Day 1 Day 1

I am trying to accept the TMS diagnosis. I have jaw pain, ear conjestion, teeth pain and anxiety about all of it. The pain fluctuates in intensity and moves around. I've seen medical doctors, PTs, a chiropractor and an integrative Medical doctor who recommended Dr. Sarno's book. He also suggested seeing the chiropractor or an acupuncturist. This confused
me after reading Healing Back Pain and Sarno's recommendation to stop all intervention. I guess I still had and have doubts about the TMS diagnosis, worrying that I may have something physically wrong with my bite/alignment or some other condition causing this strange constellation of symptoms. I am an aging athletic woman (58) and am having great difficulty accepting my aging and the other stressors in my life. I have read and listened to Alan Gordon's program which I found very helpful and relatable. I will work thru the structured program daily. I think my biggest hurdle is acceptance. I have been experiencing this pain for over 10 months with prior episodes of Achilles tendinitis, sciatica.
Fortunately those issues are behind me. I thank anyone who will share his or her thoughts with me.

 

joannabev. Welcome aboard, glad to have you here. The worry , the life pressures. The worry of aging or even doubts can cause pain. Your doing all of it in your thread so just keep with the program and do your journaling. Ask lots of questions and smile on purpose. We want to know what makes you happy now. You are our friend and we will all be here for you. I am late to answer your post cause of some time off for the week but I'm sure glad to be back. You sound like a warrior. I'm sure you will pull through just fine. You have to re-condition before you can believe ok. Time and knowledge will heal you.

Bless You

 

Thank you Herbie for your encouraging response! I love your recommendation to "smile on purpose"! I smiled instantly!
I just finished day 7 of the Structured Program and appreciated beyond words the video by Forrest. I posted a response to it. The theme of it resonated with me completely. I could not have read it at a better time. Trying too hard and caring too much are ingrained in me and I will mindfully attempt to have a more balanced approach to my TMS recovery.
You flatter me by calling me a warrior, but I will attempt to see myself as a warrior who knows how to let up and let go in order to move on. Thanks again for your support!

 

Thank you joanabev. You are a warrior, it sounds pretty cool but soon in about a year -- just 12 months you'll be saying I feel super. He was right. Its about slowing all things down and learning 1 thing and 1 step and 1 page at a time ok. Never give in to , to much study but focus more on your awareness to your lifes pressures and hold tight to seeing yourself healed. Go ahead and write about things that you want to do and accomplish once you get to where you want to be.
Thinking in the now is key but thinking of a healed body in the now is key too. Although be happy where you are because you won't get started to long thinking your never getting anywhere. So don't put a time limit on your journey and enjoy the ride. You will have many questions on your journey. Don't hesitate cause it's what you know that will get you through.

Bless You

 

Thanks again! Yikes, 12 months is a long time! I'm focusing on feeling good in the present. I talk to my thoughts about my pain as if they are separate from myself. I acknowledge them but then either let them pass by or banish them or tell them they're silly or annoying, etc. Seems to help. I do believe I'm having longer periods of time when I'm not directly thinking about my pain. I'm grateful for that!
And, I'll keep smiling on purpose!

 

Awesome, joanabev don't be worried about a number ok. Like the 12 months, if your doing all your work then you could and probably will get better a lot sooner. I just want you to be realistic and don't try to rush anything ok. The rush is part of the tms. You could be better in as little as three months but tms change is a lifestyle change in which you were thinking about trivialities to much and not facing your fears enough. Not happy about your current situations and such so when you come to accept that all that is fine and you love life in the now you will break the pain cycle ok.

See I got pain free almost instantly by loosing the fear but in a week the pain came back cause I still had worries built up and repressions to acknowledge. Then in about three months after that I was really doing good but I still had to dig deeper cause I'm such a deep thinker.

My point is this, once you accept that you have tms and stop fearing the things in life you really want to do -- it will all be smooth sailing from then on ok.

In my success story I originally said 6 months cause the pain was gone but I still had anxiety that had to be gotten rid of too. So then I worked on that part. whether its pain or anxiety you will work on it all the same. Feel free and don't worry -- be happy. Bless You