Aa
evere Muscle Cramping
My two cents...
I stop eating bananas and that seems to help a lot. I wonder if my potassium level was too high!
This discussion is related to Severe Muscle Cramping.
I stop eating bananas and that seems to help a lot. I wonder if my potassium level was too high!
This discussion is related to Severe Muscle Cramping.
Just found this wonderful site! I have not yet found a post by anyone who suffers the same symptoms that I do. They are many and may or may not be associated with each other. I am under the care of the Veterans Administration (I'm a vet), and experience substandard care in many ways, so I am doing my own research in trying to come up with possibilities of diagnosis/solutions that I then can take to my GP (in the VA) and get confirmation or rejection of my "hunches".
5 years I began getting hit with flu-like symptoms; body aching, nauseous, headaches, very fatigued, about twice a month. Then other symptoms began and grew in intensity; cramps, muscle aches, tenderness to touch in various areas, etc.
For the past 2 years, my pain has become severe and unbearable without medication. The upper back pain could be from a schwannoma on T9 that will be removed within a few months. Not sure how long it has been there, as it was found by accident on an X-ray. I had been complaining of upper back pain, muscle spasms, knife-stab type pain (my upper back woulds sieze up, sometimes for as long s 3 days, where I could barely breath and certainly not move from my sitting up position on the couch) in my upper back since 2007 and was finally X-rayed in 2010. The neuro-surgeon believes it is "probably has been there for years and nothing to worry about as they are quite common", and has not tested to find out anything about it, such as NF1 and NF2. However, I have suddenly developed cysts in other areas of my body, as well, and have severe cramps on most of my body. The other cysts are on my thyroid, which they've biopsied and found "nothing", and one behind my knew which is being ignored and treated as arthritis, and a calcified cyst on my ovary (I had only been complaining of abdominal pain for around a year...). (Remember, I'm under VA care.) The cramping is the worst, though. Vitamin D helps with the cramps, but the IU's I have to take to ward them off is increasing, rapidly. I currently take 5,000 a night, and sometimes have to take another 5,000 during the day. Cold water brings on the cramping no matter how much Vitamin D I've had. The cramps are in my upper arms, lower arms, upper back, stomache (the tumor is on T9), upper and lower legs including the shin area, top and bottom of my feet, my toes, and my hands (if I try to do work such as crocheting, which I no longer even try to do).
I have to be very careful how I move, so as to not bring on a cramp. For instance, if I let myself laugh, heartily, I'll get a bad stomach cramp. To get these cramps out, I have to bend over backwards, over a chair or bed, being careful to not bring on any leg cramping if I use my legs wrong while bending over trying to get the tummy cramp out. (It gets very tricky!) Sometimes it is so intense it makes me cry out in pain. I have to be just as careful with my movement so as not to bring on the cramps in any other area of my body.
My tendons also seem to have shrunk, for lack of any better way to describe it. I am not able to touch my toes as I used to be, with legs straight out while sitting on the floor, for instance. I can not stretch from side to side even close to how I used to. My strength and endurance is also very, very low.
I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and am therefore getting no further treatment for any of these pains. I have massive migraines that are calmed with Vitamin B12. My abdomen has swollen by 6 inches in 4 months nd is being ignored by any/all specialists. I've had a biopsy of my uterus, an ultrasound of my ovries and surrounding areas, and am getting a DNC soon, and have a thickened uterus wall. However, the Gyn believes the thickening nad cyst have nothing to do with the sudden "bloating" (no weight gain). So once again, specialists are looking at me blankly, literally stating they don't know and to try another specialist!
I'm going to a neurologist again next week to once again complain about the cramping. So far, he has also just blankly stared at me, stating, "I don't know."
I'm at wits end. My quality of life has drastically changed - I mean, I have to stifle laughing! It makes me very sad, and I am not able to run, jump or play with my grandchildren, physically. I have several bulging discs, bone on bone in my neck in 2 places, laminectomy on L4-L5, and several cysts and lesions that were removed during a colonoscopy.
Any ideas? Any hunches? Please forgive me for this being so lengthy.
