My TMS Success Story (crippling foot pain - plantar fasciitis, wrist pain, eye pain)

Thanks for sharing your story. I think that it is important to share our stories because some are the same, but some have slight variations that may help others. I have had a lot of symptoms over my lifetime. I was "healed" immediately of miserable back pain on reading Sarno's book "Healing Back Pain."

Right now, my problem is wrist pain. But it helps me to remember the foot pain that I have endured--and healed from. At one time I had a "bad tendon" on the left side of my foot which was excruciatingly painful. After suffering for eight months, I finally yelled at it in a store one day, and kept walking and the pain went away, proof positive that it was TMS. It still surfaced from time to time, and I was even convinced that although I could walk in a store all day long, I could not walk for exercise. Devious little process, huh? But fianlly, I pushed through and kept walking for exercise and that pain does not even try to come upon me any more.

At the same time as my initial "bad tendon" I also experienced extremely painful soles of my feet. I could be up on my feet a while, but then I was convinced that my feet, due to aging, were lacking proper "fat pads." Of course all these foot problems were confirmed by podiatrists. (No insurance; cost $1200.)

Well, that was five years ago, and I don't have any "bad tendon" or lack of proper foot padding in the soles of my feet any more. Amazing, huh? Now I have very painful and swollen wrists. I understand about the lack of "inflammation" stories. Surely my wrist probelms are not TMS--not only are they painful, but inflammed as well! They swell up to an inch larger than normal, and great thickened "tendons?muscles? on the sides swell and hurt so badly, and have for 18 months.

Off and on, that is. Sometimes they are perfectly normal. I have been diagnosed by a hand spcialist as having OA of the wrists. He wanted to operate and said that they would never be any better, but would only get worse.

Funny thing is, I had no wrist pain or swelling when in the hospital recently for a small bowel obstruction. I also experienced no itchy scalp despite not being able to shampoo for ten days and no hot flashes (12 years suffering). HM...

I am wondering about the small bowel obstruction being TMS, and currently working on the wrists.

It seems that once I accept that chronic pain is TMS, my body ups the stakes with swelling, maybe even obstruction? Anybody have TMS small bowel obstruction (SBO)? Mine was diagnosed by initial CT scan, but then everything else--the films, procedures were "weird" accoding to my doctor. It resolved through the use of an NG tube. I do not want a recurrance.

I am determined once and for all to heal from TMS,not just get rid of one symptom; this SBO was the last straw! I am re-reading Steve Orzanich's book; if he and others have healed, so can I!

Keep those stories coming!

 

it's a pity there isn't some easy way to collate all Sarno success stories over the globe. Hopefully the film will encourage some of the many out there to share their stories online and further underline the reality of this phenomenon.

 

I wanted to report some success since yesterday (!) with my wrists. I almost took painkillers yesterday because they were so painful and swollen, but I read a lot in this forum and also read some of Steve O's book (I plan to keep something about TMS in front of my face for at least another six weeks or until I get TOTALLY AND DEFINITIVELY healed from TMS) and really decided that my wrist pain and swelling is TMS. It was diagnosed as OA (arthritis) and TMS says ARTHRITIS IS NOT PAINFUL. I kept repeating ARTHRITIS IS NOT PAINFUL as I went to bed, and even when I woke up during the night, and I expected my wrist pain to be gone or be less in the morning. It was less, much less! I really think that I have turned a corner here and expect the pain and swelling to go completely away. See it!

One thing about TMS symptoms that I have noticed: if you go to more than one doctor, they are not in agreement about what is wrong with you, and if you look up symptoms online (who, me?) they are not consistent with any known disease. THIS IS A BIG TIP OFF FOR ME THAT I AM DEALING WITH TMS.

Well, good luck to everybody!

 

Hi Ann,
Yes. For me there was a big "A-Hah!" when I had a consult with a surgeon, well respected who said: "Well we could do the nerve release surgery and if that doesn't work, then we can cut your fascia." How often does either of these procedures actually fix the problem? I asked. "About 50 percent of the time."

Right from the surgeon I had two things: "50%" efficacy, which is the placebo rate on surgery. And, "if one thing doesn't work, we try another" stated in such a way that it was obvious he had no idea of the root cause. Very few are this honest, on both questions!!

This was a very helpful consult, because it took me toward Sarno!!

 

It's appalling, isn't it? Doctors are just cutting people up when they don't even know what is wrong and what to do about it. And plying them with dangerous drugs. It's...so wrong. People think doctors know what they are doing and putting their very lives in their hands. It is just the grace of God and Dr. Sarno that I have not had unnecessary knee or wrist surgery so far.

 

Hello Ann

I also been threw the gamit of numerous dr and so called specialist, I have pain in feet and legs sometime hands been threw numerous exam nerve tests you name it....finally my pcp dug deeper and sat me down and ask me what was going on in my life...and I told him 6 years of bad marriage dealing with my fathers battle with cancer that he lost and sick child which is better know and a bunch of others issues...and he told me to see a Therpist and talk it out from there I got to Sarno books and others. I fully believe I have tms and I getting better on dealing with emotions as they come and tryingrd to respond to them and not reacting to them...
At the moment I am on anti depressants and pain meds, if I don't take them I can't get out of bed and goto work, I am in the construction business and can't afford to deal with pain when I am 40 feet in there I refuse to go on disability which in know tms wants me to so in the mean time I tell my self the meds are not a cure.

I started to mediate and do yoga and a lot of self care which I never did before, take your tms care as a journey don't rush your recovery, do things you enjoy and some of the best advice I got from Walt is laugh everyday even if you don't mean it.

