Hi am new here. Lower back pain gone, but new pain in left leg!

Hi everyone, I just discover this amazing thing called TMS recently.

I am a victim of lower back pain over the last 8 to 10 years. Visited numerous specialists, taken MRIs and diagnose as having a disc protrusion at L5. While I can have relatively painfree period of between 1 to 2 years timeframe, I notice the cycle between my back spasm becomes shorter recently e.g. spasm every 3-4 months. Therefore I decided to go for minor lower back surgery, namely nucleoplasty - September 2014.

I was however disappointed and devastated when I have another attack immediately 1 months after surgery.

That's when I come across TMS while surfing the internet and decided to read the books, "Mind over back pain" and "Healing Back pain". I can relate to most if not all the symptoms described in the book!

I remember after reading the book, I literally jump out of bed and next moment, cringe in anticipation, but amazingly, no pain! Its now December (2 months since reading the books) and I have never felt better! If I has only known earlier of TMS, it would probably save me lots of pain and frustration.

But I notice while my lower back pain seem to have dissipated, there is a new found pain in my buttocks now that's slowly going down my left leg. Is this the pain trying to find a new 'hiding' place? What should I do about it? Its mentally very difficult not to think of it as sciatic pain since my supposedly diagnosis is L5 disc issue.

I live in Singapore (Asia). Would anyone be able to recommend any TMS practioner in this part of the world?

Else what can I do?

Thanks a million.

 

Someone else may be able to recommend a TMS practitioner near you.

Meanwhile, your post makes it evident to me that your back pain was TMS and had nothing to do with the disc problem (Dr. Sarno says that does not cause pain). Your subconscious stopped the back pain when you decided to believe in TMS. It has most likely moved to your leg because your subcon
wants you to work harder on the emotional cause of your pain.

That means discovering repressed emotions that may go back to your childhood,
and/or a perfectionist and "goodist" personality, wanting to do everything perfect and have everyone approve of and like you. We can overdo being nice to people and the stress can give us pain.

I suggest you start the Structured Educational Program free in one of the subforms. It is a terrific program that takes you to healing and a more
healthy and happy life. It worked and is working for thousands of others with TMS pain, and it will work for you.

You sound like you are on a very positive mental and physical upswing, and that will increase as you believe totally in TMS and work the SEP program.

Happy New Year!

 

So I had chronic pain for nearly a year before I discovered the TMS stuff. My pain was very much like yours sounds, (sciatic nerve) and the medical industry (after MRI) diagnosed it squarely as a herniated disk at L5-6 with a "huge blob of disk material" resting on the sciatic nerve. My pain went from my butt, down my right leg and into my foot. Med people wanted to do surgery, which I opted out of. I have just returned to the site because I'm having some resurging issues and an overall sense that I'm out of touch with my Self. Suffice it to say, just keep doing what you're doing, access the Structured Ed Program (and/or the Ask a Professional section--there is SO MUCH supportive material on the website) and remember that some people with these same pictures of their backs don't have the pain. Good luck!

 

So I had chronic pain for nearly a year before I discovered the TMS stuff. My pain was very much like yours sounds, (sciatic nerve) and the medical industry (after MRI) diagnosed it squarely as a herniated disk at L5-6 with a "huge blob of disk material" resting on the sciatic nerve. My pain went from my butt, down my right leg and into my foot. Med people wanted to do surgery, which I opted out of. I have just returned to the site because I'm having some resurging issues and an overall sense that I'm out of touch with my Self. Suffice it to say, just keep doing what you're doing, access the Structured Ed Program (and/or the Ask a Professional section--there is SO MUCH supportive material on the website) and remember that some people with these same pictures of their backs don't have the pain. Good luck!

 

Hi Walt, thanks for your reply. Being new to this, its reassuring to hear from someone like yourself whom I can see is guru
My new pain in the leg has been around for about 1-2 weeks now. Not getting worse, but not getting better either. Will persist through not thinking about structural damage thingy. Must really get that out of mind!

