This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

I buried the information in my regimen post but I want it to be here for everyone to note:

I have flexos spasms and I believe they complicated my recovery from the stent procedure. Here's the deal:

Flexor spasms are spasms of those muscles that flex your body. They are sometimes called restless legs, but the experience is that the leg pulls up, and/or the back arches and the stomach tightens uncontrollably. It can happen in response to a noxious stimulus like a icy cold touch or it can happen for no reason as you lay in bed and turn over. But it pulls you around like a pretzel and the spasms can be very strong and completely uncontrollable.

I get these spasms a few times at night and in me, who is still a walking person they are not as bad as they can be for some, but they are legs pulling up strongly as if to march and the stomach muscles pulling tightly in an unbelieveably strong contraction that lasts for roughly 4-5 seconds.

In surgery, the femoral vein was accessed through the lower abdomen and I had a complication in that the area kept leaking blood both outside and in to the abdominal muscle. I believe these flexor spasms were the cause of the delayed healing and closing of this part of the surgical site.

This was unfortunate and probably avoidable.

I am currently using more muscle relaxants at GP recommend: baclofen & clonazepam, to keep the area at rest and quiet so it can heal up neatly and nicely. IT is doing better already.

If others going to this surgery have this spasm problem talk to your doctor ahead of time about making sure you have a plan to keep from experiencing flexor spasms in that area.

so if you have these spasms ordinarily please post on this thread then report back later so people can see if this bears out...
marie

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I'm not offering medical advice, I am just a patient too! Talk to your doctor about what is best for you...
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopic-7318-0.html This is my regimen thread
http://www.ccsvibook.com Read my book published by McFarland Health topics

i have this problem as well...when it was really bad i used to do jackknifes in bed..quite starteling. I am taking cyclobenzaprine 10mg 3x a day. will bring to cali and make sure i don't miss a dose.

H

marie, i don't recall whether you tried magnesium citrate to combat spasms?

Thanks JL for the idea but I am magnesium replete. These are the result of nerve damage.
marie

_________________
I'm not offering medical advice, I am just a patient too! Talk to your doctor about what is best for you...
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopic-7318-0.html This is my regimen thread
http://www.ccsvibook.com Read my book published by McFarland Health topics

just curious, marie. so what's your level, if you don't mind my asking? a few folks have found it helpful with spasms

and, *did* you try mag citrate for the spasms?

yes mg citrate.

haven't had a level in a long time, but the last time it was high normal.

There are different kinds of spasms. Traditional restless legs are often relieved from magnesium my sister and I both can attest to that but these are flexor spasms and they are the result of nerve damage. They developed later in the MS game they are not an early sign at all.

_________________
I'm not offering medical advice, I am just a patient too! Talk to your doctor about what is best for you...
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopic-7318-0.html This is my regimen thread
http://www.ccsvibook.com Read my book published by McFarland Health topics

okey dokey.

thanks JL!! I appreciate your interest in everyone's nutritional status. It is good of you
marie

_________________
I'm not offering medical advice, I am just a patient too! Talk to your doctor about what is best for you...
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopic-7318-0.html This is my regimen thread
http://www.ccsvibook.com Read my book published by McFarland Health topics

My two cents... Been doing the meg citrate just before bed for about a month now. I still have the same muscle spasms as before. Most often they happen early, around two or three am, and then again as I stretch to get out of bed before rising. Rarely miss a night of this, but now becoming more aware of the onset and I am able to position myself to where it is less painful if it goes into the cramping stage. Quite dangerous for my wife who has thought she might need wear battle gear to bed. If I was conscious during the operation it might be helpful, but no sure that I could stop a spasm just might be able to control the intensety. Lots to consider before June 30th. Peace Mark

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Plant a BIG Garden Live in the Moment

heya mark. what dosage per day total do you know?

mark, FYI on mag, dosage, efficacy:
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopicp-57716-d ... +tea#57716
ps if a serum mg level is all you can get, it should be above .9 (SI units, which i don't have off the top of my head right now!)

I am sorry but this post is important to people going to surgery it is about flexor spasms impacting surgery soon. Please, let's talk mg other places, it is off topic here and making this thread useless for its purpose, but I agree it is ivery mportant material, just not here, now.

Mark I has a spasm right on the OR table when they hit me with that ice cold scrub to clean the operative area....and they tied my legs down so I would not trash the operative field, but I knew, cause I've had surgery before, that the drugs they give you which are muscle relaxants will cut them out once they hit you with that and sure enough that was true. My legs stayed nice and quiet and did not budge during surgery.

You won't be eating anything from midnight the night before so won't take any pills in the morining before surgery, you'll need to talk with the doc about all of this too, it may impact the choice of anesthesia for you ie some may be better muscle relaxants than others.

I know you wouldn't do this but just for the general information, people should not try to self medicate you don't want an interaction between some antispasm med and the anesthesia/twilight sleep they do.
marie

_________________
I'm not offering medical advice, I am just a patient too! Talk to your doctor about what is best for you...
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopic-7318-0.html This is my regimen thread
http://www.ccsvibook.com Read my book published by McFarland Health topics

Thank you Marie for your wisdom and concern on the muscle spasms. My plan at this point unless otherwise advised by Dr. Dake is to drop all supplementation and medication for four weeks prior my visit. My diet is great this time of year and really no need additional sups anyway. I know my muscle spasms could really be an issue on the operating table so whatever the Dr. sees fit I will do. I have almost completed a full recording of all my medical history to pass on to Dr. Dake for his review. Also a statement from me of what is going on with my physical condition with regards to ms at this point. Keep posting the good stuff. Soaking up as much as I can comprehend. Peace Mark

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Plant a BIG Garden Live in the Moment

good bye
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4035497