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alfaman147

United Kingdom
48 Posts

Posted - 10/10/2014 :  10:30:06  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Hey guys, haven't posted for a while. Still having the old ass pressure pain. I know it's psychological. My rectum feels like it's gonna fall out. Getting twitches down there. It's there all day and the only thing that helps it is alcohol haha. Just started to see a cbt therapist. Had this issue for nearly 5years. I'm a 31 year old male. I get huge relief if I stick a finger in my bum. Have been seeing a pelvic floor therapist but my cbt therapist says I should stop going as it is just reinforcing my focus on the area. Any other people out there with this problem. Oh I also get thin stools now and again but I assume it's due to tension. Had loads of scans and tests and all are ok

tennis tom

USA
4746 Posts

Posted - 10/10/2014 :  10:44:26  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Since you believe it's TMS, doing PT will only prolong the agony and continue focus on the distraction spot. Are you seeing a TMS therapist in the UK, there are a number of them?

The usual boilerplate: Get a physical workup by a competent physician to rule out serious stuff. preferably a TMS doc though they're few and far between. This site and the TMS wiki has lists of TMS practitioners.

==================================================

TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale

Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605

Posted by Skizzik @ TMSHelp from comedian Maria Bamford:

==================================================

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti

"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown

"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst

"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto

"The hot-dog is the noblest of dogs; it feeds the hand that bites it." Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter

"...the human emotional system was not designed to endure the mental rigors of a tennis match." Dr. Allen Fox

"All my friends in Los Angeles are the sensitive type. They all have like all the diseases like Chronic Fatigue, Epstien Barr, Fibromyalgia. Like all the diseases where the only symptoms seem to be you had a really crappy childhood and at the prospect of full time work ya feel kinda achy and tired."

Posted by Skizzik @ TMSHelp from comedian Maria Bamford

======================================================

"If it ends with "itis" or "algia" or "syndrome" and doctors can't figure out what causes it, then it might be TMS." Dave the Mod

=================================================


TMS PRACTITIONERS:

John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035

Dr. Sarno is now retired, if you call this number you will be referred to his associate Dr. Rashbaum.

"...there are so many things little and big that are tms, I wouldn't have time to write about all of them": Told to icelikeaninja by Dr. Sarno



Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm

Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist


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Dave

USA
1864 Posts

Posted - 10/10/2014 :  11:47:24  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by alfaman147
...my cbt therapist says I should stop going as it is just reinforcing my focus on the area...


Your therapist is wise.

If you are treating the pain as TMS then you must follow Dr. Sarno's treatment suggestions. Physical therapy is a direct violation. It's not about what you "think" it is about what you "do" that sends the messages to your unconscious.
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alfaman147

United Kingdom
48 Posts

Posted - 10/11/2014 :  09:41:55  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Even though I know it's got to be a psychological problem there is still always a slight niggle in my head that makes me think is it something else. But I suppose that's half the battle. I was wondering if there is anyone else out there with this problem.
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alfaman147

United Kingdom
48 Posts

Posted - 10/11/2014 :  11:21:01  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
It has to be psychological doesn't it?? If it goes away when I'm asleep or drunk. And I have times where I don't have it or its not as bad. Although the pressure and ache is in the anal and rectal area, the discomfort seems to move about. Sometimes it's in my tailbone, perenium, or deeper inside. I also get back ache with this problem
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tennis tom

USA
4746 Posts

Posted - 10/11/2014 :  11:54:02  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by alfaman147

It has to be psychological doesn't it?? If it goes away when I'm asleep or drunk. And I have times where I don't have it or its not as bad. Although the pressure and ache is in the anal and rectal area, the discomfort seems to move about. Sometimes it's in my tailbone, perenium, or deeper inside. I also get back ache with this problem



United Kingdom
An image of Practitioner Liz Dyde

Practitioner Liz Dyde
Liz Dyde, BACP (Therapist)
Lifeways Complementary Health Centre

Available via Phone
30 Albany Road
Stratford upon Avon
Warwickshire
CV37 6PG
Tel: 01789 295890
liz@lizdyde.com
Survey Response / Website / Profile Page
SIRPAPractitioner.png


An image of Practitioner Louise Levy

Practitioner Louise Levy
Louise Levy (Therapist)
Louise has a Master's degree in Guidance Counseling and diplomas in both Clinical Advanced Hypnotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Hypno-Psychotherapy (Hypno-CBT). Louise was one of the first practitioners to go through the SIRPA Practitioner Training Programme with Georgie Oldfield, MCSP, and became an Advanced Specialist of Chronic Pain in 2011. She says, “Working as a therapist means I am consulted on a range of conditions affecting the mind and the body. I am particularly passionate about supporting people with TMS and chronic pain as I myself suffered from severe TMS back pain for 12 years.” Louise offers both face to face and telephone consultations.

Available via Phone
Lily House
11/12 The Shrubberies
George Lane
South Woodford
London E18 1BD
Tel: 020 8530 8888
Tel: 07984 011429
Fax: 020 8530 5566
info@louiselevy.co.uk
TMS Wiki Profile / Survey Response / Website / Lily House Website
Main Wiki Page About Louise Levy
Insurance Accepted: NHS Complementary Health Registered Therapist (Funding through PCT)
SIRPAPractitioner.png


Toireasa McCann, CABP (Therapist)
Integrative Body Psychotherapist
Clinics in London SW2 and NW6
07789 267171
voxnova1@yahoo.co.uk

An image of Practitioner Georgie Oldfield

Practitioner Georgie Oldfield
Georgina Oldfield, MCSP (Physiotherapist)
Georgie Oldfield said, "Despite being a Physiotherapist, Dr Sarno's concept and approach was not a surprise to me. For many years prior to coming across this work in 2007 I had been looking for the answer to the many inconsistencies I had been observing with my own patients. I had also already begun to realise that pain often did not appear to be related to the structural problems patients had been diagnosed with. Coming across TMS was an epiphany moment for me and has completely changed my whole understanding and therefore how I work. Having seen the remarkable and often life changing recoveries in my own patients, I am passionate about working with people with TMS/PPD and 100% of my time over the past few years has been developing this work and raising the profile in the UK.

Since developing SIRPA I continue to work in a clinical role working with people who suffer from TMS/PPD. Although based in Yorkshire I also run regular assessment clinics in London and Bristol. Through SIRPA I also run training courses for other regulated Health Professionals in order to help them integrate this approach into their own work. Our aim is to raise the profile of this work by increasing the awareness of stress illness to the public and Practitioners as well as the Medical world.”(Source)

Georgie also runs monthly clinics in London.

A physiotherapist is very similar to a doctor, in that they can make diagnoses and order medical tests. A physiotherapist in the UK is very similar to a Physical Therapist in the United States.

Available via Phone and Skype
19 Longley Lane
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK
01484 452500
Website
Main Wiki Page About Georgie Oldfield
Survey Response / Q&A Answers / Forum Profile / DVD and CD
Miracles of Mindbody Medicine article
Information on the Stress Illness Recovery Practitioner's Association (SIRPA)
Insurance Accepted: Any plan that covers Physiotherapy costs, except BUPA.
SIRPAPractitioner.png

Testimonials

Lettuce Dance said, "I eventually went to see Georgie Oldfield in Huddersfield in Yorkshire. It was a bit of a slog getting there, but it was well worth it. (Even filling out the pre-appointment assessment on my family, background and past illnesses was very revealing.)

I visited her in February, and felt an immediate improvement. For me, the fact that she comes from a physiotherapy background, and thoroughly understands the mechanics of one's body, was very helpful.

I chose to do her programme, which I followed in a fairly informal fashion, as I was bogged down with a big work project at the time. The programme included a series of follow-up appointments, which we did via Skype: these were really good. She went to great lengths to help me. I found her sympathetic and professional."


An image of Practitioner Jane Parkinson

Practitioner Jane Parkinson
Jane Parkinson, UKCP (Therapist)
Jane Parkinson is a registered psychoanalytic psychotherapist in the United Kingdom. She trained at the Bowlby Centre and has over twenty years of clinical experience, 7 of those years has involved patients with TMS. In October of 2012, she attended the PPDA Conference: When Stress Causes Pain, where she developed relationships with other TMS practitioners. Parkinson uses an Attachment-based form of psychotherapy that has at its core an understanding of the importance of relationships to human growth and development throughout life. In addition, she works with TMS physician Nick Straiton, and does conduct therapy sessions using Skype.(Source)

Available via Phone and Skype
Brighton, United Kingdom, BN1 3RR
Tel: 01273 739281
Website / Survey Response
Insurance Accepted: Bupa


Additional UK Practitioner
Rachel Stevens

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andy64tms

USA
589 Posts

Posted - 10/11/2014 :  13:34:22  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Hi Alf,

You have had loads of scans and tests, so you should feel happy about the physical being ruled out for the present. I often write down these ideas down for future reference for the TMS mentality wants you to forget them. I think they reside at a conscious level at least to start with, and soon disappear from the mind’s eye.

