Since I created this webpage a lot of people have contacted me asking for advice about how to get better. In August 2003 I sent out an email asking the people who had contacted me over the years to write me back with info about how they had progressed. Here are some of their responses.
Anonymous
It's a bit difficult to answer when my symptoms began, since i now think a lot of other
problems i have had in the past are TMS related. when i first contacted
you, i was having problem with my ankles. it had gotten so bad that
both
feet were in casts and i was in a wheelchair. the first time i had
problem
with my ankles was in high school...probably around 1987. I had surgery
then had an 'extra' bone removed and was fine until a motor accident in
1997. I had surgery again in 1998, but didn't get better very quickly.
slowly recovered over the years to maybe 90%. certainly always worried
about it. had problems again when i went to see a person for massage
and
they yanked on it. this started (at least i thought it at the time) the
downward spiral leading to the wheelchair. i think other problems in my
life were TMS related.
i have a friend that i knew had problem with her wrists that she
thought
was carpal tunnel. i called her about how she decided to take some time
off
work (i didn't know she had gotten better before calling). she told me
she
just couldn't type anymore and had to leave work. she was at harvard
and
there was an RSI group, half of which supported dr. sarno's ideas. she
told
me to get the books and i read them all.
i'd say i'm almost 100% physically better using TMS techniques. there
is
nothing i won't do because i think it will cause pain like it did in
the
past. it was a very slow process...not a magical switch that i have
know
some people to experience. more of a coming to accept the ideas. the
biggest relief was not worrying about my body falling apart. i still do
occasionally feel a twinge, but it doesn't linger.
massage helped as well, but i don't think really on a physical level.
more
just as a relaxation and temporary relief of physical tension.
i found a few other books that had more detail on what to *do* to
recover.
sarno's books talk about the idea in detail, but not really what to do.
the
things i did made accepting the sarno ideas on a deeper level happen
faster
and quelled the anxiety that i wasn't doing anything to get better. the
three books i mainly used was 1) Dr. Schechter's workbook (order it
online
from his website: http://www.mindbodymedicine.com/) 2)'Rapid Recovery
from
Back and Neck Pain: A Nine Step Recovery Plan', by Fred Amir and
3)'Heal
your Body', by Louise L. Hay
i also went to see Dr. Schechter to see if you thought i had TMS. not
everyone needs this confirmation, but it helped me. I also went to some
of
Dr. Bruce Eisendorf group meetings for people with TMS. A directory of
TMS
doctors (http://www.tarpityoga.com/tms.html) is where I found
references
for them.
Dave
My symptoms began after a gig (I'm a pianist) in October 2000. I woke
up the morning after this gig with electric jolts down the ulnar nerves
(bilateral).
I discovered Sarno in October 2002. I applied the techniques, made
lists, got the mindbody workbook, talked with others doing likewise and
even made an audio tape of Sarno affirmations- none of this made an
appreciable impact. I would say I gave Sarno a good try over about a 3
month stretch.
Probably the best thing for my symptoms remains what its been since
onset nearly 3 years ago- a hot shower. This seems to clear my
paresthesias for an hour or so. Deep tissue massage and trigger point work has
been helpful as well, but my diagnosis is still cubital tunnel as
verified by NCV/EMG two times in the last year and a half.
It is my opinion that many people who benefit from Sarno indeed have no
structural pathology but are instead experiencing "central
sensitization" in which the spinal cord and brain has changed the representation of
a body part or parts due to chronic pain state. By ignoring the
warning signals of pain they work toward reprogramming the threshold of their
alarm system.
Feel free to have others contact me about RSI if you like. Best of
luck to all those out there looking for answers.
Michael
Michael
My symptoms began in 1996. Shortly before or shortly after my daughter
was
born. I remember having very severe pain in both forearms that would
last
for some period of time but would go away. It flared up in 1999 when I
started a new job at a non-ergonomic desk (although that may not have
had
anything to do with it considering the Sarno Theory because I was there
for
only a month or two before it flared up). It was about a year later,
sometime in 2000 when it became chronic (My mother passed away that
year).
