As long time readers of my pixels know, I suffer from both multiple sclerosis (MS) and fibromyalgia (FM) (and some argue delusions of grandeur… but I’ll leave that for others to determine). I’m not going into exactly what MS or FM are (follow the links above for explanations), but they’re both chronic, incurable illnesses that vary in severity from moderately annoying to debilitating. My primary MS symptoms include severe fatigue, numbness, double vision, and spasticity (stiffness). My FM primarily focuses on constant pain, that changes due to the weather, fatigue and other factors, around the joints.
An MRI of my brain with lesions typical of people with multiple sclerosis
Over the past five months, I’ve developed this pain along my right rib cage (if I was baseball player, they’d be talking about my oblique injury). It comes and goes and can be quite severe at times. Nothing short of pain drugs seems to help it, but not always. Sometimes exercise makes it better but then the same exercise can at times make it worse. Same rules apply to sleep or no sleep. There is no structural damage or pulled muscles. It’s a different kind of pain than FM. After 12 years with FM, I recognize that particular feeling.
Confounded, my doctor sent me to physical therapy. In Austin we are lucky enough to have a physical therapist who not only specializes in MS but actually has MS herself! Her understanding helps greatly.
After a half a dozen visits, nothing was working. I was already doing the daily stretches that should have alleviated the pain. (I start my day with roughly 30 minutes of stretching. Helps incredibly with the FM.) Again it sometimes felt better after stretching, some times worse. Now of the traditional PT worked. The only thing she didn’t try was heat, which usually exacerbates the MS. The fact that the pain comes and goes in no discernible pattern lead to the idea that the pain maybe caused by spasticity. (There are no diagnostic tests for most MS symptoms. Just diagnosis through process of elimination.) The muscle stiffness along my side is quite literally stretching apart my ribs, causing the pain. While this won’t kill me, it can be very uncomfortable and lead to other issues such as poor posture and other pain.
A four-lead TENS unit.
At my last visit, the therapist suggested a TENS unit to me. The Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation unit sends a small electrical current into the body to stimulate the nerves. The theory with me is that the unit might “loosen” up some of the spaciticity, affording me some relief without pain meds. No one is sure if this will “correct” the issue but it certainly won’t make things worse.
She loaned me an Empi Select unit. The device is amazingly simple. Basically attach the four leads around the area of the pain, usually along the muscles or nerve clusters. You then turn on the unit, adjusting the charge as needed. The only bad places are the eyes and neck.
I’ve used it on and off for a week and it does offer some relief for a few hours after using it for a ½ hour or so. I’ve also used it on some other regions affected by FM (different type of pain, caused by different factors) with some success. Keeping the device all depends on how much my insurance covers of it. But I plan on using it for my various pains while I can! Far better than relying on pills.
Shocking relief was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon