Day 1 Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

I've had neck and upper trapezius pain as well as dizzying tension headaches for about three years. About a year ago, it was diagnosed as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. I have normal x-rays, mri, and blood tests. I was made aware of Dr. Sarno in Jan 2014 and finally read two of the books by about May 2014. I am probably 40-50% convinced my "problem" is non-structural. How could it be non-structural? I sit in a desk 14 hours/day and have had terrible posture since probably age 8 or 9. My shoulder and neck always crack, pop, crunch, etc.

Yet I have a long history of psychosomatic issues, damn near every one listed: Epstein-Barr, gastro-intestinal, urinary, anxiety. It's like pushing on a balloon; flatten one area and some other area bulges into existence. I "see myself on every page."

I had seen the 20/20 segment with Stossel a few months ago. How can it be wrong? Tens of thousands have improved with the "information". Yet I continue to get worse. Frustration is becoming explosive. Some have improved in but a few days! Yet I languish! But I am not convinced enough! I dismiss this as some kind of unachievable mystical hippy drivel. Yet others have done it!

A life without TMS would be a strange thing to me. I cannot imagine a day where I was not constantly worried about my health in some form or another. Think of what I could achieve! We are where we are because of ourselves and because of my weakness I have not achieved what I wish to achieve.

 

Hi Bill... It does sound like mystical hippy drivel, but it's true, and it works. Just do the program and try to relax... try not to focus on the pain or on your body, but on the emotions beneath your experience (this isn't easy but you'll get the hang of it ). It takes focus and some dedication to change your mental habits, but it does work. You can have your life and your potential back!

Lots of us here are working on this and having varying degrees of success, and you can too.

 

Hi Bill, it is not mystical or new age; there is a lot of neurological research in the past ten years or so about how our brain experiences emotion and pain in the same areas. (I am grossly simplifying this, but you get the idea.)

I have neck and upper trapezius pain too, which started after a car accident. And like you, I sit at a computer for my work (though not as long as you do). I think we should all take lots of breaks if we sit at the computer, just for general health, but I don't think we have to change our careers. Since doing a lot of TMS reading, research and journaling, my pain is down to a one or sometimes a two, and that's WITH sitting at the computer for hours. (Not a good habit, but I am trying to finish a book.) Even with the bad posture and sitting, my pain is much lower than when I was babying myself and afraid to sit in anything but a hard-backed Amish-type chair.

Praying for your healing.