It was chronic everyday for three years until I started to investigate
the
TMS Theory.
I discovered the TMS theory in May 2003. My first exposure was Nate
McNamara's and your website. Interestingly, I had read Nate's website
about
six months prior but I really didn't believe it. It wasn't until I
experienced the worst pain (in both forearms) that I have ever had in
April
2003. After that I was willing to try anything. So I went back to
Nate's
website and that led me to your website. By sometime in July (just two
months later) I was about 95% "cured". I had read: Healing Backp Pain,
The
Mind Body Prescription, Fred Amir's book, To Be Or Not To BE Pain Free,
and
part of Why Don't Zebra's get Ulcers. The more I read the more I saw
myself
in the descriptions.
All my improvement is attributed to understanding TMS. I have not used
any
other method.
I am now 99-100% better cured. This is only after four montsh. The
discomfort that I feel is very minimal and I think it is mostly
attributable
to fatique as I am working out with weights, doing pushups, working as
a
programmer during the day, playing xbox at night, and working more
(programming) at night. I have probably typed more in the last two
months
than I did during the last year -- I am not exagerating at all! I would
have
never been able to type this email! I found now that I have been
virtually
pain free for almost three months that I do not fear activities or the
pain
itself. I know that I will never experience what I had in the past.
I think reading and web searching were the best methods [for recovery]
for
me. I highly recommend all the books that I mentioned previously. Don't
give
up, don't loose hope.
Andria
I am a 33 yr old married female, mother of 1. I live in Hamilton,
Ontario,
CANADA.
I do not have TMS but read Dr. Sarno's book for the interest of healing
back
pain and to investigate the link of the mind/body connection.
I have been suffering from stomach ailments since November 2001.
Recently,
after being told for the last time by a gastroenterologist that "I am
undiagnosable at this time", I started going to a wellness center.
They
believe entirely in the mind/body link and they offer counselling,
reiki,
holistic therapies, kinesiology, etc...
I had surgery for a herniated disc in 1996, I suffered daily with
excruciating back pain which affected my ability to work. I was
working in
an environment that I absolutely hated, but like most people, good
money,
benefits, etc. kept me there. I finally left that place of work in
1998
and have been a stay at home mom since then. It's amazing that my back
pain
has cleared up 99.99% since leaving work. Only the occassional flare
up
happens, and is gone within 24 hours.
I do believe in the mind/body connection 100%. I am doing so much
research
into the connection for my own education and interest. Here are some
other
amazing books that I would reccommend: Dr. Gabor Mates: "When the
Body
Says No" and another by Lise Bourbeau called "Your Body's Telling You
to
Love Yourself". That last is a book on the metaphysical link to all
illnesses and it explains each illness in the practical sense, plus
offers
the emotional/mental block and how to cure yourself!
Well, I hope this has been of some help. I also hope you and everyone
else
out there is happy and healthy. I honestly do believe that your body
is
trying to tell you something by making you sick. You just have to take
time
to pay attention to the message it it trying to give you. It's also
interesting that the more I talk to people about this, the more their
illness can be linked to a lifestyle that they are unhappy with. ( I
have 2
male friends, both incredibly unhappy with their job, giving them
tremendous
amount of stress, one is sick with back pain, the other is being
treated for
an ulcer!).
Please feel free to contact me or put me in contact with someone that I
may
be able to help.
Anonymous
My symptoms began early 1993. I got pain in my elbow if I wrote more
than a few words, or typed more than a few hundred characters per day.
So I was almost completely disabled. If I did something that would
start
the pain, it would sometimes last about 3 days. After a few months I
also developed problems in my other (left) elbow, although the symptoms
were not 100% equal. For example, stress produces pain in my right
elbow, but not in my left.
I first discovered Sarno's theory in about 1998. Someone mentioned it
on
Sorehand, and I read Healing Back Pain. At the time I didn't think it
was relevant to my RSI. Then in okt. 2002 Nate McNamara mentioned Sarno
and his recovery on Sorehand. My healing started when I read your story
in jan. 2003.
