How my dr gave me plantar faciitis

A little background before the episode given me by a dr.

In 1999 I injured the arch of my right foot. My foot hurt for 5 1/2 mo. Went to my dr, told about inflamation, got orthotics, no good. Couldn't drive, or stand for long. The upside was I love to read! Ha! One day I apologized for something I realized I had done months before. I felt a funny "woosh" through my foot and the pain was gone! But, I didn't know why.

In about 2004 a friend lent me one of Dr. Sarno's books because of my husbands chronic back pain. I read it, he didn't. I didn't connect my foot with it, but began to tell myself little aches and pains were from my mind and they would disappear. Hey, this is neat!

In Aug of 2013 my husband was offered 4 months of work in a town 4 hours away. My Aunt said, come stay with me. That will be great, I am very close to my Aunt and she is widowed and welcomed the company. I have only moved a handful of times in my life and I don't handle it well for months! I was a wreck. My husband knew but I didn't want my Aunt to know. ( I know, I know!!) So the job became permanant, but because we don't want to sell our house we continued to stay with my Aunt. I love my Aunt, but we are different about exercise.This began to be an issue for me, but we were guests in her home.....We all continued to get along, but it felt like I had lost my life and was living hers. My husbands work is very slow in winter, so we can not get our own place until spring of 2015.

So, in Apr of 2014 my heel began to hurt for no reason. My Aunt goes walking 7 days a week, and I join her 5 days, but she thinks I should 7.. She is in really good shape, and devoted. Walks had become something I dreaded and they had always been a pleasure as well as good exercise. Walking was impossible, so I rested a week and was better, but walking made it hurt again. I thought I had plantar faciitis again. Finally I called nurse hotline, she said no walking, see podiatrist. 5 wk wait. The dr said he thought wasn't plantar faciitis, but a stress fracture in heel. Go for x-rays. His nurse calls me and says I have an abnormal bone spur, come in immediatly for walking boot, but not to walk around or stand. Not even to make dinner. Only take it off to shower. Then appt in 4 wks to check it.

Ok, so I go home and the internet says bone spurs and planar faciitis go together, and it can take 10 months to heal, and some people never do!! Fear! Panic!

At my 4 wk appt he tells me, I probably developed the bone spur in1999. my bone spur was abnormal in that I had broken it! Thats why it hurt!!!! Why hadn't the nurse told me? Don't think I asked! turns out I am a goodist, and that would be mean. So, he gives me a rx for PT as my foot has atrophied because I rested all of apr and may and wore boot all of June. (did I mention I can make a short story long?)

Then I read the rx. Severe plantar faciitis. Oh, no!!! This freaked me out! I knew I was doomed. PT didn't help. I could barely walk through Sept. Ugh!!! So, one day I was watching my cousins baby, who was napping, and I needed something to read, huh, there was dr Sarno, healing back pain. So, I startrd reading. That afternoon I had a massage appt. Theraputic, because my back was stiff, ha ha, because of walking for 6 wks in boot. Well, she asked if I wanted special attention anywhere, said rt foot. She said, thats odd, rt foot more flexable than left, should feel good. I said, well, the boot gave me plantar faciitis. She said, thats odd, the boot is same treatment for it. Boom! No more pain! I knew exactly what had happened in an instant. I didn't have it! Power of suggestion Why the rx said plantar faciitis? Insuranse! Huh!

The rest of the story is tms trying to find a way back....but I am doing the work! But thats another story!

 

Good for you! I suffered from PF for a long time too. Whenever I tried to run it would come back. After I read Divided Mind in 2007 I never got it again

 

The power of a doctor's diagnosis, correct or not, can have a profound effect on us, for good or bad.
In your case his diagnosis of PF left you believing you have it. You've learned you don't,
but you still hold some belief you do, because you trust a doctor's diagnosis. You have to work harder
on forgetting what he told you and instead believe 100 percent that you have TMS and work on repressed emotions
that are causing your symptoms.

