Those strange little aches and pains

Having MS is, in all honesty, an adventure. This may sound strange at first, however, and it probably depends on your particular frame of mind, but each day brings with it both new challenges and new experiences.

For example, a any person grows older the sudden appearance of little aches and pains is perhaps anticipated by most people. We often see the elderly bent double with aches and pains and then accompany this sight by giving you a run down of various organ failures and the onset of age related diseases. I am not ridiculing the elderly, do not misunderstand me, I am merely pointing out what most of us have experienced at some point in our life. However, when a person in their thirties, suffering from MS, suddenly complains about similar things, it is seldom regarded in the same matter-of-fact way. Usually, people fall into one of two groups, namely the sympathetic and the incredulous.

But these little aches and pains are as annoying as they are cumbersome. Painkillers can be used, but it does not always help. Besides, if you are like me, then you do not take many pills, and thus feel the burn. The pains I suffer from most on an almost daily basis are "my brain pains" which are more than headaches. These are short sharp stabbing pains in my head, and I would prefer a headache to these anytime. The other pains are "my deep bone pains" which usually occur in the limbs. They are hard to describe but the best I can do is to say that it feels like the surface of the bone in my limb is being crushed very slowly. Yep, I knew it ... now you think I am weird, but this is what it feels like. The pain is deep beneath the muscle and no matter how you stretch or twist your limb, it does not go away. No! It does not resemble the pains you experience after a heavy workout at the gym, which are normally muscular pains. These are much deeper than those.

Personally, I always feel the need to stretch or twist the limb in order to alleviate the discomfort. Today is one of the days that I am feeling such a pain ... only this time the pain is in my feet. It feels like walking on sharp stones with bare feet, which would be a silly thing to do in the best of health ... and I suppose there is some curious custom somewhere in the world where this activity would be admired and rewarded ... but moving swiftly on ... it rather clashes with my fetching and suave manner of almost knuckle-walking wherever I go.

I believe that I can deal with virtually everything that MS can throw at me, but these pains are disturbing my sleep ... and this I cannot ... no ... will not ... tolerate. I think it is time to invest in a soap box and a bullhorn!

Headaches and brain pains

Apparently headaches are not associated with MS. Apparently the pig is the pinnacle of aerodynamics, and hence it does not require the use of wings in order to perform amazing feats of aerobatics.

I have had some of my most debilitating headaches during the last 4 years, and strangely enough these headaches are hardly worth mentioning when compared to my "brain pains". There is a marked difference between the two. Headaches are a dull pain by comparison. A headache, usually, is located either behind the eyes, one the frontal lobe, centrally in the head, along the temples or down the back of your head towards your spine. A headache is either continuous or throbbing, but persistent and usually lasts for a few hours. Headaches can make you feel tired, queasy, stiff, and so on. Everyone has experienced a headache in some form.

The "brain pain" is a different beast entirely, and no ... it is not a migraine. In terms of sheer pain value, it is more painful than a regular headache by a factor of at least 10. It arrives suddenly, without the subtle warning normally associated with regular headaches. My "brain pains" have become more regular and more aggressive. The word "stroke" is quite possibly popping in and out of your head at this moment, and I thought so too at first, however, my GP and specialists are now convinced that this is not an option.

The "brain pain" feels like an extremely hot poker inserted into the spine and then rapidly hammered upwards until the tip erupts out the top of your head. Unfortunately,this is not the end. During the onset of some of these, I have lost either balance or strength out remain standing. These effects do not last long, usually about 10-15 seconds, but the pain persists - occasionally for a few days - and gradually disappears. Headaches can be treated with pills and these are generally effective, however, nothing seems to work with the "brain pains". During a particular desperate episode, I consumed enough Nurofen tablets floor an elephant (approximately 4 times the maximum dose during a 24 hour period). I have tried other tablets - which I am convinced were designed to be inserted rectally into a rhinoceros using a high powered and large caliber rifle - issued by the specialists and still had no relief.

I am convinced that these "brain pains" are responsible for the areas of scarring detected on the MRI scans of my head. Altruistically, I hope one else is being subjected to "brain pains", realistically, I suspect other MS sufferers are experiencing them, and gratefully would I receive confirmation that I am not alone in experiencing these.