Hi Miss Vicki!
I am glad you are going to be covering this topic...a lot of people ask about pain and MS. I have been fortunate to only have sporadic but manageable pain...mostly in my leg muscles from spasms. I really feel for the folk who have more serious pain issues with their MS.
You know what I have been experiencing lately is itching. I read about this...intense itching that you cannot scratch away...have you ever had this symptom?
Just trying to catch up here...excellent article as always. I do want to learn more about this topic.
Oh Merely Me,
Yes, MS is a big pain, a major inconvenience, and just plain crummy. The type and intensity of pain certainly differs between us, and some of us have none at all. Lucky them! Pain is another one of those MS characteristics that is just an individual thing.
I have never personally felt the itching like you describe, but it is common among MSers. As you mentioned, scratching is not the cure. I wish you luck dealing with this irritating symptom.
As always thank you for your kind words.
I too experience the intense itching on my hands. It seems to get worse at night. I usually experience the itching when I am working too much and I have not gotten enough rest. That is when I slow down. Then I know my body is telling me I need to rest and take some time off. I do and it helps. Luckily as soon as I do rest the itching goes away within a couple of days. I also use Aveeno Moisturizing Lotion and massage it onto my hands. I will not scratch. I know its hard not too. Believe me I know. But I massage the lotion in and that seems to help also.
My mother, who also had MS, used to get severe pain in her jaw. I wondered on and off whether I would ever get MS, and at the age of 51, I did. But pain does not seem to be part of it. The MS hit first and harder on my right leg; it affects my left leg far less. I seem to be unaffected entirely above the waist. Yet I occasionally have acute pain in my left thigh high on the outside.
It feels like a screwdriver point being jammed in. The sensation goes away after a few moments. I have come to associate it with being dehydrated. When I feel it, I drink an eight ounce bottle of water, and usually the symptom goes away. I do not even know if it has anything to do with the MS.
As for medication, I just don't unless there is a very good reason. I self medicate an 81 milligram pill of aspirin a day a precaution against heart problems. I take a pill a day for prostate problems, and a pill a day for high blood pressure. But I take no other medication, even though I have prescriptions for plenty more. Michael Jackson syndrome I do not have. So as I finish writing, I feel a slight stabbing in my upper outer left thigh, and so will post this and take a drink of water. Who knows? It might be MS, but who cares? I just deal with it.
Hi David,
I relate to your screwdriver jabbing, because I have one in my head that is constant. I have always described it as a railroad tie spike, but a screwdriver is probably more realistic. I don’t think I have ever seen a railroad tie spike and one is probably bigger than my whole head. The point is it goes in directly over my ear halfway through my head and it has been there for years. I met a woman who had one in the same place.
Either I am getting used to it or it is becoming more intermittent than constant because sometimes I am more aware of it than other times. You are so lucky the water works. I haven’t heard that before, but I do drink a lot of water. Like you, I just deal with it. What else can we do?
You always have interesting stories.
Hi Vicki, good article!
I am in pain all the time!! Most recently I had an MS attack (last month) and my left lower leg and my right forearm have been in chronic pain since. My forearm feels like a dull pain and I feel like stretching my fingers constantly. Like having RLS but in my arm. My lower left leg starts to ache at about 6pm everynight and thru the night. I am wondering if this is fake pain?
Donna
Hi Donna,
No, it is not fake pain. When your brain tells you you hurt -- you HURT, you really hurt. The idea of neuropathic pain is not that it is unreal, but that it is not necessarily the result of a physical stimulus like a bump or cut. Other people may not be able to see a bruise, but you can still feel the pain.
Sometimes neuropathic pain is caused by nerve damage that is always present but only painful when triggered. And that trigger may be something as simple as breathing. Even when the pain cannot be traced to specific nerve damage, remember that multiple sclerosis is a central nervous system condition where the entire nervous system is damaged.
There is no doubt the pain you are feeling is real.
Dear Vicki, Just found this article reading about something else unrelated...glad I did! I was diagnosed in 1995 at 42 years old with benign MS. No initial pain other than what I call "shooters" in my right wrist - the needle stabbing, gasping-out- aloud, freaking coworkers out, stop-what-you-are-doing and wait-til-it-passes pain. I found that Lamaze techniques work- relax everything and visualize what's going on. About a year ago I started getting throbbing/aching pain down the back of one leg or both accompanied by spasticity and drop foot-type symptoms and strength loos on the right. Again need to stop, lay down for about 1/2 hour and it's relieved. I take a couple of Aleve in the morning to stave off the worst along with vitamins, super mega fish oil and try to eat protein to keep strength up. Not on any MS drugs and don't want to be! It's now all about body time management, knowing what you can do and can't. Thanks again! Viv
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Vickie, your article is excellent and made me think of my past pains. I frequently get a very strong burning sensation in my lower arms, theighs, and middle of my torso (all sides). It feels as though I have a lit match hovering just below or above my skin. I can't stand for even the lightest of clothing to touch the affected area. It's just too painful. It usually last for two - five days. There is no redness or warmth in the affected area, just intense pain. Is this one of the items you are talking about? Is this a possible MS-related pain? Thanks for writing the article. Linda
Hi Linda,
Yes, this is exactly the type of pain I am talking about. In fact, my next topic covers in detail of neuropathic pain. I have read quite a bit about this burning sensation, but your description of the hovering match gives a very clear picture. Although several of the pain types mention burning pain, individual descriptions clarify the symptom, and each in a different way.