jayMck

Hi. My name is jay. I'm a 52 year old male. Father of two teenage sons. Married 27 years. School teacher for 10 years. At-home dad running a small business for 10 years. Currently I work for the Public Library with great people, in a job I like, but one that I'm educationally overqualified for. But, being 52 and out of the workforce for a decade, I couldn't be too choosy at this point.

I discovered Dr Sarno's book a little less that 2 years ago. After that, 20 years of constant back pain, mostly while cycling, disappeared. I went from being constantly worried about how my back would feel on group rides to being the guy up front, pushing the pace, enjoying every minute. Before that, all I could think about was my aching back, which I'd injured installing a brick paver patio.

Physical therapy, chiropractors, cortisone, stretching...all just bought temporary relief. After reading Mind Over Back Pain, the scales fell off! Dr Sarno described me. I was the goodist, always concerned about pleasing people, wanting people to like me.

In the last few months, my pain has returned in the form of a pinched nerve in my neck. I actually had it diagnosed about 5 years ago- right before I went in for carpal tunnel surgery. I attributed the CT to overuse, specifically cycling. I actually had (and still have) calluses on my palms from where I rest my hands on the bars. Well, anyway, my neck had bothered me once or twice before. And actually, I had to go into the emergency room for it once. Muscle relaxers, pain pills, anti-inflammatories...none of them helped. I just had to get through it.

It want until about 6 months ago that the neck pain became an issue again. And only lately, through the Structured Educational Program have I put some things together. Over the years, starting with childhood and moving into adulthood, I've had (and in some cases still have):

• Asthma
• Allergies
• Plantar Fasciatus (sp?)
• Bell's Palsy
• Tinnitus
• IBS
• Carpal Tunnel
• Pinched Nerve in Neck
• Lower back pain
• Frequent heartburn

In the last week, I've developed a dull, deep ache in my left shoulder. Several nights it's woken me from a sound sleep. I went in for a flu shot last Thursday and asked the Dr about it. After an exam, he reminded me that a previous Xray showed a pinched nerve and that maybe I should get a new Xray to see what's going on. So needless to say, that freaked me out. I do not want to get surgery on my neck.

And the thing is, I believe the TMS diagnosis. My lower back doesn't bother me at all like it used to. My plantar fasciatus disappeared and I no longer need orthotics. My tinnitus seems to be better/worse at times. My stomach/IBS issues are totally driven by stress- I mean, for reasons I haven't figured out, my stomach/IBS only bothers me at work and specifically after lunch.

So, what I'm saying is, Ive seen the man behind the curtain, but he keeps trying to pull the curtain closed. This latest bout of neck/arm pain has me freaked out, but not ready to give up.

Any thoughts or feedback would be great!

Jay