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I began to recover from 4 years of chronic leg pain, just 4 weeks after reading 'The Great Pain Deception' and changing how I think about my pain and (mind)body. It feels good!

I'm in my early-30s and suffered from chronic, disabling pain in my legs for 3 years and 11 months before I started recovering. More on that below, in case you don't want to head my life story just yet... Of course, I've had every scan and treatment you can think of, the vast majority of which have had no effect on my pain. A few months ago, I came across Dr Sarno's books online. I read the reviews on Amazon, 90% of which report being 'healed' after reading his books. I thought that this was some wacky cult - it sounds unbelievable that you can get pain-relief from a book! But part of me thought that there must be something in it if so many people say so.

So with an open yet sceptical mind, I started reading 'The Great Pain Deception' by Steve Ozanich. After reading just half the book I already found that my symptoms and mobility improved significantly. I still have a long way to go, but now I really feel like there is hope ahead - and not just a long dark tunnel of pain!

My pain/TMS story
The pain, initially very localised, first came on in late 2008 after vigorous cycling (so much fun, I didn't care if it hurt!) I was told at the time that it may have been tendonitis. It may have been or may not have been, I shall never know... To cut a long story short, I was on crutches for a couple of weeks but the pain soon seemed to fade and my leg seemed to go through what seemed to be a normal healing process. However, I was treated with contempt by bullying orthopaedic 'specialists' and a nasty gung-ho physiotherapist, none of whom took me seriously or treated me with common decency. For a number of reasons, the pain seemed to get worse after a few weeks and, 4 months after the initial 'injury' the pain became constant and so severe that I gave up work and could barely leave my (3rd floor) flat. Soon, severe pains developed in my other 'good' leg - within a few months my whole life had been turned upside down. I didn't know what was happening to me. My stress levels went through the roof - I was having a full-blow crisis.

In the last 4 years, my symptoms have ebbed and flowed and moved around to different parts of my legs, feet and ankles. At one point I thought that I was really recovering and had regained significant mobility. After almost a year of not working, I started a full time job with a hefty commute, thus triggering a major flare up of pain including new symptoms in my lower legs and foot/ankle. I was convinced that I had injured myself again through pushing myself physically to return to work. But the MRI scans came back 'normal' and I was left with no answers, just more pain. Despite soldiering on, the pain got so bad that I had to stop working for the second time and move in with my parents (one of the worst things about having pain!) I've been on a pain management programme and, until recently, had resigned myself to a life with pain and narrowed horizons and opportunities. But not anymore!

Thanks for listening!