Guest guest Posted February 29, 2004 Report Share Posted February 29, 2004 > mention of muscle spasms. Mine seem to come on during > the evening and night time, mostly on the operated > side, but they've also bothered me on the non-operated > side also. They're really painful and annoying. Was > there anything specific that helped relieve this for > you? Hi Jim, First advice, don't go to bed unless you are tired. If I had slept in till noon, or had a long afternoon nap, there was no point in me even trying to sleep until 2 a.m. the next night, and if I laid awake in bed I would get spasms for sure. If I was reading in bed and started to get them, it helped to get up and walk around for fifteen minutes before going back to bed. The absolute best help was some kind of narcotic, a tranquilizer with a muscle relaxant included. I had that for three nights in the hospital in England, but unfortunately I don't remember what it was called, as I never saw the label, they just brought it to me in a little cup. Plus most of the drugs have English names that are different from the North American names, so I didn't recognize it. It would help me get to sleep and although I'd have to get up once at night to use the bathroom, I could usually get back to sleep fairly easily. I asked them for something when the spasms were just driving me crazy on the second night post-op (the first night I was on morphine). I'm sure it requires a prescription, because they told me it's highly addictive and they wouldn't even give me any for my first night out of hospital. Since they gave me lots of other drugs to take home, I'll bet it's on some restricted list. I also found breathing extra oxygen was somewhat helpful in the hospital, but they didn't really like me to do that. I figured out how to turn on the oxygen tank myself and take a few puffs occasionally when the nurses weren't around (I had a private room). The first few days post-op I tended to get lightheaded when I'd try to get up, so I would inhale a few puffs then. I think some of these problems occurred because I normally have very low blood pressure, and it was even lower post-surgery, although I'm pretty sure they didn't give me a transfusion. Sunita's advice to take calcium works sometimes for me. If I've already taken Robaxacet (there is also Robaxisal, with aspirin in it, or some kind of Robax Platinum, with ibuprofen in it), and I'm still having major spasms an hour later, I often find that getting up and walking around plus taking calcium helps. I don't take calcium on a regular basis because if one doesn't have osteoporosis the doctors don't like you to take calcium for at least a few months after the operation, in case you might grow bone spurs or some other bone thickening while your bones are healing from the surgery. I don't know if you had muscle spasms before your surgery (who did it, and what kind of insert did you have?) but I did. They were caused by my hip " locking up " four years ago, and then got to be a nightly occurrence after I fell and tore a ligament in my lower back about two years ago. However, the pain from the spasms and the " restless leg syndrome " were much worse for the first few weeks after surgery. I only have a 4.5 " incision, and they had to twist my leg around a lot to operate, so my knee was turned inward a lot, post-surgery, and I'm sure my muscles were all out of alignment. Plus I had a lot of purple pools of blood that looked like bruising, and a lot of numb spots in my thigh. Once I was past the six week mark and could bend my operated leg in more directions, the bruising, numbness and spasms seemed to gradually improve. I seem to get worse spasms when I'm sleeping on my back. If I roll over and try to sleep on my side (which you may not be able to do yet), they sometimes go away without any intervention. I think relaxation exercises and stretching help a bit too. The more tense you feel, the worse you will cramp up. Before my operation, I twice ended up going to our local hospital emergency room in the middle of the night, because I was just doubled over with pain, and the stress made it even worse. They gave me a shot of demerol, which seemed to help. Demerol is also available in pill form in Canada, but I'm sure you need a prescription for it. I was pretty careful to try not to do too much too soon, but still had a couple of times when I jarred my leg in a direction it wasn't ready to go, and that really caused pain and spasms (and they did seem to be a lot worse in the evening and at night). So don't give up the crutches or cane before your doctor says it's OK. Hang in there, you will feel a lot better in a few weeks. n rBHR Oct.17/03 McMinn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 29, 2004 Report Share Posted February 29, 2004 > mention of muscle spasms. Mine seem to come on during > the evening and night time, mostly on the operated > side, but they've also bothered me on the non-operated > side also. They're really painful and annoying. Was > there anything specific that helped relieve this for > you? Hi Jim, First advice, don't go to bed unless you are tired. If I had slept in till noon, or had a long afternoon nap, there was no point in me even trying to sleep until 2 a.m. the next night, and if I laid awake in bed I would get spasms for sure. If I was reading in bed and started to get them, it helped to get up and walk around for fifteen minutes before going back to bed. The absolute best help was some kind of narcotic, a tranquilizer with a muscle relaxant included. I had that for three nights in the hospital in England, but unfortunately I don't remember what it was called, as I never saw the label, they just brought it to me in a little cup. Plus most of the drugs have English names that are different from the North American names, so I didn't recognize it. It would help me get to sleep