HI i have neuropathy and have these muscle spasms. I take lyrica which helps but a side effect is "off balance" and i have fallen a few times. I also have nerve itching on my nose so bad it makes me tear the skin from itching. I also have facial itching fro nerves. I have to several neurologost and had nerve conduction test but no diagnosis. So sorry to hear about you. I go to a new neurologist who specializes in tourette syndrome and will let you know of any good advice from her. thank you, Caroline

Welcome to Neuro Talk. You found a great site. I don't have the exact same thing as you do. I have had two cervical fusions and have PN. I do know the pain you are experiencing. Has anything at all been done to help either of your conditions?. Has anyone ever mentioned Ketamine to you? This helps with PN and so far I have heard from several people who have tried the compounds with this in it, that say it does help. Can they do anything to help your cervical neck? I did have several ketamine infusions, which helped for about three months. Don't know if this would be something that could be tried for you.
Don't lose hope that there can be some relief. I will be here to talk to any time. ginnie

I've heard about the Epsom salts and the soap under the pillow thing too. Just never thought about them for me

No harm trying.

I first started getting spasms when I was in hospital. I had no idea what they were. I tried to tell my Neuro but he didn't seem to know or care what I was talking about.

One day he brought along his entourage of 2 Registrars, 2 Residents and a few medical students. He was displaying my abnormal reflexes and telling me pull here, push down there, do this, do that etc. well, my right leg went completely stiff, my foot extended and turned in to 90 degrees and I developed a clonus. The Neuro ignored it but one of the Registrars said "oh, you poor thing, those spasms must be so painful". That's when I found out that what I had was called spasming. The Neuro never did acknowledge to me that I had it or offer any treatment. It was my oncologist who ordered Valium and Morphine injections (only ever had two of them....liked it too much so decided not to have anymore).

My GP gave me some Baclofen but I kept throwing up. I've never been offered any other treatment let alone tests to find out why I get the spasms (I do have spinal cord degeneration documented by MRI and CSF). I can't walk because of the spasms. Quite often when I'm in my wheelchair my right leg will stick straight out in front of me and won't bend.

The reason I'm telling you this is to show that spasming can be and is life changing, it can also be treated by the medical profession as a minor inconvenience rather than the life changing, painful condition that it is. I have decided (since seeing the Psychiatrist) that I am worth treating and that I deserve better care than I gave been getting. I have developed a tenacious attitude about my condition and any doctor in the future who downplays my pain or my distress is going to get an earful. I am going to demand their respect.

This inner anger is the spur that is going to get me the care I deserve. It's a far healthier (mentally) option than the despair and hopelessness that I was feeling. Yay, for Psychiatrists

There are medications that help muscle spasms. I am not sure why your doctor did not give you several to try. Spasms hurt...... Soma, is what they gave me for spasms, worked like a charm. Wouldn't hurt to ask him about this. I can't believe he ignored that. ginnie

Ginnie, that Neurologist is now history. I recently consulted with a surgeon about having my hip repaired. The surgeon said he would need a report from my Physician and my Neuro before he would consider it.

The Physician gave his approval but the Neuro (who had not seen me in 18 months and refused to let me make an appointment to see him) sent a report stating that I would never improve and that surgery would not benefit me. The surgeon denied my operation.

I spoke to the Neuro secretary about the report bearing in mind that I had done lots of physio and rehab since he had seen me. His secretary is a lovely woman and she told me that the Neuro wasn't happy with me for refusing to have injections in my stomach and he didn't want to be my doctor any more. This gutless, passive, aggressive moron.....never said anything like that to my face. If he had mentioned it I could have explained my decision. I didn't like that the drug was experimental, that I had to sign a consent form enabling them to use animal grade drugs on me, that it was not subsidised by my health insurance or Government, it was $140 a week forever, that I had to travel 40 kilometers each way by bus in my wheelchair every week to pick up the vials, that I had already injected twice a day for two months and had developed sterile abscesses at every injection site, had no spots left to inject into, that they hurt like hell and finally my hand function had decreased making it very hard to draw up and give the injection. In the meantime my Oncologist had offered me an alternative drug to be given intravenously.

