Where to go from here?

Hi folks
Spinal stenosis leg pain 2 years pain corresponded with correct nerve.. Tried all conservative and TmS uptil surgery may 19th this year...some relief then pain came back somewhat. I decided to get back onto TMS after neurosurgeon became unsure of continued pain said possible re herniation or if gets worse maybe fusion.. I said no way I'd rather have my foot dragging behind me and have stopped going to see them and only taking gabapentin now which has pretty much stopped being effective..the calf pain is still 6-7 and the foot numbness is more prominent than before surgery..I'm seeing Dr schubiner in Detroit on August 17th but until I see him what advice can you guys give me if I have more bad days than good? I'm seeing a counselor for EMDR and she's reading his book and I'm still journaling a lot..any advice?

 

Hi, whofeelslove. Seeing Dr. Schubiner will help you a lot. Consider that a wonderful step toward healing.

I am enclosing a healing success story that also should give you encouragement and confidence in TMS:


nowtimecoach Well known member


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.

 

Thank you Walt
Yes that's pretty awe inspiring to read. I have doubts and chronic flare ups and the weekend was good and bam, today tms is working super hard to keep me scared and pull me out of hope..it's ok though cause it hasn't killed me yet thank you so much

 

Hi Who Feels Love,
Congrats on the constructive steps you are already taking! Reaching out to this forum for support and scheduling an appointment with Dr. Schubiner are helpful steps. Here are some other ideas you might try as you await your appointment:
1. Maybe start working the SEP on this Web site - it is excellent and will lead you, day by day, with helpful info and steps you can take to recover.
2. Because you are meeting with Dr. Schubiner, consider ordering his workbook, Unlearn Your Pain, and also check out his Web site, www.unlearnyourpain.com. There are videos there made by Dr. Schubiner and it seems like it would be helpful to understand his approach before your appointment. You can also purchase his online course and work through that if you believe it would help.
3. You mentioned that TMS is working hard to keep you scared - and we know that fear is the fuel that feeds the pain cycle. So, working on diminishing your fear would seem a constructive step. Dr. Schubiner has a great blog, # 23, entitled "Understanding and Overcoming Fear." It has many techniques for addressing fear.
Here is a link:
http://www.unlearnyourpain.com/blog/mbs-blog-23-understanding-and-overcoming-fear/

This is probably plenty to keep you busy before your appointment on the 17th. But, remember to be patient and kind to yourself as you continue learning! Sunny

 

Sunny thank you so much for your kind words of support and all the info you gave me. Dr Schubiner was amazing and his passion for MBS is out of this world. I'm doubling down on my journaling as the leg pain in both legs doubles down as well. Yes the pain and burning does have me against the ropes but I'm working with my therapist who finally purchased "unlearn your pain"
Bring on the pain I say!! Lol

 

You're welcome. Thanks so much for the update! It sounds like you are headed in the right direction. I know you're joking when you say, "bring on the pain" - but, may I suggest, "I don't care about you, pain; I will disregard you; you make no difference to me; I know what's going on; I just need to understand my brain is trying to protect me from emotions and stressors." Being indifferent to the pain is a miracle cure I learned from Dr. S.

 

Hi, whofeelslove. I like Sunny's positive mantras. And keep up the journaling to discover the emotional causes of your pain. Then it will go away.

 

Schubiner's book is great, but it is a lot of work. I needed about 10 weeks to get through the four week program. But it definitely helped: pain was 80% gone by the time I finished, just faded away the last few weeks. Schubiner's methods worked for me!