Neuro Confuses Me

I saw my Neuo last week for my yearly visit; I’ve been having problems with my right leg since mid-March and was waiting for this visit to discuss with him. The problem is the muscle on the outer part of the lower right leg feels incredibly tight all the time (24/7); this causes a dull pain that is really uncomfortable and distracting.

He thinks its spasticity and gave me an RX for baclofen (10mg 2x day). I have spasticity in my upper legs and this is very different. I had the full set of  3T MRI’s the day before my visit and they just showed some small cervical lesions. He wasn’t worried about them and frankly I assumed they were just the old ones. I’ve only ever had cervical lesions and one small brain lesion. My diagnosis is still CIS.

So I left more confused than when I entered; I’m trying the baclofen but it’s not helping at all. Any opinions??

Thanks,
Terry

[Lulu54]

Hi Sherry,
My thought is you need to contact this neuro's office and discuss trying an increase in your baclofen.  20mg is what my neuro calls a "baby dose."  You can go up to about 100mg without worry of complications.  It does take a while for the Baclofen to begin to work because it works through our nervous system.  Its not like popping an aspirin and having it absorbed through our blood stream.  


Aquick google for an explanation and I found this from http://www.oakwood.org/?id=1472&sid=1 -

"How does oral Baclofen work?

Baclofen closely resembles a natural substance in the body that controls spasticity. Baclofen works in the spinal cord. To be effective, the dose must be large enough to travel through the bloodstream and cross the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier protects the brain and spinal cord. Because of the difficulty of reaching the spinal cord, the effect of Baclofen and other oral medicines may be limited."

I hope something in here helps.
Lulu

[MAGrl]

Thanks for reponding Lulu, I appreciate the information. The 20mg isn't doing anything but I really hate the idea of increasing the dosage.

This right leg thing really came out of nowhere and the pain is constant. I guess I need to do more research on spasticity but can it be a persistent and unrelenting thing? By that I mean there is just no break, it feels tight all the time.

Terry

[lovemy6monkeys]

Terry,

I'm just amazed on how often I have a question and concern, and then find a post from someone about it!

I've been having issues with the muscles on the arch of my right foot feeling tight for over a month now. My neuro hasn't really addressed it. On Monday I took a 30 minute brisk walk, in an attempt to start a weight loss exercise plan. The first 15 minutes of walking I was fine, the last 15 minutes got more difficult. My right lower leg started hurting, and by the time I got home my right hip was also hurting. I almost felt like I was going to start limping.

I assumed it was just because I'm out of shape, even though I did a 3 mile MS Walk 2 weeks ago with nothing more then slightly sore muscles that night.

Do you find it feels worse at night or after activity? By dinnertime yesterday I was sore and hurting in the lower leg and the hip, and I just couldn't even bring myself to go out to vote for our school budget (I feel horribly guilty about that too!)

I hope the medicine starts helping you soon!
~Jess

[MAGrl]

As much as I like to exercise I usually avoid long walks as it bothers my hips. After a few miles I stiffen up and will be sore. Other than my right leg going to the gym usally helps my spasticity. I try to go 4x a week.

It took me awhile to find a routine that was comfortable for me; I actually started at home with a recumbent bike and just increased from there. Keep trying until you find what works best for you.

Congrats on doing the MS walk!!!


Terry