That moronic Neuro is no longer part of my health care. For 18 months I was lead to believe that I didn't need Neuro care when in actual fact I did need Neuro input but due to this mans personality disorder, I missed out on the care I should have had.

I don't have a Neuro now and I'm no worse off. In fact I think I'm better off because I'm going to another surgeon and this time I'll say I don't have a Neurologist and it'll be the truth.

I'm trying to deal with my anger at the moment but I'm not quite ready to let it go yet. I'm enjoying dishing the s##t on him.

Feels so good to let loose at him.....wish I could mention his name!

What was injected in your stomach? I sure would like to know, as I have not heard of this therapy before. Believe me, your neurologist isn't the only horses hind end in the field. My first neuro, told me the pain I felt was all in my head. My question is why I had to have a re-do with four other verterbra? I waved bye bye to him in the office and found a great doc. a few years later. Dylan has a song out about conceit, great song, maybe you should send it to that doctor.
I am sorry you were treated so bad. I don't put up with that anymore with any physician. I have gotten very vocal, and expect my questions to be answered effectively, and not pushed to the side. I hope there is help to be found for you. ginnie

Please try taking magnesium. A neurologist told me about this when I could not take Baclofen or Zanoflex for my spasms. I need 1000 mg a day, a fairly large dose, which I take in two parts, lunch and dinner. I take my calcium at a different time, usually mid afternoon. D3 helps potentiate these. I don't promise complete relief but I will say I had incredible success with this for over a quarter century. Epsom salts baths do give you some magnesium, but it's hard for me to get in and out of my small bathtub, and I don't have sidebars there, so I rarely take a bath. I take a shower.

I have two neuro diagnoses.

I can't bathe either. I can only sit in the shower with one of those hand held showers.

I don't mind soaking my feet in Epsom Salts but I'm a bit frightened to take supplements.

The reason I have a Neuro problem is that I have a part of a chromosome missing which regulates metal balance in the body. I have too much zinc and iron (iron is in my heart and liver and causes problems) and not enough copper. I go into hospital every 5-6 weeks for 4-5 days to have intravenous copper sulphate. I also have Vitamin D deficiency (lack of copper causes white skin with no melanocytes) and chronic B12 deficiency (on monthly injections).

All this together causes bone marrow failure (also had bone marrow cancer and had chemo), joint problems, cartilage problems, bone problems (on my third vertebral fracture), disc problems, vascular problems (aneurysms) and ta da.....drum roll....death of nerve cells. So I have peripheral neuropathy, spinal cord myelopathy and cerebral degeneration. Oh and due to pneumonia (chronic infection because of bone marrow failure) I have scarred lungs, almost forgot that one except I have a chest infection at the moment.

Anyway, I'm not supposed to take any supplements without my Physicians approval. I do have my phosphate and magnesium levels checked every month though, along with all the other things like copper etc.

I'm hijacking the thread....sorry.

All I can say is I DO know how you feel syrakim and you need to get help. These things don't tend to improve by themselves. As the others have said. There are treatments available as long as you have a doctor who is willing to work with you.

Ginnie....the needles in the stomach were copper histadine, it's given to children born with Menkes Disease but because I'm an adult and I pee the copper out, I had to have huge doses.

Good Lord, you have been though some terrible issues. Sometimes words fail, when I hear how it is for some of the folks here. Is there anything they are currently doing for you that helps you to feel better? I would do the same thing, stay away from supplements, unless the OK from your doctor. They are minerals etc. that you are getting by taking them. I did for VB12 for the PN with a doctors approval. Your case is not simple. I had never heard of the kind of condition you have before. ginnie

There is a time for anger. Sometimes things happen, to justify that. Also no one has a right to judge another's temper, until you walk in their shoes. Anger can also be a catalyst for a change for the better. Believe me I don't care a fig about one neurologist I had either he is out of my life too. Maybe it does make one stronger. Take care, ginnie