bad days then good days.

[clevelandamy]

This is seriously driving me nuts. I'll have days where I have to take baby steps to walk. My legs are so tight which makes taking normal steps impossible. I hurt and the fatigue is so severe I can barely stay awake and anything I do is exhausting. I get about 4 hours after I wake up in the morning and I need a nap. Wake up from the 3 hour nap and struggle the rest of the day to stay awake.
Then I'll wake up the next day pain free, walking somewhat normal and seem to have a normal energy level. This may stay that way for a day or two then it's back to the pain and fatigue.
Is this "normal" for MS? Am I losing my mind? This fluctuating of days what I have to look forward to the rest of my life? It makes it hard to make plans when I don't know if I'll have the energy to stay out of bed or even take a shower.

[SNOOPY]

Yes clevelandamy, this can be very normal when having MS.

I tend to "go with the flow," on good days I usually do things I either need to do or want to do and on those bad days I do what I can or nothing at all. I usually have more good days than bad.

[22cyclist]

I agree with SNOOPY. So Normal! You can ask for something for fatigue and the stiffness, or go to PT for stretching. These are the best ways to ward off those nasty little MS symptoms that we all get.

Bottom line, you get used to the roller coaster, the kind that never stops and you can't get off.

Ask for some amantadine, try some vitamin B-12 and B6 for the fatigue, and for a PT evaluation. If you are not on Baclofen, ask for that too.

Hope you get to the good days soon
Lisa
Moderation Team

[clevelandamy]

Thanks for the replies. I am taking Baclofen for the spasticity, however on the "Bad" days they don't seem to help much. One of my good friends is a Physical Therapist so she has given me plenty of stretches I do daily. Some days I have more progress than others. I take a liquid multi-vitamin and add to that a B12 and D3. The liquid seems to work better for me. I don't get an upset stomach after taking it. It's mainly the fatigue that gets me. I will ask my doc in April when I go back for my check up.

[MSer102]

Amantadine only works for about half the people who take it. It didn't do anything for me except make me feel weird. I did very well with Provigil but that one doesn't work for about half the people who take it. So it might be better if you just ask your doctor for a medicine for fatigue instead of asking for a specific one. The one you ask for might not work and then you might be too embarrassed to ask for a different one.

[JerryD]

Your fatigue is one of the 'common denominators' with MS.
I am curious to hear what your vitamin D and B-12 levels are. You may want to supplement with a B complex. B vitamins are known to increase energy level. As with all vitamin supplementing, you need to take vitamins for about 2 or 3 weeks, consistently, before you see any benefit. Good luck

[clevelandamy]

Vitamin D and B12

I haven't had my levels checked lately but this past summer when all the bloodwork was done they were normal. D was 50 and I don't remember my B12 level. I have been taking B12 or B complex supplements for years and a D for the last 10 months. I plan on just telling my doc about my fatigue and see what he wants to do. I have High blood pressure so I'm not so sure I can take anything for fatigue. I started having spasms in my shoulders this morning, on top of the ones I get in my hips. Today is starting out rough