I assume you are eating correctly. I have found this to be quite important to keep that digestive wave happy. It would do no harm to up your fruit and veg and fiber intake and see what happens. You are aged 30 and many retirees are discovering that our diets have been sadly lacking for years contracting maladies such as diverticulitis, and even polyps that sometimes lead to colorectal cancer. Unknowingly we perhaps attract cancer to our bodies. Fiber supplement is a huge industry here in the USA and sadly I have become very hypochondriac about taking my daily dose, but I haven’t brainwashed myself into eating six prunes and four apples a day.

As a retiree I sometimes sit at a computer or TV all day, and when I do quite frankly get bunged up! QED on the exercise and activity bit.

I know nothing about pelvic floor and cbt therapies, but you really have to differentiate between general exercise for fun and specific target physical therapy as Dave pointed out.

That niggle in your head will always be there, welcome it and then think about what is really going on.

Alcohol can be a shield against TMS, I have found this to be so myself. If this sentence makes your heart flutter you may have a problem. Being drunk is the same as being asleep and are temporary cloaks for your mental and physical pains.

Welcome from an Ex Brit

Andy
Past TMS Experience in 2000, with success.
Charlie Horse on neck for 20 years, is almost gone.
Books:
Healing Back Pain
Unlearn your Pain
The Great Pain Deception

Edited by - andy64tms on 10/11/2014 13:43:50
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walnut864

94 Posts

Posted - 10/11/2014 :  21:12:39  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
ive had this a few times in my life. the last time i remember having it i remember telling the doctor it felt like i had a golf ball in my rectum. the doctor said he knew right away that it was stress related tension. the job i had i had to stand for 9 hours. i notice i was always standing with my glutes clenched. i started checking throughout the day to see if i was clenching and if i was i made myself relax. before long i was better. hope this helps.
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alfaman147

United Kingdom
48 Posts

Posted - 10/12/2014 :  06:45:44  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I have been told I am tensing my anal sphincter subconsciously all day. Which makes sense to me because when I pass gas or have a bowel movement I feel relief for a few moments. I suppose this is also why I get relief if I stick a finger in my bum. I have to resist the urge to massage my anal sphincter. Can tms damage the muscles? My pt said that after years of tensing my anal sphincter it will be very toned and I have to dilate it to relax it. But my cbt therapist says I should stop doing this. I suppose it's just best to not do anything to that area. Mot to even touch it or rub it. I used to wedge rolled up tissue between my buttocks to help relax that area. But do you agree that it is best to stop doing all of this? I suppose eventually it will begin to phase out of my mind. I do get the odd few weeks or days when it's not as bad or sometimes it goes. It's worse on a Monday and a bit better on a Friday lol. When I am on holiday or having time off work it virtually goes away. It's just like it's a habit. I wake up every morning expecting it
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tennis tom

USA
4746 Posts

Posted - 10/12/2014 :  09:23:59  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Your pain spot is doing it's TMS job admirably of distracting you. TMS theory says to find a more positive distraction activity that won't be emotionally troubling. Did you notice the list of TMS practitioners I gave you in the UK? It does sound like the one you have does understand it when he?she tells you to STOP doing the physical stuff.

==================================================

TAKE THE HOLMES-RAHE STRESS TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale

Some of my favorite excerpts from _THE DIVIDED MIND_ :
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2605

Posted by Skizzik @ TMSHelp from comedian Maria Bamford:

==================================================

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Jiddu Krishnamurti

"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Author Unknown

"Happy People Are Happy Putters." Frank Nobilo, Golf Analyst

"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain and Balto

"The hot-dog is the noblest of dogs; it feeds the hand that bites it." Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter

"...the human emotional system was not designed to endure the mental rigors of a tennis match." Dr. Allen Fox

"All my friends in Los Angeles are the sensitive type. They all have like all the diseases like Chronic Fatigue, Epstien Barr, Fibromyalgia. Like all the diseases where the only symptoms seem to be you had a really crappy childhood and at the prospect of full time work ya feel kinda achy and tired."

