In each issue of the newsletter, we will bring you a column that presents the experiences of our members. Their stories are presented In Their Own Words by way of letters they have sent us. We are most appreciative of their willingness to share their very personal stories. It is our hope that through the sharing of these experiences, we will all learn something about each other and about ourselves. It is our hope that the stories will help us all realize that we are not alone. You may submit your stories by sending them either by e-mail or through the postal service to Sandy Siegel.

I have no way of knowing how many Tmer's who suffer from spasms may or may not be familiar with the effectiveness of a TENS unit, but I thought it would be helpful to others for me to communicate about my experiences.

Though few physical therapists and seemingly fewer physicians know this, painful spasms can be stopped cold with a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) unit - at least mine can be. An L2-4 incomplete paraplegic following a mysterious ten-minute attack 28 years ago, I've been using a TENS unit for the past 15 years for pain-producing nocturnal spasms, usually stopping them instantly the moment they appear. As a consequence, I take no pain medication other than an occasional Tylenol.

Every evening before dinner I wipe a skin barrier across two areas either side of the spine about waist level. Then I apply 1-3/4" x 3-1/4" Encore Tantone re-usable electrodes one on each side of the spine oriented vertically about eight inches apart. I use the snap-on type snapped onto a double lead wire, having found that the slide-on type can pull apart, and the free end of a charged TENS lead can be like having a snake in bed with you.

I get my electrodes from Electro Devices (1-800-762-5969), a mail order supplier par excellence. The two large electrodes I use deliver a broad flow of stimulation from one electrode to the other, which is a set-up I have found far more effective than the standard four small electrodes, whatever their placement. To keep from getting tangled with the lead wire, I wear a light T-shirt under my pajama top and run the wire around and up across my chest next to the skin; the TENS unit goes in my pajama pocket.

I tried several different brands of TENS unit (available only by prescription) before I came upon the EMPI (1-800-328-2536), which I use every night, removing the electrodes when I get up in the morning. Experimenting with different EMPI configurations, I long ago discovered that a pulse rate of 60 and a top-side control set on R were most effective and I have used these settings ever since.

Some folks may shy away from the idea of a TENS unit because it sounds like some kind of shock wave therapy, which it most decidedly is not. The TENS unit produces rather pleasant vibrations under the skin, vibrations which, when you press your fingers on the site, surprisingly you cannot feel at all. As to how it works, I have never been able to get an answer that is nontechnical enough for me to understand. I can only say, the TENS stimulation seems to interrupt either the pathway or the message itself between the spasms and the brain.

And I shall never cease to be amazed at how instantaneously it works if I turn the TENS unit on within the first few seconds of an attack of spasms, although if the spasms start while I'm asleep, relief may take a little longer. There have even been a few times, I must admit, when I have wakened in the night to find the spasms have a long head start and are going full blast. Then the TENS unit has not been effective at all.

I understand that some people are not helped by a TENS unit. Nevertheless, I urge any reader-sufferer who may not have tried the device to give it a real chance. Without mine I think I'd have gone over the abyss years ago.
Sincerely,
Conrad Brown
518-392-6201
fax 392-0149
VZConrad[AT SIGN]earthlink.net