This WAS me: Back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, trapezius pain, tricep pain, pectoral pain, numbness/tingling in both hands. The pain alternated from one arm to the other and sometimes all the way down my left leg. Along with pain I had gastroinstestinal and skin problems. There was weakness in my left tricep which was noticably smaller. Bad news for a lefty. Never mind the ever-present fear of physical labor making it worse!
This IS me one month later: Active, off of Percocet, muscle relaxers (Skelaxon, Flexeril), anti-inflammatories (Steroids, Celebrex, DayPro, Ibuprofen). No more chiropractor, goofy traction device, or TENS unit. Last Saturday I helped a friend lay down a floor; 12 hours of hard "back-breaking" labor. I couldn't have been happier. I am 100% back. In fact, I'm MORE than 100% because I no longer have the fear of pain! To be perfectly honest, I have taken aspirin here and there, but that is it. I can't tell you how good it felt to wake up with muscles that were tired from overexertion.
At 39 years old, I truly thought I was going to either be in horrible pain for the rest of my life or permanently restricted due to surgery. In two years my MRI went from a bulging disk to one that was terribly herniated and another with issues. The surgeon told me I'd need to have 2 discs replaced and 3 vertibrae fused. He said I'd have problems walking soon and that he could fit me in the following week for surgery. Nothing, he said, even an epidural block, would get rid of the pain.
Coincidentally I got his book during the three-hour wait between my doctor appointment and the blindingly painful MRI. I was half-way finished when I saw the surgeon two days later. He, of course, disregarded the book. HE SURE WAS IN A HURRY TO CUT ME UP THOUGH!!! So much for the Hippcratic Oath. More like the Hypocritic Oath.
The friend who told me about Dr. Sarno was essentially bedridden for a year needing a cane to get around. Within days of reading his book she was off all medication and pain free. Had I not known her during that time, I would never have believed it.
I've read all three of his books and am currently on my fourth time listening to the audiobook of "Mind over Back Pain". This man is a genius and it is unconscionable that "doctors" have written off the mind/body connection.
In my opinion "Mind over Back Pain" is just as good as "The MindBody Prescription", although the latter goes into more detail. "Healing Back Pain" was the first I'd read which was great since it was only 100 pages long giving me time to read some of it before seeing the surgeon. The audiobook of "Mind over Back Pain" is excellent, but doesn't go into as much detail as the book. It is good if you don't have spare time to read. I fully intend to listen to it regularly for the rest of my life.
I owe Dr. Sarno my health.
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