my story

[Dragonflys]

i have PMR since diagnosed in 2019. I had just turned 60. Okay anyway its 2023 and Im tapered to 1.5 mg. It has been a journey.

PMR isnt fun in fact its quite a beast but it has a way of making me at least pay attention to my body. I guess what Im trying to say is the body and mind (brain) and heart are quite interconnected. The stresses we put on ourselves both those we cant control and those we can control seem to overwhelm our bodies. In my case it was true and Ive learned to pull back and start changing how I deal with these stressors. Deal with past trauma - Gabor Mate if youve heard of his books has lots of insights.

So this hasnt been all bad.

So take care of yourself gently and kindly.

best wishes to anyone who might read this and dont give up !

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Thank you - a very important insight that. And it applies for a lot of things.

[LucilleG]

Gabor Maté's "When The Body Says No: The Cost Of Hidden Stress" is so good and so true! My body finally told me NO after years of overdoing things and not listening to it.

[Curious101]

Yes! About a year ago I said to a friend that I needed to do some mind/body therapy for childhood trauma. Did nothing about it, got diagnosed with PMR in June this year... now I feel my body has taken the initiative and made me do the work myself.

I love Gabor Mate's work. I'm convinced my PMR is connected to the trauma (60+ years ago), but I can't find any specific related research to back up my instinct.

Thanks for your post!

[LucilleG in reply to Curious101]

I have Maté's newest book "The Myth Of Normal: Trauma, Illness And Healing In A Toxic Culture", but haven't had a chance to finish reading it yet. Maybe there are some answers in this book for you?

[SheffieldJane]

A great attitude. Sometimes I think we are stopped in our tracks for a reason. A lot of us have faced stressful jobs, family situations, bereavement before kind of fusing.

[Raewynne]

Thanks for sharing.Yes the mind body heart connection is incredible.If you're an empath and run down you will feel a lot of other people's stuff too.We do need to ask for protection. This has been true for me.

[Poshdog]

Thank you for that. I am now ordering book. I have quite a history of stresses, the latest one being yesterday's,scammed out of £5000 . My bank has been wonderful and reimbursed me, but initial stress not good. Your post has arrived at perfect time, I shall do something to help myself. Xx

[MiniSpec in reply to Poshdog]

Hello,

Sorry to hear about you being scammed. You weren't scammed by the Northern Rock shares thing were you? I recently had calls from people claiming to represent a client who was trying to buy up all the worthless old Northern Rock shares. They mentioned prices of between £7 and £15 per share!

I went along with it to see where it would lead. During the second call they told me that as well as my 500 original shares, I had also been given an extra 2,500 shares that I knew nothing about. So in all my 3,000 shares would be worth £45,000!

The sting was that I'd have to put the equivalent of 10% of the share price (£4,500) into an escrow account while the deal went through. At this point I was pretty certain it was a scam, so contacted the UK Shareholders Association, and they confirmed it.

When I received the next call from the scammers I just said that I didn't have the 10% required, and that I'd printed out their 'contract', taken it to my bank and asked for a loan, but was turned down, so I'd have to pull out of the deal. The scammer didn't give up just then, but in the end accepted that I wasn't going to go any further.

The UKSA send out a newsletter several times a year, and they've asked me if they can use my experience as an example in their next issue. I've agreed, as I think it's important for us all to be aware of how we can be caught out.

So if you want to read all the sordid details, go to their website and become an associate member. Associate membership is free, unlike the proper membership, which costs around £50 odd per annum. However, I believe that you still get the newsletter, so you should be able to read my experience and be forewarned about what to look out for in the future.

[Poshdog in reply to MiniSpec]

Hi, no not Northern Rock- someone purporting to be be from Amazon Prime saying they had just taken £95 for year's subscription from my account. Said I didn't want that so form was sent to apply for refund. On completion of form, was told they had mistakenly overpaid me and wanted money back. On opening on line banking discovered current account indeed more than expected and they took the money from me. Further examination showed 'overpayment' had been transferred from my savings account. Bank think cookies attached to download activated as soon as I opened bank account. Bank has now refunded me but horrid experience.

[MiniSpec in reply to Poshdog]

Scary Stuff!!!

Good job I don't have Amazon Prime then.

P.S. I'm glad your bank refunded the loss. Just goes to show how sophisticated the scammers are nowadays.

[Poshdog in reply to MiniSpec]

I don't have Amazon Prime now either! 😕

[Yellow-dog]

Thankyou for this insight, I’m going to get the book you mentioned. Wishing you good health and happiness.

[LabradorH]

Best wishes. Your post rings a bell. My doctor suggested to me to think along these lines. That PMR in my case may be understood in the context of trauma that I experienced 10 years ago when I was struck by a car, suffered multiple fractures, and had my life “ flipped upside down”. I have been reading Gabor Mate for perspective and useful insights. Take care.

[EnyaBlue]

Another book is 'The Body keeps the Score' by Bessel van de Kolk. Read this first before Gabor Mate to make sense of his work.