Pelvic Floor Muscle Contraction pain

How can I ever get this horrible pain in my pelvic floor, perineum area, to begin to loosen up from 10 years of guarding, contracting these muscles ?? They are clenched up like a knot and the pain is relentless. Dr Wise (Wise Anderson protocol) describes it as a "charley horse in the pelvis but one that can't be stretched out"! So now the pain down under has caused chronic TMJ symptoms as I clench my jaw muscles as I grimace from the pain. And a vicious cycle continues ...
No one in the medical field has ever had a clue except it must be the bad lower vertebrae in my lower back (!?) SO I agree to two horrific, and unsuccessful surgeries, every injection known to man, countless PT sessions, and on... I would rather not discuss the pain meds I eventually became dependent upon afterward
SO, now I discover TMS,MBS for my PPD and TMJ. But Dr. Wise informs me to come to California for a few thousand dollars and that I will likely need 2 to 3 hours of meditation per day for about 2 years or so! That's YEARS, folks and that was without talking about the magic wand by the way. So, talk about feeling helpless and hopeless, my main thought is now I can at least know what ailment I will eventually die with.
I have grabbed the Dr Sarno books given to me by a well-meaning friend and see myself on many pages and understand and acknowledge the principles of TMS. However, I just cannot seem to get past the knowledge of it and find any relief. Dr Sarno mention in his book that knowledge s the penicillin for TMS.
I know the importance of journaling
But, as I finally know about pelvic pain syndrome, I cannot find much about how it relates to TMS and most importantly, how in the world I can find healing in my life,

 

You have my sympathy as I am also suffering from similar symptoms and it is truly a horrible pain and sensation but it is TMS.

Dr. Sarno talks about pelvic floor pain in the Mind Body Prescription - so there is your proof it is TMS. He said it is classic TMS.

Have you read posts by Ezer on this forum? There are many people who have become pain free from pelvic floor pain after learning it was TMS. Abigail Steidley is another.

It is a difficult one though because it so genuinely feels like the muscles are clenched up - and they are - except it's really caused by a lack of oxygen. If our minds and bodies were aligned and in balance, our muscles would naturally release. You don't need to do anything physically to make this happen.

Have you read The Great Pain Deception by Steve Ozanich? He also posts on this forum. Just click on his name and read any advice he gives. It doesn't matter what the topic/symptom/situation, his advice just has a universal quality in that is also helpful and relevant and calls out the bigger issues.

I understand how disheartening to learn that your pain is phychogenic and it to remain after you realise this. I am working hard to see myself more clearly so I don't need pain anymore but I'm so ready for it to be gone as I'm sure you are too.

 

Thank you so very much for the kind and insightful message. I am really not alone in this universe with this. Sometimes I wish I just had a badly broken leg or something truly physical to deal with. At least that would bring clarity and a sense of direction for our goal of healing. It's now this mental, emotional , and psychological journey that frustrates and overwhelms me. I remember about a year ago when I first read Dr Sarno's books and how excited I was to read about my symptoms and especially my personality traits that matched up perfectly. Like I said, I read his books and gained the knowledge, but,God bless him, knowledge is NOT the cure. There is much, much more involved to attain healing from this...affliction, disease, syndrome, whatever. I must admit, the books contain too manycases of victims simply becoming aware of TMS and "viola!", it's gone in 30 days. I believe that does occur is the exception, and not the rule to most sufferers. Do you agree?
So, apparently, a LOT of time, guidance, discipline, counseling, and other modalities to finally attain healing is the rule.
My greatest obstacle is becoming discouraged and distracted. My personal , social and professional life have suffered GREAT loss from these sickly group of dang muscles no one has ever known of.
Enough, but it's so comforting to know there are others like you. Just make sure you get there and let me know.when you do, my friend.
Last question, is yours much worse in mornings when awakening?

 

Ricky don't feel as though you are an exception and that you will be harder to heal, or you will be. Belief is everything. As Henry Ford said, "whether you think you can or whether you think you can't you're right!"