I would say that in a few days, I recovered from ca. 90% disabled to
ca.
20% disabled. I think the remaining problems are due to my bad posture.
In retrospect I have begun to doubt whether I really had TMS. Believing
in TMS has given me confidence to start typing again. However, I think
the explanation in my case is much simpler. My theory now is that my
pain was caused by a kind of phobia. For a few months I probably had
real physical problems, then my mind had associated the keyboard/mouse
with pain, and continued to do so. Reading about TMS broke the cycle of
fear and pain.
I've probably improved a little more since my initial spectacular
improvement. Sometimes I still get a little pain if I do too much, but
it doesn't worry me at all. In my case, that's the key: believing that
no serious damage will occur after a few keystrokes, and even if I
would
damage myself again, it would heal pretty quickly.
Tips: considering the spectacular improvements a lot of people have
made, I would advise people, in particular those with chronic pain that
has lasted for a long time, to try to break the cycle. They should try
to find a path between recklessly typing everything they want, and by
doing nothing out of fear of pain. Whatever the underlying mechanism,
it
seems to work for a large number of persons.
CB
I first had symptoms in Oct. 1995: a deep
ache right up the middle of my forearm, loss of grip
strength. I dropped my keys every single day; I could
barely hold a pencil, and it hurt to press down to
write. Later I had full-blown bilateral Thoracic
Outlet Syndrome with nerve pain and muscle spasm in
hands, arms, neck, shoulders, upper back; hands that
would occasionally turn blue; persistent flare-ups. In
Oct. 1998 I was forced to stop working, and went on
disability.
[I discovered Sarno's TMS theory] over four years after I stopped working,
Nov.2002.
By the time I got to Sarno's theory and
Schechter's method, I had experienced some minor
improvement using Peter Edgelow's physical therapy
protocol for TOS, and some significant improvement
from prolotherapy treatments to my neck, shoulders and
low back. However, my condition was still unstable,
and I was prone to frequent flareups. I still could
not work; though I was improved it still wasn't
enough. Eight months after my first visit to Dr.
Schechter, I went back to work full-time. I've been
working for a month now, and have not had any major
flare-ups. I have some small pain and other symptoms
on a daily basis, but I use the techniques Don Dubin
and Schechter's workbook taught me, and the pain
responds. I have been able to do all my work without
any restrictions.
Tips for someone who is trying to recover: If you are going to try the TMS cure, make
a commitment and go for it. If you walk into it
half-heartedly and half-baked, you'll probably be
wasting your time.
Sean
I have also jumped on the Sarno band-wagon. I had been suffering
for about 2 years. And I can probably blame [my friend] Mike for some of my pain.
I believe that I was injured at some point (I don't really
remember). I am very active (mainly playing baskekball), and I
probably got
hit on my arm. That probably caused some discomfort for me while
typing.
And even though I healed at some point, the pain didn't go away. At
that
time, I was working full time and going to school to get my Computer
Science
degree (lots of stress & typing).
The reason I claim that I can blame Mike for some of my pain, is
because when Mike would have a symptom, like pain while driving, all of
the
sudden I would have pain while driving. There are several other
examples of
symptoms that he experienced first, and then once he relayed them to
me,
then I would magically have them. We realized this after reading the
Sarno
book.
After reading the book and convincing my self that it was all due to
lack of blood flow, my pain dropped. The lack of blood flow made sense
to
me, because I have always played basketball. And after I played, my
arms
always felt great. But as soon as I sat down to the keyboard, I
started
having pain.
I would have to say that I'm 95% cured now. I experience slight
pain, but I mostly ignore. I do make sure that I take proper breaks
and sit
correctly. But I'm not worried about the pain anymore. Thankyou Dr.
Sarno.
Anonymous
My symptoms began over two years ago. I had pain in my forearms
(burning) and inner elbow tendons. About a year later, I developed
pain in
my shoulders (tendon area) and also in my low back and upper back.
I discovered Sarno's theory about 6 months ago.
