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Legs Don't Fail Me Now!

I’ve been having some issues with spasticity in my legs. It seems to be getting worse???? Very frustrating since everything else seems to be, either the same, or better. I can still walk as far as before, but I feel like I am working harder…it’s hard to explain why…just, that if I walk too fast, my legs can’t seem to ’coordinate’ and I fear stumbling (actually I sometimes do stumble). And then I have to concentrate on staying balanced. I’m just not smooth anymore…and I miss being smooth.


I went to see my neuro a couple of weeks ago to get the results of the MRI I had in January. Seems, whatever I have been doing is preventing those nasty T-cells (?) from passing through the blood-brain barrier, because I have no enhancing lesions! Yeah! My neuro attributed it to the medication she thought I was still on (I guess the MS nurses forgot to mention that I had gone off Copaxone last year!). When I told her I wasn’t on Copaxone, she asked me 3 times over the course of my appointment, ”when did you stop taking, Copaxone?” Hmmmm…if I’m not taking any Copaxone, what could be bolstering my blood-brain barrier???


Now, I haven’t told my neuro that I went to Germany and had the procedure done. That may be a bit childish, but if the neuros are arguing that CCSVI and MS are two separate conditions, then I feel its irrelevant to them whether I have/had CCSVI or not. Deep down, I know I should probably tell my neuro that I had the procedure done, especially in light of the fact that she thought it was the Copaxone that was preventing the blood-brain barrier leak. Just not quite ready to do that.


So, back to my legs. I told my neuro about the spasticity and she has me trying Tizanidine (Baclofen has the opposite effect on me). I thought I would give it a try, in the hopes that it could alleviate the stiffness in my legs (honestly, sometimes I feel like Forrest Gump…you know the scene… where he’s young and has to wear the braces?…well, that’s how it feels…although I sometimes think I can relate to Frankenstein as well. LOL)


So far, I’d say I’m not that impressed. I don’t like the way it makes me feel when it eventually kicks in…and let me tell you, I know when that is…I start feeling a bit ’woozy’…not really drowsy (which is one of the side effects) just…’woozy’ and I stumble around like I am drunk for the next hour! And then, when the medication wears off (after about 6 hours), my legs start feeling tighter than they did to start! I’m thinking, I’d rather deal with the stiffness than feel like a drunk for a few hours every day.


My neuro did suggest stretching, which I know I should be doing, but for some reason just can’t seem to make the commitment to do it. Oh well, I’ll give the meds a few more weeks, and I think a visit with the physiotherapist is in order. Maybe she can MAKE me do stretching exercises?! LOL

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