Hi Dave

My neighbour had the same desire the other day. The sad thing is that amputee feels the missing limb, so maybe the sensation of pain would remain as well. You can talk ,maybe online, to people that have gone thru it.

Alma

Phantom limb is called, they have a support group here on DS.

Let me know what you go with Dave, I'm ready to get my hands taken off from all this ridiculous itching that WON'T STOP EVER!!!!! Along with a head amputee for my headaches, but I'm thinking nobody is really going to go along with that one!! hee hee!!! :)

My dad lost both of his legs so I say this from watching his life go by without limbs. Life without leg or legs becomes another tough battle you would have to fight. And, there is no turning back.

Are you going to a Pain Management Specialist? Do you currently take pain medications? If you do, and you are still experiencing pain, you are not taking the right medication. Work with a PMS please. I use to lay in bed crying because of the pain in my legs, wanted to just die from it. My neuro mentioned a PMS to me. I've never heard of the type of medical help. But, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I worked to find the right cocktail and my pain level dropped from a 10 to a 2. Please, work with a PMS before you continue to spend more energy thinking of amputation. If you continue to think about this option, I suggest you go see a therapist before you take any action. You need to talk to someone knowledgeable in mental health about your feelings.

I never mind people asking me about why I walk funny so some people don't mind if they ask. But having your leg amputated is such a drastic thing to do. And what if the pain doesn't go away because it is actually in the brain, then what? MS is a disease of the brain. Just saying in case. I would hate to see that. Not sure a doc would agree to do the operation.

I hope that you see a pain management specialist. Pain is not a life style option to quote my chiro.

oooh dont think about that!!! since the pain is neurological - you can get phantom limb pain, like @almairis said.

that's when even though the body part is removed, you still feel like it's there, and have pain, because you haven't removed the actual pain receptors in your brain - where the initial message is being transmitted from, and where our brain lesions are.

we studied it in psychology for a couple days, i was like great- even IF i go crazy and chop off a limb because of this horrible ms, it won't do anything. all of ms symptoms are brain or spinal cord, and you can't amputate that!

Thanks for all your responses, and yes Alma I did read about those phantom pains as I've been doing a little bit of research to the pros and cons. I forgot to mention I also have a bad case of Spinal Stenosis and before the MS DX my PCP said that little opening was getting pretty tight and he wanted me to see his BIL who specializes in that kind of surgery, but when he said there was a good chance of being in a W/C after the surgery at that time I had no desire as I was working. When I brought it up last appt. I can't get to him to focus back on the Stenosis, he was holding steady on it was the MS and I told him try to remember not all things or MS.
No I have'nt been to a pain clinic in a long time right now I take Baclofen up to 80mg a day and he said to play with the dose to see what helps. For the rest of my pain I take 3-80mg of oxycontin a day, Opana is not coverd and with Medicare. And getting Oxy at that level was a pain in the ass with Medicare, got turned down and appealed and finally got it, guess I'll wait till I see my neuro and do some more research and your right about finding someone to do it. Thanks everyone again for your input, but you know pain can drive you to desperate measures, and one last thing Lynne my doc used to tell me he wanted me in some kind of pain so I would always have the thought of surgery to relieve some pain. Just need to sort out what is MS and what is from DDD, 4 bulged discs and the Stenosis.
Take Care
Dave

HUGS to you Dave, and in all seriousness, amputation is not the way to go,, and I think you know that. Hang in there bud..... you've got us!! :) We'll try to keep you smiling, and like Lynne suggested, a pain clinic is an AWESOME option..... gave my son his life back!

Dave, when your doc said you're not thinking right, it might have been nice if he offered more of his time and explanation as to what might be some better thought alternatives. First off, anyone who has had an amputation will probably share with you that they still have the feeling even though there is nothing there.

What is causing your pain in your calve and foot. Have you ever tried magnesium? (Magnesium Citrate). Our muscles tend to contract too much and magnesium orchestrates the electrical system in our body to allow for the relaxation that needs to follow a contraction. Without magnesium, that synergy just isn't there and there are a lot of people who have a deficiency in magnesium.

magnesium doesn't cost as much as pharmaceuticals though so you won't hear doctors putting a lot of stock in something that works well. I could go on.

You would begin to take it gradually to work up to it. If you would like to confirm the idea of magnesium, just google Dr. Russell Blaylock on Magnesium, Dr. Mark Hyman on magensium or Dr. Carolyn Dean.

Hope this helps. I think what your doctor didn't say was there are ways to improve things that are so much simpler than we have any idea sometimes.

Best of luck to you on this.

My uncle lost his right leg at the knee when he was in his 40's. He was riding his Harley on the freeway and was hit by a drunk driver. The doctors tried everything to save his leg, but he's had diabetes since he was 17 and the blood circulation just wasn't good enough so they had to amputate. He is 67 now so it's been about 20 years since he lost the leg. He still has horrible phantom leg pains and nothing helps the pain. His doctor has given him vicoden, and all kinds of pain killers and he's told me the pain is horrible. He can describe exactly what part of the missing limb the pain is in. He's fortunate in that he does live in Denver so he is eligible for a medical marijuana card and it does help dull the pain when it's at it's worst. But I wouldn't consider amputation to get rid of pain not after watching my uncle all these years. As has been suggested I would try a pain clinic. Take care.

I was having pain all over a few weeks ago and nothing was helping. My doctor put me on Celebrex and I tried it for a month in addition to the other medications that I already take and it did nothing so I called and let her know it was not working and I was going to stop taking it. I have multiple sclerosis and secondary to ms I have generalized dystonia which has spread throughout my body. For the dystonia I have tried several things including botox. I now take topamax, botox, clonazepam and aleve. I also started taking inositol, MSM, and Osteo Bi Flex triple strength. Plus magnesium and calcium. My doctor also put me on a potassium supplement because I was low on potassium. After a month the pain stopped. I still having burning in my right leg, but I've had that symptom since July of 2009 and have leave to ignore it most of the time. I would consult your doctor before trying any of these since everyone has different medical conditions and I am not a doctor.

Hi

Have you tried a morphine pump? My Dr says he saw wonderful results with some patients.

Alma