Posted by Skizzik @ TMSHelp from comedian Maria Bamford

======================================================

"If it ends with "itis" or "algia" or "syndrome" and doctors can't figure out what causes it, then it might be TMS." Dave the Mod

=================================================


TMS PRACTITIONERS:

John Sarno, MD
400 E 34th St, New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-6035

Dr. Sarno is now retired, if you call this number you will be referred to his associate Dr. Rashbaum.

"...there are so many things little and big that are tms, I wouldn't have time to write about all of them": Told to icelikeaninja by Dr. Sarno



Here's the TMS practitioners list from the TMS Help Forum:
http://www.tmshelp.com/links.htm

Here's a list of TMS practitioners from the TMS Wiki:
http://tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist


Go to Top of Page

alfaman147

United Kingdom
48 Posts

Posted - 10/12/2014 :  09:47:43  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Yes thanks tennis Tom. I emailed the therapist in Stratford upon Avon. I'm still baffled by this whole tms thing. I always knew it was caused by or made worse with stress and anxiety. I have had other anxiety symptoms in the past such as dizziness and extreme fatigue. Also felt like I was unable to get a good lung full of air. When I was dealing with these issues I did not notice my anal sphincter tension. It's just hard to find people who understand. I suppose it's hard for someone to understand if they haven't dealt with it themselves. Surely a serious problem would not come and go and and dissappear when I'm asleep or on holiday. The thin stools freak me out but if had this problem for so long that if I had cancer or something like that I would be dead by now
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andy64tms

USA
589 Posts

Posted - 10/15/2014 :  14:46:57  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Hi Alf,

You didn’t comment on my diet and exercise ideas, so I assume these are not related.

The area you are discussing and ani levator syndrome seems to me to be extremely psychological in nature, for it is one area of the body that is controlled by the exchanging of both subconscious and conscious thoughts. Compare this to the pancreas or liver that under normal circumstances function without any conscious thought activity.

Imagine 100 people on an airplane taking off, 20 percent have the urge to go to the restroom, but are unable to do so. Possibly, this increases to 10 percent on take-off with the anxiety of flight taking effect. Now 30 percent have had the conscious message: “Not now, it is inconvenient.” Your intestines receive this message and temporary revert to the subconscious mode they are used to and relax. So in this way levator ani may be tied to anxiety, (fright of flight) or the basic emotional fear of not being able to get to a restroom.

For those of us unfortunate enough to have had untimely digestive accidents, stomach gripes or past emotional difficulties in this area we should be pleased to understand that this indeed would be a prime target for TMS.

I have not dealt with levator ani on a personal level, but surely understand your distress. Good luck.


Andy
Past TMS Experience in 2000, with success.
Charlie Horse on neck for 20 years, is almost gone.
Books:
Healing Back Pain
Unlearn your Pain
The Great Pain Deception

Edited by - andy64tms on 10/15/2014 15:58:34
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forkstale

6 Posts

Posted - 01/25/2015 :  13:50:17  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Hi Alfaman,
a little late to this thread but I was brushing up on my TMS and found this.

I can assure with pretty big confidence that I've been suffering from the same condition as you - anything you've said could have been me. The pain moves around and there's no position or whatever that lessens it: only sleep and alcohol. Also, another disease (like the flue or something) or anxiety takes it away.

I've developed this in 2011 (I think a painful hemorrhoid brought this on; it made me very aware of the region and I must have tensed up) and it has been quite an obsession since then.

The only thing that 'cured' it for a long time for me was falling in love and getting involved with a woman. Unfortunately she lives far away so we can only see each other on and off for a few weeks/months at a time.
Interestingly I have -only- had this pressure pain in the anal region when I'm alone.
I just seem to have more time to let it slip back in my mind. I wake up feeling fine but then the first thought is "how's the pressure pain" and within minutes it's back. This is very convincing evidence to me that the pain is the result of a bad communication of the mind with the body.

Distraction is everything with this. It's very hard to let it go and I have a pretty hard time getting there by myself but it's a comforting thought in a way.

I have had a multitude of testing and also went to a pelvic PT. It didn't help because I think it made me focus more and more on it. Actively trying to relax doesn't work.

