Official Diagnosis?

[Jo at Upriver]

I have been struggling with various foot/ankle pain for about 4+ years. This last year, I've also developed shoulder, neck and elbow pain. I've gone to podiatrists, and an orthopedist, had several rounds of physical therapy and chiropractic sessions. I've had massage and tried a naturalist's supplement recommendations. The pain has always been elusive, springing up in different places, responding well to some initial treatment or therapy and then coming back, and generally goes away while on vacation. I've been told it is plantar fasciitus, had surgery for bone spurs on the side of my foot, and have had some doctors quite puzzled. I've had x-rays, MRI's, thorough blood tests, and a CAT scan (sp). I've been reading and studying about TMS. It sounds like I fit a lot of the profile for having it. A big stumbling block I'm having for buying into it completely is that the writings always say it has to be diagnosed. There isn't a physician within a thousand miles of me that I can find to diagnose this. I spoke to the orthopedist about it and he thinks it sounds like a reasonable explanation for my problems (that and a tight calf muscle which he highly recommends I keep stretching). He was very interested in the TMS and I gave him Dr. Sarno's contact information. He told me I'd be welcome to visit with him regarding my process with TMS. Even though I tell myself there is nothing really structurally wrong and no tumors, etc. as they would show up in all the tests I've had, I am finding not having an actual official diagnosis is hold me back a bit. Any suggestions?

 

[JanAtheCPA]

Hi Jo, and welcome - I'm glad you found us here.

I'm going to answer your question even though I'm not a TMS doctor or therapist - just a fellow-TMSer who is here to tell you that you do NOT need to have an official TMS diagnosis! If you have been thoroughly checked out by medical professionals who "can't find anything wrong" then there is NO harm in diagnosing yourself. Many of us have done the same, myself included.

Accepting a TMS diagnosis means nothing more than accepting that there is an emotional basis for your symptoms instead of a physiological one. The treatment is emotional and mental therapy, and you can certainly start that process with self-help resources, including the support offered by this community right here.

I also believe that understanding the basis for TMS can help every single human being on earth, because understanding that your brain is in control of all physiological processes is beneficial in strengthening your immune system, and in controlling the pain or discomfort from all kinds of things - I recently used it to get through a dental procedure with less anesthetic than usual.

If you find ANY medical professional who is willing to support your self-diagnosis, that person is a gem and you should take him up on his offer. Although there is a high possibility that as you recover, you won't feel the need to see him, not professionally, anyway - but you should definitely keep him apprised of your progress, because, who knows, he may become the new TMS doctor in your area!

Please visit the Thank You Dr. Sarno project and read the many pages of success stories there (give yourself some time - they are very addictive). Many of the thank-yous are written by people who only read one of Dr. Sarno's books.

Then you can start working the Structured Educational Program on our wiki, and keep reading and posting here on the forum.

You've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Keep us posted,

Jan

 

[BruceMC]

The pain has always been elusive, springing up in different places, responding well to some initial treatment or therapy and then coming back, and generally goes away while on vacation.

Again with the caveat Jan states that I am not an MD qualified to diagnose or treat your condition, but only am offering support based on my own experience: I'd say that the way your pain is jumping around sounds very much like a classic case of "symptom substitution" where TMS keeps trying to relocate the pain in a new probable location in an effort to make you believe you have some kind of underlying physical problem. Your initial treatments and therapy are not addressing the fundamental psychological reasons for your pain. Also the fact that your symptoms go away whenever you go on vacation should provide you with a valuable clue that there's some kind of stressful situation in your immediate social environment that is triggering your TMS symptoms. This is all very familiar territory if you read any of Dr Sarno's books.

All the best to you in your ongoing efforts to resolve your pain problems. Sounds like you are on the right track.

BruceMC