I supposed I certainly have repressed emotions. not so much of goodist or perfectionist. Maybe more of holding back my tongue in corporate world too often.
And probably having 2 young kids and a wife who is constantly fussing over them brings the typical sort of emotions in a relatively laidback person like myself.

Will go check out the SEP. Thanks again!

 

Hi Shirley,

Yup! The pain started at my butt. Stayed for about a week. Then slowly move down. In my case, its the left leg.
Whatever it is, its definitely more tolerable than back pain. For back pain, its debilitating. For leg pain, I find I can still grit my teeth and power through activities.
Cheers and wish us all success in healing!

 

Hi Kenneth,

I also live in Singapore. I came on to this forum a while back and was advised to follow the structured education programme. It helped along with continuous reading of Healing back pain. My pains still jump from my back, with occasional sciatica, to my knees to my achilles and shoulder, my pains seem to either always happen after exercising as if I have injured them or from lifting (the latter is fear) . I do think it is TMS, but there is some doubt where pain in areas is new. This is where I feel I could do with seeing a TMS practitioner. I don't want to see a Dr here as they will say structural then that will put the fear into me and create doubt it's TMS.

Unfortunately as far as I am aware of, there are no TMS practitioners in Singapore. I have done research and no one is aware of what TMS is. The Drs here are all structural, and unfortunately the population believes this. I have treated many people who I think have TMS but I can't tell them this as they will think I don't know what Im on about or what the Dr says is Gold. My wife is a local nurse, she only found out about TMS through me and she agrees that a lot of people she sees at her work show signs and symptoms of TMS. If TMS diagnosis was believed here, most people with pains would heal.

Keep up and believe.

 

Hi Tezza, so we are like the 'underground' movement here in Singapore
Anyway, thanks for your note. Good to know there are fellow believers around.
You mentioned you treated many people. Are you a Dr as well or PT?

Cheers!

 

I am a PT. For me its hard as well, as I was trained to associate pain with structural abnormalities (that takes some shifting in my mind to do). As said when I treat people and I see they have TMS attributes, I don't say anything and just follow the trend and say its structural, but I hate saying that and I feel I'm doing an injustice to them. It is difficult to do this, but at the same time I don't want complaints against me or be reported to the board to lose my job. I feel for TMS to be recognised in Singapore it will have to take a big shift in the thinking of Dr's and get some Dr's high up on the medical board to take this diagnosis on board. You and I know medical is a big business here and TMS won't make Dr's money therefore as long they show there is a structural abnormalities, people will believe and go under the knife and pay thousands of unnecessary dollars for surgeries that shouldn't be performed.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant but I have very strong opinions on this subject as i have seen to many times people being conned into having unnecessary surgeries and I feel helpless in stopping this.

 

Cool. PM me please? Would like to get in touch.

 

You can always say something to the effect "Stress could have some bearing on your injury." , and go into a pitch for reducing tension and "Maybe you should read this book by a Dr. Sarno." Would that get you into hot water as a PT. I find people accept the concept of stress being bad for one's health, but have difficulty applying it to what seems like "real" structural symptoms. I even caught part of an infomercial for a cancer center that included stress reduction in its program.

 

Stress causes physical and mental symptoms, and stress can kill.
There is substantial clinical evidence of this.

Yes, the trick is to eliminate or at least live with stress.

I always make the same New Year's resolution:
If it doesn't bother my dog, Annie, it won't bother me.

Trouble is, I can't keep the resolution long and fall back into stressful worrying.

This year, I vow to myself, I will keep the resolution.

Help, Lord. Please.

 

That make sense. I personally have seen a few PTs and I generally find most of them to be quite open folks.
Although they do work closely with doctors via referral etc, but those I visited do mentioned that sometimes THE DISC is not the problem.
In fact, some acknowledge medical science can't quite pinpoint the exact cause of back pain.

