Needing Affirmation

Back pain that comes and goes is TMS right? If there was something structurally wrong with my back it wouldn't come and go throughout the day. It wouldn't move from the left side to the right and then to the entire lower back. Right?

 

I've had X-rays , blood test, but not an MRI. Still OK to follow the program or do I need to rule that out?

 

X-rays and blood tests say you have no structural problems. Even if an MRI shows something structural, that may not cause your pain. It could and probably does come from TMS, repressed emotions and/or a perfectionist or "goodist" personality.

I urge you to start the Structured Educational Program, free on the subforum of this web site. It will help you to discover the TMS reasons you hurt, and help you to heal.

Here's what one recent person said about it:

Kevin healed 95 % from SEP

Welcome to the SEP and to the path of recovery. I am on my final two days of the program and I can say with complete confidence that I am a changed man. I started after 6 months of nasty low-back/butt/leg pain, could hardly walk, stand, etc. was in physical therapy, chiropractor, acupuncture, pain medications, etc.. the usual. My MRI showed 3 disk bulges/herniations touching nerves, so that is what I believe it to be....that is until I read Dr. Sarno and found this site.

I encourage you to really get involved, follow the instructions, do the journaling, take time to read all the suggested readings, and watch the videos. I'd say I'm 95% cured. There is still some very light lingering "annoyance", but I still have some work to do. I've been walking miles with hardly any pain these last few weeks. But even more, if the pain comes on now, it just doesn't bother me like it used to, I sorta just see it, acknowledge it, and go about my business. It took working the program to get to that point, but 6 weeks compared to 6 months is nothing! I made more progress in the first week than I did from two months of PT!!! It's going to challenge you and your "beliefs" in medicine, but you have nothing to lose. We generally wind up here when all else fails.

So give it a shot, especially before considering anything invasive like surgery. If you put the work in, you will get better. Have you read Dr. Sarno yet? I assume you have since you're here, but in case you haven't, definitely read Healing Back Pain. Again, it will challenge everything you've believed about your pain, and backs in general. You'll be encouraged to resume life as normal, i.e. stop ALL "therapies" (PT, chiro, etc.), stop taking medications, and most importantly, stop thinking STRUCTURAL problems are the cause of your pain and shift to psychological as the reason.....again, this can be difficult and takes some time to sink in, so be patient and kind to yourself.

It was a process for me. A few of the bigger moves in my case were: I ripped up and threw out my MRI test results (I found myself obsessively reading over them and comparing them to other results I could find on the web and even here on the TMSwiki site...); I got back to the gym and stopped using a weight belt; and I even cancelled an appointment I had made with a TMS doctor because it was more than a month away and it was hindering my recovery (that is, my 100% belief in TMS was lagging because I had this pending appointment, but as soon as I cancelled it, my recovery sped up significantly). Everyone's journey is unique to their situation, but I've found that really committing to the program and brining what I learn from it into my daily life has had profound results. Also, sharing along the way here in these forums has been extremely helpful - there's something about knowing that you're not alone in your TMS recovery that really helps. I encourage you to look through my past posts for some insight into my experience with SEP. Like I said, I'm just now finishing, tomorrow is my final day, and I feel like a changed person. It's amazing. And I feel as though it is something that one carries on with, not just like a one time 6 week thing and that's that...it has helped me to get to know myself and taught me tools to "deal" with my emotions. Learning and accepting TMS is a life changer for sure.

 

Hi Lilac: Please read what Kevin did with his MRI: "ripped up and threw out." Many of us feel the same way, and for good reason. In many cases, they may show "normal" abnormalities - which are frequently NOT the cause of pain. And, if you don't get to the cause, you don't heal. I cannot tell you whether you do or do not have TMS, but if you read Sarno and others about MRIs, you will likely decide to save your money. I wish I did. Also, read about creating an "evidence list" - what is proving or disproving TMS? Inconsistencies in pain which do not make any sense point toward an mind-body cause of the pain. Hope this provides some of the affirmation you were looking for! Sunny