Muscle cramps/spasms

[JemmAus]

Hi everyone

haven't been in for a while as have had a symptom-free period for a month or so.

Quick question:

Are muscle cramps/spasms that appear out of the blue (doing literally NOTHING) across your thoracic (I think I spelled that wrong) region an MS symptom? Or just tough luck?

I have a huge spasm across my back, over my ribs, which started this morning, when i was just sitting in a chair drinking coffee.

Cheers,

Jemm

[doni54]

Hi Jem & Udkas,

Two after my own heart.  Horses were my passion and I miss them so much!!  Would love to have a property big enough to have at least one horse. Or to be truthful a menagerie, I love all animals!!  I'm down to one 2 yr old female bloodhound, named Sadie, at the present and she is a handful.

I too have the spasms down my back and across my ribcage.  Ewwwww.....it hurts!!  Never had them before 2007 and now they just show themselves at least once a week.  Haven't had my spine MRI yet, have to wait and see what's up.  

Brain MRI was clear so wondering if the spine will show anything.  I'm praying for a dx soon!!

Take care and Jem, let us know how things are going.

doni

[Udkas]

Hi Jemma,
Qland is so hot, I live in cold old Tas.  Midget looks cute.  I don't ride well enough to event or never did, riding is my midlife crisis, I'm not that great at it but I love it and most of my problems aren't to the level that I can't do it anymore but I do notice my weakness when riding and if I get hot and tired I seem to spasm more....

I doubt if a lesion would cause gastric reflux but I really don't know.

Jen the more you talk about your symptoms they sound so much like mine, and my neuro says definate spine!!! So I would get your MRI done on a better machine if you can, mind you I can't say that they have found any lesions for me either but... I guess they must be there or something is going on with my spine.

Take care,
Cheers,
Udkas.

[jensequitur]

Jemm, I can't say for sure if a thoracic lesion would cause gastric reflux.  I have gastric reflux and frequent cramps around my sternum, and my esophagus cramps up as well.  Without a for-sure real MRI of my thoracic, I won't know what the cause is.  I've had one at .7 Tesla, but it was basically useless.

[JemmAus]

Oh, Udkas, the midget pony mentioned above is the one in my profile pic...

[JemmAus]

G'day Udkas,
Yeah, love the ponies, though I haven't ridden for years now. I own a midget shetland/welsh cross (10.2hh) bomb proof (unless a lizard or snake appears) old bloke who taught the kids to ride and is broken to harness. He now lives in Gundaroo (outside Canberra) at a freind's farm while I'm living in Brisbane. I used to do eventing in my brazen, fearless youth but now spectating is about my limit. I too have owned a myraid of animals over the years - 19 at one point - from horses to goats to shep, chooks plus the usual cats and dogs and cockateils. Down to one aged cocker spaniel now.

I am wondering if lesions in the thoracic area also cause gastric reflux? I've been suffering from that as well as this stupid spasm.

As to "being relaxed" for an LP, you've got as much chance of me being relaxed during that as GW Bush becoming a good public speaker! I think I would need sedating.

I'm a single mum so I don't have any bloke to massage, though my 22yo hippy son rubbed some deep heat on it this mornign before he ran off to work just now. It's not as bad today.

The heat and humidity here are really bad right now, so I am wondering if that is exacerbating the problem.

This is so annoying (as you all know). But at least I'm one of the lucky ones who gets a break now and then........

Cheers,
jemm

[Udkas]

Hi there,
a fellow Aussie and a horse lover!! Sorry I love horses, dogs and cats (got them all)  I too get the muscle spasms that you are talking about and although I am undx my neuro believes that I have lesion/or lesions in my thoracic spine.

Good luck with your MRI. I hope you have some answers and a nice neuro.  Don't be scared of the LP.  Most people seem to have a good experience and yes like anything there are some that will tell you otherwise and experience otherwise but generally most people don't have a hard time and I think if you are relaxed it has to make it better.

I am having my LP in two weeks time and I'm looking forward to it (highlight on my calendar as I'm hoping it will give me an answer).

All the best,
Udkas

[jensequitur]

Ooh, ouch!  I've been getting little pains around my ribcage, but nothing that bad!  Do you have a honey around that can massage that muscle and give you some mobility back?  If not, you might consider getting a therapeutic massage.

[JemmAus]

Quix, no not dx yet, but saw an MS specialist neuro in November and she said my brain lesions show both MS-type and migraine ones. She ordered a full spine MRI and LP. I'm having the spine mri this month....bit scared of the LP.... i've done masses of stretches (carefully and slowly!) and it's not as bad as this morning. it was so awful this morning my right shoulder was about 4 inches lower than my left, while stadning straight.

So it'll be interesting to see if there's a thoracic lesion....

Thanks both of you.

[Quixotic1]

I agree with Jen.  One way to look at a proglem is:  "Do normal people get this?"  In the case of spasms around your chest the answer is a decided "No."  So, yes, this would be due to MS.  Are you diagnosed?  I looked on the diagnosis list and didn't see you.

This kind of spasm is due to a lesion in the thoracic cord.

Quix

[jensequitur]

Yeah, I think so.  We can't blame everything on MS, but when I get muscle spasms and cramps out of nowhere, I blame it on the disease.