Knowledge is indeed the cure in some cases but not in most cases. Knowledge is simply the kindling that ignites the fires of wisdom. Awareness heals not "doing things" like programs or tips or techniques. These things are learning tools but not panaceas.

Most people are not yet ready to heal. They don't like their symptoms but they walk gently around the final stages for all the reasons laid out in the books. I've seen this metaphorically and literally. When you understand TMS at a much deeper level you begin to see why you react to life in certain ways. At that point healing comes, but never from the outside. No one can heal you, only you can. No books no words, no programs or techniques can pull you across the limina. These things might guide you and boost your confidence, but in the end you have control of your health.

Rest easy, you'll be ok, when you are ready. Good luck.

SteveO

 

i have this too. The dysfunction has caused Pudendal Neuralgia (most of my pain is on the left side). the PN and PFD are feeding off each otter and it's a constant endless loop. However, i have clues that it is still TMS. All of my pain started in the bladder for a long time, which they call interstitial cystitis. I tried to treat this as an inflammatory disease. I took all sorts of supplements, antiinflammatories, and had awful chemicals inserted in my bladder, but nothing gave me relief EXCEPT drugs aimed at the central nervous system (for nerve pain) like gabapentin or opiates. That was my clue that this was NERVE based, and i also had pelvic floor dysfunction that was squeezing these sensitive nerves.

fast forward to 2015, after a year-long horrific flare of IC, they decide to give me a nerve block to my pudendal nerve (this nerve controls the entire lower pelvis and sex organs, rectum, etc.). I should have never agreed to this, but they thought it might help, or either diagnose exactly what was causing my pelvic pain. Well, i had a very rare reaction, in that my pudendal nerve got horribly irritated by this shot, and i developed pudendal neuralgia. But something very interesting happened.....after about a month of overlap between bladder pain and pelvic floor pain after this shot, my pain left my bladder completely, and all jumped to the pudendal nerve path. This makes no medical sense. My bladder pain had been raging and showed no signs of letting up, and then suddenly it jumps ship to another part of my pelvis? I could never understand why.

Now i'm pretty sure i know why. I became so distraught at how PN was ruining my life, particularly my insane mountain biking life, but also my sex life. i was going thru a rough relationship patch at the same time, and i was so worried what this new pain was going to do to my relationship, but also causing me to lose my favorite bike hobby. I considered the PN much more of a threat to my life. Irritation from a nerve block isnt uncommon the doctors told me, but it usually lasts a couple weeks at most. Mine has been raging for 2 years. My brain considered the PN much more of a problem and life ruiner, that i was no longer freaking out about my bladder....so it just left.

i have other clues too. if you go back to my first ever post, you'll see how i was able to slowly get back into biking without huge pain flareups. My nerve is not damaged, it's just hypersensitive. If i keep telling myself this, i can engage in more physical activity without the fear of damaging it further. Thru mind-body techniques and controlling my fear, i've been able to get back into activity to some degree. What i'm still working on, is trying to control the every-day pain when i'm laying around undistracted, or at work. It's funny, i always noticed if i was up moving around, doing housework or some sort of chore where my mind is distracted, i'll suddenly notice i have no pain at all. Then i go to lay down and relax, and play on my phone, and boom it's back with a vengeance.

I have very mixed feelings about Dr. Wise. I think he's smart, and correct about what is causing the pelvic pain, but he takes a very expensive, and long approach around it all. My PT told me she agrees with a lot of his words, but feels he takes a bit of advantage of his patients, charging so much money, wanting to only use HIS PT staff, his special wand, etc. Also, the meditation is helpful, but i think wayyyy too long. I think the mind/body stuff is a shorter way around it, not to mention, the "fear" part is huge with TMS, and i dont think he goes into that very much. He tells you how to relax correctly, and i think that is a big piece to the puzzle, but there's more to it.

