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Leg Pain

I’ve had MS, apparently, for about 30+ years. No symptoms, just two attacks… one in 1989 (blind in an eye for a bit) and one about 10 years ago (they initially diagnosed me as having had a stroke). A whole bunch of tests and MRIs over the next several years brought the MS diagnosis. But I’ve never been on medication for this because as the neurologist said, “What would we be giving you medication for? Something that might not happen again for another 30 years?” Anyway, I consider myself pretty lucky. Literally no symptoms for all these years. Lately, however, I’ve been experiencing pain in my left leg. At first it would happen occasionally and last a day or two. But lately, it’s been almost every night and it’s like a dull throbbing pain that is sometimes in my knee and calf, and other times at the front of my thigh or in my hip. I’m also getting a bit older, I’m 64, but this doesn’t feel like “old” pain. I looked up MS leg pain and this feeling I have doesn’t seem quite like what everybody else with MS leg pain is experiencing, which I’m reading is more of a burning or itching. I don’t have any of that, just pain. I’ve found that a weighted blanket often helps and I take Aleve and Advil or Tylenol as needed… I also do stretches and things but here in Nova Scotia, where I recently moved, I am without a family physician and it’s hard to get to see somebody about it. Does anybody else experience this kind of pain, and if so, how do you deal with it? Thanks in advance!

  1. thank you for taking the time to share your story, it's always so powerful when we share our unique experiences with MS because it helps to raise the awareness that we all have such unique experiences - hence the "snowflake disease." It's good to hear that you've managed well with it for so many years, that's always a blessing, but I'm sorry to hear that you're dealing with this leg pain now. Your doctor is of course the best person to evaluate your leg and determine if there's potentially another cause of the pain, and perhaps an evaluation from a physical therapist might have a more detailed perspective on it. You mentioned that it's hard to get into a physician, are physical therapists any easier in Novia Scotia? I'm sure that others will join the conversation as well, I just wanted to offer that suggestion in the meantime, and let you know that we really appreciate you being part of this community and hope that the conversations help to bring some further validation of your experience and ultimately a path to some relief!
    Best
    Alene (team member)

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