I have a lesion at C4 and just wondering if this is why I am getting the following…
I can no longer wash my own hair due to severe weakness in my left arm. So when getting it washed for me I have to bend over the bath. Everytime I get this done, staright after and for about 30 mins my legs are like jelly. Would this be because of the lesion? Anyone else get anything like this?
My blood pressure is fine, if anything it can sometimes be a little low but have been told this should not cause any problems.
Hi Lins, (my daughter`s name and spelt the same way, unusually)
have you had a frim diagnosis of MS?
Washing your hair this way, does sound tiring. I wash mine in the shower, so it`s not a separate job to do. i get very weary afterwards too. Probably just the general weakness and fatigue, due to MS, I expect.
Can you wash your hair at the same time as having a shower or a bath?
I am not washing my hair as I can’t, someone else does it for me so I am literally only standing bending over the bath. My arm is too weak to wash it myself.
C4 is my neck, quite high up, just where it would be bending while getting hair washed.
As for the name, yes it is quite unusual. I have been told that is the way it is spelt for men
Hi Lins, cheers for quick reply! i named our daughter after Lindsay Wagner…the bionic woman. She had a good series on tv at the time…and so pretty too1 I could do with her bionic legs now! Yes, it is the usual way to spell it for a man.
I still have difficulty understanding why you have to wash your hair (or have someone else do it for you), standing over the bath. Are you unable to shower or get in the bath? Sorry to be thick on this one!
Oh right I get you now. Well I don’t really bath anymore as have trouble getting in and out (plus it drains me).
As for the shower, never tried that with someone washing my hair. I don’t think there would be enough room for this plus most of the water would prob end up on the bathroom floor .
What age is your daughter? I think she had an influence on my name too. I am 29.
Think of your spinal cord as like the M1 motorway, with the brain being up in Yorkshire.
If there’s a big smash (lesion!) on the motorway, traffic between The North (your brain!) and The South (lower extremities!) will be disrupted.
But the exact nature and extent of the disruption will depend where the accident happened. If it happened right up in Yorkshire (near your brain), then ALL points South will be affected - traffic will have trouble getting to and from any of them.
But if it happened, at, say, Watford, then traffic to and from most places might still be OK. Only traffic needing to travel the full length, down to London, will find its way blocked.
You have a lesion at C4, which is the equivalent of “up North” somewhere (nearer to the brain). I’ve got one at T12, which is pretty low (almost unusually low, for an MS lesion).
So mine is like the crash being over halfway down, at - I dunno - Northampton or somewhere. Southerly destinations are all b*ggered up.
Hi,I have neck leisions and can’t use my left arm much,but I can a little and if I try to wash my hair leaning over the bath, my legs get wobbly too.
I had neuro physio after the relapse which caused the damage and it has helped me gain a little more control. It took a long time and your results may differ, but neuro physio can help you to re-root the signals through the neck, so you may regain some control of your arm. Your GP can refer you,or your MS nurse. It doesn’t solve your immediate problem but will help in the long run.
Would leaning over the sink make things any easier? Even if it’s the kitchen sink it might be a bit easier on your legs and neck. I usually wash my hair in the shower sitting on a bath seat, it takes practice but I have learnt to wash my hair using one hand,and I have long hair. Hope you find a way that works for you,xxjo
Tina I have been told that before by none other than Karen (Rizzo) and its a great way to explain. Just don’t know how this gets worse when bending over.
AnnieB, the water isn’t too hot and even if it was I myself don’t seem to be getting over heated, but then who knows?
broushka, I have just started physio but not sure if it’s neuro physio or not. I was referred by the MS nurse for the weakness. My physio said there is not much we can do about the weakness but the aim is to keep my arm at leg at the stage they are now so they don’t weaken (the muscles) as im not using them as much. I will try over the sink as that higher up. Don’t know if I could wash it with one hand as used to need both for rinsing
Type a reply this morning but doesn’t seem to have appeared!
I have lesions midline C2 and C3 andn RHS on C4 and C5
I have problems with my legs and left arm - very heavy and often very tender.
I find it difficult washing my hair but even more difficult drying it with a hair drier. If I had lots of money I would go to the hair dressers to get it washed and dried ( wash and set if I was older!!). Don’t wash it as much as I used to, just tie it up more.
What about sitting on a small stool, or on the side of the bath…