4 replies to this topic

[specedis]

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Hello all. I just found this site today while trying to research the 2 inpatient rehab. facilities in our area available to my husband who needs more than what I can provide at home right now. He is also no longer getting in home therapy and outpatient is impossible for a number of reasons. He has been home since August 1, after an injury on June 8; C3-5 have been fused and he spent 2 months in hospital for surgery and rehab.
One of the problems lately is increasing full body spasms which happen more often and last longer. He is out of bed from about 7 am until 5-9 pm daily. He needs assist for everything, uses an arm walker or hand assist to walk, has no functional use of either arm or hand. He says the spasms feel like someone sitting on his chest, breathing feels affected, but his oxygen saturation level is always adequate (we have a home pulse oximeter, as he has COPD). He also says that his whole body feels numb sometimes, not deep, as he can still walk, but a total surface numbness. He takes oral Baclofen, up to 120 mg daily, and many other meds as well. Valium is not an option as he had a dependency on it years ago. Spasms also get very tight around his abdomen. He still has a Foley catheter.
I'm glad I found this site so that he doesn't feel like he is the only one experiencing some of these things. Do any of the above seem familiar? How did you deal with the spasms?
Is there a thread on here for caregivers, or another web site anyone can recommend? I work full time and then come home and care for him and get little sleep. I am very depressed and stressed out from both. HELP

[Joed]

Hello, specedis, and welcome to the forums.

There is a 'Spouse and Carers' forum here...and a forum about Baclofen Pumps that you might like to look through.

You're not alone...either of you. I hope you'll make yourself at home here.

[RacingAxe]

Hi Specedis,

Hang in there! Are there any friends that can help? Hopefully getting him back into inpatient therapy will give you some time to regroup. There may be some organizations in your area that could help too. I have been blessed so far with enough family to help me but I know it is wearing on them. I am working on being as independant as possible to take some of the pressure off.
I hope that they can determine the cause of your husbands spasms. I had some pretty bad ones a few weeks back and think they were due to a UTI. They faded away over about two weeks.

[itsjustme]

Hi and welcome,

I am just miserable with spasms. My spasms would throw me out of my chair were I not strapped in. When I go from sitting to laying down they come up into my diaphram and take my breath.

A couple of weeks ago I did have a Baclofen Pump trial done and it was amazing to sit totally at ease and not jerk and stiffen. I also take oral Baclofen and it seems to offer very little relief in comparison to what I experienced during the Pump trial so this is something that you might talk to his doctors about and at least consider doing the trial.

[Avocado Baby]

Hi Welcome to the site!

I hope we can help you out!