and although I'd have to get up once at night to use the bathroom, I could usually get back to sleep fairly easily. I asked them for something when the spasms were just driving me crazy on the second night post-op (the first night I was on morphine). I'm sure it requires a prescription, because they told me it's highly addictive and they wouldn't even give me any for my first night out of hospital. Since they gave me lots of other drugs to take home, I'll bet it's on some restricted list. I also found breathing extra oxygen was somewhat helpful in the hospital, but they didn't really like me to do that. I figured out how to turn on the oxygen tank myself and take a few puffs occasionally when the nurses weren't around (I had a private room). The first few days post-op I tended to get lightheaded when I'd try to get up, so I would inhale a few puffs then. I think some of these problems occurred because I normally have very low blood pressure, and it was even lower post-surgery, although I'm pretty sure they didn't give me a transfusion. Sunita's advice to take calcium works sometimes for me. If I've already taken Robaxacet (there is also Robaxisal, with aspirin in it, or some kind of Robax Platinum, with ibuprofen in it), and I'm still having major spasms an hour later, I often find that getting up and walking around plus taking calcium helps. I don't take calcium on a regular basis because if one doesn't have osteoporosis the doctors don't like you to take calcium for at least a few months after the operation, in case you might grow bone spurs or some other bone thickening while your bones are healing from the surgery. I don't know if you had muscle spasms before your surgery (who did it, and what kind of insert did you have?) but I did. They were caused by my hip " locking up " four years ago, and then got to be a nightly occurrence after I fell and tore a ligament in my lower back about two years ago. However, the pain from the spasms and the " restless leg syndrome " were much worse for the first few weeks after surgery. I only have a 4.5 " incision, and they had to twist my leg around a lot to operate, so my knee was turned inward a lot, post-surgery, and I'm sure my muscles were all out of alignment. Plus I had a lot of purple pools of blood that looked like bruising, and a lot of numb spots in my thigh. Once I was past the six week mark and could bend my operated leg in more directions, the bruising, numbness and spasms seemed to gradually improve. I seem to get worse spasms when I'm sleeping on my back. If I roll over and try to sleep on my side (which you may not be able to do yet), they sometimes go away without any intervention. I think relaxation exercises and stretching help a bit too. The more tense you feel, the worse you will cramp up. Before my operation, I twice ended up going to our local hospital emergency room in the middle of the night, because I was just doubled over with pain, and the stress made it even worse. They gave me a shot of demerol, which seemed to help. Demerol is also available in pill form in Canada, but I'm sure you need a prescription for it. I was pretty careful to try not to do too much too soon, but still had a couple of times when I jarred my leg in a direction it wasn't ready to go, and that really caused pain and spasms (and they did seem to be a lot worse in the evening and at night). So don't give up the crutches or cane before your doctor says it's OK. Hang in there, you will feel a lot better in a few weeks. n rBHR Oct.17/03 McMinn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 29, 2004 Report Share Posted February 29, 2004 > mention of muscle spasms. Mine seem to come on during > the evening and night time, mostly on the operated > side, but they've also bothered me on the non-operated > side also. They're really painful and annoying. Was > there anything specific that helped relieve this for > you? Hi Jim, First advice, don't go to bed unless you are tired. If I had slept in till noon, or had a long afternoon nap, there was no point in me even trying to sleep until 2 a.m. the next night, and if I laid awake in bed I would get spasms for sure. If I was reading in bed and started to get them, it helped to get up and walk around for fifteen minutes before going back to bed. The absolute best help was some kind of narcotic, a tranquilizer with a muscle relaxant included. I had that for three nights in the hospital in England, but unfortunately I don't remember what it was called, as I never saw the label, they just brought it to me in a little cup. Plus most of the drugs have English names that are different from the North American names, so I didn't recognize it. It would help me get to sleep and although I'd have to get up once at night to use the bathroom, I could usually get back to sleep fairly easily. I asked them for something when the spasms were just driving me crazy on the second night post-op (the first night I was on morphine). I'm sure it requires a prescription, because they told me it's highly addictive and they wouldn't even give me any for my first night out of hospital. Since they gave me lots of other drugs to take home, I'll bet it's on some restricted list. I also found breathing extra oxygen was somewhat helpful in the hospital, but they didn't really like me to do that. I figured out how to turn on the oxygen tank myself and take a few puffs occasionally when the nurses weren't around (I had a private room). The first few days post-op I tended to get lightheaded when I'd try to get up, so I would inhale a few puffs then. I think some of these problems occurred because I normally have very low blood pressure, and it was even lower post-surgery, although I'm pretty sure they didn't give me a transfusion. Sunita's advice to take calcium works sometimes for me. If I've already taken Robaxacet (there is also Robaxisal, with