 

Yikes! Sarno, the authority, planted the 'takes longer to cure' seed. Yeah, that is interesting! We are all human...

 

I had this pain in the ball of my foot too! I had it for a couple of months, during my recovery. It was really painful, and kept me from walking barefoot. Finally I just got fed up with it and decided to walk barefoot, pain or not. I had no doubt it was TMS. Sure enough, after about 2 painful weeks, it went away! It hasn't come back since.

 

thanks thats given me some hope. it seems to really flare up and then stay really bad for ages then subside but never really disappearing. had X-rays etc to no avail but interestingly it appeared after I had been back running in spite of chronic back neck pain. I pushed through and then boom. my foot goes, even swole up before Xmas

 

Hi Ann,

I'm so sorry to hear about the pain you are experiencing now. As for your wrist pain - TMS can definitely cause inflammation! It did for me, in my feet and achilles tendon, it was picked up on MRI and ultrasound. I've also had some weird pain and swelling under my chin, which were also TMS. So, don't let the inflammation make you rule out TMS. During my recovery from my foot pain, I had a lot of inflammation in my foot and ankle. I don't know if it was TMS, or due to using atrophied muscles, but it was inflammation nevertheless.

~Anita

 

Thanks, Anita, i am working on this, trying to ignore the symptoms and not make plans and provision for more doctor visits, and am using the wrists as well as i am able. Today has been difficult as they are so swollen and today the veins in my arms are so visible--this is new. I took two naproxen and they feel better but still look pretty bad. thanks for sharing that you had inflammation, too. it HAS to be TMS! I have a ten point checklist of why it is TMS and is not OA, as the doctors say. It will heal, evntualy! Thanks for responding and stay well!

 

I have been battling foot pain for 5 years along with other pains threw out my body burning skin nerve pain u name it .....I do believe its tms but had not much succes with pain reduction but it has helped me deal with the pain better. I have terrible anxiety along with my pains I am on meds without them I can not perform my construction job and without my antidepressant I can't get out of bed . I am going threw a amicable divorce of 19 years she wants is I don't . She was unfaithful and I forgave her but she was never sorry well I could go on bla bla bla. Anyway I want to get off meds I tried with dr approval but I could not function .

 

Boston: the divorce scenario as you describe it certainly pinpoints you as a "goodist," doesn't it? We cope rather "too well." I know that I have a tendancy to "take care of" another person's feelings while not considering my own feelings important. That is how I got married many years ago at the tender age of 17. I tried to dump him, and we argued about it for hours with him trying to use logic on me, but I remained determined that I wanted to break up. Then...he cried. Well, that did it. I could not take him crying, knowing i had caused him to feel so bad; I felt so guilty! Today I would have stuck to my guns, honored how I really felt, and trusted him to take care of his own feelings. I always have a tendancy to stack the deck AGAINST myself, as if I do not matter, only the other person. It feels so right, so selfless. It is dysfunctional and unhealthy, though. I am sure I learned this in my family or origin and I am working on honoring what I want--I matter, too! and also how I feel. It feels so selfish, but it is not selfish. It is a dysfunctional way to live. CODA meetings and literature and a lot of paying attention to how I think, especially by journaling, has helped me. Well, I hope you feel a lot better soon! Good luck! (T. D. jakes once said, "If somebody wants to leave you, let 'em!")

 

Ann

Thx for response...love the analogy stack the deck against us makes so much sense ...I am busy worrying about Everbody else but myself kids included..I am starting to put my self first no matter what. If somebody wants to leave you let them....that's going to be my new affirmation. Lol

 

I am working very hard on honoring what I want. I deserve to have what I want, and that is not selfish, it just feels so selfish. It is also not good for me to fail to honor myself, although it can feel like I am being so much better than they, selfishly, are being. I also deserve to be treated well and expect others to honor what i want as well. And when they don't, I need to confront them about their behavior and not excuse it and let them off the hook. It is hard for me to confront others about how they treat me, and hold them accountable. Oh, God, it is so hard to do that, but I am working on it. It is so important for me to just stand up and say, "I don't like that." Just that! It is so hard for me to do that. Sometimes i am so overwhelmed with my feelings, I don't confront. But then, when I am more in control, i go back and say,"I don't like what you did (or said)" That is very important for me to do, to know that I CAN COUNT ON MYSELF TO STAND UP FOR ME! It is great when peole just naturally treat me well, but when they don't, I need to advocate for myself; otherwise, I am not honoring myself.

Good luck and take care! We are not alone!

 

Hi Anita,
I am a foot sufferer too. It is really impacting on my normally active life. I was glad to see that you mentioned Dr. Padrone. I live on Long Island and was considering making an appointment with Dr. Padrone. I thought I would spend a few more weeks with Dr, Schubiner's program (I just finished week 1) before I call for an appointment. Your story is very encouraging!!

 

Lynn

like Anita and yourself I suffer foot pain/well lets call it a annoying on and off pain, Dr S program was pretty good it brought my attention to feeling that I thought that where handled…regarding doctors tms or not…I feel and this is my experience with them …first of all let me say once you are cleared from a MD of any issues move on to tms healing. Maybe a tms doctor will make you feel better but you already have your answer. I found speaking to bought a tms therapist ( and I had a good one) and a regular therapist they bought have different roads to get there but they all end up in the same place.

I found the most help here on this site sharing my thoughts offering my experiences ( right or wrong), mediating and just living life. I hope this gave you some insight or direction remember don't watch the calendar, don't spend every waking moment trying to get better.