Newbie

Hi

Sciatica sufferer in the uk here. Off work, getting down. MRI disc protrusion talk of surgery. All sounding familiar prob to you all. Came across Dr Sarno after a link to his book. Am intrigued but to be honest a bit confused too. Perhaps I'm still not tuned into the idea and so I guess I've joined here to seek advice, assurance that this is real. Looking for tips on how to tune into this treatment that I do believe works.

I guess I must be still linked into the fear of the diagnosis the surgeon gave me.

I've read healing back pain and have ordered the divided mind. I also watched the very inspiring seminar on you tube. I'm missing something as I'm not sure how I unravel the obvious rage I have and what to do next. I will keep trying and seeking as I so don't want to go with a surgery I probably do not need.

It's hard for me as I had a cancer episode 6 years ago that was cured with a surgery and I'm grateful for the medical profession for helping me and so I guess that hinders me when trying to apply this theory.

Thanks for listening and it's wonderful reading the stories of success that gives me hope

 

Welcome to the Forum, Markd!

"Unravel" is a great term for what needs to be done. The best way I know to do this is with one of the Structured Educational Programs available--either the SEP (available free on this site), Alan Gordon's Recovery Program (also available free on the site), or Howard Schubiner's Unlearn Your Pain (available on Amazon or his website). It's great to have some choices, especially a couple that are free.

And best wishes on your healing journey....

 

If you are dealing with back pain and issues, like sciatica, you might want to read a book called "Back in Control" by Dr. David Hanscom. Dr. Hanscom is an orthopedic surgeon who had back pain himself and discovered TMS in himself and many of his patients. He goes over the basic types of back surgery, the risks and the good points. This is the book that convinced me not to go for the surgery for my sciatica and got me firmly on the TMS bandwagon. He is not against surgery when there is obviously something a surgeon can fix. But he tells you honestly that, when there is not something obviously causing the pain, the problem can often be the mind, not the back. I have not regretted my decision since and have greatly improved through working on the psychological angles of reducing stress, dealing with anger and fear, etc. I hope this helps guide you, but you are the only one who can decide for yourself.

As an aside, I had surgery for a parathyroid tumor over a year ago and am glad I did. So I am grateful to the medical profession also for fixing an obvious physical problem that was causing me a lot of symptoms, like GERD, tachycardia, mental fog and fatigue, which in my case were not all TMS related. Just don't let members of the medical profession frighten you into having surgery.

Interesting story: I have a friend who is a financial letter writer. His wife of 27 years passed away from ALS about a year ago. He definitely has the basic TMS personality and all those years of caring for his wife. Anyway, just as he was starting a new relationship and getting his life back together, he was informed that he had prostate cancer because he had elevated PSA readings. Now, my husband is a Urologist and knows that the PSA is a bad test for cancer diagnosis. He says this because there is a really big gray area where no one knows what is really going on. Anyway, this friend only had one PSA reading out of 15 that was probably high. His Urologist basically told him he MUST have the surgery and really badgered him about it. Anyway, he went on a alternative medicine routine, taking several different supplements, some of which I take (placebo effect??). Six months later, NO cancer, his PSA readings are now all below 2. Even his Urologist admitted that there is no evidence of cancer. My husband thinks he never had cancer.

 

Hi thank you for the replies. I am waiting to see a surgeon here on the NHS. The orthopaedic surgeon I saw in October when I had an MRI just said to me "so how is the pain? Enough for me to operate ?". I could not believe it. At that point I had not seen anyone else, no physio, nothing. I think as I was paying privately he saw money in me. I was so angry but also scared. Probably set me back as at that time I was driving and walking and still working. Now I don't drive hardly walk and am still off work.

I am now on a journey I guess and will start the education programme. I have to admit that I am a little confused by it all still but also have had strange things happen. I was in bed yesterday when the postman rang. Knowing it was some books I ordered I just got out of bed, slipped on some trousers and walked down two flights of stairs to open the door. It was only after realising that I had done that when the pain kicked in. Made me think that there is something strange going on.
I have been very tearful, low and scared of what is to come especially during December. As I said I'm now on a journey as I have had a few scary and upsetting experiences these past few years that I am starting to think has tipped me over the edge now I am understanding more. Thank you for helping me

All the best

 

Hi, Mark. You got out of bed and walked downstairs to get the mail without pain, but it kicked in when your mind was not on the present moment... getting the mail. When that left your mind, your pain kicked in.

That's how it looks to me, anyway. So maybe practice "living in the moment." Not the moment of pain,
but the moment of doing other things to distract your mind from pain.

You do sound like you have yet to accept Dr. Sarno's theory that repressed emotions cause TMS pain.
Are you journaling or spending some other time looking into your re's?

Good luck healing and I'm glad that reading the success posts are encouraging to you.