Feel like giving up

hi folks
3 years nerve pain in right leg, then it spread to both legs after surgery. Worked with TMS doctors had slight reduction in symptoms, then it all came back with numbness in left foot constantly. Pain has never shifted from right leg but increased to left leg. 8mm herniation clear nerve compression of l5 nerve root..surgery did not work. I'm alone in a truck all day driving with burning in both feet so I never get a distraction from symptoms. Saw neurologist last week who ruled out weakness to lower limbs. My numbness is getting worse quickly and the pain has increased. I have an appointment with my spine center on Thursday cause I need to rule out anything pathological. That's the gray area with TMS in wether it's pathological or emotional? DR Schubiner examined me after surgery last year and said there was nerve compression which left me with doubts of wether it was actually TMS. He said Steve ozanich had cured himself with pinched nerve also, I wanted to hear that my issues where TMS so I could go forwards with my 100% belief.,. I can't right now and I'm doubting more and more. I've done the SEP fully inversed in all Dr Sarnos books
and have started unlearn your pain. Yes I've read Steves book on pain deception yet I never get a break from pain numbness unless I'm sleeping. What can you say to somebody like me?
Cheers Ian

 

sounds structural to me.....not everything is tms.

 

I used to get incredibly hung up on the same grey area of is it really TMS or is structural...on reflection I think this is part of the all or nothing and black and white thinking patterns. Whilst it is always reinforced in all the TMS literature that you have to totally accept 100% that your symptoms are of a psychological causation I have to say that for me it was only when I dropped this requirement and just applied the core strategies without getting hung up on the causality that things clicked to a degree and started to improve.

Ultimately I do believe that if anybody lives with chronic pain and/or chronic symptoms then regardless of what generates those symptoms ones quality of life and prognosis is drastically improved once the TMS healing principles are applied consistently.

 

Thank you for your kind words sir. It's been an up hill and fall down battle with nerve pain and I'm looking for comfort I guess..which I'm ok with

 

I have a neuroma on my spine which may or may not be causing me pain...this depends on which 'specialist' I'm listening to. I also have a myriad of other symptoms such as functional GI issues, plantar fascia etc etc which are all classic stress illness manifestations.

For years I was stuck in that grey area to which you refer which meant I was totally unable to commit to the TMS protocol until I believed 100% that the neuroma wasn't causing me pain and that it was psychological. In the end I just basically had to accept that pain and crack on with life but that life would probably been a tad more manageable without the secondary pain, anger, feeling sorry for myself and taking my shit out on other around me. TBH, I no longer care what causes my pain, yep I have come to the conclusion that on the balance of probability it is probably psychosomatic as there are so many contradictions but it just happens to be the case that I've felt so much better about my life since applying the principles on a consistent and mindful basis. Don't get caught up on the whys and wherefores (which happens all the time) but rather just see it as a lifestyle change and see how it can improve various areas of life.

 

Excellent replies @Huckleberry.

I totally agree, regardless of whether a symptom has a structural or emotional component, TMS healing allows one to be in full control of ones well being. I'm seeing change, albeit slow.

Sometimes over thinking, analysing etc can hold one back, it's about accepting the diagnosis, working the process without questioning the why, when, how, what etc and allowing healing to be the natural byproduct in ones change of thinking.

 

Agree Mike.

I do have to say though that for me it wasn't about accepting the diagnosis it was more about accepting my situation and learning to respond (not react) the correct and most beneficial way. I struggled for so long to 'accept the diagnosis' but this just caused me so much frustration and confusion and just saw me stuck...the problem was my diagnosis changed with who I was talking with and whatever mood I woke up in on the morning. In the end I just thought to hell with the diagnosis and like you say just basically took control of what I did know was an objective fact and that was that my life was being dictated by the pain. Like you say improving and maybe even healing is a by product of that.

 

Hi, Ian. I hope you will not give up on believing your pains are TMS. It sounds like you are really suffering, but I hope you will stick with TMS belief.

Follow your doctor's advice but I hope you can avoid more surgery. It doesn't sound like that is the answer. Worry can keep the pain coming, so I suggest you do more meditation to help relax your mind and body.

Meditation is a time-honored way of relaxing the mind and relieving anxiety, mental stress, headaches, and even physical pain. There are many ways to practice meditation, but many consider the most successful to be a technique called the Relaxation Response (RR).

It is a wonderful way to practice TMS Mindbody Healing because it changes harmful thinking in the subconscious mind which Dr. John Sarno says causes pain in many people.

The RR, practiced daily for a few minutes has a profound positive effect on the subconscious mind, relieving or curing everything from inflammation and pain to headaches, stomach problems, insomnia, high blood pressure, to even aiding in recovery from cancer.

RR is like Transcendental Meditation which is taught by TM specialists who charge hundreds or thousands of dollars. But the RR is free and you can do it yourself.

It is done 20 minutes once or twice a day, before a meal, and works best if not practiced within two hours after a meal. I do it in bed before arising in the morning and again in bed before falling sleep. Often, I only do it 5 or 10 minutes and it works to calm me and put me to sleep.

Just sit in a chair (or lie in bed in the morning or at bedtime), close your eyes, don’t listen to any music, and try to avoid outside noises. Let your mind think of a word such as "One " which has no real meaning or association. Or say a calming word such as “Peace,” or add the faith or spiritual element by saying a favorite religious word. Breathe in through the nose, hold the breath for a few seconds, then say the word when you exhale.

Say the word silently over and over. At the end of the 10 to 20 minutes, picture and feel yourself as you were when you felt your best, and in a place where you felt that way.

When distracting thoughts arise during the RR, as they will, just tell yourslf, “Oh, well,” and go back to repeating your chosen word. Transcendental Meditation teachers will charge hundreds of dollars to give practitioners a word, but the word you choose yourself in the RR works just as well.

There are several free videos on Youtube about the Relaxation Response. I especially recommend these two by Dr. Benson:

 

I'm so sorry to hear about your suffering.

I would ask:

What were the issues that came up for you when you explored and journaled about your feelings or life situations that may be TMS triggers?

I remember when I was in pain my father said to me, "I think you are sad BECAUSE you are in pain and not the other way around." He was wrong.

I used to have a numb foot and pain down my leg, spasms where I couldn't move and was bed ridden. Now I am relatively pain free in my lower back and totally pain free in my legs and feet. I still suffer from symptom imperative. I am currently battling a minor digestive upset. But I know what it is about.

Craniosacral therapy, Internal Family Systems therapy, diet change, and affirmations/mantras also help me.

Don't give up

LL