[legzzalot]

So the broken back leaving me immobile has lit a new fire to spend more time at the gym. I go to phys therapy 2 days a week and now at least 2 nights a week I go to the gym. PT is mostly core and back stabilization and the gym I use to try to build and maintain muscles in my legs and arms.

Which is sometimes hard to do due to the whole fatigue thing. But I find myself easily motivated to hit the gym because every time I think about how I am tired and don't wanna go the PPSM statistics pop into my head. I try to be optimistic with this disease but it doesn't change the fact that I am going to do everything within my power to stay as mobile as possible.

So my arms have gained half an inch and my thighs have gotten smaller while my calves are growing. On the plus side I have lost 8 pounds.

Just wish I had the balance to get on the treadmill. This is my new goal.

[Judy2]

YOU GO GIRL!!!!! Yay leggzzs!! Keep on moving as long as you can. It's really the pitts not to be able to move the legs no matter how hard you try and tell them to. And it's much better turning into the HULK with muscles than just plain fat from sitting all the time! I HATE THIS DISEASE!!! Oh for the days when I ran three miles a day.....sigh.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1........

[SallyC]

Me too, Judy. I wasn't a runner, but I danced a lot. I'd love to jitterbug or dirty dancing, one more time.

[agate]

I'm curious about how many with SPMS are or have been on Copaxone (or any of the other DMDs).

I've been on Copaxone nearly 3 years now, and before that I was on Avonex for 3 years. I'm going off Copaxone. It was causing too many problems for me.

I have never been able to find any evidence that Copaxone does much for people with progressive types of MS. And I've been on the lookout.

Oh, and I have 53 like-new Copaxone syringes but I know it's illegal to give them away. I'm just mentioning that I have them. If anyone wants to PM me about them, I'll reply.

[SallyC]

I was on Avonex and then Cpaxone for about 10 months. I stopped Avonex because of the side effects...I stopped Copaxone because it just wasn't working.

As soon as I went to SPMS, I stopped all poisons.

That's the thing that hurts me the most about being SPMS, there are no healing meds being produced that fills our need.

LDN helps me a lot and I love it, but it isn't a cure and will not make my MS go away. None of the DMDs are going to make it go away either, but, at least I feel better with raised endorphines. I was sick constantly while on the CRABs..

It's much easier to find a med for RRMS, since it is, in the early days, self healing, so they can say...AHA, it's working..

If the DMDs do their job and stop your MS from progressing to SPMS, then and only then will any of them be worth a ****.

[agate]

Sally, I've had SPMS since I was diagnosed, back in 1980, except that back then I don't think they had classified MS--you had MS or you didn't.

I took Avonex for 3 years anyway, and now I've taken Copaxone for almost 3 years. What I don't get is why the two neuros thought it was advisable for me to be on one of the ABCRs.

I have two possible answers:

1 - Neither of them was aware that I had SPMS. This is possible because neither of them ever got into the topic.

2 - They both believe that everyone with MS--no matter what type of MS--ought to be on one of these drugs. I still don't get why they didn't say, "The evidence isn't there to show that this ABCR drug will help someone who's had MS as long as you have, someone your age, or someone with SPMS, but go ahead anyway if you'd like to give it a try."

They apparently believe wholeheartedly in these drugs, and if they don't, there's also the fact that the ABCR drugs are pretty much all they have to offer, after so many decades of being able to offer nothing at all except steroids.

I can imagine that a neuro might be reluctant to tell someone like me (older, SPMS for more than 20 years), "I'd like to suggest one of the ABCR drugs but they're not shown to work for people like yourself, and so I won't do that."

In other words, they don't want to turn us away, offering us nothing but a lifetime with MS.

I've often heard that neuros are very frustrated by a disease like MS because they've been trained, as doctors, to want to help people. When they can't do anything to help, they get angry.

This may even account for some of the dismissive attitudes some neuros have, which I've seen discussed on this board often enough.

So I don't blame either neuro for offering me useless drugs. I'm glad I was given a chance to try them--on the offchance that they might have helped.

You were smarter, Sally. You've saved yourself a lot of time and effort. Sure, doing a shot a day is a piece of cake once you learn a routine for it, but 15 minutes a day comes out to over 2 hours a week.

I can do a lot with 2 hours a week. If someone says the shot can be done in less than 15 minutes, I'm factoring in the time spent arranging for and waiting for the Copaxone deliveries, getting on the phone about insurance coverage, and unwrapping the package and storing and keeping track of the syringes and other supplies (cotton balls, Benadryl, gelpacks). It all adds up.

I'm really enjoying all of the freedom I suddenly have.

[Judy2]

I think you're "right on" about our neuro's wanting to offer us something -- even though they know it probably won't work. Those drugs did nothing for me except to produce horrible side effects where I thought I was going to die! Tried Betaseron for awhile and then Avonex. While on Avonex, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Wonderful.....NOT!!

Then there were the three Novantrone infusions. Talk about creepy as the bright blue fluid is rushing into the body. That caused the same side effects as the interferons.

The LDN really seems to be slowing down the progression. Like Sally said, it isn't a cure, but if it helps just a little, it's worth it to me until the REAL cure comes along.

Along with your extra time, agate, your body is probably enjoying the vacation from all those "sticks". Take care.......