Day 1 Now for the deeper stuff

My right scapula started hurting in early 2010, sometimes so much that it affected what I'd do that day or prevented me from sleeping well. Snuggling with my partner was sometimes too painful.

I broke my knee in late 2011 and had 2 surgeries to fix it. (17 months later, today I ran 3 miles. I'm still not ready for soccer, basketball, or surfing, but at least I was able to run again.)

Anyway, all the crutching around probably didn't help my scapula. My scapula has still been hurting (in varying degrees, and not every day) since 2010. In 2012, I asked my knee surgeon, my physical therapist, an osteopath, a masseuse, a personal trainer, and a chiropractor about my scapula. Most of them said essentially "Your right scapula is protruding and is called a winged scapula. Your upper body is weak; if you strengthen it, such as through rowing exercises, the pain will go away." The masseuse said, "They're wrong; the problem is that your chest is too tight, and it's pulling your scapula out of position." None of the recommended exercises seemed to help.

In Aug 2012, I woke up one morning thinking my wrist had broken in the night. It hurt a lot. Days later, my other wrist started hurting. The osteopath and chiropractor said I was developing carpal tunnel syndrome and I needed to wear wrist braces 24/7 and do regular stretches, massages, and breaks. My fingertips would also feel bruised, and sometimes I'd feel pain in my elbows (e.g. tendinitis), and sometimes my fingers would have painful bulging veins or just be painful in general. Since I'm on the computer 10+ hours per day, I wasn't completely surprised, since I'd heard of RSI before, but I also couldn't figure out why it was so sudden. I've always spent lots of time on the computer.

In Sept 2012, I got an Ergotron sit/stand desk at work to see if better posture would help my scapula and wrists.

In Nov 2012, while trying to rehab my knee with a personal trainer, I started feeling pain in my left hip, like bursitis. I also hurt my left shoulder (I thought) while trying to pick up my partner's nephew. On Nov 27, my partner found out about Sarno, and I started reading The Mindbody Prescription immediately.

It made a lot of sense to me, and within a week, my wrist/finger/elbow pain was pretty much gone! Any flare-ups would only be temporary. No more wrist braces! What a magical diagnosis!

Unfortunately, my scapula still hurts, and I have more than a dozen other "symptoms" that I'd guess are TMS-related (e.g. nighttime urination). I'm almost finished with Divided Mind.

I'd like to see a therapist in the San Diego area to see if I can finally figure out what unconscious issues are keeping my pain around. I haven't found any therapists online listed in SD who know of TMS, so I figure I ought to do this online program.

Thanks for organizing it!



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A life without TMS would look like:

• Playing soccer and basketball every week
• Sleeping like a rock all the way through the night
• No nightmares or stress dreams. Either no dreams or pleasant ones.
• Not needing to urinate frequently
• Surfing
• Doing the yoga moves that I used to be able to do
• Gratitude and relaxation, no anxiety. Just loving my partner and home and job and life.
• Never getting headaches that last for more than a moment
• No acne or dandruff
• No hemorrhoids or diarrhea

 

Thanks!!

 

As I have said to others...role playing in private is invaluable. Think about the person who has caused you so much anguish and pain. Tell them from your heart how much they have hurt you. Hold nothing back.

Welcome to a wonderful program.
Sandy

 

Yep, I was happy to learn that the Healthy Back Store and its overpriced products are a sham and that my posture isn't causing my pain. My wrist pain going away within days of reading the book made me a believer. I think my scapula pain ought to follow.

Thanks!

 

UPDATE: I feel mostly cured by Day 30 of the program! Thanks everyone!