Gathering Evidence

I have been thinking about times when my pain has improved. I'm looking for evidence that demonstrates that my symptoms are TMS. Generally, my symptoms are present every day but they fluctuate in terms of intensity.

I remember one day several years ago when I had a fever. I was in bed with the flu. I remember getting out of bed and noticed that I didn't have ANY leg symptoms, the sciatica was totally gone.

Does this represent some evidence showing that the sciatica is not structural? (I've wondered if the sciatica and other symptoms are related to allergy or some sort of autoimmune process.) Do fevers typically have this sort of effect? Any thoughts on this?

 

I've noticed the same exactly thing: when I have a viral cold, the TMS sciatica and lower lumbar pain disappear completely. Some would say this is due to distraction theory. The cold symptoms perform the same function of distracting you from unpalatable repressed emotions that the TMS symptoms do, so when you have a cold, you don't need sciatica or lower lumbar pain to keep you preoccupied and distracted from emotions you'd probably really rather not face. This is one of Dr Sarno's central dogmas and my own experience, like yours, Hiawatha, tends to confirm it.

Let's see how many other peeps on this Forum chime in with their own stories.

 

A herniated disc can be considered a structural abnormality but according to Sarno it is a 'Normal Abnromality'.
Even if you have a mild herniation or broad one.... don't consider it as a structural abnormality. My Friend still has a disc bulge after successfully treating himself with TMS. The disc bulge compression on the Nerve has no impact on him after reading through Healing Back pain.

Your physician should eliminate any Infections or Tumors..which are rare.

coming to your question 'Do fevers typically have this sort of effect? Any thoughts on this?'

I have a similar thing which made sense only after I knew what is TMS.. If I have cramps in stomach due to IBS I wont have upper back pain at night & Viceversa.

What have you got to loose if you blindly believe you have TMS and implement the concepts for 6 weeks?Miracles Happen! Trust me... If you have access to TMS therapist you can get diagnosis otherwise blindly believe that you have TMS. This is how my friend who never had access to TMS therapist in India did and he is now trekking on Himalayas regularly and this from a Bedridden stage.
Dont gather evidence, the biggest recovery will be when you completely believe you have TMS.
Even if you dont have TMS.. You can avoid TMS in future.. You will have broader perspective on life. This is what I understood and learnt.

 

I strongly agree that when in doubt, BELIEVE in TMS. Believe it 100 percent.
Accept that the symptoms are emotional and not structural.
Then go about your daily routine even if it hurts. Think of it as being temporary
and that it is not going to get worse.

Practice deep breathing. Practice mindfulness... living in the present and not the past or
worrying about the future. Laugh as often as you can.

It can be stressful to search for verification that a symptom is TMS. Just accept that it is.

 

I agree with Walt: believe. If your pain went away when you had a fever, that's very strong evidence that it is not structural. A fever wouldn't temporarily fix a physical injury.

I like Bruce's theory of distraction. Here's another psychological possibility: maybe when you have a fever, you go to bed and chill out for a few days. Do you take a little break from your usual stresses? That would be soothing to your inner child, and would lessen the pain.

A few years ago, I was in the hospital for ten days with a broken leg. While there, my blood pressure, which is always a bit high, came down to normal. My doctor told me that was very common. I was taking the time to focus on nothing but myself and my recovery from surgery. As soon as I went home, it went back up again.

 

I have been dealing with right leg sciatic pain for two months! About three weeks ago, I developed a PAINFUL ganglion cyst on my wrist! OMG, I could not move my hand at all. I ended up at the Urgent Care and was told that I had a ganglion cyst which hurt like crazy!

I could not bend my hand forward or backward, nor side ways, I was told that the cyst would resolve on its own! Guess what?? The painful sciatic nerve in my right leg was gone and the exception that I could only feel a slight burning on my butt which was at a level "1" in pain.

The pain was so bad on my wrist (it felt like it was broken) I was ready to see a hand specialist. It's funny how I didn't even care about the sciatica pain or whether there was some structural abdnormality going on! As week two came on the cyst grew smaller and the pain started to disapate, however, slowly the sciatic pain came on and got back to where it was before the wrist pain came on...

Kalo

 

Sarno calls it the symptom imperative. That's when there always has to be something wrong to fret about.