I just lost my post for some reason and it was really long so I am going to try again.

Thank you all for your good wishes and concern.

I spoke with my former Cardiologist yesterday. I told him about my thighs and he said he thought it was the Zocor attacking the weak muscles at the Avonex injection site.

He said that I need to have my kidney functions checked to see if there is any abnormalties. If there are, then I will need to go to a Nephrologist for treatment. If the blood work comes back ok, then there is no treatment and it takes a long time before the swelling will go away.

As the swelling goes away, the nerves will be able to heal since they will not have the pressure on them. He said that it could be the Avonex and Zocor mix but he leans towards the problem being caused by Zocor. He told me that I should have blood work done every 4 weeks until this heals.

He told me not to ever take another cholestrol medication that is a statin. He said they have rare side effects that attack muscles. The wasted muscle filters through the kidneys and can cause serious damage even death in some cases that are not caught in time.

I spoke with my Neurologist and she was very happy to have the information from Dr. Dahr. She has never seen anything like this reaction in any of her MS patients. She was glad to hear that she had done the correct blood work on me. I told her that Dr. Dahr said I could call him with any questions or she could call him. She said she was very happy to know that and to learn the information he had provided about my situation.

Anyway, I pray that my blood work comes back normal and am trying to be very optimistic that I will heal with no problems but the passing of time.

Hugs to all my friends for your great support. Thank you.

Thanks for the update, becky. Definitely hope everything turns out ok.

Thank you. I will let everyone know as soon as I get the information. I'm going to take a late nap. I'm exhausted with all of this going on.

Becky, I sure hope this is a temporary thing! i am going to ask Jim's doc again just in case. Maybe the Beta and Zocor or any of the DMD's have this risk? I know that Jim is much tighter the day after his shot, like a clock.

(((Becky))) Saying some healing prayers for you. I hope that the blood work comes back good. Many hugs to you.

Becky, I also hope this is a temporary thing.

I also take a generic of zocor. I don't have any problems with swelling, but I do remember asking my doctors prior to ms dx if my muscle spasms could be attributed to the statin. Now I have experience stiffness plus spasms. I wonder what would happen if I quit taking it. I may try it for one week just to see.

((((Becky)))) Lots of hugs and prayers for you.

Barb,

I hope this is temporary and that it was caught before any permanent damage was done. That really scares me.

I was on generic Zocor. My problems are swelling in my thighs at the injection site where the muscles and nerves are weak from have intramuscular shots of Avonex. You might want to check the stiffness with your doctor. I have had muscle spasms since my MS began in 1992 but this reaction is very different.

Hugs,
Becky

Trish,

Hugs right back to you. Thank you for your prayers. I hope to hear something today about the blood work.

Hugs,
Becky

Sandy,

I hope it's temporary too!

I think you should ask Jim's doctor about the Zocor. I knew they had side effects but what doesn't? You can look on Zocor's website or just google statins and see what side effects they have.

My PCP and Neuro had not dealt with this problem before. I got my info from my former Cardiologist who is retired but still does consulting on transplant patients. He knew exactly what was wrong when I told him my problem.

What out for tight muscles and don't let the doctor's blame all of Jim's symptoms on MS.

Hugs,
Becky