Very sincerely,
Wanda
5 years I began getting hit with flu-like symptoms; body aching, nauseous, headaches, very fatigued, about twice a month. Then other symptoms began and grew in intensity; cramps, muscle aches, tenderness to touch in various areas, etc.
For the past 2 years, my pain has become severe and unbearable without medication. The upper back pain could be from a schwannoma on T9 that will be removed within a few months. Not sure how long it has been there, as it was found by accident on an X-ray. I had been complaining of upper back pain, muscle spasms, knife-stab type pain (my upper back woulds sieze up, sometimes for as long s 3 days, where I could barely breath and certainly not move from my sitting up position on the couch) in my upper back since 2007 and was finally X-rayed in 2010. The neuro-surgeon believes it is "probably has been there for years and nothing to worry about as they are quite common", and has not tested to find out anything about it, such as NF1 and NF2. However, I have suddenly developed cysts in other areas of my body, as well, and have severe cramps on most of my body. The other cysts are on my thyroid, which they've biopsied and found "nothing", and one behind my knew which is being ignored and treated as arthritis, and a calcified cyst on my ovary (I had only been complaining of abdominal pain for around a year...). (Remember, I'm under VA care.) The cramping is the worst, though. Vitamin D helps with the cramps, but the IU's I have to take to ward them off is increasing, rapidly. I currently take 5,000 a night, and sometimes have to take another 5,000 during the day. Cold water brings on the cramping no matter how much Vitamin D I've had. The cramps are in my upper arms, lower arms, upper back, stomache (the tumor is on T9), upper and lower legs including the shin area, top and bottom of my feet, my toes, and my hands (if I try to do work such as crocheting, which I no longer even try to do).
I have to be very careful how I move, so as to not bring on a cramp. For instance, if I let myself laugh, heartily, I'll get a bad stomach cramp. To get these cramps out, I have to bend over backwards, over a chair or bed, being careful to not bring on any leg cramping if I use my legs wrong while bending over trying to get the tummy cramp out. (It gets very tricky!) Sometimes it is so intense it makes me cry out in pain. I have to be just as careful with my movement so as not to bring on the cramps in any other area of my body.
My tendons also seem to have shrunk, for lack of any better way to describe it. I am not able to touch my toes as I used to be, with legs straight out while sitting on the floor, for instance. I can not stretch from side to side even close to how I used to. My strength and endurance is also very, very low.
I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and am therefore getting no further treatment for any of these pains. I have massive migraines that are calmed with Vitamin B12. My abdomen has swollen by 6 inches in 4 months nd is being ignored by any/all specialists. I've had a biopsy of my uterus, an ultrasound of my ovries and surrounding areas, and am getting a DNC soon, and have a thickened uterus wall. However, the Gyn believes the thickening nad cyst have nothing to do with the sudden "bloating" (no weight gain). So once again, specialists are looking at me blankly, literally stating they don't know and to try another specialist!
I'm going to a neurologist again next week to once again complain about the cramping. So far, he has also just blankly stared at me, stating, "I don't know."
I'm at wits end. My quality of life has drastically changed - I mean, I have to stifle laughing! It makes me very sad, and I am not able to run, jump or play with my grandchildren, physically. I have several bulging discs, bone on bone in my neck in 2 places, laminectomy on L4-L5, and several cysts and lesions that were removed during a colonoscopy.
Any ideas? Any hunches? Please forgive me for this being so lengthy.
Very sincerely,
Wanda
Hello, I have stumped all the doctors in my area, does anyone have any insight about the sympton listed below?
The “pain” within my muscles is almost primarily in my legs and more severe in my right leg. Moreover, my feet and calves are the spots which are the most intense and are the location where the pain begins. The muscle pain also never goes far above the mid-quadracep area, and when the pain resides, it follows the same progression in reverse. The pain in my muscles is the most severe aspect of what I am experiencing; this is why I focused on it during our appointment. The “discomfort” in my hands is more from the circulation problems that arise. They become cold and blue with a small amount of musculature ache in the bracialis muscles; nothing like my legs though. Moreover, this occurs after the pain in my legs becomes torturous, so it possibly is a result of the prolonged severe pain. The vertigo I spoke to you about, interestingly enough, started 1.5 months before my first attack. The ENT (Allen ENT) told me I had lost half of my hearing and it was probably caused by a virus. I have regular reoccurrences of the vertigo. Could this pain be from the same virus? It seems to like nerves.
