This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

I'm sure I'm being really dense but over the week I have started getting really sharp pain in my arm and leg that come for a couple of minutes then go away. It's happening a number of times throughout the day. Is this an MS thing or is my body just crap?

Pain is a common symptom of MS, often affecting the extremities. Apparently conventional painkillers like paracetemol and ibuprufen are ineffectual at relieving MS pain although I've never bothered to find out. Some people claim marajuana helps but I find this makes my pain worse.

_________________
3 years antibiotics, 06/09 bilateral jug stents at C1, 05/11 ballooning of both jug valves, 07/12 stenting of renal vein, azygos & jug valve ballooning,

Years ago, some docs felt that pain wasn't associated with MS but we know today that information is dead wrong. My wife (passed away) had associated pain with her MS, especially from leg spasms.

She eventually went to the pain clinic here and saw a neuro who specialized in that. That is the route I would suggest if possible. Pain clinics are very experienced with this and usually have 3 or 4 alternatives that you can try.

My wife went on Lyrica for about a year and that helped her pain. Eventually, she was able to wean herself off the drug and the spasms and pain did not reappear. The neuro said that in some cases, a "jolt" to the system from a particular drug will make the pain go away. But with MS, you really don't know what is going to happen!

Best of luck.

Harry

Thanks. I will mention it to my neuro when I see him in March. It's a new thing and it's not good (obviously). Like all symptms, the more stressed or tired I am, the worse they are.

I have never given any credence to those that think that MS has no pain. I mean, damn, how could it not? It's a degenerative CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM disease. I mean that's the core of where we sense things, including pain, and something's in there mucking up the works. I have transient pain in my legs and feet all the time. The only thing that is heartening about it at all is that a handful of Advil (4) still helps which makes me think it is still inflammatory. I think any symptom you have that gets worse with effort can be blamed, whether primarily or secondarily, on MS.

I just re-read this and it sounds sarcastic. I'm sorry about that MG, but I'm not directing it at you. I just get so damn mad when I read and hear that there isn't pain with MS. It just gets me a little fired up that the medical community can be so dense about that when so many of us report pain as a symptom.

The medical community is dense about a lot of things. I was told 25 years ago to expect pain with MS by a neuro that dealt with MS patients.

When I read about doctors that tell patients that MS has no pain, my thought is for the person to find another neuro because the person that told them this is incompetent.

Also run from neuros that tell you that MS "burns out" as you age. This is another crock that uninformed doctors tell patients.

gwa

.

Lyon,

From my experience, you indeed have "brain farts" in some areas.

About every 6 months, someone writes on some forum about their neuro telling them that since they are so old, their MS will "burn out". The only time it will do that, in my opinion, is when the person croaks.

It is true that a person will usually stop having the relapses after 10 or 15 years as they move into the SPMS part of the disease. However, the next phase involves a slow progression of permanent CNS destruction for many of us.

Pain is a major problem for many people too and if there are doctors that don't believe that, then they need to read more and prattle less.

gwa

.

Yes, the progression continues without any more relapses and the person slowly gets worse. With me, I was still able to work and only infrequently used a cane at times during the relapsing stage.

About 15 years after being RRMS, I became SPMS and had no further relapses. Now, 21 years after my last relapse, I use a walker all the time and a wheelchair if I leave the house.

My good leg is now very weak and I am sure that within the next few years, if not before, I will be confined to a wheelchair as it is becoming extremely difficult for me to walk even with my walker.

As far as the pain of MS, I had good luck going to a pain clinic when I had pain so bad in my hip and down my leg. The pain doctor gave me a potent shot of cortisone in my spine and it stopped the pain.

I recommend any one that is in pain to go to a pain clinic and see if the doctor there can help. Many times they can help as they are trained to find the source of the pain rather than just give us a med that may not get to the source of the problem.

Any doctor that tells you that MS does not cause pain is just plain wrong.

gwa

.

Do you know what I like here.... you can have a decent discussion without it becoming petty or mean ^^ it's rare!

Thanks for your replies guys... I will def mention it to my neuro but as my appt is not til 27th March I might try and see my GP before as the pain is getting worse and has pretty much settled in my R leg and arm - worse in my leg. It hurts pretty much all the time now - I have pain from my hip to knee - the best description I can come up with is a painful weakness. The pain so far is more uncomfortable than horrendous, but it is starting to get to me and can get pretty bad at times.

MrsGeorge,

There is no reason for you to suffer from pain as there are treatments for you that will help or stop it completely.

Good luck and see your doctor soon.

gwa

This discussion exemplifies the problems that many of us with MS face. For example, we experience so many problems on a daily basis that it's often easy to attribute every new symptom to MS which may not be appropriate. For example, a while back I was reading an article in the NMSS's Inside MS magazine about a person using a laptop in their living room. All of a sudden the laptop's screen changed and this individual couldn't see it so well and thought that there must be some new problem with their eyes. However, they later discovered that the power had gone out and the change in the laptop's screen was simply due to the fact that the laptop had dimmed the screen to conserve power since it was running on battery! Likewise, not every physical symptom we experience is due to MS. If you are experiencing a new symptom such as a new pain where before there was none, then you should discuss it with your doctors to determine if it is indeed due to MS or some other problem which may actually be treatable.

NHE

My grandmother used a walker in her later years and it caused her back to go out. Evidently the way she leaned forward while using the walker threw it out. It caused sciatica which can be pretty painful, Have a PT or other professional make sure your walker is fit to your height and adjusted properly. It might make a difference.

Marcia

_________________
Marcia