Day 1 Hopeful

[annarowens]

I have been suffering with terrible shoulder and scapula pain since I had a reaction to Cipro in April of 2014. My life pretty much stopped that day and is still on hold. I have lost everything, my job, my husband, time, my life. I have tried every treatment you can think of and am constantly looking for the next thing that might be the answer. After reading day 1 of the SEP I am actually quite hopeful, mainly bc as I was reading my pain began to diminish which was a "sign" to me that I finally might be on the right track. I have tried TMS books in the past but they just made me feel overwhelmed and still confused as to how to actually apply the treatment protocol in real life situations. This program did a great job of explaining it in a way that I could understand it so I am naturally more invested now. I am concerned that some of my pain may actually be nerve damage bc Cipro can cause permanent damage to the nerves and this damage doesn't show up on any tests other than a biopsy (and they have no idea which nerve to biopsy bc the pain is in such a broad area.) I would like to know if the SEP can still help at least nip the part of my pain that is being caused by my mind even though I still think a portion of my pain might be from nerve damage? I definitely think my mind is causing a lot of this, maybe all, but I feel as if I have to continue chasing any remedy I can find while doing the SEP to cover the possibility that a percentage of my pain is actually neuropathy bc of the Cipro. Will I be unable to benefit from this program if I am still approaching my pain from a western medicine side as well? My hunch is that I will still be able to benefit, considering my pain level went drastically down just by reading, but I've seen it written many times that in order for the program to work you must believe that %100 of your pain is TMS. While I'm quite sure at least %50 is TMS, I can't fully believe it is all %100 TMS at the present moment because my situation is difficult to prove one way or the other. So, all that being said, can the SEP work for me in spite of where I'm at w the pain origins? I'm just not sold that it's black and white. I feel like it is an honest mixture.

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

Hi, Annaowens. Since your symptoms have not been relieved from the treatment you have gotten so far, and the conditions have lasted so long, I have strong doubts that they are from Cipro or anything structural. I believe they are from TMS, repressed emotions and/or personality traits such as perfectionism or "goodism," wanting to please people too much and to be liked by everyone. The SEP really works, and has for me and many others.
I do think that Dr. Sarno and others have it right, that you must believe 100 percent in TMS causing your pains or they won't stop. That may not be easy, but by continuing in the SEP I think you will gain confidence in TMS.

Here is a report by Kevin, who healed 95 percent through the SEP. He posted again a few days later saying he was totally pain-free.

Kevin healed 95 % from SEP

Welcome to the SEP and to the path of recovery. I am on my final two days of the program and I can say with complete confidence that I am a changed man. I started after 6 months of nasty low-back/butt/leg pain, could hardly walk, stand, etc. was in physical therapy, chiropractor, acupuncture, pain medications, etc.. the usual. My MRI showed 3 disk bulges/herniations touching nerves, so that is what I believe it to be....that is until I read Dr. Sarno and found this site.

I encourage you to really get involved, follow the instructions, do the journaling, take time to read all the suggested readings, and watch the videos. I'd say I'm 95% cured. There is still some very light lingering "annoyance", but I still have some work to do. I've been walking miles with hardly any pain these last few weeks. But even more, if the pain comes on now, it just doesn't bother me like it used to, I sorta just see it, acknowledge it, and go about my business. It took working the program to get to that point, but 6 weeks compared to 6 months is nothing! I made more progress in the first week than I did from two months of PT!!! It's going to challenge you and your "beliefs" in medicine, but you have nothing to lose. We generally wind up here when all else fails.

So give it a shot, especially before considering anything invasive like surgery. If you put the work in, you will get better. Have you read Dr. Sarno yet? I assume you have since you're here, but in case you haven't, definitely readHealing Back Pain. Again, it will challenge everything you've believed about your pain, and backs in general. You'll be encouraged to resume life as normal, i.e. stop ALL "therapies" (PT, chiro, etc.), stop taking medications, and most importantly, stop thinking STRUCTURAL problems are the cause of your pain and shift to psychological as the reason.....again, this can be difficult and takes some time to sink in, so be patient and kind to yourself.

It was a process for me. A few of the bigger moves in my case were: I ripped up and threw out my MRI test results (I found myself obsessively reading over them and comparing them to other results I could find on the web and even here on the TMSwiki site...); I got back to the gym and stopped using a weight belt; and I even cancelled an appointment I had made with a TMS doctor because it was more than a month away and it was hindering my recovery (that is, my 100% belief in TMS was lagging because I had this pending appointment, but as soon as I cancelled it, my recovery sped up significantly).

Everyone's journey is unique to their situation, but I've found that really committing to the program and brining what I learn from it into my daily life has had profound results. Also, sharing along the way here in these forums has been extremely helpful - there's something about knowing that you're not alone in your TMS recovery that really helps. I encourage you to look through my past posts for some insight into my experience with SEP.

Like I said, I'm just now finishing, tomorrow is my final day, and I feel like a changed person. It's amazing. And I feel as though it is something that one carries on with, not just like a one time 6 week thing and that's that...it has helped me to get to know myself and taught me tools to "deal" with my emotions. Learning and accepting TMS is a life changer for sure.