Dear Mag, You are entirely right. I did forget to tell the neurosurgeon that I did not need to take any oral medications for pain until 12 hours after Intrathecal Injection. So I wrote him another letter, with my apologies for writing him again. Here it is: Dear Dr. Parrent, My apologies for writing to you again, but I also thought it important that you read of what I thought the success of the Intrathecal trial was-- not just what is written in my hospital chart. These are excerpts from a letter that I wrote to my Internet support groups when I returned home after Intrathecal trial on January 25th. I did not have to take any pain medications for 12 hours after intrathecal injection. I am now back to taking 5 mg of morphine every one and a half hours, in addition to 45 mg Oxazepam and 4 mg Clonazepam per day. Essentially I sleep most of the time because of all the medication, but if I do not take it, I am crying in pain. It makes going to school and generally participating in life very difficult. This is why I had hoped you could help me while I was home, so that my semester and the quality of my life for the next four months could be better. Again, if this is impossible, I understand, but would not ask for early treatment were I not in agony. I ASK THAT YOU NOT SHARE THIS WITH ANYONE EITHER BY LEAVING IT IN MY MEDICAL FILE OR BY SPEAKING ABOUT IT TO DR. MJ STRONG, KAREN FINDLATER, OR BREEDA O'FARRELL. Sincerely, Jennifer Zubko Hello Everyone, My apologies for writing this to you all at once, but I am so exhausted after my long day of Intrathecal Baclofen trial that one universal note is all my tired fingers and aching body can handle. The TRIAL ITSELF WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. I did NOT have to take oral medications (morphine, clonazepam, Oxazepam or Amytriptyline for 12 whole hours after Intrathecal injection. There just was not any pain to speak of. I got a reduction in tone with only 50mcg of Intrathecal Baclofen. The therapist today again confirmed that the writhing movements I have in my arms, legs, face, and sometimes eyes, is indeed secondary dystonia, While the injection did not lessen their frequency, it did lessen their intensity. The intrathecal baclofen injection also somehow got rid of my piriformis pain syndrome temporarily--- and I could feel the sole of my right foot and the back of my right leg for the first time in eight months. My gait improved as wellvery little intoeing or scissoringa benefit I did not expect since I has thought I had reached my full potential for improvement of gait post-selective dorsal rhizotomy. I did not even require a walker or extra support to move or transfer, and the therapist had to stop me from running down the hallways independently! My walking speed and number of steps taken in a certain time period actually increased as the day wore on, and the drug itself was wearing off. I found it so much easier to climb stairscould do so one foot at a time, rather than placing two feet on one step as I normally would. It was easier to roll over, to go from sit to stand. My posture in my wheelchair and sitting tolerance improved greatly post ITB injection. I had no real side effects ( urinary retention, headache, etc.). My handwriting improved as well, and I was once again able to sit cross-legged and bring one leg up to rest on the opposite knee to do up my AFOs (leg braces). Usually I am forcing my feet in them in a downward motion, and this sometimes hurts a lot... I never in my wildest dreams thought the intrathecal baclofen injection would bring with it so many positive outcomes, and I am sure it is due to all of your prayers. Please say a few that prayers that surgery occurs sooner rather than later Again, my apologies for writing to you. You need not respond to this letter, but I feel it is important to be truthful with you if we are required to work together. JZ What does everyone think? Jenn