it because fear feeds the pain. And yes yes yes....thank God ahead of time for the opportunity to get out and possibly have the chance to pour into the life of somebody else...or to just have some fun! That would be a much healthier way of relating to an upcoming activity. Thanks for your input...I know that speaking to the "bully" within works too.

 

hello MiffyBunny, Nice to see you back again giving encouragement to others, especially those with the RSD tag

 

Couple more questions because I am just curious...any back pain ? And you said the feet pain felt like bone on concrete...did it feel like you were walking like you had something big in your shoe at the bottom of your feet ? I know crazy question.

 

No back pain. And I had many MRIs to check for referred pain but they were always clear. And that isn't a crazy question. Often people describe the feeling of a large rock in their show when they have a mortons neuroma so it's a valid description for sure. But in my case, I did not experience that.

 

So it just felt like a big bone in your feet with pain ?

 

It just felt like how I would imagine my foot would feel if there was no cushion in it and I was asked to stand on concrete barefoot all day long. Best description I've been able to come up with.

 

Hi Laveneder! It's nice to hear from you as well and I hope you are doing well!

I just wanted to chime in with WantToBelieve, about the sensations of RSD in the feet. It felt as though I was literally walking on jagged rocks and the soles of my feet were being blowtorched. Every toe felt broken. I even had bone marrow edema in each toe in both feet, on the MRI. All of these symptoms are completely, totally, gone. I'm still a work in progress with my knees but I'm convinced that if vanity wasn't in play, I would have overcome that by now as well. Just the fact that my feet are 99.9% better tells me that the same is possible for my knees !