New and have chronic pain
 

Hi,

I'm new here, and I'm terrible at keeping track of getting to support boards.

I have chronic pain from spine issues, the most current being a disc herniation in my lumbar spine. Not my first, though.

I re-injured my back in May, when the bathroom sink in the house I rent literally fell off of the wall. I caught it rather than let it crush my feet. This is when this disc really blew out- it actually overhangs the vertebra, and if this next epidural doesn't work (I don't hold much hope- none of the others have helped) then the neurosurgeon says that a full spinal fusion is needed. The disc is too far gone for the microsurgery, something I kind of figured out when I saw the MRI pics.

Since May, though, my legs/feet and toes cramp constantly throughout the day and night. The ones during the day I can feel coming on so I can avoid full spasm, but the ones at night are horrific- I don't wake up until they have fully spasmed and I have to fight with them for them to relax.

I told the neurosurgeon about this, and he said he's not sure why it's happening. He referred me to pain management to do a 2 epidural trial before we schedule surgery- he wanted to give it a try before operating. I suspect that it's the disc compressing the nerves, because if I have to do any bending my legs go into spasm.

Does anyone else have this happening with a disc herniation? I feel like my doctor thinks I'm just making this up because he apparently thinks it can't be from the disc(s) that are blown.

My primary now has me on Carisoprodol for Soma, naproxyn for naprosyn and Oxycodone for percocet. They only help so much, and the leg/foot and toe spasms occur regardless of the Soma. I don't know of any other meds that might help. As I also have bipolar disorder, I have to be careful about the other meds I take.

Thanks for giving me a place to vent where I won't be accused of "whining" about this.

Lori

The leg cramps could be from something totally unrelated to your spinal problem and that is why the doc may have appeared skeptical to you. Those muscle cramps can be extremely painful. They can be related to many different things. Dehydration, metabolic changes, circulatory issues, etc. There are many causes.

If you are being followed by a PCP, I would discuss the muscle cramps with him and have some blood work done if you have not already done so. If they are persistent, which it sounds like they are, you definitely need to find some relief. Quinine was usually the drug used for leg cramps but it has proven ineffective in most cases from what I have read.

Be sure you stay hydrated and request further investigation into the matter. You need your sleep and you don't need the daytime pain either.

I am not suggesting that the cramps are not related to your spinal issues, just that they MAY not have anything to do with it.

Greetings!!