Smooth Muscle Spasms

[jenniwrenne]

I have smooth muscle spasms in my gut, mostly in the diaphragm area, though they often spread up my chest, and sometimes affect my lower abdomen.   A colonoscopy has shown no organic disease in the colon, and u/sound scans and MRI scans have ruled out any disease in other abdominal organs.

The spasms have a severe effect on my breathing, making me constantly breathless, and I am woken several times a night struggling to breathe.

I have been prescribed several drugs in the past, at different times, to treat the problem. None of them helped, partly because of the side effects I experienced .  The drugs were a small dose of  benzodiazipine, which made me too tired to do anything all day. Later I tried a very small dose of Amitryptiline, but it  made me too agitated to continue with it, and did little to relieve my symptoms.

I do not suffer from diarrhoea or constipation.  But when I tried taking one of the smooth muscle relaxant drugs (cannot remember the name of it) it gave me terrible constipation, which was a nightmare to resolve.   There is just no point in me taking a drug that makes my quality of life worse than it already is.  Can anyone recommend a drug that might relax the muscle spasms, without giving me constipation or other intolerable side effects?  

Thank you.  

[kak2]

Hello.
I am not english speaking but I try.
I`ve been taking the thyroid replacement for 10 years now. When I still had my thyroid gland and my TSH was 1, and I took my first Eltroxin, I felt sick, and had many of the symptoms you have. I took 25µg every day for 3 month.
I couldn´t live like that and decided not to take it anymore, but I took 50µg once a week anyway. I felt much better after few days.
I was trying to take the medication and not to take it maybe 5 times with the same result every time since the year 2000.
Now 10 years later I almost don´t have my thyroid gland and 1 year ago I had to take the replacement every day. I never felt more sick. I almost don`t go out anymore.
But I found out that thyroxin is a smooth muscle relaxant. And it could be the reason to all the symptoms. My digestion is not working as it should. I got hernia every time I started to take the replacement, pain in the solar plexus, throat feels dry, some kind of tension in cheast, caugh, I feel like "drunk" all the time, very tired, breathing problems. First time I didn`t sleep for 4 days( and nights). It feelt like I was forgetting to breath the second I fall a sleep. I also get some kind of short "black outs" when I´m very relaxed.
If the smooth muscles are relaxed, you can get hernia. The stomach acid irritates the rest, throat, lungs ...
Thats is my teory after reading a lot about it for one year and feeling how my body reacts.
If this is true, taking smooth muscle relaxant makes it worse. Nicotine, coffein, and maybe magnesium does it also.
My experience is that C vitamin makes the stomach acid stronger.
The problem is that the acid should be in the stomach, but the esophagal valve is not closed.
I got pneumonia, two times, after taking 2 grams of C vit for 3 days.
My tongue is more white on the surface, since problems with the stomach acid started.
One more thing is that the refluks can also be alkaline, so you don`t feel the acid - when the pancreas enzymes run back to the stomach.
I still don`t feel well and now Im trying to eat more organic in stead of taking vitamins and minerals, and dont take any smooth muscle relaxant. I dont know if D vitamin has someting to do with it, but it feels that way.

[ggreg]

Dear Jenni,
I'm glad you posted back about what was causing your health issues for so long.  It is very helpful to those of us who try to advise others here in gastroenterology.  I'm so sorry your small intestines were diseased and caused all this!  I wonder if when they finally operate on you, maybe you'll get to eat all that stuff you've been having trouble digesting for so long!   Anyway, in the meantime, I hope you continue to manage well.  

Dear Chrissie,
I think it's the disease you have in your upper digestive tract, the larynx and esophogus, that is making your diaphram feel like it's got to cough, PLUS you've been coughing because of the recent irritation to your throat.  Probably some soothing tummy medicines will help this, ask you doc.  I do not think it has too much to do with withdrawals, altho they can intensify anything physically and mentally problematic to you.  
GG

[jenniwrenne]

Hi Chrissie,

I am sorry to hear of your problems.  

