samantha

One day, soon after turning 50, my back 'went out'. I had never experienced that kind of pain before. I had done nothing strenuous to cause an injury, but couldn't walk without assistance. The simplest task was an agony. I went to my physician, had an MRI, was diagnosed with a herniated disc and sent to physical therapy. The therapy worked like a charm and I was back on my feet. Each year, around the same time as the first episode, my back would 'go out' and I'd have another round of physical therapy.Each time I'd have good results after about 6 weeks. At age 55, I moved to another part of the country and took up a new assignment. Although I was very happy with my new home, my back 'went out' with greater frequency. I had another MRI which diagnosed a herniated and 2 bulging discs along with degenerative disc disease. One doctor told me that I'd have these episodes for the next 20 years! 5 months ago, my back went out 'spectacularly'- I could not sleep in a bed, walk or shower without assistance. After 2 weeks I went to Physical therapy. Even after 6 weeks of Physical therapy, I was still having difficult walking and was in constant pain. In desperation, I read Dr. Sarno's books. Quite frankly, they sounded like infomercials. I understood the premise, but found it difficult to believe that my mind could control and conquer this pain. I looked up TMS on the web and found this site. As I worked through the educational program, I not only began to recover, but also found the tools necessary to reprogram myself to think psychologically rather than physically. I also found great advice in Scott Brady's book, 'Pain Free for Life'. I still get spasms in my back, but can talk myself out of the pain. I know complete recovery will take time, but I now have the tools to make it happen. What has helped: journaling, meditation and reading success stories. I am so grateful for this program and absolutely love being able to walk a mile each day without pain!