Biggest piece of evidence yet! It started with the common cold...

Huge piece of evidence! Maybe the biggest piece of evidence since getting symptoms. As some of you know, I’ve had low back pain since November 2024 (diffuse, dull, achy throb), that in September 2025 morphed into butt and pelvic pain neuropathy (pin pricky, burning, chafing). It was gradual, but that was a pretty big piece of evidence—the pain had shifted in location, quality and intensity! Last week, I got an even bigger piece of evidence that my symptoms are neuroplastic: I got a cold.

Yep, it started with the common cold.

I noticed it come on, paid a lot of attn to the signs, started on zinc, nasal spray, bought all the stuff…but the cold came on anyway. And a funny thing happened: Two days later, by Monday am, I barely noticed my butt symptoms at all!! They were like 1/10, which has never happened before.

This was the first time I got sick in 15 months—first time I got sick since the symptoms started.

On Sat, two days earlier, I had a body awareness session with my PT friend Nida (who is a mind/body focused PT in Portland, Oregon working closely with Rebecca Kennedy). She suggested to give up PT altogether, which I’d been considering. But this time, perhaps that permission was what I needed. Especially from a PT. I decided to give it up. Perhaps my brain liked that powerful decision.

By Monday 2/9, I realized that my brain was so preoccupied with these new cold symptoms, that it took it’s eye off of my butt symptoms! The alarm bell was much louder in my sinuses, that my brain was drawn there, sending all kinds of attention. I kept checking in w the butt symptoms and they were negligible. Here and there a little surge of pin pricky, burning but I was so on top of it. “Nope. You are being silly, brain. Hit me with your best shot” And the symptoms died down again. I was living my life, not preoccupied with my body.

I keep saying to my brain: “You’re doing good in there—you moved to my sinuses as you were supposed to do. When this cold ends, you will let go of your grip there—as you are supposed to do. You don’t need to come back to my butt, bc, as you can see, we’re healthy. We’re living our life.”

It is WILD to finally experience what I’ve only read about from many of you in the forums and my work in Dan Ratner's weekly group sessions with the Three Columns work: Trust the process, do the work, send constant messages of safety. And finally, I’m feeling some real progress. When the symptoms flare, I just keep sending these firm (but loving) messages back to my brain. It seems like it’s finally beginning to listen.

I love this cold!!!!

Thank you to all of you who bring hope to us who read these forums, but seldom post. You matter. And your feedback really matters.

The positive maybe,
Greg