Severe spasms that look like seizures

[Sugarflowers]

Does ANYONE have bouts of muscle spasms/contractions that look like a grand mal seizure?

My "episodes" start with minor tendon pulls that escalate into full body spasms. I have been told that this issue is not possible with MS. These spasms twist my left arm to the left and dig my nails into my palm. At their worst, I am doing involuntary situps and V-scrunches.

These spasms ate triggered by some medications, paint fumes, cigarette smoke or smell for more than a few minutes, extreme fatigue that includes extreme leg pain.

Has anyone had anything similar to this?

Please help.

Michele

[jumpinjiminy]

It's possible there could be more than one dx there. SMS might also caused by antibodies. I think the most recent research on it places it on the autoimmune spectrum of diseases. If you have one, there might be more lurking in the background waiting for a chance to erupt.

The way the hospital staff treated you in the midst of this is shameful. Muscle spasms can be powerful enough to break bone. It sounds like they were dumbfounded and had no idea what to do. Good for you, filing a complaint.

Having experienced a severe mid-section spasm or two, baclofen helped take the edge off but not by much. If I remember correctly, stiff man syndrome is treated with benzodiazapenes. Not sure if that stops the episodes. It might just tone them down a tad.

Hopefully, there's a specialist nearby familiar with dystonia, SMS and MS. It might be necessary to go to a specialty clinic, like Cleveland or Mayo to find out for sure.

Best wishes in finding someone to help with this. It sounds frightening, and miserable. :-(

[supermum_ms]

Ohhhh sorry, I should also make a point that having a dx of MS or anything else doesn't negate the possibilities of 'also' having mental health issues too but already having a dx neurological condition such as MS can actually cause mental health issues.

Just a thought but have you had your muscles activity tested? i'm also wondering if the dreaded 'MS Hug' could be within the possibilities too, its not often understood by dr's outside of MS. Has your neurologist said anything about these 'fits' or spasms?

I have intercostal muscle spasms, that literally pull my ribcage down whilst in the hard contraction and then they release, its half my ribcage very visible, if your gut (sorry forgotten the technical term) muscles are contracting because of the HUG then i think the evidence is found in the spine.

Just thinking out loud but have you had a full spinal MRI looking for lesions? If you haven't then i'd be getting that posibility tested too and i would make sure your neuro is doing 'something' to help you, if not then find your self another neuro who totally understands MS.

Cheers............JJ

[supermum_ms]

It would be out of charactor for me, if I didn't point out that mental health can actually mimic seizures and many other medical conditions, so mental health isn't outside the posibities. Assuming that you have numerous times since your fits started, have been 'fully' tested for abnormal brain activity and apart from the visual 'similarities', none of the testing (EEG, MRI, Blood etc) have indicated what you experience, could be from a physiological etimology.

Apart from being 'told' its psychological, have you ever been tested for mental health? I'm assuming you haven't or you would of mentioned this, please find your courage and face this possibility, and get a full mental health assessment. This will provide you with 2 things:
1) If you do have a mental health issue, you can start treatment and change your tomorrows!
2) If you dont have a mental health issue, you have another diagnostic peice of evidence that you can use to shut down the idea its mental health!

Either way its a win win situation for you, if you get assessed for mental health along with all the other possibilities. Please dont neglect mental health testing because your thinking it would mean these fits are not real. They are real despite what causes them, its the treatment and outcome that change with a correct dx.

Truthfully, it shouldn't make a difference to you or anyone, what is causing you to experience these fits, what you should be looking for, is for them to either stop or be more under control by getting the 'correct' medical treatments available to you. From my perspective, it shouldn't matter if it is mental health or not, finding a solution that changes your tomorrows needs to be the primary focus, so get tested and know for sure!

Cheers...........JJ    

[jensequitur]

While I haven't experienced full-body spasms, I do have a problem with clonus of the torso and legs.  The legs and torso stiffen and stretch out, or curl up.

Full-body muscle spasms aren't usually seen with MS.  Dystonia sounds more like what you're experiencing, but I don't know enough to say for sure.  Usually dystonia comes from damage to the basal ganglia, and MS damage is usually in the white matter (at least the visible damage is!)

Just at a guess, perhaps it's MS disease activity that appears to be a full-body spasm.  You definitely need a health professional on your side that can treat you.

[SarahL2491]

I don't know where you live but I certainly would pursue the hospital with a complaint.  What they did is not too legal....did you sign discharge papers?

[SarahL2491]

the fact that fumes bother you and bring on these attacks, for lack of a better term, concerns me that it is connected with some sort of an allergic condition, not your MS.

Just a thought