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vikki
95 Posts |
 Posted - 12/30/2005 : 18:50:25
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I posted here over the summer, shortly after I'd seen Dr. Schechter about my TMS. I was frustrated at the time and driving myself crazy trying to figure out the emotion I was repressing.
I thought I'd report back on my progress, which has been significant. The approach that has worked for me is "just do it." I was waiting for the pain to diminish before resuming my normal activities. But back in August, when I was on a cross-country flight, I decided to "just do it" -- and I sat through the whole flight. (Normally I would have roamed the aisles because of my sitting pain.) My butt hurt SO BADLY that it brought tears to my eyes. I thought I was going to pass out. But I kept sitting, and I did my best to ignore the pain by reading a magazine. My attitude was almost one of curiosity -- I wanted to see what would happen if I challenged the pain. The next day, my pain was much better. The next significant improvement occurred several weeks later, when I again decided to "just do it" and go on a 10-mile hike with my husband. I was in incredible pain during the hike, but I persisted. The next day, again, I had significant improvement. Since then, I've slowly increased my activities. Now, I sit wherever I want -- yeah, it still bothers me (sometimes a lot), but on average it's 70% better and I can ignore it. I'm not fixated on getting rid of it because I know there's nothing wrong with me physically, and no matter what happens, I am strong enough to bear the pain and do whatever I want. I don't hesitate now to book long flights, or anything else I used to avoid. I am back to running, kickboxing, and everything else I used to do, at the same level as before.
For me personally, the psychological angle hasn't played that much of a role. I have not kept a diary or tried to uncover repressed emotions or sort out troubled relationships. (I initially tried Dr. Schechter's workbook and psychotherapy with at TMS person he recommended.) I found that doing this stressed me out too much and kept me too focused on discovering the "magical" emotion or attitude that would give me an instant cure. It kept me fixated on getting rid of the pain -- and when you devote so much conscious attention to worrying about the pain, you are reinforcing the screwed up pain circuit that's causing the pain. That's not to say the psychological stuff isn't important -- I just didn't focus on it much. In my experience, if you challenge the pain (by ignoring it, doing whatever you want, and feeling confident that there's nothing wrong with you physically), it will leave you alone. To get this to work, I had to bear a significant amount of pain -- but I did it. I viewed bearing the pain kind of like a tough workout -- if I do it now, I'll see results soon. And I did :-)))
Anyway, just wanted to post a quick update. Everyone's experience with this seems to be unique. This seems to be what works for me. Thanks for all the support you gave me when I posted here over the summer.
A final note: While this pain has been horrible, I'll admit that it has been an incredible learning experience. I'll never view pain -- of any sort -- in the same way again. |
Edited by - vikki on 12/30/2005 18:58:08 |
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altherunner
Canada
511 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2005 : 19:46:34
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I also used to run through pain I knew was tension induced. It eventually stopped. Another person on this site got me started reading Eckhart Tolle's books, "The Power of Now" being the first.
They are not about tms, but I feel that they have helped me stop generating the tension behind tms. Thanks again to peter Mckay for mentioning them. |
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redskater
USA
81 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2006 : 09:45:34
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This is exactly what I had to do too. If you don't challenge the pain it will just keep on controling your life. I was tired of it and wanted my life back even if it meant a certain amount of pain to do it. I keep seeing improvements. I'm back to golf, excercising, gardening socializing and going anywhere I want to, riding in cars etc..... It is so freeing, I feel like I've been let out of prison, and I am so grateful for every day that I can get out and play. It is a process and it takes a lot of work but it does pay off. I too am grateful of the experiance and know that it has changed my life in a good way. My relationships are so much better now. Even with the nagging little pangs that come and go, my life is so much fuller than before the pain even started.
I'm looking forward to a fabulous year with all the little TMS episodes that are bound to crop up. At least I know I'm alive.
Happy New Year.
Gaye |
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Andrew2000
40 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2006 : 21:50:09
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Hi Vikki - thanks for your post. So inspiring ... I agree that the psychological stuff is important (have been paying more and more attention over the past few months to my emotional life - writing down my thoughts, soul-searching for "the" thing(s) that are at the root of the physical manifestations) ... but like you, the simple "just do it" philosophy has helped me more than anything else.
I'm back at the gym on a regular basis, doing workouts on the treadmill, cross-training machines and stairmaster (as opposed to just swimming which the doctor had recommended six months ago, i.e., "easier on the joints") ... Some days are better than others, but I'm building on each small success -- thanks again for sharing this insight. |
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Stryder
686 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2006 : 12:17:40
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Hi vikki,
Good news to hear that you are on your way to recovery from TMS.
Your post is important because it shows specific examples of how you conquered your fear of TMS.
This is so key, I hope that new arrivals to the TMS Help forum see this. Conquering the fear in a majority of cases can be the turning point.
Your tag line just do it fits very nicely with a post Dave made a while ago that those with TMS must take responsibility for their own recovery.
Way cool. Way to go!
Take care, -Stryder
P.S. Original post by vikki - 12/30/2005 : 18:50:25 tagged a SuccessStory: |
Edited by - Stryder on 02/07/2006 13:20:17 |
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n/a
560 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2006 : 14:30:48
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| Bravo Viki, I support this method 100%..... |
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vikki
95 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2006 : 12:08:43
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| Thank you all for the replies!! My internet connection was down, and then I went out of town -- I finally logged back in today to see them. While I still struggle with pain every day, I am in an important sense free of it because it doesn't restrict my activities. Andrew, I've been slowly deprogramming myself of the "easier on the joints" thing too and running on concrete. Thanks again for the support. |
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HilaryN
United Kingdom
879 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2006 : 14:21:41
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I was away over Christmas, so I missed this thread and have just read it now. Your account is very interesting, vikki. Thanks for posting it. You're very brave, challenging the pain like that! (I'm not brave when it comes to pain and I just gradually increased my activity.) I also didn't journal, because I'm not much of a journaller, and I got better without it.
Hilary N |
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Just do it -- a progress report
