muscle cramps

That sounds miserable.  I am so sorry.  I have not had anything like that.  I do have some spasticity but it responds very well to a low dose of baclofen and stretching.  I constantly stretch, it is almost a compulsion.  It is something I started after a flare a couple of years ago. 

I get muscle cramps in my rib cage, areas of my back,chest or hips. And I often get compulsions to stretch my muscles. just comes over me. I have to have a spinal tap next week, since the M.R.I. shows suspicious of plaque areas. i already have R.A. and F.M. ... Does anyone struggle with cognitive,memory stuff ? Has anyone else ever had a spinal tap and what else does it rule out ? thanks..

i went to the walk in for the muscle spasms in my ribs and legs, he gave me a muscle relaxer, a long acting one :), just enough so that it would hold me until i got to the neurologist. as far as the pain, its in my ribs and upper abdomen, feels like someone is trying to crush my rib cage. I still cannot bend my foot or toes but i hope it starts helping me soon. He also gave me antivert for my nystagmus, he thinks it will help, who knows, i will try anything

does it ever feel like you cant take a deep breath in because its tight around the bottom of your rib cage?? Like a vice, and with muscle cramps?/

popsie, are you not heat sensitive?  Wow I am jealous.  It has been years since I had a hot shower.  I can't do them anymore.

You got it popsie.  I am still amazed about you and hot showers.  I cannot tolerate them.  That hot water raises my body temp and it is all over for me.  I haven't had a hot shower (only just barely luke warm) since diagnosis.  Even then I have to get in quick and get out.  I am the queen of the 3 minute shower now.  I am quite jealous of you!!!  You are very lucky, most of us can't do hot water like that. 

Yeah that is it.  I cannot regulate my body temp too well anymore.  I overheat.  My temperature goes up in heat.  It will go up a half a degree if I take a long, hot shower or being out in ambient heat.  If that happens, I am wrecked!!  I have vertigo to the point of wall walking again, I am very fatigued, all my symptoms are magnified a ton.  I will not feel better until my temp is back down for at leat 30 minutes. 

I have all sorts of gadgets to help with this.  I have two different types of cooling vests (one is evaporative the other is ice packs).  I have cooling neck bands and hand held misters.  I keep a close eye on the weather and humidity.  I try to do everything in the cool of the morning during the summer. 

Heat is very often a complaint of MSers.  Here is a link for more info.

http://ms.about.com/od/signssymptoms/a/heat_intoleranc.htm

I haven't had a diagnosis, but I can totally relate to the ill fate of the heat. Hot days, being in the sun too long, humidity is worse and no hot showers. I can, however, wash the dishes without a problem. That's a strange one for me to follow. 

Those things make me so horribly sick and nausous that I have to lay down for awhile till I feel better. I try to avoid those things at all costs. People think I am strange that I get so ill with the heat and stay inside when it is hot. What's funny is that I will put the air conditioner on when I am going to cook dinner in the oven, cause I know it will make the house hot which also makes it hard for me to breathe well and I get all sweaty so quickly.  I crank it up till the oven cools down again after dinner is done.

I have had really bad charley horses in both legs.  One time, I had thirty episodes in a couple of days.  If I was sitting, my leg would automatically raise up and stretch out and cause the most excruciating pain that woud last for a couple of minutes.  I would end up on the floor.  I finally started taking Robaxacet and it helped tremendously.  That was over two years ago.  I started taking one regular strength Robaxacet every night.  Now I occasionally have charley horses in the morning and they are painful but they only last a few seconds.  Someone told me that when you get a charley horse in your leg, it is best to turn your toes up (back towards your face) and that helps.  I tried it  and it really works.  It goes away in seconds.  I take 80mg of baclofen a day but it does not seem to really help.  I tried reducing the amount but one day I realized that it may not be doing much but it was doing something, because I could hardly walk.   Because I still work full-time (with a scooter), I'll take whatever helps to keep me going.

Ah it is so nice to hear such specific advice.  Thanks so much for this post, tkeys.  I am sure you have helped countless people looking for relief here.

Jenn,

I am so sorry to hear you are having these terrible cramps. Both tkeys and DD and a few others have all given you good advice. I too, have had years of these crazy cramps and spasms that (for me) took over my leg & spine and the pain was incessant & excruiciating.

DD is right about the exercise - do as much as possible. Otherwise you might get into the viscious circle I found myself in, where the stiffer I got the less exercise I could do & the less exercise I did the stiffer I got. I found that the spasticity got to a stage that I could not even get on the bike or if I did manage it took ages before my leg would function enough to be able to turn the wheels. If I persisted & managed to ease the spasticity enough to ride, the moment I stopped riding the spasticity returned.

In the end I only got relief (from the pain/spasticity) with a baclofen pump & now low dose naltrexone but I think you might find that oral baclofen will help you heaps. Surely your dr will give you something (baclofen?) to help until you get to see the neuro? Otherwise I would go and ask another one. It seems wrong that you should suffer so much.

Good luck, Hang in there I am sure there is a solution.