I am Annie

[Justina]

Annie, I've been away from the forum for a while and am only just catching up. I just wanted to say that your story and your strength has overwhelmed me. I really feel that you've reached a turning point and then sun has come out to shine on you. Keep working, and keep telling us what's happening. I'm so excited for you.

 

[Forest]

One thing I do notice after a hard workout, whether it's a long bike ride or changing a water pump solo, is that for a few days afterwards there is a regular muscle soreness and TMS symptoms - like sciatica and muscle weakness. This may be entirely subjective, but it seems to me that the lingering muscle soreness after exercise seems to "trigger" or enhance my TMS symtoms, which gradually subside as the muscle soreness goes away. It's like pushing myself physically enlarges the pain window, or whatever you want to call it, so that the old programmed nerve pain pathways are challenged and gradually deprogrammed.

This, along with Beach-Girl's post about mowing the lawn, identifies how being active can help us recover. There is nothing that can help the TMS message sink into our unconscious as simply being active. It is very audacious push ourselves physically after avoiding strenous activity for so long. In being active we are delivering a message to our brain that we do not need to limit ourselves and we will regain our lives back.

In the chapter in the Great Pain Deception I mentioned previously, Steve says that he was motivated by the Nike slogan, "Just do It," to run around his neighborhood. Once we are comfortable that we do not have a structural problem, I think this is such an appropriate slogan for people to use. Regardless of the symptoms our TMS is throwing at us, we need to tell ourselves to "Just do it" and be active. This tells our unconscious mind that no matter what symptoms our unconcsious will throw at us, we will not let it prevent us from living our lifes. This determination and audacity can force our unconscious to break the pain cycle and allow us to begin to overcome our symptoms.

This may be why Morcomm and others notice that their symptoms fade away, even if it's only momentarily, during or shortly after exercising. I know that it was definetly true in my own recovery.

 

[BruceMC]

"Determination and audacity" - I like those therapeutic concepts, Forest. Put more simply, though, it seems that the more I push myself in an exercise regime, the more I expand the pain-free window while doing any of those activities, so that the next time I can push a little farther. The bravest step seems to be the first one though. It gets progressively less frightening as your confidence builds with each progressive step toward a higher level of physical activity. For me, what's going to take it to the next level is transitioning from road biking, which I feel fairly confident with now, to running again. I know that's going to hurt at first, so I shy away from it. But after the first few times I know now, based on my experience with road biking, that I will get better and better as I do it more and more. That first step is always the hardest!

 

[Eric "Herbie" Watson]

This Post is Awesome. Thanks

 

[Walt Oleksy (RIP 2021)]

So many of us have had problems with our mothers.
I did. I tried being her eldercaretaker for two years and then had to quit
which left me with a lot of guilt.
My older brother, who never tried being Mom's eldercaretaker for even an hour.
said "I love Mom. I just don't like her."
Ouch. I wonder if he felt guilt. He drank a lot, so maybe he drowned the guilt.