Getting so tired... pain day after day
 

Hi guys

First I thought it was MS spasticiity - discomfort, tightness and pain in my calf, so I decided to try and stretch it out - then I went to a physiotherapist, who told me I had torn muscles, treated me for that, strapped my ankles and sent me for a massage - the pain didn't go away, so she suggested I get an ultrasound because the pain was 'moving' up to the back of my thigh and she couldn't work out why.

Then I spoke to my Neuro's office, and he told me that 'torn muscle pain doesn't move' and sent me for an after hours full-spine MRI last night. He thought that an ultrasound may not show it and I would be none the wiser. If the spinal MRI shows nothing, then it probably is muscular, so I should get the ultrasound scan then.

I don't have a result, but I am so sick of this - and so darned tired. I haven't walked without pain (or at a minimum on good days, discomfort) since January.

I am working full time as a teacher and on my feet all the time!!! I can't believe how tired I am getting.

Sorry, my turn for a whine and cheese party. Would anyone like to join me? I still don't know what to blame it on, and it is doing my head in.

Lyn

I hear you Lyn, and understand some of what you re going through. So Sorry..:hug:

It seems that all the PT & OT I'm doing is causing me some, bring to tears, pain in my right shoulder/rotator cuff. Either that or I'm sleeping wrong...etc? It's my good arm, so that makes it especially difficult.

It's much worse for you, since you are working.:eek: I don't know how you do it! I hope Doc can find out what's causing your pain and do something to stop it. That's why we pay them the big bucks.:rolleyes:

There's nothing more exhausting then pain, is there? I hope you soon get both an answer and a solution!

So hard to work in pain! And it does wear you out, working against it all day. I hope you have tried magnesium. I need 1000 mg a day to avert spasm. Occasionally now that is not enough. It seems to be progressive, and is worse on days I'm very active. Since my feet "got well" from taking p32 for another disease, I have walked a lot more, but my muscles are feeling it. Have to get in shape again. Try magnesium if you have not. I use Twinlabs (easily findable) or some more expensive ones at times. You could start with 800 mg a day (two capsules, not at the same time).

Awww Lynn...so sorry to hear how much you've been struggling...hope you can get some answers, treatment and relief soon...

I'm sorry about your pain, Lyn. It's exhausting and I'm sure even more so when you have to be working throughout it. I hope they can figure out why you're having so much pain and can do something to alleviate it. :hug:

Hello Lynn,

So sorry that you have ben experiencing this pain...and for so long. As I am a registered massage therapist and nutritionist, maybe I can offer some information to help sort some of it out for you; if only to perhaps to suggest some self care ideas that might provide relief.
If you are open to discussing that, we can do so through PM or on the board.

Hang in there. In my prayers.

Erika

Hi everyone

Thanks so much for your support - it really means a lot to me. It's hard to explain the associated fatigue to someone without MS - I get tired enough without the leg thing, but with it, it multiplies my fatigue considerably. You know the drill, the brain is having to work even harder to make everything work together

My treatment so far has involved physiotherapy - massage (once by a massage therapist, and my husband has massaged my leg as well) ultrasound therapy, electro-therapy etc. The physio suggested I use a rolling pin on my calf, and do some stretching as well, both of which I am doing but it doens't seem to help much.

I will certainly do the magnesium thing, I haven't had cramps in my calf for a little while, and it doesn't really hurt much unless I am walking.

Thanks again

Hugs

Lyn

I too am sorry that you're having a tough time with painful cramps. :hug:

I take Magnesium tablets with relief, but my husband who gets frightful cramps and does not have MS, gets no relief at all from Mg. He drinks tonic water and the Quinine contained in that seems to help him. Something else you could try is to take a bath with Epson Salts added to the bath water. If you try this be careful though because the Epson Salts make the bottom of the bath very slippery.

I hope you soon find something that helps.

Having spent much of the last year and half in pain, I can understand your frustration.
I would just say; keep looking for the cause. Easy said i know but when you find it, you can fix it. and find relief. What pain killers are you on?

:hug:

I'm not on any medication for pain relief (sounds pretty dumb, but unless they know the cause.....) at the moment, I am toughing it out. I have thought I should maybe take an NSAID like Voltaren, but I am not sure. My physio didn't recommend any pain relief, and I don't see my General Doc again for a while. My Neuro suggested Baclofen when I told him about this a hundred years ago (feels like it - but it was in March), but I didn't want to take anything until I knew the cause.

