Hi new here, but have been on other forum

Well besides terrible tmj, headache and neck symptoms, I've have ms for 20 years. Had recent fall in tub and had a head injury. Did in patient rehab and now home, done with in home Pt and on my own. I have bad r. hip pain now. I have just ordered a recumbent bike regardless and plan to use it, as I'm too dizzy yet to get back on treadmill. I am tired of drs, chiros, osteopaths, Pt, mri's which show arthritist of neck and back.. I plan to push trough the pain and take motrin is necessary . Every body worker I have gone to has made me worst or I ended up with new pain. One cause foot pain, another head pain. all I have is me and my gumption. When one lives with a pain body for so one , whats another pain right?

 

You clearly have a strong Inner Warrior. Gumption is a good thing, but so is gentleness and self-compassion (not to be confused with self-pity).

MS is a complicated dis-ease, and needs to be treated accordingly. It is hard, when you want so much to push through, to sit back and respect the flare ups. I would like to offer a possible tool to help. There are yoga techniques that can assist with the various aspects of MS. Google or youtube with the keywords Yoga for MS or some variation of that. As with all tools, examine carefully, and find what might work for you.

There are visualizations that can also be beneficial. This forum has an abundance of advice on this.

I am not a believer in 'pushing' through pain. Rather, I prefer the idea of working with the pain. Pushing can cause resistance, which can increase the tension.

There was a movie from the 80s called Gremlins. If you get the little beasties wet, they turn into evil demons. If you keep them dry, they are cuddly-sweet. I live in a visual internal-world, so this imagery work for me. My resistance is like putting water on them. My acceptance is keeping them safe and dry.

Emphasis on safe. Feeling safe is a large part of this battle we all wage.

Another tool is Self-Touch. Our bodies crave touch. It is part of our nature. Infants will die, or be stunted without touch. Quite simply ... we wither. Society has become no-touch. It is destroying us. The rise in pain-issues and emotional issues is growing exponentially.

When there is no one around to touch you, or you don't want anyone to touch you ... use your own hands and arms. Self hugs are nice. And our hands ... our hands are very powerful. Light touches, gently placed .. this can warm and soften our tensions.

Be strong - Yes.
Be self-compassionate - absolutely.

Welcome to the forum.

^_^

 

Thank you Lily Rose. Your right I need to go slow and work with the pain. I have found in the past though I have rested and taken it easy, and it just made me more weak and also deconditioned. I think we all have to find a way to do something or its bad for our heart and lungs to be inactive. I think well its been close to 24 years now, the Drs. would say do not push, take it easy, slow down, even cut your hours down at work, all good, but I have found the less one does the less one can do, the less we use it the more we lose it.

Your right we need to go slow and work up, and be easy and gentile on ourselves. We all have to be careful not to harm ourselves further. I now have to use a shower chair and a walker with seat for stores, but it sure beats falling and not going out. At first I was embarrassed but we do have to do what we have to do to be safe and still be out in society.

I hesitated about getting the recumbent bike due to the hip, but I feel the hip pain is due to inactivity so I went ahead and ordered it, I will start slow though. Thank you for a caring response.

 

Luvtosew, I am so glad you're here! This forum is so wonderful because of the wonderful people here.

You might find the Structured Education Program (SEP) here very helpful. I've been through it once and am picking my way through it a second time at a more leisurely pace.

Lily Rose, you are such a jewel! I love the Gremlins illustration. One area I've had a hard time is freeing my creative side to help me with imagery when I'm doing my daily meditation.

Re: Bike, Luvtosew...yes! Peddle! Start slowly but peddle! These bodies were made to move. I think even in the worst of my "fibromyalgia" TMS flares, the fact that I've also kept SO type of exercise going is probably why I didn't end up in much, much worse shape. Learn all you can about TMS too...that's good exercise for your brain and education is the key to overcoming TMS. And yes, even the MS will benefit from all you will learn.

Finally, I think it's great that you evidently have a love for sewing. What a wonderful and creative skill!

 

Thank you North Star, I have been using the bike, and my hip is sometimes worst than others. I do not believe it is worst since the bike riding though. I know its not broke, so am not going to get an xray now. They will say arthritis (which is fairly normal I would think for a 60 year old) and want to put me on meds. So I will just deal with it.

 

Luvtosew....that is a VERY positive sign that you haven't noticed it worsening with bike riding! YAY! And yeah...by the time most of us are older than 18, degenerative changes have begun.

Let us know how things go with you doc appointment!