What helps pains in feet?

[Jennagreen]

I have been diagnosed with probable CIS and given a 60% chance of conversion to CDMS. I have a lesion and some compression of the spinal cord from a disk herniation (which casts some doubt of cause of lesion), and positive LP. I had numb feet which ascended to numbness from the waist down on rear side and groin, and some weakness in toes and balance problems. Strength and balance are improved and numbness mainly just in feet again, but I am also getting weird sporadic pains in my feet and sometimes lower legs/inner calf. They are not always in the same place, but lately I have been getting them off and on every day.  It is easier to deal with because it is not constant but they are getting more troublesome. They usually last anywhere from a few minutes to a couple hours at most. Can anyone shed light on what might be causing this and what might help? Do NSAIDS or tylenol help at all? Other meds?  Supplements? Stretching? Holding the painful area and putting firm pressure on it seems to help sometimes.

[kwarendorf]

RE : FB Formatting - Been there, done tha. :-)

[Jennagreen]

Thanks so much! Sorry I forgot about the formatting I am used to doing as one post on Fb because page breaks will post before your are done.

[kwarendorf]

Hi Jenna - Many of our friends have visual issues that make reading large blocks of text difficult, if not impossible. I have taken the liberty of breaking up your last post.

I emailed my neurologist about it. The pain gets worse in hot weather. To describe them they feel like a deep ache sometimes sharp ache but  specific to a location. So yesterday I was getting the sharp pains down the back on one leg worse when I walked. Sometimes I get it along the inside of my calf. And they seem to pop up all over in my feet...sometimes the arch, right now my right heel is aching a bit, sometimes my toes.

I have never been one to get muscle cramps but I think they might feel like that. My neurologist seems to think it is from the spinal cord damage I have and said some patients are helped by advil or tylenol, or stretching. I haven't taken these consistently but when I have I haven't noticed a difference in the pain, but I may try to take more.

She offered me gabapentin, which she said I could take all the time or as needed...I need to look into this more but I thought from what I've heard this drug is pretty heavy duty and you need to take it a few days to get full effects. I may get a prescription for when it is worse, but I really don't want to be on a heavy med like that all the time if I can get a reasonable amount of pain control through other methods.

My husband gave me a brilliant idea last night which was to put an ice pack on the part of my spine where we know the damage is and that did seem to help, so I will be experimenting with that more.

Has anyone here used medical cannabis for control of neuropathic pain? I used it 8-10 years ago when I was having very severe nerve pain for months at a time from nerve compression in my neck and all my idiot doctor gave me was nsaids which helped not at all and opiates which did not help that much(dulled my head and perception of pain but not the pain itself) and made me want to sleep all the time. I was miserable and had to sleep on ice packs and take max doses of opiates to sleep at all, and I'd awaken as soon as they started to wear off.  

I finally got a medical recommendation for cannabis from a clinic and found it more effective than the opiates, less sedating and allowed me to retain mental function to work. It also seemed to actually shorten the duration of the episodes and in one case head it off completely. I have changed some ergonomic and lifestyle factors which I thought were contributing and haven't had a problem with it in years, though the degeneration and stenosis in my neck is now worse according to MRI. I'm not sure if ithe cannabis would work well for these sporadic come and go pains, the idea of something I could take only as needed that has instant effect is very appealing though, if it would work.

I don't currently have medical access and don't want to go through that whole process if it might not work that well when used only as needed and I really want to avoid taking anything constantly if possible...has anyone used cannabis sporadically for neuropathic pain here and have you found it effective?

[Jennagreen]

