Day 25 Usual

Accidentally did day 26 yesterday, but things going nicely with this program.

I've been working out without problems. Fear (of the pain) still present, and pain increases when it gets bad. It's hard to break the loop. When I get better, I fear a relapse, I fear the end of my pain free periods. The fear moves as much as the pain does. I guess it is another equivalent.

Got back from holiday today, pretty tired, haven't done too much, and I feel guilty about not feeling guilty about doing nothing. I guess perfectionism can get in through the back door.

What TMS success stories have you found helpful, beneficial, inspiring?

The story from the first day stands out in my memory, by Baseball65, even though all have been inspiring. Simply because his was a case of clearly recorded multiple structural changes, and yet with knowledge of TMS, he overcame the pain and immobility that the medical professionals thought he would have to live with.

 

One of my favorite success stories is the one that nowtimecoach posted recently. It is truly inspiring.


nowtimecoach Well known member
New

Oh its been so long since I've visited all of you wonderful people - the healed and the healing folks. My life is forever changed as a result of this forum, the books that were suggested, read and discussed and the opportunities to receive support from so many people on the TMS recovery path.

Am I 100% recovered? Not quite but when I have a flare up, its usually been a situation or circumstance that is extremely stressful. Usually a feeling of being trapped and out of control. It depends upon my acceptance of what is and a surrender to self-care that predicates how long the flare up will last. I've had a few instances in the last 2 months as my partner and I decided to sell her house and move to Tucson.

So many changes, deadlines, pressure and lots of "I don't know!" brought up a few bouts. But they rarely last more than a day or two. And because I practiced what everyone suggests on this forum, I always knew what to do and I didn't ruminate or worry that it was going to last long.

I am so eternally grateful to all of you. I am grateful to everyone who has written a book that gives us the solution, the hope and hammers in the fact that we have control over TMS. To all of you in pain today, I promise that you will get better if you keep accepting the psychological component to all of this. I remind myself if I have a flare up that I'm vulnerable to old habits. That vulnerability leaves me open for my brain to pop up its old directive to send pain to my back. Its just an old outdated mechanism of protection that still does not serve me very well.

I hope you read this as a message of hope. Never stop believing that you are going get better! Stay close to the wonderful people on this forum. Read the books. Do the work and you'll be rewarded with a pain free life. For me, I got the bigger bonus of a greater self-awareness, of patterns that I was blind to and a sense of empowerment. All this because of TMS. So it ended up being a gift. Of course, I would NOT be able to say this so cavalierly if I was still in pain 24/7!!!