Regards

Lyn

I'm so sorry you're having the daily pain, Lynn.:( You're right, the constant pain wears us down, making the fatigue worse. What a nightmare! Working while going through this seems impossible to me.:eek: Hope your doctors are able to remedy this problem.........soon.:hug:

This information might be helpful.

Piriformis Syndrome and/or Piriformis myofascial trigger points is a common cause of chronic lower back, hip and leg pain in patients who have compensatory gait disturbances due to neurological and orthopedic disorders. These two causes of hip & leg pain are often missed during diagnostics for pain in these areas, so it is worth asking about this potential from attending physicians.

Physiotherapy, chiropractic or massage therapy may be helpful in relieving the cause of pain due to these conditions; and Piriformis Syndrome and/or Piriformis myofascial trigger points should specifically be mentioned to the practioners of these health sciences as a possible cause of sciatic distribution/calf pain when seeking their care.

Typically pain from these two conditions is felt in the sacro-iliac and buttock, but it may also radiate pain in a sciatic nerve distribution down the back of the leg; leading to calf/foot pain and cramping. This seems to be especially true in long standing cases.

If you Google search "Piriformis syndrome" and/or "Piriformis trigger points" there is plenty of information available; including self care, in the form of specific stretching exercises and direct pressure techniques.

Hope that you get relief soon.
Erika

Ohhhh.... I just love you guys! With all the crap that you all have to go through, you have taken time to respond to my problem, and offfer me care , support and suggestions.

It is so special to have this from the people who know what it's like.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!!!

Lyn :grouphug:

What Erika says makes sense. I know I have a weird gait due to several problems. I MUST exercise daily and go to PT and/or Chiropractor often, to keep mobile. I have had a weird gait since I was quite young and working in a hospital as an admissions clerk, and an intern noticed it and said it was a gait such as MS people have. But of course it took decades for any diagnosis.

Thanks again

I presented at Dx with 'numerous' brain, spinal cord and brain stem lesions (11 years ago), but according to the MRI I had a few months ago, they are quite faded. Now, I don't quite know what to think.

I don't have the results of the latest Spinal MRI (last Thursday), but I am wondering, can faded lesions still cause a relapse - or do they have to 'light up' as active???? Is it possible that a lesion that can cause a relapse like this wuld not show up on MRI?

I know I will have to wait and see - I just want to know if I am dealing with MS, or just a 'physical' cause? I am hoping to hear my results tomorrow so that I can finally 'do something' to fix it (or at least improve it).

Regards

Lyn

I haven't had an MRI in years (by choice), but I imagine that many of my lesions are fading or faded by now. But never fear, the Disease is still doing it's dirty work on me.....slowly but surely.:mad:

IMO, lesions are there to show that damage has been done to your nerves. When they fade or disappear, it doesn't mean your disease is not active, but that that particular lesion is the damage already done. And just as a scar heals so does it.:confused:

lynn,
sally is right on with her assessment.
i'm surprised you havn't been dx'd yet based on what you describe.

i have tremendous muscle pain and it's gotten worse with time. it never stops and is basically 24/7. it gets worse as the day wears on. the more active i am and the more i stay on my feet the worse it gets.

i totally get what you say. it drains a lot of energy and take focus away from what i'm trying to do or enjoy.

i was dx'd with fribromyalgia in the 80's and all my pain was blamed on it.
finally my neuro said it was MS related pain. he sent me to a rehab MD. along with PT he was willing to put me on a low dose of oxycodone. for my level of pain it doesn't knock me out or even make me tired. i know everyone is different tho. it's enuf to take the edge off and helps me to function more fully.

i've also been on tramadol but eventually it just didn't work for my level of pain.

consider trying to find a rehab pain dr. i actually found a rehab hosp in my area and walked in there one day and asked if they had a pain dr. i got the info and my neuro was willing to write a referral.

please don't give up. and imho, you don't have to have a dx for your pain. pain should be taken seriously by drs. your sx's warrant a tx. treating pain is a standard of care. please let us know how you are.

Lyn,

What meds are you taking? Some of them have side-effects like this; can mimmic MS symptoms. Talk to your pharmacist...they are a fountain of info & can also help keep the docs up to date on what you have been prescribed.

Just a shot in the dark...hope you feel better soon!

Lyn I am so sorry to hear about your pain. :hug: I really don't see how any of you work with all this pain. Before MS I could not work with my back pain and that has been over 10 yrs ago. I can not even push myself to work at home anymore and I know what you have to go through with the kids and the energy and smiles you have to let the children see to be a good teacher to them. I hope you find something to relieve you soon.