I emailed my neurologist about it. The pain gets worse in hot weather. To describe them they feel like a deep ache sometimes sharp ache but  specific to a location. So yesterday I was getting the sharp pains down the back on one leg worse when I walked. Sometimes I get it along the inside of my calf. And they seem to pop up all over in my feet...sometimes the arch, right now my right heel is aching a bit, sometimes my toes. I have never been one to get muscle cramps but I think they might feel like that. My neurologist seems to think it is from the spinal cord damage I have and said some patients are helped by advil or tylenol, or stretching. I haven't taken these consistently but when I have I haven't noticed a difference in the pain, but I may try to take more. She offered me gabapentin, which she said I could take all the time or as needed...I need to look into this more but I thought from what I've heard this drug is pretty heavy duty and you need to take it a few days to get full effects. I may get a prescription for when it is worse, but I really don't want to be on a heavy med like that all the time if I can get a reasonable amount of pain control through other methods. My husband gave me a brilliant idea last night which was to put an ice pack on the part of my spine where we know the damage is and that did seem to help, so I will be experimenting with that more. Has anyone here used medical cannabis for control of neuropathic pain? I used it 8-10 years ago when I was having very severe nerve pain for months at a time from nerve compression in my neck and all my idiot doctor gave me was nsaids which helped not at all and opiates which did not help that much(dulled my head and perception of pain but not the pain itself) and made me want to sleep all the time. I was miserable and had to sleep on ice packs and take max doses of opiates to sleep at all, and I'd awaken as soon as they started to wear off.  I finally got a medical recommendation for cannabis from a clinic and found it more effective than the opiates, less sedating and allowed me to retain mental function to work. It also seemed to actually shorten the duration of the episodes and in one case head it off completely. I have changed some ergonomic and lifestyle factors which I thought were contributing and haven't had a problem with it in years, though the degeneration and stenosis in my neck is now worse according to MRI. I'm not sure if ithe cannabis would work well for these sporadic come and go pains, the idea of something I could take only as needed that has instant effect is very appealing though, if it would work. I don't currently have medical access and don't want to go through that whole process if it might not work that well when used only as needed and I really want to avoid taking anything constantly if possible...has anyone used cannabis sporadically for neuropathic pain here and have you found it effective?

[kwarendorf]

As Ess said, one of MS's little gifts is neuropathic pain. Pain centers get faulty messages transmitted over damaged nerve pathways. They fire for no reason because they think they're supposed to.

Neuropathic pain does not typically respond to PT, stretching, NSAID's etc. These approaches treat physical issues, and with neuropathic pain there is nothing physically wrong.

Neuropathic pain does seem to respond to seemingly unrelated drugs and drug combinations. Antidepressants and anti seizure meds seem to work for many. In my case a combination of the two relieves my neuropathic foot pain. I take a combination of Lyrica (anti seizure) and Elavil (antidepressant).

Finding the right drug or combination can take a bit of trial and error. But once you do the relief can be dramatic.

Kyle

[byyygrace]

I don't want to hijack this post but I was wondering what kind of pain you have? I went to a pain management specialist and he said he couldn't do anything for me, I'm so tired of hurting 24/7.

Thanks,
Colin

[HVAC]

It depends on what is causing the pain. If it is nerve pain then certain medications work. If it is muscle cramps muscle relaxants. Sometimes you need a combination. My MS Specialist sent me to a pain clinic years ago. They have had to tinker with different things but my pain is well controlled. One medication does not work on all MSers.

Mostly I over do standing or riding or something and pay for it for a week or two.

I do therapeutic riding which helps with my back pain. I swim and do yoga. Stretching helps

I suffered needlessly with pain for too many years. I tell people now even if you do not have a diagnosis address the pain. I waited until years after I was diagnosed.


Alex

[essdipity]

Before you can treat this it's wise to see a physical therapist for a professional opinion. It's possible, though less likely, that you are having spasms, in which case a muscle relaxant can help. There are several on the market, all prescription. Members here have lots of experience with the various drugs.

It's also possible that problems walking are at the root of this. When this happens we tend to compensate, and can unconsciously really mess up our gaits and body positioning. Those with this issue often do better with braces of one kind or another.

Another possibility and maybe the most likely is that you're having neuropathic pain, which actually is a kind of paresthesia. In that case, nothing is wrong with your legs or feet, but it's sensory nerves that are misfiring due to demyelination. I have this in a major way in my right lower leg and foot. I take a hefty dose of Gabapentin/Neurontin for this. Others have more success with Pregabalin/Lyrica.

Depending on the cause, stretching and ongoing physical therapy may be needed. If MS is the ultimate culprit, over-the-counter meds will not be effective. If you haven't yet looked at our Health Pages (link at bottom below), check them out. There's lots on these issues.

Hope this helps.
ess