 

Hi Walt, thanks for your encouragement! I am so thankful for this forum and the positive help people, like yourself, give us newbies!

I am trying to get thinking psycological, but its easy to fall into old ways. I do believe this is the truth, my foot healed from the break and now my mind will catch up.

 

Hi, You might try this to help think psychological. Its the block and shift tactic that Dr Schechter taught me. Whenever you think of the pain, block the thought with a mantra such as "I know it is just TMS and I am getting better every day". Come up with your own ofc you like. Then shift your thoughts to something else like something enjoyable. I like to turn my thoughts to my upcoming vacation I'm sure you get the point.

Its been helping me and on Sunday I went through a whole day without thinking of the pain. Imagine that!

 

Enrique, thank you for that idea! I have tried asking myself, what else is bothering me, but I have a very hard time feeling my emotions. When I was in counseling years ago we worked on that alot. While I want to keep asking that question, I think having a mantra could recondition my mind. Thinking of something enjoyable would be good to, as I tend toward negative thinking sometimes.

It is great to hear you run and don't have PF at all. Well the reality is none of do, we have tms Thanks for your encouraging words!

 

Feeling emotions is also one of my own challenges. I am getting better at it though. I'm glad this block/shift idea resonates with you.

 

Hi Lizzy,
Thanks for the inspiring story. If you doubts, fear or pain around the foot issue, please read my success story about severe foot pain. Also, I just posted this medical history to help people see that my foot pain was mis-diagnosed by over 10 physicians, many who wanted to do surgery. I am so happy for you that you did not go down the surgery route.
Andy B.

 

Andy, your story is almost sci-fi!!! Thanks for sharing, I think reading struugles and successes has made the difference for me.

I rarely have foot pain anymore, but over the years I've had various stuff. I had bursitis in my rt shoulder as a teen for months every spring and occationally it "comes back". I can talk myself out of it now, yea!

 

Hi,
You are my hero!! I hope I am as successful as you. I was in a boot for almost 4 months because of posterior tibia tendonitis. Getting out of the boot was not fun and now I am struggling with the orthotics for my flat feet! They are causing other problems (pain and swelling in my metatarsal and big toe).

 

LynnCarol, I am so glad you are here, and I look forward to hearing about your progress. This is a wonderful place! By the way, I totally can relate to being in and then getting out of a boot. I have the urge to stop people in the grocery store to say I'm so sorry they're in a boot! Oddly enough, my daughter works for a prosthetist orthotist. And to rub salt in that wound he is a wonderful young man and they are dating! I have a fear of bringing the TMS subject up to them. After all, it is their business.....

Anyway, again, glad you're here!

 

Did you give up on the orthotics? My orthotist is not happy with my poor progress. I am still struggling with adjusting to the orthotics because the doctors have placed so much emphasis on supporting my flat foot!
Last night was a nightmare - we were out for dinner with friends and the pain on the top of my foot and the swelling got so bad I just wanted to take my ugly shoes off, go home and cry!

 

Yes and no to the orthotics The bone I broke is a bone spur. I don't know how I did it, so my orthotics were custom made for "plantar fasciitis" (which I no longer believe in) and to prevent breaking it again. When I learned about TMS I asked on the Ask a Therapist forum if I should use them for the spur. He said that was fine. I don't wear them for my low impact strength training workout. In fact the other day I did it barefoot!

Flat feet might not be a structural problem. I don't know, but the therapists here would. You could try searching here to see if anyone has overcome problems with their flat feet. I think knowing what is and isn't psychological is important. You need 100% belief so your brain can't fool you into thinking the pain is originating in the foot. Your brain originates it; your body is where you feel it.

Happy healing!!

 

Hi,
A bad day today. I had another MRI on Friday and the doctor told me the tendon was still inflamed and there is arthritis in my bones (no kidding!). I am starting on steroids now!! When I think about all those months (4) in a boot and to find that the tendon is still inflamed I am really depressed.
Lynn