It is difficult to say what is causing the pressure in your diaphragm.  All I can say in my own case, is that the cause of the pressure in my diaphragm and the muscle spasms in my diaphragm and chest, has turned out to be due to congestion in the upper part of my small bowel.

The congestion is caused by narrowing (visible on the x-ray) due to years of inflammation and infection in the small bowel, probably due to undiagnosed Crohn's Disease.  Food I eat gets stuck at the point where the bowel has narrowed.

It is likely I will need surgery eventually to remove the damaged part of the bowel, but for the moment I am finding some relief by following a low residue diet  (very low fiber), eating very small meals, and drinking large quantities of water (up to 3 liters a day) to wash everything through the congested area.  I don't know whether it would help you to try this, but you may think it worth trying it perhaps.

Best of luck.

[chrissie145]

I am posting this wherever I think I may get some help. I wonder if the folk on this thread are still around?


Can anyone help please. I have a problem with my diaphragm that I dont know how to explpain! It is almost CONSTANT and is driving me crazy. It feels as though it is contracting for me to be sick or cough or expel something. It is an URGE. feeling. I just expel air and it feels as thougha dozen snakes are wiggling about inside me making me PUSH from the diaphragm area.

I do have gastritis and esophagitis which I think is not active as I have no pain. I also have reflux disease of the larynx and pharynx which I have stirred up by drinking coffee 5 weeks ago. (Stopped now) Because of this I have had an incessant tickly cough for 5 weeks. This is of course making the diaphragm worse. But it is not the cause as I had it before this.

I was addicted to diazepam and tramadol - prescribed by my doctor - for a year. I came off - cold turkey - 4 months ago. Could the diaphragm problem be part of the w/d? Also I began taking a potassium supplement a few weeks ago. Could this have effected it?

PLease someone help me! I have had a dreadful year with the drug problem and can hardly face this new thing - especially as I am still going thruogooh withdrawals from the diazepam.

Thank you.
Chrissie

[jenniwrenne]

Hi, thank you for your comments.  The spasms and tightness in my chest emanate from the spasms in my left side under my ribcage, and the burning pain in my sternum also comes on when the pain in my diaphragm is bad. My neurologist is certain the mild deterioration in my spine cannot be the cause of the pain in my lower left side. He does not want to refer me for an MRI at present. I have no problems bending, stretching etc.

Thank you for your suggestion for relaxation -- I tried it and it's a great idea.  

I agree it is a good idea to take supplements. I have osteopenia, so I have to take calc/mag & Vit D and Boron. I also take all the B vits, CoQ10, Vit C, Selenium, Zinc, and Omega 3.

Thanks again.

[ggreg]

Hey Jenni,
I read your thread here, I have thoracic spine issues, so I think you do indeed need to have either CAT scan or MRI of your spine.  When I broke my back in three places in the T-spine, those nerves go around the chest, and at the time made it very hard for me to breathe.  Also, I've had thyroid problems, and keeping the dose right is challenging for docs, so of course keep up with the visits to the endocrinologist.  While they're figuring your spasms out, I have a few suggestions to sort of help you relax your abdomen.

Lay down in a quiet low-lit room, flat on the floor with your legs bent, and do some deep breathing.  Rub your tummy with a flat hand, soft but firm, in a clockwise motion at the same time.  Also, focus on an object in the room that catches a light, just stay with it and empty your brain of all thoughts.  Do this for ten minutes a couple times a day.  

Another thing is, they ought to put you on better spasm type drugs, in the category of the barbituates as epilepsy medicine, the doc needs to find one that will not dry you out and constipate you.  Lastly, even tho your bloodwork says all is well, I think you should take extra B vitamins, extra calcium and vitamin D, keep protein going especially eggs for the omega3s, and consume probiotics once a week just to keep you digestion completely straight since it's a disaster when it goofs up.  These are just my suggestions, take what you want and leave the rest.