I improved immensely from Sarno's theory. I had tried everything
before. Anti-inflamatories, physical therapy, massage, osteopathic
manipulations, ergonomic changes, voice recognition software, taking 5
weeks
off work. Nothing really helped for long. My doctors told me that I
would
just be in pain for the rest of my life. I heard things from my
doctors
like "Sometimes muscle tissue can get so damaged that it can't repair
itself" and "there's just something we don't understand about these
injuries, we should be able to heal them." About the time I was at the
end
of my time off work, I discovered Sarno's books. I also started
accupunture
and Pilates at the same time. I think that acupunture helped me
unleash
some of the emotional roots that were causing the pain and Pilates
helped me
feel stronger and less stressed. I also read a book based on Sarno's
theory
called Rapid Recovery from Back Pain. Its more "proactive" in how to
address the issues from a behavioral psychology perspective. I was
completely pain free within about 5 weeks.
I still have flare-ups occassionally (and occassional doubts, I admit).
But
I've started a new more intense job (without using software,etc) and am
doing fine. When I have a bit of pain (nothing like before) I just
recognize it as an emotional issue and don't give it much attention.
It
seems to work. The pain either goes away entirely or doesn't get any
worse.
This is a huge improvement from where I was without Sarno's theory.
[Tips for someone who is trying to recover:] The other book I read (Rapid Recovery) helped alot. In some ways its
more
convincing than Sarno's book because it cites more studies (to back
Sarno's
theory) and really helps you develop a plan of attack.
Anonymous, April 2006
Thinking back, I can pinpoint exactly when my symptoms started. Here in germany, all boys have to serve a year in the military when they finish school. If they object for moral reasons, they have to perform a substitute service called the "Zivildienst". Nowadays, most people object and choose a hospital or an old folks home over the army. I can't say where I worked or what I did, because I had to sign a confidentiality waiver, but I can tell you that work was tedious and moronic in the highest degree. Furthermore, there was a very real danger of becoming infected with Hepatitis, TBC, or worse. At the same time, I was also struggling with some severe emotional problems (not related to work), which I don't want to discuss here. After about 2 months in this mess, my right index finger started hurting. I shrugged it off as a tendon sheath inflammation from too much computer use. When the pain didn't go away, I used my middle finger for mouse clicking. That went well for about one day, when it started hurting, too. I bought a Logitech trackball and soon returned it, when after 5 hours of use ALL of my fingers of the right hand started hurting like hell. I switched to the left hand, which got taken out after another two days. Meanwhile, my doctor told me that I had an overuse injury which would eventually go away by itself. I bought Dragon naturally Speaking and another program that clicked the mouse for me automatically. I continued in this matter for about five months. I did some resarch on RSI and found out that it can also spread to the arms and shoulders. Guess what happened next. My right arm stopped working, and after one day, my left arm followed suit. I was totally incapacitated, but my doctor told me I was perfectly healthy. I bought a little tool called SMART NAV, which lets you move the mouse with your head and was really uncomfortable. When googling RSI, I found sites like this: "How to have sex with RSI" or "I'm a paraplegic with RSI, but RSI has affected my life more". This was when I got really depressed. I thought that I was going to be a cripple for the rest of my life, that I wouldn't be able to use a computer or write or exercise or do anything with my hands ever again. Then I found your site, pretty much by accident. First I thought it was bullsh*t and dismissed it as useless psychobabble, but after about one hour, I came back and took another look. I read some of the stories on your site, and then it kinda clicked. Why should my left arm stop working after one day of use while the right arm could take years of abuse without hurting even a bit? Also, the blood flow theory explained why my hands were feeling so cold. I immediately dropped to the ground and did some push-ups. After I was done, I felt better instead of worse. I was covinced. After about three days, I was playing video games, typing, exercising, all as I did before. I went to the gym and got into the ring (I do boxing, though rather half-assed and irregularly). After six months of inactivety, I had no muscles and poor coordination, so I got my ass kicked pretty good. That was allright, though, because I caught a few shots to the head, and I think my brain really deserved that for letting me down like this. ;-)