Where I am right now - first post

Hi everyone, my name is Jay and I have been poking around the Facebook group / Wiki for the past month.

My current state is one of minor panic / pain / mobility issues... minor compared to many here but major to me.

My current symptoms (which have been on and off for a year, but the pain has been present for the most part) :

• Spasms in my glute / lower back that radiate Sciatic pain down my left leg
• Some weakness in the leg, especially when the Sciatic pain is high
• Stiff lower back
• Minor mobility issues relating to the leg (protective limp, walking very stiff)
• Major fear and anxiety when pain arises

My physical diagnostics:

• Checked by my GP (blood, vitals), all good
• MRI had in October 2018 - Minor narrowing in L4/L5, Minor buldging disc in L5/S1
• Xray showed nothing remarkable
• Doctor has recommened Spinal Epidural - I have declined
• I was referred to pain clinic - they are recommending Piriformis injection - I have since postponed this

Interventions I have tried:

• Nucca Chiro - minor temporary success
• 2 different PT's including a McKenzie Protocol specialist - sometimes made things better, sometimes worse
• Acupuncture - moderate pain relief but forced to continue to keep relief.
• Drugs - Nothing crazy, Aleve or Advil if the pain is outrageous
• Cannabis - Used for relaxation, mainly for pain reduction and "tightness" reduction
• Stretching - Required at times just to be mobile
• Therapy - I have gone for 1 therapy session

I have read 2 of Dr Sarno's books (the first 2) and Steve O's book. I am actively using the Cureable app and have quickly gone through the 16 day course here.

I have never had a panic attack, until yesterday.. I couldn't shake it and today my pain and mobility is great affected. I came across the 4-7-8 breathing method which has helped.

I am confident this is TMS as some of the exercises (Somatic Tracking / Soothing) have helped me turn off / tone down the symptoms at times... along with journaling.

Looking forward to connecting with everyone, the recovery stories are so inspiring and I am so grateful to have found Dr Sarno, Steve O, Cureable and most importantly this WIKI!

Anyways