New with a question!

B

BernieB

Newcomer
Hi all, I’m new to this forum and fairly new to TMS.

I have been dealing with chronic pain since 2018/19 (18 was the first pain so I guess it’s 19 really when it became chronic).

I’m a very active 47 year old marathoner, mum, senior executive at a tech business, perfectionist, self critic and former sceptic of all things mindfulness.

I eventually discovered Sarno and recently have been working through Alec Kassin and Miriam Gauchi BonGiovanni’s program called Pain Free Comeback. I’ve really connected with the program as it’s specifically for athletes and I have found myself getting more and more bought into feeling that my pain is not structural. I have had various different diagnoses and I have found that tue pains I can satisfied myself are neuroplastic have definitely got quieter.

I have been excited these past few days as I am definitely what I would call ‘on the up’ however I went to yoga this evening and found that some of the moves I was doing was triggering pain in the areas I am less convinced are neuroplastic. One area is where I have been diagnosed with L4 disc herniation and nerve impingement (diagnosed last May with repeat MRI showing no change in November) and the other is where I previously had pes anserine burstitis and then high hamstring tendinopathy.

My question is, what do I need to do to reduce or eliminate this pain? Is it usual for some pain to go away easier than others? If so, what advice do you have for me?

I think I am scared that these aren’t going away because they are structural. I want to be 100% in but when some things have got better and others haven’t I can’t help but tell myself that the remaining areas are where the ‘real’ pin is.

Thanks in advance for any insight.
 
As someone who had herniated disc surgery... the pain didn't go away, it just shifted a little.
Then I found a Schubiner's video, a Gordon's one, read The Way Out and in 10 days started feeling better.
(I'm still treating TMS, but it's brutal how things improved - 1o months ago I was bedbound, last Sunday I was cycling uphill).

So... I'd say the L4 is TMS' favorite partner in crime.
I'd recommend watching This Might Hurt. It might right away give you confidence in the healing.

 
Your worries are very normal, @BernieB. Almost of us who have recovered were worried at one time that our problem was structural.

How to reduce or eliminate your pain is a very broad question. In a nutshell, you need to find a mindbody program and faithfully follow it. I'm not familiar with Pain Free Comeback, but it may be very good. But there are many other options. This TMS Wiki has a ton of resources (some are free!). Also, you don't have to just stick with one program. You can take a smorgasbord approach.

Everyone's experience is different, and there is no set time for the pain to go away. It took 5 months for my sciatica to totally go away. My tennis elbow went away quickly, but only after I fully accepted it was TMS. It took a long time for my chronic fatigue to go away. It was trickier than my pain issues.

Whatever program you choose, I'd suggest adopting an attitude of "outcome independence" while working it. If you search that term in the forum, you'll find a lot of great stuff. Here's one link: A word about outcome independence | TMS Forum (The Mindbody Syndrome)

Essentially, it's a mindset of ridding yourself of any expectations of how and when your pain will go away. Instead, have confidence and feel good that you are on the right path and things are going to improve. You don't know when that will happen ...and you don't care ... because it doesn't matter to you. You're satisfied that you're doing right thing.

Celebrate any small victories and ignore any setbacks.
 
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