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giantsfan
Joined:
Jan 12, 2016
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Gender:
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Location:
Bay Area California
Occupation:
Grad Student

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giantsfan

Well known member, Male, from Bay Area California

Long time since I’ve been on this site. Hope you’re all doing well and staying active! : ) Nov 16, 2020

  • My Story

    January 2016
    Summary: In my late teens I began to have pain in various joints which eventually developed into sacrum and low back pain in my early 20's. Intense burning pain and numbness in legs and hips with an ataxic gait later began. Lost my job, sold my home, moved back in with folks... Severe insomnia, depression and suicidal thoughts then occurred. I developed an eating disorder (obsessive healthy eating) in the midst and dropped down to 150 lbs. I was essentially bedridden for most of my days in early 2014. I was using a walker to get around the house, wheelchairs in and out of appointments, had urinary and fecal incontinence. Had various ideas of taking my life but I wanted everyone to think I had just moved away and was fine (couldn't pull that off in my disabled state). Thankfully I still cared enough about what other people thought. My nerve burning pain spread to my arms, hands and neck. Just about every joint hurt in my body burned or ached horrendously. I couldn't sleep (some nights hardly at all) mostly due to the burning pain in all of my limbs. After a year of its worst (2014) I began to put weight back on and slowly got better. Eventually I got to the point of being able to sit for an hour on a soft reclined cushion, walk around the block with a cane or walking stick and shower myself without a chair and cushions. Still a lot of progress was needed though.

    Then I was introduced to TMS in early 2016 at the age of 29.

    Update November 2016:

    I'm now 30 years old and I feel the youngest I've been since I was 24! I can now run, sprint, hike, play basketball, rock climb, do squats/deadlifts, stand in long lines, sit for long periods on hard surfaces, etc. I hiked up a 14,040 ft. mountain a couple months ago (my first, but definitely not last 14er). I hiked up a mountain through a snow storm with 70 mph gusts of wind at the summit and I now plan on climbing higher mountains including Mexico's Pico de Orizaba at over 18,000 ft :) I am now applying for jobs and looking to move out of my parents home once I get the job! I also have an amazing girlfriend now who I deeply love and who can crack me up and put a smile on my face in an instant. Life has changed since I heard about Sarno, life has changed indeed :)

    Things I tried in the past:

    Conventional:
    Hip orthopedic specialist, Stanford sports medicine, Mayo clinic sports medicine specialist, UCSF pain management clinic, 2 Rheumatologists, 3 Neurologists, 4 General Doctors, Podiatrist, Endocrinologist, Urologist, cardiovascular specialist, X-rays, Mri's and CT Scan of whole body minus lower legs, 6 different physical therapists (one on at the highest rated PT center in U.S.) (total of about 36 + sessions), all kinds of meds for pain and insomnia, 2 epidural injections, 6 cortisone injections etc.

    Alternative:
    8 sessions of Prolotherapy, 2 Acupuncturists (total of 18 sessions), 2 Osteopaths (30+ visits), Naturopathic medicine, pelvic floor therapy...(with the amount of money I spent on people sticking their fingers up my ass I could've bought a car!), 3 Chiropractors (20+ visits), Visceral manipulation (Jean Pierre- Barral), , Chi Nei Tsang, Graston technique, Active Release Technique, , tens unit, Myofascial release, foam rolling, Gokhale Method (8 sessions), Melt Method (6 mos.), Gyrotonics, inversion table, Tom Myers fascial manipulation series, 3 rolfers (25+ visits), Egoscue Method (over a year), Bowen Therapy, Alexander technique, Trigger point therapy specialists, many many massage therapists, Dr. Shirley Sahrmann PT, all kinds of orthotics, swimming, 2 yoga centers, 1 pilates teacher, meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy from Stanford and Berkeley, gaps diet, paleo diet, all kinds of vitamins and minerals (magnesium glycinate, vit d, b12 etc), sunbathing, salt baths, heat/ice, marijuana for a few weeks, sleep specialists, etc.
    1. giantsfan
      giantsfan
      Hello again dead lifts, squats and cleans! No more obsessing about perfect form - it is freeing.
    2. giantsfan
      giantsfan
      Listening to Van Halen is helping to lift my mood when it's down :)
    3. Daffy Duck
      Daffy Duck
      HI Giantsfan, I read your story so now I understand about the physical issues. Thank you for sharing your journey here. I look forward to hearing more about your continuing journey towards healing. Wishing You Well. DD
      1. giantsfan likes this.
    4. giantsfan
      giantsfan
      I'm going to day hike Mt. Whitney. That's my new goal for this summer.
    5. giantsfan
      giantsfan
      I just stood in the same exact spot (with no support) for half an hour!!!! WOOHOO!! :):) No pain, vertigo or numbness afterwards too!
      1. Forest likes this.
      2. brendan537
        brendan537
        excuse my language but you are kicking ass dude ive been reading your posts for a few weeks now and I am inspired at how helpful you are to others plus the progress you are getting. I have been on this journey for 4 months now ( 4 years of crippling pain) I am 21 and young like you and cant seem to get much relief.
        Feb 19, 2016
        giantsfan and Forest like this.
      3. Forest
        Forest
        That's terrific, giantsfan!