 

I used to have a dog. They are wonderful creatures.
I believe they only have 3 concerns in life

1. Food/Water
2. Shelter
3. Someone to love



If humans have the same concerns as them, a lot of pain would goes away.

 

I have been open about stress and TMS to patients when I used to practice back at home, this was met with an open mind from a lot of my patients. However, this is not the case here in Singapore. It is a culture thing here. They believe that pain is caused by a structural abnormality especially when a Dr tells them this. I recalled a few times I had people who had scans that showed no specific problem, some minor disc bugle, or their symptoms were no where near the area with this so called structural issue. I explained to these people that stress can cause these symptoms and the mind can cause physical pain as there is evidence to prove this, but they didn't want to believe this. As said it will take a while to change their way of thinking.

Happy New Year everyone!

 

This probably is due to the demographics of Singapore. It is a tiny very wealthy city-state. It's very expensive to live there like a Manhattan, Hong Kong, Bel Aire, etc. People with high mortgage payments and multiple neurosis don't want to hear they have to change their way of thinking, and maybe their way of life. They want a quick medical/pharmacal/surgical fix--not much time for introspection--maybe 90 seconds meditation @ yoga--places to go, people to see.

 

I don't know about Singapore, but it doesn't sound that different from U.S. While my MRI showed a specific problem and the surgeon wanted to carve me up, the PT I saw AFTER I became aware of TMS (I already had the appointment) was extremely supportive when I told him the route I was going in handling my pain. I don't believe he would have have brought it up, but after I did he said he thought "most of the time" the emotional link is a major contributor. I was so grateful even for that as a contributor to my own perspective. Stay strong and true.

 

Isn't it sort of sad that they're so comfortable carving up other people's bodies? When I was very young, I was in the Marines. I developed a painful corn on my foot from all the hiking, running, etc. The doctor wanted to shave down the bone beneath the corn! I said no thanks and had I not been due a transfer soon, would have been forced into it by military regulations. As part of my transfer, I got some extra funds and used some to buy better boots than the ones that had been issued in bootcamp. Wouldn't you know that within 6 months, that corn was gone completely? To this day, it scares me that they might have gone in and carved up the bones in my foot to adapt them to a pair of cheap boots!

 

On the topic of doctors liking to 'carve' us up, I like to share some insights, gleaned from my numerous and expensive visits to many of them.
I found that generally, it is those older, established doctors (who probably had already earn enough ) that are slightly more forth coming in their diagnosis.

I remember vividly one such specialist who told me after looking at my MRI. "Don't go for surgery. I have done hundreds of surgery similar to your case and found that they don't solve the problem most of them time. Just live healthier, lose weight, exercise more and learn to work through the pain. It will heal."

At that time, I pressed him further for "why?". He kinda shrugged and told me, people age, its nature, just live with it. He reiterate again...don't go for surgery!".

At that time, I thought his response is a little funny, being a top surgeon. But now, it all make sense! Either he knew something that he couldn't tell me, or he knew that was something but was unsure himself

 

Hi, back-to-golf. I like that doctor's advice:

"Don't go for surgery. I have done hundreds of surgery similar to your case and found that they don't solve the problem most of them time. Just live healthier, lose weight, exercise more and learn to work through the pain. It will heal."

At that time, I pressed him further for "why?". He kinda shrugged and told me, people age, its nature, just live with it. He reiterate again...don't go for surgery!".

I'll be 84 in June and thanks to TMS "Knowledge Penicillin," am not in pain and not sick or even taking an aspirin or Advil.
I used to golf every weekend but not since I got my first dog 40 years ago. I've substituted golf for walking my dogs.

I try to stay away from doctors and hospitals. Sick people go to them. Two doctors wanted to cut into my neck because they thought I had cancer.
I told them no, to take a culture instead. I almost had to yell at them but they finally gave in and had the culture taken. It turned out I didn't have
any cancer, just a tiny water blister which went away by itself.

A good dog has become much more populous than a good doctor who knows about TMS and keeps his knife to himself.