If you haven't already, I can recommend the book "A headache in the pelvis". You'll find it will really speak to you and there's a ton of valuable information in there that coincides with the information found on this site .
Of course reading literature about your affliction goes a little against the "try to forget about it" approach but I do think there's something to be said for helpful information. So, read it, and then try to forget about it and act like everything is normal.
I know, it's hard, I've tossed and turned all night feeling like I was wearing a super tight belt inside my pelvis so I'm not there either. But I know there's salvation somewhere out there.

All the best




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tennis tom

USA
4746 Posts

Posted - 01/25/2015 :  20:23:12  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by forkstale


The only thing that 'cured' it for a long time for me was falling in love and getting involved with a woman. Unfortunately she lives far away so we can only see each other on and off for a few weeks/months at a time.



Good post Forkstale! Yes, Dr. Sarno says love cures TMS. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Cheers,
tt

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alfaman147

United Kingdom
48 Posts

Posted - 01/28/2015 :  12:24:04  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Wow, thanks forkstale that post really spoke to me. I'm glad to find someone else who has this issue. The funny thing is that I was completely fine for the last month or so. Just had a bit of an ache in the tailbone when I had been sitting down too long. But last Friday I had the diarrhea and my rectum started to ache again. Monday and Tuesday the ache seemed to be in my tailbone and lower back but today it's back up inside of me. But hey Ho I have been through this so many times before and I guess it's normal to have the odd flare up. I suppose as soon as I felt an ache I was focused on the problem again. But I know there are times when I'm fine so it can't be anything nasty and the fact I'm fine when I'm asleep must confirm this. I really do feel like my whole pelvic area is super tight. I guess the muscles are on high alert thinking I'm ill again. But thanks guys for the comments. I was hoping I wouldn't be needing this website again but hey Ho. I'm not going to Google or touch the area or feel sorry for myself. If I carry on as normal I will forget it again for a while.
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forkstale

6 Posts

Posted - 01/29/2015 :  12:10:19  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Yes this is the same for me. I guess it's common for anyone to have a bit of pain in that area after a problematic stool, but for us it triggers all alarm bells and focuses the attention back to the dreaded area. The actual pain goes away, but the brain lingers and keeps on sending alarm signals. Very often they go all the way through my leg, even, always on that side.

It's a big challenge to condition the mind to stay away from to the region. It seems you're having the right attitude though. I don't think there's anything else you can really do about it.
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alfaman147

United Kingdom
48 Posts

Posted - 02/02/2015 :  06:42:54  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Forkstale, did you have the feeling of there being a foreign object up there? I find that it feels like there is a huge poop in there. If I pass gas it eases off and having a bowel movement helps ease it slightly. It's like my body over exaggerates the need to have a bowel movement. I am learning to live with it to be honest because I know it's psychological. I don't have any issues when I'm asleep or drunk. I'm the same as you. I wake up fine and then the pressure builds. It's gone when I'm on holiday or relaxed. Deffo made worse by stress and just thinking about it.
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forkstale

6 Posts

Posted - 02/10/2015 :  19:00:31  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
it has manifested in that way for me but no usually. It comes in many forms. Usually it's either pain sitting down like I've sat on a bike all day. Or it feels like the type of nerves in your stomache before an examn, but then in the anal region. Odd.
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donnroc

USA
76 Posts

Posted - 02/12/2015 :  21:56:26  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I had a lot of problems similar to yours...some embarrassing moments with a doctor and his hot nurse....yikes !!!

After mentally reviewing the Sarno material which I have read numerous times, and was able to overcome many physical issues, I realized, Sarno said, TMS loves muscles and tendons. The levator muscle, is a muscle !
I started doing my TMS mental regimen and BINGO ! Gone .......

TMS is a tricky Bugger
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alfaman147

United Kingdom
48 Posts

Posted - 02/18/2015 :  11:19:54  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Did any of you get like a dull ache around the testicle and the bit between ur anus and genitals? I can't describe it really. Sort of tingles and then aches a bit and then goes off. Basically it jumps all around my whole pelvic area. Tailbone, anus and perenium. It's bizarre how tms can do this.
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glowgirl

USA
42 Posts

Posted - 06/17/2015 :  21:15:30  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I am having the same problem. Oddly enough, the TMS message is starting to sink in, i am letting it in finally.

At the same time i am seeing a PT who is very skilled.

The combo seems to be helping. Not sure which one is doing the job.

My plan is to keep allowing the TMS info to seep in and see the PT just as long as I need to and then do self massage when i feel the need.

Is this crazy or does this make sense?
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