Read up on Central Sensitization. Pain Science has a very good article on it. I believe we all have some sort of CS, but mainstream medicine has not embraced mind/body approaches as a treatment. They have uncovered that chronic pain is often a brain problem, not a tissue problem, and that soothing and relaxing the nervous system is a big part of feeling better. So yes, meditation, relaxation, are all important, but reducing FEAR is huge. Make sure you read Alan Gordon's 3 week program.

 

mine is much BETTER with awakening, but that's very common for pudendal neuralgia. the most simple explanation i've heard is that "the nervous system takes time to wake up". if you have a very sensitized nervous system, as most of us do, the meditative state of sleep can calm it, but as the day goes on, the nervous activity ramps up. Nights are horrid for me.

 

Steve,
I'm honored to have you reply. I tried to find your book at Barnes & Noble last week as a matter of fact and see you have another edition. So, which one would. be best for me? I also recently printed up your 10 most common mistakes for TMS'ers which was very useful but need to review more often.
However, I'm confused and perplexed by your words about "not being ready to heal". You're the second person who's stated this to me. I vehemently reply how desperate I am to heal but there's obviously something I'm missing and don't understand. It also mystifies me with going to a" deeper level", as you wrote. How can I begin to get to this point? I AM desperate to get my life back and live again as these pelvic floor muscles have turned my life upside down like nothing I've ever experienced.
I have begun working out more intensely, like before as a former college football player,putting aside any structural problems and now realizing I can do practically any exercise without pain. I am about your age, and see that you like to work out as well so you realize how strange this is for me to lift weights, do intense workouts without pain. Yet, I cannot control this mysterious, nauseating, perplexing pain in my pelvic floor area that puts me down throughout the day that only the pain meds can help. I know these meds are a problem with the healing and must be dealt with.
Further complicating all this, without going into much detail, I am now a single father of four after losing the love of my life wife three years ago. Yet my pain started even before she was diagnosed, so I am very bitter and depressed about losing our last years together because of this sickening pain in the pelvis that I now know of. So, now, much MORE anxiety,stress,tension,depression, and pain in the cycle but how can I start to break it?
I am a goodist but not doing much good in any area of my life in my current state. I need help, a specific plan, because I'm bouncing around everywhere to try to find healing and getting nowhere. I do have an appointment in a few weeks with a TMS therapist at GW University, who you apparently know and respect. I have been told that it is very important to get a confirmation from a TMS physician first so perhaps that may help.
Please help me with any specific plan, recommendations,or regimen in the meantime, you or anyone else in this form please.
I am thankful for you and to all those in this forumto help support.

 

Hi Ricky,

I'm sorry to hear about your struggles, and of course your wife. I'm not sure what you mean by a second edition of my book? I have 3 TMS books for 3 different purposes. If you get the first book, GPD it will show you what you need to heal. If you do not heal then you are not ready, as I stated in my third book. There are signs that I watch for in people to see if they are ready. You showed several in this post so you should do ok.

I don't know of a TMS therapist at GW, unless you're meaning Dr. Segal? She's an MD. If so, yes she is one of the best out there along with Dr. Gwozdz in NJ. They get it and they have been of great help, Dr. Sarno loved them both and so do I.

It is only important to get a TMS diagnosis if you need that reassurance. They cannot heal you but they can erase some lingering doubts if you have doubts that you have TMS. Doubt that you have TMS is universal, everyone has some doubt that they may indeed have some type of odd structural thing going on there, but they almost never do. Erasing the doubt is the healing process, and it begins with the correct knowledge, which then moves to a deeper level of light and understanding.

Over the past 18 years I've worked with many people, but they all had to learn more. Their understanding of what is happening had to get deeper, iow, they knew all about TMS at a certain level but they needed to go from knowledge level to wisdom level; brain to heart. If you rely on someone else to heal you then you are not ready. Others can guide you along the way but only you can free you. Things like programs, and tips and tricks and techniques are placebos, and often hinder healing because of the concept of what TMS is. So be careful who you listen to in healing. Some of these things may interrupt the conditioned response and make the sufferer feel better for a while, but it most often isn't real healing.