aspirin in it, or some kind of Robax Platinum, with ibuprofen in it), and I'm still having major spasms an hour later, I often find that getting up and walking around plus taking calcium helps. I don't take calcium on a regular basis because if one doesn't have osteoporosis the doctors don't like you to take calcium for at least a few months after the operation, in case you might grow bone spurs or some other bone thickening while your bones are healing from the surgery. I don't know if you had muscle spasms before your surgery (who did it, and what kind of insert did you have?) but I did. They were caused by my hip " locking up " four years ago, and then got to be a nightly occurrence after I fell and tore a ligament in my lower back about two years ago. However, the pain from the spasms and the " restless leg syndrome " were much worse for the first few weeks after surgery. I only have a 4.5 " incision, and they had to twist my leg around a lot to operate, so my knee was turned inward a lot, post-surgery, and I'm sure my muscles were all out of alignment. Plus I had a lot of purple pools of blood that looked like bruising, and a lot of numb spots in my thigh. Once I was past the six week mark and could bend my operated leg in more directions, the bruising, numbness and spasms seemed to gradually improve. I seem to get worse spasms when I'm sleeping on my back. If I roll over and try to sleep on my side (which you may not be able to do yet), they sometimes go away without any intervention. I think relaxation exercises and stretching help a bit too. The more tense you feel, the worse you will cramp up. Before my operation, I twice ended up going to our local hospital emergency room in the middle of the night, because I was just doubled over with pain, and the stress made it even worse. They gave me a shot of demerol, which seemed to help. Demerol is also available in pill form in Canada, but I'm sure you need a prescription for it. I was pretty careful to try not to do too much too soon, but still had a couple of times when I jarred my leg in a direction it wasn't ready to go, and that really caused pain and spasms (and they did seem to be a lot worse in the evening and at night). So don't give up the crutches or cane before your doctor says it's OK. Hang in there, you will feel a lot better in a few weeks. n rBHR Oct.17/03 McMinn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 > > after stopping my 2nd round of dmsa 25mg last week, the pain that i > thought was from my kidneys turned out to be muscular. the pain got > worse and worse until i was in total agony. i couldnt walk or even > crawl. i have had spasms like this be before due to my ankylosing > spond but these just wont stop. > i was admitted to hospital on monday and have been on morphine and > diazipam to control pain without much success. no doc is prepared to > admit the link between mercury and AS . > my kidney and liver tests are fine. > what can i do? i am so scared to continue chelation at a lower dose > whilst in such agony. TK--- you can wait until it gets better. I always suggest people start with lower dosages as problems like this do happen and starting low is safer. the hosp wont let me see a toxicologist. TK--- if you are able, see whatever kind of doctor you need to on your own if it is necessary, don't wait for them to understand or help much at a hospital. > has the mercury redistributed so much that i have dmaged myself? TK-- possibly you have moved some Hg into an area where it is causing problems or is > the worst thing i can do now stop? TK--- see if it continues or starts to subside. you can then decide if you want to try another round at a much lower dosage to try and move this Hg out of the area causing the problem or wait. TK--- are you still in as much pain ? > please please help me > charlie > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2007 Report Share Posted March 15, 2007 Charlie...I've had foot cramps towards a round's end which were quite painful. Whenever this occurs for me I was able to alleviate the spasm with a homemade rehydration drink. Strangely just drinking plain water during a foot cramp made it much worse. I believe this is due to the extremeties reliance on the ionic pull of the plasma. Mercury interferes with the ionic activity of the blood by blocking potassium apparently. Homemade rehydration drink: 950 mL water 1/2 tsp salt (preferably sea salt) 1/2 tsp baking soda 3 to 4 Tbsp sugar (personally I use 3 Tbsp brown sugar but even better replace this with a large spoonful of raw honey dissolved in warm water) This drink could rot your teeth so treat it as medicine and use it only when needed. 'watercure2.org' has more info on muscle spasms. One other symptom that I encountered during a round that I cured with the rehydration drink is heart tremors. Some sort of sharp pain that referred from my heart area up my left arm. Hope this helps Willem charliewoodburn wrote: > after stopping my 2nd round of dmsa 25mg last week, the pain that i > thought was from my kidneys turned out to be muscular. the pain got > worse and worse until i was in total agony. i couldnt walk or even > crawl. i have had spasms like this be before due to my ankylosing > spond but these just wont stop. > i was admitted to hospital on monday and have been on morphine and > diazipam to control pain without much success. no doc is prepared to > admit the link between mercury and AS . > my kidney and liver tests are fine. > what can i do? i am so scared to continue chelation at a lower dose > whilst in such agony. the hosp wont let me see a toxicologist. > has the mercury redistributed so much that i have dmaged myself? or is > the worst thing i can do now stop? > please please help me > charlie > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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