Chronic Pain: Managing the Stress of Choosing The Best Treatment Options

I'm getting vulnerable here today with you all. I've often told you stories about my journey with TMJ and how EFT really helped me better manage my pain. But, what I haven't shared publicly is that I have been battling chronic pelvic and abdominal pain for quite some time. Tapping has helped me tremendously in processing the emotions around all of this, as well as reduce the pain. But at the same time I have continued to seek out help in the medical community. Tapping is a wonderful complimentary practice to so many available treatments.

I'm incredibly grateful to say that I recently found a wonderful doctor who has been nothing short of amazing. She has diagnosed me with adenomyosis. If you've never heard of it, don't worry, neither had I. But, many women have it, some with no symptoms, and others who experience chronic pain along with a myriad of other symptoms. Some of the websites I've visited say adenomyosis is like a sister to endometriosis.

I gotta tell you, I was pretty surprised when she delivered this diagnosis. It was not at all what I was expecting. It actually leads me to believe I was misdiagnosed in the past. As you can imagine, it was a lot of information to absorb all at once. The doc laid out a variety of different options/ approaches and told me to research them all and then we could discuss and create a plan moving forward. I honestly love her collaborative approach as opposed to someone just telling me what to do. My last doc insisted on a procedure that I was uncomfortable with, and didn't want to even discuss other options. Needless to say I left that practice. There is nothing more important than being your own advocate. Your body, your choice. If the doc isn't listening, find a new doc.

That's where I'm at right now. Sifting through research, checking in with myself and how I'm feeling, and holding space for all of those feelings. I'm happy to have answers, frustrated with the options, and uncertain on next steps to name a few. All of this is natural. It's all part of the process. It's definitely not fun, but I know I will figure it out.

Today I thought I'd use my personal experience with this decision making process to make a tapping video. During this tapping session it also became clear to me that some of the pain I was experiencing in the moment was most definitely being exacerbated by the fearful thoughts running rampant in my head. I hope by sharing my experience in real time I can help someone who is going through something similar. Sending so much love to all my chronic pain warriors out there!