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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. 😑



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