Electrical shocks

[CtResident]

Newest in our array of annoyances, for your consideration!

Behind Door #1, may I present maddening, excrutiating arm JOLTs, for decades, with no rhyme nor reason as to their occurrence! I could go to black in under 2 seconds. And yet, never have, I recover so quickly. Did I say maddening?

Behind Door #2, our newest feature: electrical zippity zaps, not related to L'Hermittes. Just because you're you.

Behind Door #3: a Mystery prize. Because we all like surprises, don't we?

Sigh.

So, it's not even a question of Question of the DAY, it's Question of the HOUR.

#2: what is causing these zips down the left side of my back? The first one occurred two days ago. It went up my left back, one second later, down to my back left thigh, one second after that, behind my left arm by the tricep. So I did this little ohhh, oHHHH, whoaaa, hootchy-kootchy dance thing. Good thing I was on the phone with my dh at the time (didn't tell him), but if I were alone and moving like that, you might think unkind things of me. LOL

Suzanne  

[Nerve_Wrecked]

Well, I just have the zip-zaps, but I medicate for them, since I was having it happen probably 50 times a day (that's 50 series of zaps) for a while. Every time I stop taking my neurontin, my doc gets on my case to go back on. I hate to medicate, but gabapentin isn't like a muscle relaxant, or anything like that. It's a drug used to stop seizures, but it also works well with neuropathic pain. Basically, you take a set dose a day, as opposed to taking it just when you have the zaps.
I agree it's not horrendously painful, just a pain in the derrier, but why live in discomfort.

My zaps seem to flare up. I go through spells that are bad (which is now about 10 series of zaps a day) and spells that are good (2 to 3 series of zaps), when I'm on the gabapentin (also known as Neurontin), I basically stop having zaps all together (maybe 1 zap here or there).

If your suffering from other forms of neuropathic pain, the neurontin may be a good thing to try, maybe even help the arm jolt thinggies too. I don't know. I know it helps a lot with my fasciculations (twitches) in my legs. Neurontin is also one of those drugs that's really passive. It doesn't seem to have many contra-indications, it's tough to OD on (I think the medical community likes to top it off at 5400mg a day....I take 1200mg a day, which works pretty well).

I too hate to medicate, so I understand. I would certainly talk to you PCP about it. My "neuro" tried to get me to say the zaps were muscle spasms, but I kept telling him "I don't KNOW where it comed from, it's just there"...arg...good thing I'm getting a new neuro!

Christine

[CtResident]

Me again.

Thing is, with the left arm jolts, I have had them 1or 2x/day, every day, for one month. Then nothing for 8-10 months.Or 2 or 3 times in a week, nothing for 3 weeks. Or.........fill in the blank..........

This is since I was 12 and now I'm in my 40's.

The new ones, the zip zaps, are nowhere near as painful, just a nuisance.

Both seem to come/go whenever they want. So how do you know if you need meds, seeing that they are intermittent? I'd hate to medicate for something that mostly isn't there, in the big picture.

Suzanne

[Nerve_Wrecked]

I know what you mean, they are lovely aren't they? Eventually you adjust to them (sorry to tell you that). I'm at the point now that, unless I actually THINK about it when it happens, I couldn't tell you if I even had a zap on any given day! LOL

No fun, if you don't have a nerve-pain med already, and these zaps continue, I'd look at asking for one, they do help, as long as you have enough of the drugs in you. I was initially given 300mg of neurontin once a day to help....pfffft. I now take 600mg twice a day, and I THINK I'm going to have to add a 3rd dose, since I have a large gap where the drug's worn off. We'll see!

I sure hope these zaps stop for you, and it was just some neurological freak-out that goes away! They aren't a lot of fun!

Good Luck
Christine

[CtResident]

These new zips, yes, it went in three little subsections, all total less than 3 seconds.

Maybe it was because it was the first one that I did the dance. I got a second one this morning and I didn't dance. Doing laundry and dancing don't mix!

I just hope this isn't something new, although with two underway, it sure seems like it.

Suzanne

[Nerve_Wrecked]

I'm so sorry! I get the electrical zaps too, and they were actually my first real symptom about 2.5 years ago. Gabapentin has been amazing in helping with them. I get them all over, and like you, no rhyme, reason or warning that they are coming.
I don't do a dance when they hit me, I freeze, waiting for it to stop (do you find they do a little pulsating? zap stop, zap stop, zap zap stop? then it's over?).

Wish I had some answers, all I can recommend is good drugs! LOL

Christine