        Don't worry about the differences, brendan. Everyone is different in how long they take to heal. It can be hard to accept this, but with TMS, the less you can worry about this, the faster you will heal.
        Feb 19, 2016
        giantsfan and brendan537 like this.
      4. giantsfan
        giantsfan
        Thank you, Brendan. I still got a ways to go, but that's ok, I'm going at my own pace. Let go of the fear, all fear. We're both gonna be back to how we used to be in time, just don't worry about how much time it takes.
        Feb 19, 2016
    6. giantsfan
      giantsfan
      Could only sit for 1-2 hours before. Went out w/friends for first time in long time, stayed in seated position for 6 hours w/little pain!
      1. mike2014 and Forest like this.
      2. Forest
        Forest
        Bravo!!
        Feb 14, 2016
        giantsfan likes this.
      3. mike2014
        mike2014
        Excellent, well done! Don't forget to add that to your evidence sheet my friend.
        Feb 15, 2016
        giantsfan likes this.
    7. giantsfan
      giantsfan
      Went for a 2 hour hike up and down hills with hardly any pain or numbness! (no walking stick or cane anymore :)
      1. Forest
        Forest
        Great to hear!
        Feb 13, 2016
    8. giantsfan
      giantsfan
      One month in and walking stick is gone, I can now jog for short periods, sit longer and stand longer with less pain.
    9. giantsfan
      giantsfan
      My 2nd week after stepping into this new universe
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  • My Story

    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Bay Area California
    Occupation:
    Grad Student
    Diagnoses:
    Psuedo Guillain-Barre syndrome. Major EMG delay. Peripheral neuropathy in arms, hips, sacrum and legs.. GERD, anxiety, chronic and severe insomnia. Ataxic gait (like with cerebral palsy), chronic migraines, IBS, vertigo. Shoulder labrum tears, cubital and carpal tunnel syndrome in both but mostly right elbow and wrists. Costochondritis. SI joint dysfunction. Urinary incontinence (fecal at one point). Plantar fascitis. Sciatica, fibro, TMJ, hip bursitis, hamstring tendonopathy. Raynaud's phenomenon.
    January 2016
    Summary: In my late teens I began to have pain in various joints which eventually developed into sacrum and low back pain in my early 20's. Intense burning pain and numbness in legs and hips with an ataxic gait later began. Lost my job, sold my home, moved back in with folks... Severe insomnia, depression and suicidal thoughts then occurred. I developed an eating disorder (obsessive healthy eating) in the midst and dropped down to 150 lbs. I was essentially bedridden for most of my days in early 2014. I was using a walker to get around the house, wheelchairs in and out of appointments, had urinary and fecal incontinence. Had various ideas of taking my life but I wanted everyone to think I had just moved away and was fine (couldn't pull that off in my disabled state). Thankfully I still cared enough about what other people thought. My nerve burning pain spread to my arms, hands and neck. Just about every joint hurt in my body burned or ached horrendously. I couldn't sleep (some nights hardly at all) mostly due to the burning pain in all of my limbs. After a year of its worst (2014) I began to put weight back on and slowly got better. Eventually I got to the point of being able to sit for an hour on a soft reclined cushion, walk around the block with a cane or walking stick and shower myself without a chair and cushions. Still a lot of progress was needed though.

    Then I was introduced to TMS in early 2016 at the age of 29.

    Update November 2016:

    I'm now 30 years old and I feel the youngest I've been since I was 24! I can now run, sprint, hike, play basketball, rock climb, do squats/deadlifts, stand in long lines, sit for long periods on hard surfaces, etc. I hiked up a 14,040 ft. mountain a couple months ago (my first, but definitely not last 14er). I hiked up a mountain through a snow storm with 70 mph gusts of wind at the summit and I now plan on climbing higher mountains including Mexico's Pico de Orizaba at over 18,000 ft :) I am now applying for jobs and looking to move out of my parents home once I get the job! I also have an amazing girlfriend now who I deeply love and who can crack me up and put a smile on my face in an instant. Life has changed since I heard about Sarno, life has changed indeed :)

    Things I tried in the past:

    Conventional:
    Hip orthopedic specialist, Stanford sports medicine, Mayo clinic sports medicine specialist, UCSF pain management clinic, 2 Rheumatologists, 3 Neurologists, 4 General Doctors, Podiatrist, Endocrinologist, Urologist, cardiovascular specialist, X-rays, Mri's and CT Scan of whole body minus lower legs, 6 different physical therapists (one on at the highest rated PT center in U.S.) (total of about 36 + sessions), all kinds of meds for pain and insomnia, 2 epidural injections, 6 cortisone injections etc.

    Alternative:
    8 sessions of Prolotherapy, 2 Acupuncturists (total of 18 sessions), 2 Osteopaths (30+ visits), Naturopathic medicine, pelvic floor therapy...(with the amount of money I spent on people sticking their fingers up my ass I could've bought a car!), 3 Chiropractors (20+ visits), Visceral manipulation (Jean Pierre- Barral), , Chi Nei Tsang, Graston technique, Active Release Technique, , tens unit, Myofascial release, foam rolling, Gokhale Method (8 sessions), Melt Method (6 mos.), Gyrotonics, inversion table, Tom Myers fascial manipulation series, 3 rolfers (25+ visits), Egoscue Method (over a year), Bowen Therapy, Alexander technique, Trigger point therapy specialists, many many massage therapists, Dr. Shirley Sahrmann PT, all kinds of orthotics, swimming, 2 yoga centers, 1 pilates teacher, meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy from Stanford and Berkeley, gaps diet, paleo diet, all kinds of vitamins and minerals (magnesium glycinate, vit d, b12 etc), sunbathing, salt baths, heat/ice, marijuana for a few weeks, sleep specialists, etc.

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    "Leap, and the net will appear." - John Burroughs
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