Instantly Numb...

Someone snuck in my bedroom last night while I lay drooling and snoring asleep, and rubbed that cream (in the picture) on my left leg! I swear it...I woke up early this morning and had barely any sensation in my leg...it had become "instantly numb" over night.

Unfortunately, the "Instantly Numb Fairy" did NOT rub the cream on my right lower calf or lower/mid back. Oh no...these areas remain alive and well and in pain!

Since I've never had an entire left leg "instantly numb" before, I consider this yet another new and improved symptom of my Multiple Sclerosis...or at least a sign of "whatever" is going on with me this week (still haven't ruled out a cold/flu virus, the weather change, cancer, or the planet Mercury going retrograde!).

I called in for work today...what a *drag*...(argh argh! Get the joke? Left leg drag?!? OK, I'll stop.) and immediately emailed Dr. She Who Will Not Be Named for a professional opinion. I still DO consider her one of those...a professional, that is. I did my usual email medical synopsis that went like this:

I've been having some annoying/painful stiffness in both my calves for about 5 days--worse when I've been sitting or standing for a few minutes. I thought it might just be from the increased walking I've been doing. Started taking 2mg Zanaflex 2-3X's day initially to see if it might help, then upped it to 4mg/2-3X's/day 2 days ago. Yesterday, I felt very fatigued, rather "sore"/achy in most of my joints, and like my back had become a tight rubber band.

Concern is, this morning my left leg is numb and heavy...hard to describe. I CAN walk on it, just have oddly little sensation in it. Do you think the Zanaflex could be causing this? It's the only thing that's "new"...

I was immediately bombarded with an Auto Response from the Club Med facility where Dr. SWWNBN considers herself gainfully employed. The Auto Response quite coldly and efficiently told me the good doctor would be out of the office until the 14th and to simply call "the office" for any concerns.

This IS my lot in life...it seems whenever potentially *bad* things happen to me regarding my MS, a seismic tremor is sent out along a fault line, rumbling into the communication center of my neurologist, and she AUTOMATICALLY (thus her Auto Responses) leaves on a vacation from work! The good thing I KNOW about Dr. SWWNBN is, she can never seem to draw herself away from her Blackberry and email...I believe she can't STAND to have nothing to say and to miss an opportunity for either mocking me or proving her superiority of intelligence...LOL

She emailed me back within minutes to say:

sounds like you overdid it and then made things worse by taking the zanaflex. Rest up and ice your leg and let me know how you do.

Now...what should I make of THIS?!? Let me list the "pros and cons" here.

First of all, a "pro" is the fact she is not AUTOMATICALLY suggesting I be hosed down with steroids, which is often her typical response. This is good...and I imagine by now, she has grown weary of my refusal to take the steroids. She's a quick study. LOL

Another "pro" is, she is not instantly dialing in a prescription for some Gawd-awful chemical created by the makers of arsenic and wanting me to simply *take a pill* to shut me up. And, as history would prove itself, I rarely AGREE to take these pills anyway...again, she's a quick learner.

The third pro, which should frighten me into a total mop of grey hair...she is actually agreeing WITH me! I don't believe this has ever happened in the history of our tumultuous-yet-humorous relationship. Frankly, now I am worried she is sitting drunk on a beach somewhere in Acapulco and should not have access to her patients in this state of mind.

But then there are the *cons*...of course.

Con Number One: Resting. Not something I do well or easy. And for how long? Until I regain feeling back in my leg? Until I feel like I can run a marathon? Until I lose my job because of absenteeism? These are just thoughts I have...

Con Number Two: Ice my leg. My entire leg? Is this some type of practical joke? Am I secretly being watched on a "Nanny Cam" here?!? I'd have to have a rather large chunk of glacier ice to cover my entire leg. And let's forget the fact IT'S ALREADY FREAKIN' NUMB, shall we?!? I tried a spot of ice earlier just on my upper thigh where the sensation feels the "heaviest"...I couldn't feel the freaking ice! I'm a bit concerned I might get a freezer burn from this...I have however, considered plucking every, last hair from my left leg to avoid EVER having to shave it again...there's just GOT to be a silver lining in this cloud. LOL

So...I've tried "icing and resting". I'm already bored with this...but, if the truth be known, beneath my wildly humorous twist on this ordeal (or at least I think I'm funny anyway!), I remain *CONCERNED*. I do hope we are both right...I've just over done it a bit and this, too, shall pass with some quieting of my nervous system for a bit. I have been "riding it like I stole it" all summer and fully enjoying my freedom from MS with the wonders of Novantrone...it's been wonderful. I suppose I shouldn't bitch about a little needed rest right now. But you KNOW me...if there's opportunity for "beauching", my mouth is open! LOL

Off now to take my "instantly numb" leg back to the couch before I develop "instantly numb" arse from sitting up too long...the thought of icing THAT region of my body gives me chills...and NOT in a good way!...