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Undiagnosed Muscle Cramps, twitches, and spasms. Need relief...
Hello,
I am a 22 year old female. My illness started just under a year ago. I woke up in the middle of the night with a severe "charlie horse" cramp in my right calf. It lasted 15 mins, and returned again for a second time half an hour later. The next morning i had sever bruising where the cramp was from what appeared to be torn muscles. I was fine for a few days, but then began experiencing a shooting pain whenever i stepped on the outer pad of my right foot. This lasted a week, and from then on my symptoms began to expand.
I started feeling a constant twitching in my right calf muscle, like when you're tired and your eye twitches. It was not visible to the naked eye as it was far enough under the skin to not be seen. I began to notice that any strain on the muscle at all would cause it to seize into a charlie horse cramp. I slowly over the next month began to notice this up my entire right side. A yawn would cause my neck to seize up. Bending over would cause my side to seize up. Writing too long would seize my hand up. And even the slightest movement of my foot would send my leg into the most severe of cramps. When my calves cramp up it looks as though there is water boiling under my skin. It bubbles, pops, ripples, and spasms in an utterly painful and disturbing display.
I had bloodwork done which revealed everything was normal and I was sent to a neurologist. My neurologist preformed an EMG and NCS, which came back normal. I was then sent to have a c-spine MRI done. It revealed that my spine was begining to curve in the wrong direction which i'm told is common for people presenting with muscle cramps. I had an MRI done, with and without contrast, revealing nothing. I had an angiogram done which also revealed nothing.
I was sent to physical therapy which only proved to make my condition worse. By this time the sypmtoms had progressed through my entire body, not just my right side. they tried several medications, none of which helped. I also began to notice rapidly decreasing vision, incontinence, abnormal hair growth, difficulty swallowing, inability to concentrate, ringing in my ears, exhaustion, inability to fall asleep, and stiffness in my joints.
I saw a neuro-muscular specialist at a large presitigous medical college who suggested i inject botox into my legs to stop them from cramping. I have seen so many neurologists now that i'm beginning to feel its hopeless. This illness has comepletely taken over my life and I am so tired from fighting it 24/7. It affects every decision i make and follows me everywhere relentlessly. I am currently on a trial of baclophen which seems to be making things worse, as did most the muscle relaxants i was put on. My new neurologist told me that my best bet is to simply try medications untill i find one that treats the symptoms well enough to make it from one day to the next. This was the most devistating blow yet. I cannot accept that i may suffer from this for the next 60 years of my life with no answers. It cant be normal for a 22 year old to pray to god every night that they find something in her blood work or MRIs... so that the mystery can be solved.
Please, if you have any notion as to what may be causing these ailments, or if there is another doctor i should be seeing, please let me know. I am so despirate for answers.
-Adriane
I am a 22 year old female. My illness started just under a year ago. I woke up in the middle of the night with a severe "charlie horse" cramp in my right calf. It lasted 15 mins, and returned again for a second time half an hour later. The next morning i had sever bruising where the cramp was from what appeared to be torn muscles. I was fine for a few days, but then began experiencing a shooting pain whenever i stepped on the outer pad of my right foot. This lasted a week, and from then on my symptoms began to expand.
I started feeling a constant twitching in my right calf muscle, like when you're tired and your eye twitches. It was not visible to the naked eye as it was far enough under the skin to not be seen. I began to notice that any strain on the muscle at all would cause it to seize into a charlie horse cramp. I slowly over the next month began to notice this up my entire right side. A yawn would cause my neck to seize up. Bending over would cause my side to seize up. Writing too long would seize my hand up. And even the slightest movement of my foot would send my leg into the most severe of cramps. When my calves cramp up it looks as though there is water boiling under my skin. It bubbles, pops, ripples, and spasms in an utterly painful and disturbing display.
I had bloodwork done which revealed everything was normal and I was sent to a neurologist. My neurologist preformed an EMG and NCS, which came back normal. I was then sent to have a c-spine MRI done. It revealed that my spine was begining to curve in the wrong direction which i'm told is common for people presenting with muscle cramps. I had an MRI done, with and without contrast, revealing nothing. I had an angiogram done which also revealed nothing.
I was sent to physical therapy which only proved to make my condition worse. By this time the sypmtoms had progressed through my entire body, not just my right side. they tried several medications, none of which helped. I also began to notice rapidly decreasing vision, incontinence, abnormal hair growth, difficulty swallowing, inability to concentrate, ringing in my ears, exhaustion, inability to fall asleep, and stiffness in my joints.
