A Frightening New Pain
Ilif
far has only started a month or two ago: I've been getting really
terrible muscle cramps that start at my feet and go all the way to the
top of my inner thigh. They really hurt like the devil, too!
Sometimes the cramps are short, but other times they can last ten
minutes or more and there doesn't seem too much I can do about them
other than to try and stand up; hope the muscles loosen up. Has anyone
else have a similar problem, or know what to take to stop these
terrible pains?
Ron
earthpots
Have you had your potassium levels checked? Any changes in medications
recently? Blood pressure meds or diuretics? Typically muscle cramps are due
to low potassium levels. You either aren't getting enough potassium in your
diet, or a medication (typically blood pressure/diuretic) is causing you to
lose potassium rather than storing it.
Try adding more potassium to your diet by eating bananas, eating
oranges/drinking OJ, a glass of tonic/quinine water before bed. Switch your
regular salt for the light salt containing potassium. Finally, you may need
to take supplements, possibly prescription ones. I take prescription
potassium because one of my meds lowers potassium levels, and I have an
adrenal disease that effects my eletcrolytes.
When the cramps occur, you want to stretch the affected muscles to stop the
cramping. For ones occuring in the calf muscles, stretch your leg out in
front of you, reach down and grab the top of your foot, and pull it
_towards_ you. You are bending your foot upward while sticking your heel
out. Or stand a few feet from a wall, and keeping the affected leg straight,
lean towards the wall. With eithermethods you should feel a firm good
stretch, and the cramping should cease.
Finally, if home remedies don't give you relief, see your doctor.
--
Carol
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with 'msn'.
Ilif
> Finally, if home remedies don't give you relief, see your doctor.
The irony of it is that I *did* see my doctor and she didn't know what
the hell was causing the cramps-- which incidentally, didn't help me
one bit. <g>
But thanks much for the insight and tips; I'll give a try to the
things you mentioned. I know tonic water works cuz it contains
quinine-- I used to have the quinine capsules before the FDA in its
infinite wisdom took them off the market-- but I really hate the
taste. Orange juice I can swallow happily. :-)
Ron
earthpots
>> Finally, if home remedies don't give you relief, see your doctor.
>
> The irony of it is that I *did* see my doctor and she didn't know what
> the hell was causing the cramps-- which incidentally, didn't help me
> one bit. <g>
>
Did she even test for low potassium???? I'd be asking her if she couldn't
figure it out, then refer me to someone who could. If she did neither, it's
time to find another doctor, as I'd fire that one.
> But thanks much for the insight and tips; I'll give a try to the
> things you mentioned. I know tonic water works cuz it contains
> quinine-- I used to have the quinine capsules before the FDA in its
> infinite wisdom took them off the market-- but I really hate the
> taste. Orange juice I can swallow happily. :-)
>
> Ron
--
Ilif
earthpots wrote:
> Ilif wrote:
> >> Finally, if home remedies don't give you relief, see your doctor.
> >
> > The irony of it is that I *did* see my doctor and she didn't know what
> > the hell was causing the cramps-- which incidentally, didn't help me
> > one bit. <g>
> >
>
> Did she even test for low potassium???? I'd be asking her if she couldn't
> figure it out, then refer me to someone who could. If she did neither, it's
> time to find another doctor, as I'd fire that one
LOL, my doctor is a keeper; normally she's one of the best around and
a physician of her quality is very hard to find. I suspect with this,
she simply had a lot on her mind as she was going over a lot of things
concerning my health insurance at the time. Under less stressful
circumstances she would have ordered a blood test, and I wouldn't go
looking for a replacement because of a minor over-sight. Good doctors
are very hard to find...
Also, I can tell this doctor things that others would think that I'm
crazy-- which, given the strange way my life tends to go, that might
be true anyway... :-)
Ron
-----------
"Some success, some failure; but either way the gnawing hunger to know
is never sated, and the road to the Unknown continues to be dark and
strange."
-- Control Voice (The Outer Limits) --
earthpots
> earthpots wrote:
>> Ilif wrote:
>>>> Finally, if home remedies don't give you relief, see your doctor.
>>>
>>> The irony of it is that I *did* see my doctor and she didn't know
>>> what the hell was causing the cramps-- which incidentally, didn't
>>> help me one bit. <g>
>>>
>>
>> Did she even test for low potassium???? I'd be asking her if she
>> couldn't figure it out, then refer me to someone who could. If she
>> did neither, it's time to find another doctor, as I'd fire that one
>
>
> LOL, my doctor is a keeper; normally she's one of the best around and
> a physician of her quality is very hard to find. I suspect with this,
> she simply had a lot on her mind as she was going over a lot of things
> concerning my health insurance at the time. Under less stressful
> circumstances she would have ordered a blood test, and I wouldn't go
> looking for a replacement because of a minor over-sight. Good doctors
> are very hard to find...
>
> Also, I can tell this doctor things that others would think that I'm
> crazy-- which, given the strange way my life tends to go, that might
> be true anyway... :-)
>
> Ron
>
Low potassium is such a common cause of cramps, that I find it odd that any
doctor would not address that as the most likely cause, and order a blood
test. I get that doctors can overlook things, but if I were you, I'd push
the issue, as the cramps impact you enough that you need/want to find out
the cause. It may be as simple as low potassium, but it could be something
more complicated. Doctors need reminding, if/when they overlook things; and
if your levels are low, and that is the cause, depending on how low they
are, you can use either OTC/home remedies or prescription potassium.
Definitely bring it up again if you are not finding the OJ/tonic water at
bedtime helpful enough.
Michael B
low enough to make one more vulnerable to cardiac
arrhythmias. Then a muscle cramp in the leg can be
seen as indeed a simple thing.
Also if you are on diuretics, or dieting, etc., and feel
wrung out, and that you are about to have your last
nerve stepped on, you could probably benefit from
a banana.
Ilif
I have an appointment with her Wednesday to see if my health insurance
is going to pay for hypnosis sessions; those have helped me with the
fibrro quite a bit before, but I had to pay out of pocket for them and
those sessions can be bloody expensive.
I'll bring up the potassium matter then, but I've already started
taking a couple of potassium gluconate tablets and at least for one
night I haven't had any cramps in my legs so far. That's not
conclusive by any means but it is a good start, no? <g>
Ron