Read the TMS books, watch the TMS success videos, listen to the TMS interviews, learn learn learn and then throw it all away.

I hope that helps some, good luck!
SteveO

 

ag

 

Sorry but one last thought. Did I read that you did finally grasped and progressed with TMS when you listened rather than read info?
Others on forum comments?
Thanks again to all!

 

Again, thank you. Do you have any relief yet with your PPD??
I am desperate, but encouraged of the diagnosis finally of TMS /PPD after ALL the many years of true suffering as now. It's all up to me apparently but that's the scary part. When you are in the midst of suffering, admittedly to point of hopelessness, helplessness, overwhelmednness, deep depression, even now very,very scary,dark thoughts. How can I "think" the way to ultimate healing? It's so different from a physical injury where you notice stages of healing and recovery. I don't

so

 

Thank again for your words of encouragement and guidance. Been reading over your post and starting to sink in more.
'Brain to the heart" is key phrase, for true belief over mere head knowledge, especially to overcome the doubt and fears which creep in at times of pain and weakness.
Must get your book...
Again, thanks
Ricky

Just reading your words again this evening. This is difficult to write as it was a horrible time in my life, but recalling the days and nights with my wife,

 

I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your wife. I can only imagine how difficult that must be and how distressing it must have been to be dealing your own situation at the same time.

No I haven't yet had relief so I hope you don't think it's inappropriate of me to offer you advice as I did above. (I am female and my issue is complicated by having some period problems occurring too which makes it really hard to get confidence in the diagnosis as all the TMS experts / drs / therapists run a mile when these types of female issues are brought up on the forum. I have had some wonderful people here offer me much support and guidance but I've had difficulty getting traction/confidence because of the this possibly 'real' part of my condition, it's hard to separate the two and I have had a long road of testings/procedures that were necessary to rule out a dangerous situation (which is finally over because I think they have run out of tests to do and I have refused nerve blocks etc.). When I read your post, it just seemed so obviously TMS to me. You can do this.

 

Absolutely not inappropriate at all! Actually refreshing to have a female perspective for a change!
Obviously our bodies are somewhat different (!!) and PPD will thus manifest its symptoms in us in much different ways in different parts. We are all created so complicated and uniquely
I am struggling, no doubt but it's early on for me as I am finally entering the 'belief" stage of TMS after months of mere knowledge. This will take a while but wish not not. It came on so quickly 10 years ago and wish it would leave as quickly, even as so many report in the TMS books. I guess, for us, we should expect a balance, between sudden healing and LONG arduous journeys to final place of comfort! I pray for the former and the same for you!!
Comfort has become a good word for me, by the way. I have become a totally different person without it and long to be ME again. It's absolutely incredible what this affliction has done to me and everything about me, especially relationships. It is a huge step though, in the midst of so much loneliness, to know of others who have this strange pelvic pain. Like I said before, I honestly felt I was the only one in the universe to have this horrible suffering. The medical profession did a good job making me feel that way!
But, now at least we DO have knowledge and we must continue on together to BELIEVE in TMS enough to know THAT is what we really have and the Pelvic Pain is/are the symptoms of it, horrible as they may be. So , we can now focus on the true cause of it all.
Fear, by the way, to humbly state, is a major challenge for me in this journey. When I suffer, it consumed me, perhaps for you also? Again though, we are finally on the right path for a change, let's support one another to believe, no fear, and be encouraged by steps of improvement to ultimate healing and comfort.
(Writing more to myself, I believe, as this is a very rough night)
Hope yours is better today yet not as good as tomorrow! Thoughts and prayers are with you

 

And also, by the way, you are so right in that it can be very difficult in trying to discern what may be actually physical symptoms NOT necessarily TMS related to what's going on in your body. We would be remiss in thinking every function in our bodies are TMS induced. That must make it more challenging for you and a good question for one of the TMS therapists
Hoping best for you!