Skip to main content

August 24, 2021 - Spasticity is a Bitch

    Today I am having a hard day. I was woken three times last night with muscle spasms. They traveled down my leg, throughout the right side of my stomach, up to my arm, in my shoulder, neck, and my face all on my right side. One woke me up and after that one, I quit trying to sleep. I thought this was spasticity but now I'm not so sure. Can spasticity affect such a large area at once like that?

    One spasm I had today made me cry and when I did I had a hard time breathing until the attack was over. Horrible noises sounded from my own throat and that was very scary. Thankfully the spasms have only lasted 40-50 seconds but those are 40-50 seconds of hell.

    The next one hit me on the toilet, midstream, and I was holding on to the shower door so I wouldn't fall with my one good arm. My flow stopped completely and I could feel all the muscles in my core tightening. It was awful. Thankfully I made it through but my stomach felt raw for an hour after that. It was that sore feeling you get after puking your guts out or getting a bad bout of diarrhea.

    I am so tired. The spasms literally zap all my energy. I couldn't imagine how difficult this would be if these spasms were extremely painful or lasted any longer. So far today, I have had 8 full muscle spasms on my right side. It got better after I stretched but it was a really rough start. I have been having them the last few days but only 1 a day. Definitely not like today. I have had them before but never in my neck and face. That is new and seems like the spasms are intensifying.

    The doctor has recommended Magnesium and has prescribed baclofen. I tried taking one baclofen a few weeks ago but it didn't seem to help. I'm curious as to if you need it to build up in your system first. Most medications are like that.  I'm going to give it another shot. As for the magnesium, I have Magnesium pills. I haven't needed them because the spasms stopped when I incremented foods rich in Magnesium in my diet like almonds, banana, oatmeal, and leafy greens. Obviously, that isn't working right now and I need to find a regimen that works. I heard weed helps. Maybe I will try that. It's worth a shot.

    My spasms feel like a really intense flex that just keeps tightening. My arm and leg fold and stretch out and then lock in place. They seem to be triggered by stiffness, cold, heat, stress, or by being overactive. MS sucks. Can't sleep, can't be too cold, or too hot, constantly trying to gauge the perfect temperature, can't get angry, can't cry, can't even pee. Feeling frustrated but I'm not giving up. Just plain annoyed. 😑



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Mobilization to the Transplant - 7/24/23 to 9/15/23

 7/24/2023 We are going to leave for San Diego soon and my anxiety is starting to surface. Today I feel impatient. I just want to get this going. I woke up last night around 2 AM with my arm, from elbow to wrist feeling like I had a rubber band wrapped around it. I don’t know why this happens, but it seems like it happens most when I am really tired, or I don’t eat well earlier that day. It might be an incentive to be better at rest and food intake, but I hate it. I wake up and I am unable to get back to sleep leaving me more exhausted until regardless of the symptoms I finally fall asleep. Honestly, I am hoping a lot of these things will improve or disappear completely with HSCT but I am not naive enough to rely on it. I will just be happy if the MS goes into remission. I would love to wake up without worrying that a new symptom will mean an MS relapse. I am exhausted of MS and I haven’t had it as long as so many others have. 7/26/2023 - Hilton, Gun shots??? Tomorrow is th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dr. Burt's Clinical Trial for RRMS Part 4 - Better Late than Never

Today was my consultation with Dr. Burt. I kept thinking at least you are going to meet him. You are going to meet the pioneer of HSCT. I never knew what star struck was but I was immediately hit with it and my mind went blank.  He was so passionate about his work. You could tell by how he explained everything in such understandable detail. All the things I had learned about MS suddenly went blank and he turned into my new teacher. I listened intently as he explained HSCT and sudden platelet drop and soon he said something magical. He said he believed HSCT would benefit me. He accepted me as a patient and he even discussed my treatment with my MS specialist. I was floored. I was relieved. I was in such shock that when he asked me if I had any questions, my mind was empty. I had some questions but really wasn't ready.  Usually at appointments like these, I have a list of questions and at the end of the appointments, I go through each one quickly but this appointment I hadn't do...
Post a Comment
Read more

June 3, 2020 - Hangover?

June 3 - 5, 2020        I woke up and I just didn’t feel right. I feel weak and uncoordinated. I drank last night so maybe it's just a hangover. I usually drink every night so it could be that I'm dehydrated. I can push through it and I am sure tomorrow I will feel better. I will hydrate and if that doesn’t work, maybe have a hair of the dog. I need to quit drinking. This is ridiculous. Symptoms   Weakness in both legs and arms Poor balance and coordination  Uncomfortable  Trouble walking and moving Tired 
Post a Comment
Read more