Day 10 Still hopeful!

[time4change]

How come I rejected Sarno's message the first time? I had to hit bottom... at least 3 doctors, no answers and searing pain that took all joy of life out of me. It took Alan Gordon, Scott Brady and Steve Ozanich to pound it into my head for a second time. I see now I am the poster child for TMS. Starting with panic attacks, then on to tendonitis, rotator cuff issues and now TMJ and chronic lower back pain! Its only been 10 days of studying and journaling and I already see an improvement with my back pain and TMJ. The elbow tendonitis is GONE! The back pain has reduced to a dull ache with no debilitating spasms and my mobility has improved. The journaling is eye opening - I often see patterns coming up with each day that point to my self-criticizing, people-pleasing personality. Self-talk has been very helpful too.

The one thing that is interfering with this (but I'm not sure) is that my last doctor told me my scoliosis was at 20% and that I'd better start taking bone density medication right away! So, I took my first Boniva 11 days ago (even though I had bad side effects from Evista) and in two days my back was frozen in pain. I'm wondering if I'm still experiencing the side effects or is it my mind? I stopped my Meloxicam and heating pad/ice pack crutches a crutch so I'd get a better read on my progress. But I am feeling very uneasy about Boniva and am wondering if others are having issues with it too? I can't wait till its out of my system...

 

[JanAtheCPA]

Hi t4c - your success so far is exciting and awesome, and thank you for sharing it! And yes, there will be setbacks, but the tools you are gaining will eventually become second nature and your recovery times will be faster as you experience success.

I can totally relate to your concern and ambivalence about bone density medications. Two different traditional (Kaiser) female doctors (the first one retired, now I'm dealing with a much younger one) have told me they want me to take one of these concoctions, but I'm still refusing.

My first Dexxa scan was in 2009 (age 58) which reported "mild" osteoporosis. Rather than take bisphosphonates, I took myself to an alternative MD who put me on a course of bio-identical hormones, and high-quality (expensive) minerals. He also told me to get serious about exercise. I started working with a personal trainer who pushes me to do a lot more weight training than I would do on my own, and I still see her once a week, in addition to doing a lot more walking than I was previously doing. My second scan last fall showed tiny (what the report said were insignificant) reductions in two of my numbers and a tiny increase in the other one. So my bone density has stayed essentially the same over 8 years (to age 66) and I have no intention of reducing my exercise level - I tell myself I'm going to increase it... heh. I still take the expensive minerals, but I stopped taking the hormones after about six years.

That's my story, for what it's worth. And for what's it's worth, I also imagine that I would be SO conflicted if I was coerced into taking Boniva or whatever, that my symptoms would probably flare up likes yours did.

~Jan

 

[time4change]

Thanks for replying! I was wondering what my next steps should be. I've also been considering a personal trainer. I recently quit my gym because my pain was so bad I couldn't exercise. Currently the only exercise I do is walking and Classical Stretch (tai chi/ballet stretches) by Miranda Esmonde-White. They feel wonderful for the most part. Once I start getting stronger, I'll need to incorporate weight training again, now that I know its not a physical problem. I'm 60 so I better get on it!