Very strange thing happended to me, Wednesday night.

I went to bed at 10:00 P.M. (No, that's not the strange thing. )

I woke up around midnight crying out from extreme pain in both my ankles. The strange thing is that they were both red, on the bones on the inside of the ankles, in the exact same places, and there was swelling, including the veins, around the area. It appeared as though my ankles had been clamped against each other.

It was incredibly painful.

I am a side sleeper. I'm not overweight. As a matter-of-fact, I am 5'2, 78#s.
(Lost weight in '06 in 5 months0just lost my appetite, never really returned)

Anyway, I wondered, does anyone think my legs may have gone rigid, and my ankles were clamped together? Is this spasticity?

Bear in mind, I have no dx yet.

Chelle

it could be that the bones of your boney little ankles were propped right against each other and that can be painful if you dont wake up in time to realize that you have cut off the circulation to both of your feet. Like when a foot falls asleep, its not the waking up that hurts, its when the blood flow start rewaking those nerves that went to sleep with lack of blood flow. it can be VERY painful, but shouldnt last a long time.

Massage can help, movement (even tho painful) can help. paitence can help.

Can you get a body pillow and sleep with it tucked beween your knees and ankles? or wear socks and put some pads on the ankle bones. it may feel weird for a few minutes but its better than waking in such bad pain.

Thanks, Dej.

What's weird is that my boney little ankles are always propped against each other.

I'll try a body pillow. Good recommendation.

I already sleep with a pillow between my thighs to support my hips.

Wanted to know; did you have brain and spine lesions, when your bowel problems began? Or, was your MS dx'd based on your bowel symptoms?

Chelle

I was dx from optic nueritis and brain lesions. I also have a brain tumor that has decided to just sit there and stare at me. An MRI of my gut showed lesions right in the spot where the vagus nerve is and the phrenic nerve, but this was years after my dx with MS.

There are a small handful that have been dx from gastroparesis as the main presentation, but that is a rare, let me say extremely rare way to be dx.

Please start with the GI guy and let him do the research. its best if you go to a university hospital or at least a teaching one. BIG center is better for this, since they have access to the research and are willing to go hunting for zebras.

GL

Thanks, Dej.

I didn't have any lesions on my spine or brain MRI's in '07.

I have gone to three big center's Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio, and University of Chicago, IL., and Rush University, also in Chicago, IL.

The 1st time I went to CC, I saw a Neuromuscular Neuro, and all she saw was my balance was bad, and she dx'd the small fiber neuropathy in my legs and thighs, but had no idea the cause.

2nd time I went to CC, was when I told my G.I.Doc's nurse to tell him that my Neuro didn't pay any attention to what the G.I. Doc had explained to him about the nerves in the internal **** sphincter muscle.

She told my G.I. Doc, and she called me back and said he said my best best was to return to CC.

Well, I made my appt. on-line, explained that I needed nerve testing done on the internal **** sphincter nerves.

They made an appt. with a G.I. Doc, who ran me through a ton of tests in 2 & 1/2 days, and didn't tell me until my follow up appt, with her on the 3rd day, that CC doesn't do the nerve tests anymore.

At my very 1st appt, I told her why I was there.

She just about killed me with the tests, because I had several a day, and each one required something to clean out the bowel, (including a colonoscopy, the day before my defogram) so by the time on the
3rd day, I had my 2nd defogram, the results were incorrect, because everything was pouring out of me, in the waiting area.

(I had my 1st dynamic defogram at University of Chicago, and their results were right on the money.)

In their Lab, at CC, they blew two of my veins. And I have terrific veins, very prominent and easy to draw blood.

My sister-in-law who is a nurse, insisted I file a complaint but CC didn't do anything about it. In the end, it was my word against hers.

I learned that day, never to go to the doctor without my DH. But, at the time, we had our Yorkies with us, and he waited in the car with them. (I lost my older of the two, 2/28, due to renal failure. She almost made it to her
15th birthday and she was my "Heart & Soul" dog.)

So, all I can hope now is the Neurosurgeon this afternoon, will not give up on me, and if I have no problems on the MRI, he will refer me to someone that understands what is happening to me.

I'll let you know.

Thanks so much for helping me.



Chelle

P.S. Noticed lately, I am getting a lot of liquid type diarrhea. Which is not how my bowel issue began.

This sounds like the gout that my husband gets. Have you had your uric acid checked?

No, I don't 'think' I've ever had my uric acid checked. I'd have to look through a mountain of lab test results. But, I'll google "gout" and see if I have any other symptoms.

Thank you,
Chelle