Back Pain, Knee Pain, & Wrist Pain Client Success

Daniel G Lyman LCSW

Daniel G Lyman LCSW

TMS Therapist
A client of mine asked me to post her success story here on the wiki, and I am happy to do so! In the four months that she and I have been working together she's exercised great patience and made tremendous progress. On a personal note, I am extremely proud of the work that she's done and the effort she continues to put forth.

Here's her story:

"I suffered with low back pain for the past 13 years. I woke up one morning and felt a 'hitch' in my back. That is the only way I could describe it. After several weeks I decided to go to a chiropractor. He did a forceful adjustment and after that my back was very painful. I was no longer able to sit for any length of time,stand or even walk long distances. I found myself being in bed most of my day and my life had shrunk down to the confines of my bedroom. Nothing seemed to offer much relief. I saw an orthopedic surgeon who did X-rays and an MRI and didn't find much of anything. I had regular chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, massage, Rolfing, and physical therapy. Every time I was hopeful something would change but, it didn't. During this time I started developing severe knee pain. The odd thing was I either had back pain or knee pain, never had them together at the same time.

Now I realize that was symptomatic of TMS. Then about three years ago I started developing severe wrist and hand pain after a family crisis. I was told I had tendinitis and went to physical therapy. I was not able to complete physical therapy because my pain escalated when I tried to do the exercises. At this point I was very discouraged! Then one day I saw Dr. Hanscom on the Dr. Oz show and I immediately went out and bought his book. It really resonated with me. Through more research I found Dr. Sarno's book and began reading that as well. I then decided I needed to find someone who could help me work through this process. I was able to connect with the pain psychology center and found a great therapist. We have been meeting via Skype for approximately four months. I can now say that I was suffering from classic TMS symptoms.

My life has improved tremendously! Instead of being in my bed most of the day I am up and about most of the day. My pain level has dropped precipitously and I feel like I'm getting my life back. I am still working on this process and having said that I am not completely pain-free but, so much better than I was four months ago. Through the process I have also lost a lot of the fear I had about the pain. It's still a process but, I feel confident I will be 100% pain-free."
 
To the person who wrote out the story, congratulations! I, too, remember a time when I was in bed for most of the day, and I can't tell you how glad I am to be done with that period of my life. I'm so glad that you saw the Dr. Oz show with Dr. Hanscom on it and that it helped you to find Dr. Sarno's books and get the help you needed. Thank you for taking the time to share your story with the rest of us, as well. If you ever want to make an anonymous follow up post in this thread, feel free to contact me at forestfortreesweb@gmail.com .

Thank you, also, to Daniel for taking the time to post the story. For those who don't know, Daniel is a member of our Ask A TMS Therapist program. You can ask a question of him or another PPC Therapist via this link:
http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/forms/ask-a-tms-therapist.1/respond
As a note, which may be worth repeating, since PPC is a group of therapists, questions about feelings and treatment are better than "doctor questions" about diagnoses or physical symptoms.
 
I too love the success story of Daniel Lyman's patient. She went through a lot before she learned about
Dr. Sarno and TMS, and put in the effort to follow TMS healing techniques. Bravo! That's what it takes,
and what has helped me and thousands of others to get well.

Forest, overcoming your bedridden experience also was very inspirational. No wonder you are such a
terrific leader in the TMSWiki forums.
 
Forest, I didn't know that you had been bedridden from your symptoms.
You have come a long, long way from then thanks to TMS knowledge,
so it's no wonder you want to share it with others. We all appreciate it very much.
 
Thanks, Walt! It happened in the spring and summer of 1995 and to some degree it was caused merely by a misdiagnosis. My doctors had told me that my neck and upper back musculoskeletal pain was from overuse and static postures. I desperately wanted to heal it, so I did my best to rest it. However, when it comes to the body, it's "move it or lose it," as @Tennis Tom's recent post points out. Thus, there was a downward spiral of increased sensitivity in my back/neck. Eventually, I was bedridden, just because I desperately wanted my back and neck to heal. It was terrifying because I was only 21 and just taking on the idea of becoming an adult.
 
Thanks for the explanation, Forest.
I've decided to get more exercise, since I spend so much time at the computer during the day
and watching tv at night (not network crap but I found a lot of great stuff on Youtube and
Netflix Streaming that I can now watch on my living room big screen tv thanks to a friend
who told me to buy two small devices that cost a total of $100. It has changed my tv viewing life
and made it much smarter and richer in content.

But back to exercise, Youtube also has some great ones for anyone but since I am a senior
I like those best. Some are called "sit and be fit," with arm and leg exercises while sitting.
And some Google web sites led me to some free videos that are 30 minutes of easy exercises
for seniors. I could work up a thread about it, if you want. I would emphasize that it is in line
with Dr Sarno saying stay active while in TMS healing.
 
Thanks for sharing your story Forest, as I've had increasing TMS pain since I was seventeen. Now I am twenty three, and it's very uplifting to know that I can still pursue my dreams and not have to put everything on hold for my health.
 
I'm glad it helped, Laudisco. The TMS approach absolutely transformed my life and I feel a sense of freedom that I hadn't felt for 18 years.

As Dr. Sopher wrote, our bodies are strong! The more we move them, the stronger they get and the less we get worried by the day to day aches and pains. @Tennis Tom started a great thread about this entitled "EXERCISE! MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!" and @Steve Ozanich wrote a great one about how getting moving can shift our attention from body to activity. (click the blue text for links)
 
Yes I totally agree! One of the turning points for me, was when I read this advice from this website:

"7. Just remember, your body is a workhorse. Just remember, especially if you're still in your 20s, your body is a strong, healthy beast. Nothing should take a year or more to heal, especially nothing as mild as tendinitis and inflammation."

Something clicked and I thought: yes, this is ridiculous, there is nothing wrong with me!
 
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