Success Story - foot, back, shoulder

I wanted to share my story in case it may help others that are recovering. I think there are many people that have recovered that have not shared and I was almost one of them. When I was in pain I would read stories and hope that one day I would be better and could share mine. But as I got better, writing about the experience was that last thing that I wanted to do. But considering how helpful this site was to me and knowing how difficult the recovery process can be, I wanted to share.


I had back pain and other pain issues off an on for many years. But it would always come and go and no real concern. Fast forward to 2019 – without getting into detail this was at a time with some big life changes including career and personal. These were positive changes but resulted in added pressure on myself. I had started to develop some numbness in my foot that wasn’t going away. It really started to bother and concern me. So I got x-rays and an EMG but no issues were found. I changed out all of my footwear, purchased every foot device available, tied my toes together (that seemed to help for some reason), etc. I also stopped running and other physical activities that I enjoyed. Then at one appointment with a foot specialist I started thinking about how my back and especially my shoulder had been bothering me. It wasn’t getting better and so I started to worry about this and stopped doing most activity. I went to my doctor and then started PT. This did not help at all and just made me more anxious and focused on the pain. I had my dr refer me to an ortho and I got an MRI and met with a spine surgeon who said that my shoulder pain was due to a herniated disc. He made a comment that if this were to resolve on it’s own then it would have already happened. Things of course got worse after this. I was panicked at the thought of surgery and was a compete wreck. I was reading all that I could about back pain, spine issues (I was obsessed), surgery, etc. and eventually came across HBP. I listened to the audiobook and it immediately made more sense to me than anything I had heard from the doctors. The problem was that I didn’t really know what to do with this information to resolve my symptoms. I started to become obsessed with recovery and trying to fight my symptoms. I also spent way too much time reading TMS books and articles, and spent far too much time on this site. This site is amazing and I don’t think I would be where I am today if it did not exist, but you will not recover if you are spending all of your free time reading and thinking about TMS. Get the information you need and move on with life. I ended up making an appointment with Dr Schubiner and he helped eliminate any doubt. I met with him a few times and that was crucial to get me on the right track (every good thing you have heard about him is true). It took awhile to but I am pretty much pain free now and it is amazing. I was in such a dark place and felt like there was no way that I would get back to where I am today. I am more active than I was before this all started and in such a better place mentally. I remember reading recovery stories when I was in pain and some would say that TMS was a good thing and they were glad they went through the experience. That was so crazy to me at the time since I would have given up just about anything to eliminate the pain. But I will say now that I am glad that I went through the experience as well. I realize how many issues that I experienced throughout my life (pain and anxiety) were TMS and now I am much more at peace. A few thoughts for those in recovery:


1. You will get better. Just stick with it and know that you will get there.

2. Physical activity is extremely important but don’t fight your symptoms. It is important to do activity in a positive mindset and because you want to do it. There were times the pain would upset me and so I would then go for a run or ride my bike, but this did not help. You can’t beat the pain into submission.

3. Limit your consumption of TMS material. You need to get back to living your life without thinking about pain constantly. This is hard but you can do it. I also find some of the TMS material to be counterproductive and make recovery seem like a complicated and mystical process. It’s actually pretty simple – stop thinking and worrying about your pain and get back to life.

4. Recovery is really all mental. Lower your fear and anxiety. Relax and slow down. You are fine and once you understand this, your brain will catch up and the pain will fade.


Now I need some advice:

My wife has TMS. There is not a doubt in my mind. She has had chronic pain with her knees, hips, feet, back, abdomen, headaches, teeth, you name it. Every day she is telling me about her latest physical problem…and I love her but it is starting to drive me a bit crazy. I know that she would not accept a mind-body explanation from the few times that I have talked about it. She is clearly in the camp of “glad it helped you but I have real problems”. I know that if I even suggest that these are not real physical problems that she will only get upset. Any advice for people that have been in a similar scenario with a spouse / loved one? I know that she could get better if she was open to the TMS concept but I just don’t see that happening with her. I also wonder why I am letting this bother me so much.

 

Dang, @dude2022! Such a great Success Story (THANK YOU FOR POSTING!) followed by frustration!

I know you're not alone, and I hope someone will respond who can encourage you via personal experience to keep trying to help your wife "see the light"!

Have you ever even been able to get her to read a book or watch a film? All The Rage (Saved By Sarno) is now available on Kanopy (free with many public library memberships) or it apparently can be rented or purchased on Amazon Prime Video. My favorite of Dr Sarno’s books is the The Divided Mind, in which he dispenses with his theories in four efficient chapters and turns the book over to five other MDs and a therapist, who each write a chapter.

Good luck - I look forward to hearing what others have to say. And thank you again for your Success Story!

~Jan

 

Thanks for your success story! For me this was your key sentence: "Recovery is actually pretty simple – stop thinking and worrying about your pain and get back to life". Thanks for coming back to share.