Time to Stop Baclofen?

I visited my Neuro on Tuesday, were she suggested, among other things, that I up my dosage of Baclofen since I seem to have been tolerating it so well. However, since adding one more pill per day, I have felt weak and dizzy. It suddenly struck me that baclofen could be the cause of my increasing weakness and reduced balance. I'll be back to my normal dose today, then ask the neuro how quickly to reduce the dosage to zero so as to try life without it for several months.  It'll almost certainly be a trade-off (more leg spasms, less weakness and dizziness), but going off it for a while should give me a better idea of what those trade-offs are.

Simvastatin

Just got this note from a SPMS friend:

Hi Ted glad to see you are doing good. Wonder if you heard of the medication Simvastatin which is use for lowering bad cholesterol in your blood ,this medication is used on patients with Secondary Progressive MS, high dosage 80mg, it seems to have good results for slowing down the progression , this of course is still clinical trial,but it's something. I am starting on it. Your opinion would be appreciated since we have the same type of MS .My neurologist agreed with me so I am excited about it. Best Regards.

Has anyone else out there had experience with Simvastatin for SPMS?

Still on the Weed

I've been on marijuana from CanniMed for a couple of months now. Though I was prescribed two kinds of marijuana (one with high THC for energy for the day time, one with high CBD and lower THC for pain and sleeping), I find that I am only using the high CBD weed to help me sleep (in part by reducing pain). I just can't imagine using the high THC strain during the day while I can still get around on my own.

The two strains I'm getting from CanniMed are the 22-1 (22% THC, 1% CBD) and the 9-9 (9% THC, 9% CBD). Though I've just ordered a second batch of 9-9, I'm still not sure if CanniMed is a good provider. The first batch was not completely dried and so didn't grind well - plus made me worried that it would be mouldy. I'm not crazy about the smell of their stuff, either: both strains have a kind of "medicine" aroma I don't care for. However, the way things are set up by the government, I don't think I can easily switch suppliers . To do so, I'd probably have to get the doctor to fill out all the documents for a new supplier (at the cost of another $60).

By the way, my Arizer Solo vaporizer has been working great (so far). Vaping is definitely the way to go. A lot less harsh on the throat, and when I'm vaping, people in the same room can hardly smell it.

MS and Trauma

Though this paper suggests that there is not evidence from good quality research to tie physical trauma to the onset of MS, I had a very bad body-surfing accident less than 4 months before my first MS symptoms and have always wondered if there was a causal relationship.

A Glimpse Into The Abyss

For most of this week I have been sick with a cold. In terms of the cold itself, it was far from the most severe I've ever had. However, for the first time (that I can recall), a cold has drastically increased my MS symptoms for a period of time. This included a significant worsening of my "normal" left-side weakness and a return of the balance problems that went away when I had CCSVI treatment in 2010.

My cold is mostly gone, and my symptoms are back to "normal", but it gives me sobering insight into how even a modest worsening of symptoms could greatly decrease quality of life.

Four Years after CCSVI Treatment

It was four years ago today that I was treated for CCSVI in Katowice, Poland. My left-side weakness continues to get worse (except for those muscles I'm nursing back to some strength through physiotherapy). However, my autonomic functions, my balance and my fatigue continue to stay improved to this day - YAHOO!

Now if I can continue to get my insomnia and hip pain under control, I expect to really start living it up (well, sort of). I'm hoping that the marijuana I ordered today (with high CBD content) will help.

On the weed

I got a marijuana prescription today,  and duly sent off my registration package to CanniMed. In a week or so I should be able to order some from them. They are one of the only two legal sellers that have the variety of strains that are most likely to do what I need to alleviate pain, help me sleep and perhaps even improve my energy levels.  The prescribing doc told me I would probably benefit from two strains,  one high in CBD, one high in THC. I'll let you know how things turn out.

Springtime... NOT!

It was great getting away from the cold for a while, but the way this winter has gone, I wish we could have been away for 3 months, not just one. Since I've gotten back, I've felt like a semi-prisoner in the apartment: it takes a strong motivation for me to risk falling and breaking a leg or hip on that ice out there. Mary will be retiring this summer, so maybe we'll stay away longer next winter.

My left-side weakness and poor motor control continues to worsen, though now that my bursitis has long gone and my kidney stones are no longer acting up (for now), at least I am able to do my physio, pilates and yoga - when I'm not too tired due to poor sleep. I've certainly seen improvements in some of my leg muscles and core due to the exercises I have been doing so, though actual symptoms are worsening, in some ways I'm coping better.

I'm waiting for the snow and ice to go to take delivery of my mobility scooter. They'll allow me to keep it in a storage room in the apartment building, so that'll be convenient. I'm hoping that they'll install a disabled-entry mechanism at our apartment front door so that I can get in and out without having to dismount.

The Baclofen is still helping with spasms, though perhaps it's getting to be less effective due to my spasms getting worse or my body being less affected by the drug. I'll be trying marijuana for the pain and to help sleeping - it was my neuro's suggestion. Actually, I've already tried some (a strain called Critical Mass) just to see if it helps (it does), but I'll be glad when I can order stuff that is guaranteed to have less THC and more CBD.

In one month it'll be 4 years since my CCSVI treatment in Poland.  I'll have to do a 4th anniversary update at that time.

It’s Not the Disability, It’s the Unrelentless Progression

Another good article: "It’s this damn worsening disability, this insidious wasting away that threatens to shake my resolve. Whatever I do, it’s never enough. MS cannot be placated. It demands so much of me, and then it demands more." Enjoying the Ride article.

Three years and 9 months of relief

Saw the urologist today. My plumbing is so much better than the first time I saw him (just before my Polish liberation treatment in 2010) that he says there is no need for my annual checkup any more. A few months after my CCSVI treatment I stopped taking the meds he had me on. Over the years since I first saw him, my urological symptoms have improved. That, my reduced fatigue and better balance all improved after my treatment. A coincidence? I don't think so. Even as other symptoms (especially strength and control of my left arm and leg) continue to worsen, I am still reaping the benefits of my trip to Katowice.

With daughter Anna, while on our multi-vineyard tour of South Australia at Christmas and New Years. Good thing my plumbing works better!