In 1972, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronnie Cox and Jon Voight starred in the movie “Deliverance.”

This scary flick was about a whitewater canoe trip gone very bad.

I call the movie “scary” because I was absolutely petrified that something like this could actually happen in real life.

“Deliverance” was made famous by its popular scene of dueling banjos between Ronnie C. and a freaky kid…or, any ordinary shopper at Walmart.

The only reason I mention any of this is that the muscles of my legs are as taut as the strings of a banjo.  (I know…it was a real stretch.  Kinda like Matthew McConaughey in any acting role.)

If the muscles on the insides of my thighs were banjo strings, I could play “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” no problem!

It is my multiple sclerosis that causes muscle tightness, or spasticity.  And it has to be my most annoying symptom.

Spasticity is why I walk like Frankenstein.

Spasticity is why I fall to the floor more often than Paris Hilton’s negligee!

Staying loose is my waging battle with MS…A battle fought with every weapon in my arsenal.

I take Baclofen three times daily.  I get Botox injections every three months.  I do Bee Sting therapy.  And I stretch—-constantly.  I stretch like a well-worn pair of tighty-whities (minus the skidmarks….OK, maybe a few).

I can’t sit for extended periods of time either.  I have to move around like an Afghan terrorist or my spasticity will take hold with a relentless squeeze.  This happens alot in the morning when I try to get out of bed.  My legs will stiffen and cross, or scissor, with such force I believe if my thighs were sharp they would cut off my “man-junk!”

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not fussing & complaining.  I’m just explaining my MS issues with spasticity to those who are unfamiliar.  If you have spasticity problems, I’m talking right into your sweet spot and you can relate.

There are tons of treatment options to ease spasticity, so just ask your doc.  Give them a try to find what works best for you.

Or you could join the kid with a rousing duet of dueling banjos!  (That kid is creepy, man!)

“Deer-da-deer-derr-deer-derr-deer-da-derr…….”

My Odd Sock getting stung.

Remember how apprehensive you were taking your first shot of MS medication?

Well, getting your first bee sting is much the same.

We tend to think back to when we were kids, running barefoot through the grass and stepping on a bee.  Painful memories for sure.  Think of it like this…now that you have MS, you probably don’t have much feeling anyway…so a few bee stings, no big deal, right?  Let’s get started.

Jar 'O bees

My buddy “Jim” has used apitherapy (bees stings) exclusively for his MS for at least a dozen years.  He has 6 or 7 hives on his property and dons his stylish “bee wear” to collect the lucky volunteers in a canning jar.

Next, one by one, we grab the bees using reverse tweezers.  Filling all 20 pair, it’s time to commence stinging!

My dance partners

People use apitherapy for many different reasons.  Jim has pain, associated with MS throughout his body, and stings the areas that hurt him most.  I sting to ease spasticity (tightness) in my legs.  I have also stung my arms & hands to improve feeling.  I’ve stung the tops of my shoulders to aid balance.  And routinely sting my feet (both tops & bottoms) to help with walking.  You can sting to help with bowel & bladder control, arthritis, foot drop, even vision & speech problems.

On this particular day, I will get about 30 stings.  Jim will get just as many.  But as a beginner, you will start by getting two, maybe four stings, at the base of your spine.  Over the course of a few weeks, you’ll want to work up to 20 stings/ three times a week.  (Apitherapy experts recommend the three times a week  treatment, although this odd sock finds getting stung once or twice a week works well too.)

Three stings on the foot. Man, I need a pedicure.

People ask me “Does it hurt?”  And I respond by saying “a little bit.”  You see, I have slight feeling from my armpits down, so the “zing” I do feel—I cherish as I know my body isn’t completely dead.  On the other hand, Jim has feeling, so I apply an ice pack to the spot before I sting him.  He says “the ice is worse than the bees!”

We leave the stingers in, doing their “thang” for 15 minutes before we remove them, finishing our session.

Then, for the next 12 to 24 hours, the areas I have stung will swell slightly and are warm to the touch, courtesy of the increased “healing” blood flow to the region.

And my muscles….are looser!

Through this experience, I have great respect for the honeybee (none for wasps & hornets!).  The tremendous work the bees do for our world–the food they help us grow–and the mysterious powers of healing found within their sting.

When a bee buzzes my head in the backyard, I don’t run or flail my arms, frantic to escape.  I just very calmly tell him to “go away bee”–and he does.  (I am like a bee whisperer!)

Again, let me say apitherapy, or bee venom therapy, is an alternative form of treatment and not for everyone.  This is my personal experience, your results may be different.  But if you want to learn more, you’ll find tons of information online.  You may even post a question to My Odd Sock and I’ll BS my way through an answer (just kidding).

Phew, I made my way through one, unfunny My Odd Sock.  Now can we get back to the nonsense please?  This serious stuff is killing me.

Don’t let your meatloaf!

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The last line of this post is the catchphrase of the “poobah” of odd socks, my Uncle Larry.

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Next to working in a pillow factory, raking leaves is the safest job to do if you have MS–falling is much softer!

Me

Bee stings.  Apitherapy.  Bee venom therapy.  Call it what you want—I even call it “crazy!”  But the truth is, I’ve been getting stung, not accidently-but on purpose, since September of 2002.  Bee stings are my little way of thumbing my nose at multiple sclerosis!

For many years I took the traditional route of MS treatment; filling an unlimited number of Sharps containers with used syringes of Avonex, Copaxone and Rebif.  I jammed needles into my thighs, my butt, my stomach , my shoulders and the back of my arms. 

Was it worth it?  I have no idea, but my MS continued to progress.

A friend, who also has MS, asked me to join him in his bee sting therapy.  I thought he was flat-out insane–letting bees sting you.  I resisted his offer for years.  Finally, out of complete desperation, I agreed to be stung.

Despite my previous apprehension, from day one, I found the whole “stinging” experience to be empowering!  Here I was putting something in my body (bee venom) that occurs naturally in our world.  Not something created in a lab.

And it made me feel—better.

I could move—-better.

I didn’t have an unseen cloud of ” doom & gloom” hanging over my head like I had when doing my shots.  Plus, I didn’t need a “recovery” day from bee stings.  By that I mean Avonex would wipe me out the day following a shot.  Rebif did the same, though not as bad, three days a week.  I just felt losing a day to recover was too much to sacrifice when you have limited energy as any MSer will tell you.

The Funny Meter

Yeah, I figured the Funny Meter would show up at some point in this post.  It was just a matter of time.  Hey, Funny Meter…go watch “King of The Hill,” that’ll keep you busy for a long while!

Sorry for the disruption.  Back to bee stings.

I’ve had doctors tell me it is a complete waste of time.  And yet, other doctors tell me to continue to do what I think is helping.  (Hey wait a minute doc, YOU are the one with a wall full of diplomas—you tell ME what to do.)

I guess my point is, only you know what works.  With MS there is no miracle pill.  No special diet.  No magical treatment to make things better.  So you have to find a plan of attack that fits you like a tailored shirt.

My apology for the awkwardness of this particular My Odd Sock.  Writing about “bee stings” is pretty overwhelming for me, so I believe I will break the subject into a couple of different entries.  Next time, I’ll write about an actual sting session.

In the meantime, check out more about Apitherapy online.  There are a number of bee experts in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, namely Pat Wagner, “The Bee Lady.”  In northeast Ohio, Floyd Alexander is an unbelievable wealth of information & inspiration!

Just keep in mind, consult with your own medical expert.  Apitherapy is an alternative form of treatment and not for everyone.  This is my personal account and thus, your experience may vary.