I saw a neuro-muscular specialist at a large presitigous medical college who suggested i inject botox into my legs to stop them from cramping. I have seen so many neurologists now that i'm beginning to feel its hopeless. This illness has comepletely taken over my life and I am so tired from fighting it 24/7. It affects every decision i make and follows me everywhere relentlessly. I am currently on a trial of baclophen which seems to be making things worse, as did most the muscle relaxants i was put on. My new neurologist told me that my best bet is to simply try medications untill i find one that treats the symptoms well enough to make it from one day to the next. This was the most devistating blow yet. I cannot accept that i may suffer from this for the next 60 years of my life with no answers. It cant be normal for a 22 year old to pray to god every night that they find something in her blood work or MRIs... so that the mystery can be solved.
Please, if you have any notion as to what may be causing these ailments, or if there is another doctor i should be seeing, please let me know. I am so despirate for answers.
-Adriane
TO all on forum...
I stopped taking the lemictal as it did bad things to me. The cramps came back almost immediately. I've since been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and put on neurotin. This didn't help. I went to store and got a compound with Potassium Gluconate 595 mg it is sold for "nerve health". Finest Natural is the brand which I think is the Walgreen brand. I have also been taking 6000IU D3 vitamin and my cramps have significantly reduced with these two things!
I stopped taking the lemictal as it did bad things to me. The cramps came back almost immediately. I've since been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and put on neurotin. This didn't help. I went to store and got a compound with Potassium Gluconate 595 mg it is sold for "nerve health". Finest Natural is the brand which I think is the Walgreen brand. I have also been taking 6000IU D3 vitamin and my cramps have significantly reduced with these two things!
You should take between 5,000 iu and 8,000 iu vitamin D3 daily. 5,000 iu is only a maintenance dose, so it will not make your D levels go up at all. You will find this information on Mercola's site and on the Vitamin D Council's website.
Three glasses of milk everyday will NOT give you enough vitamin D or the right kind. Plus, many people can't drink milk, including people with IBS/GERD. Many with fibromyalgia have one or both of these conditions. The amount of vitamin D2 in fortified milk is pitifully small. The "new" FDA's RDA was based ONLY on bone health and NOT on over all immune function or on optimal health. You need to be taking vitamin D3. And, you need to take magnesium with your vitamin D supplements, even when you are taking the prescription form of vitamin D, which is also vitamin D2.
I agree that others in the personal life of someone with fibromyalgia do not understand. Only someone else with fibromyalgia can understand. Yet, some are worse off than others, so someone with milder symptoms will still not really truly understand.
Three glasses of milk everyday will NOT give you enough vitamin D or the right kind. Plus, many people can't drink milk, including people with IBS/GERD. Many with fibromyalgia have one or both of these conditions. The amount of vitamin D2 in fortified milk is pitifully small. The "new" FDA's RDA was based ONLY on bone health and NOT on over all immune function or on optimal health. You need to be taking vitamin D3. And, you need to take magnesium with your vitamin D supplements, even when you are taking the prescription form of vitamin D, which is also vitamin D2.
I agree that others in the personal life of someone with fibromyalgia do not understand. Only someone else with fibromyalgia can understand. Yet, some are worse off than others, so someone with milder symptoms will still not really truly understand.
I also have fibromyalgia. I went from dr to dr and test to test and nothing. I an on cymbalta and it does help alot with muscle spasms and the floaty feeling in my head and vision my sholders still hurt alot and hips and low back and knees but it helps to survive I could take other meds but I dont want to be doped up it is very frustrating. I was disgnosed by a reumotoligist. hope it helps and yes people dont understand what you go through it is very differcult but stay stong
I have been suffering from cramps from fingers to toes for over 14 years. I was diagnosed bipolar a couple months ago and put on generic lemictal. When I started taking it, with a day or two I realized that my cramps had STOPPED. I do not have any idea why. I have just been taken off of it as the side effects have been severely affecting my ability to do my job, and I am waiting to see if the cramps come back. I was researching also and from what I can tell, people with bipolar frequently have comorbid epilepsy and I am wondering if I am not having localized seizures. Muscle cramping caused from misfiring or over firing or something like that is what causes an epileptic "fit" and you can have "localized" ones that would only affect one muscle group. Since lemictal is an anti-seizure drug this is making sense if in only a layperson's manner. I will post back if I find out anything helpful.
One of the most common & overlooked causes of muscle cramping is vitamin D deficiency. If you have cramps & haven't had a lab test for your serum vit. D level, by all means ask your doctor for it. If low, you'll need to take either a) commercially available supplements, b) if your doctor writes you a prescription, a special dose you only have to take once a week, or c) drink 3 tall glasses of nonfat milk per day. It will take about 2 weeks on this therapy to make the cramps go totally away. After you get your level up to normal, try to spend 15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen 3 times a week on your arms & legs (wearing shorts) from March thru October & you'll never have low vitamin D again. I used to have these severe cramps & my doctor finally stumbled onto it. Now I'm a free man.
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