The other symptoms I did not mention, as I thought they were associated with other issues, are as follows. As I told you during our meeting, I have RSDS in my right foot; however, during these bouts, I have burning on both of my feet which is found primarily on my soles (other than my right foot which goes up to my calve - old). Sometimes it is a strange mix of cold and burning at the same time. My muscles also twitch in my legs. I have shooting pains on both sides of my shins and a stabbing pain mid-quadricep, which is new. There is also a stabbing pain in my right knee. My lumbar creates spasm around my trunk and also stabbing pains on either side of the L-5/S-1 level. Moving up the spine, I have direct pain over the laminectomy area L1-L3 and severe stabbing pain/ spasm just below my shoulder blades and directly on my spine. I also have stabbing pain/spasm in my right shoulder, under my right shoulder blade and up the right side of my trapezius to the base of my skull. Sometimes this stabbing pain is so bad that I drop my shoulder down as it feels like something stabbed or stung me. To be honest, I am not so sure this is not a peripheral poly-neuropathy . A friend who is in medical school at Jefferson told me that peripheral neuropathy starts just as I describe. For example, it starts in the feet and works its way up the leg, circulation problems ect. The pain in my thoracic spine has gotten progressively worse over the past two years. I am at a point that laying down flat or sitting up are next to impossible for more than five minutes. I also have a pinching sensation deep in my lower legs which makes my whole lower trunk jump at times.
The “pain” within my muscles is almost primarily in my legs and more severe in my right leg. Moreover, my feet and calves are the spots which are the most intense and are the location where the pain begins. The muscle pain also never goes far above the mid-quadracep area, and when the pain resides, it follows the same progression in reverse. The pain in my muscles is the most severe aspect of what I am experiencing; this is why I focused on it during our appointment. The “discomfort” in my hands is more from the circulation problems that arise. They become cold and blue with a small amount of musculature ache in the bracialis muscles; nothing like my legs though. Moreover, this occurs after the pain in my legs becomes torturous, so it possibly is a result of the prolonged severe pain. The vertigo I spoke to you about, interestingly enough, started 1.5 months before my first attack. The ENT (Allen ENT) told me I had lost half of my hearing and it was probably caused by a virus. I have regular reoccurrences of the vertigo. Could this pain be from the same virus? It seems to like nerves.
The other symptoms I did not mention, as I thought they were associated with other issues, are as follows. As I told you during our meeting, I have RSDS in my right foot; however, during these bouts, I have burning on both of my feet which is found primarily on my soles (other than my right foot which goes up to my calve - old). Sometimes it is a strange mix of cold and burning at the same time. My muscles also twitch in my legs. I have shooting pains on both sides of my shins and a stabbing pain mid-quadricep, which is new. There is also a stabbing pain in my right knee. My lumbar creates spasm around my trunk and also stabbing pains on either side of the L-5/S-1 level. Moving up the spine, I have direct pain over the laminectomy area L1-L3 and severe stabbing pain/ spasm just below my shoulder blades and directly on my spine. I also have stabbing pain/spasm in my right shoulder, under my right shoulder blade and up the right side of my trapezius to the base of my skull. Sometimes this stabbing pain is so bad that I drop my shoulder down as it feels like something stabbed or stung me. To be honest, I am not so sure this is not a peripheral poly-neuropathy . A friend who is in medical school at Jefferson told me that peripheral neuropathy starts just as I describe. For example, it starts in the feet and works its way up the leg, circulation problems ect. The pain in my thoracic spine has gotten progressively worse over the past two years. I am at a point that laying down flat or sitting up are next to impossible for more than five minutes. I also have a pinching sensation deep in my lower legs which makes my whole lower trunk jump at times.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thank you for your question. Usually, muscle cramps are common in salt imbalance, circulatory problems, with certain medications, excessive cold temperature, whilst you are relaxed or resting, during or after exercise, or after sitting in an uncomfortable position. Most of the times, they are not related to any underlying disorder but needs checking out with a doctor to assess that your leg circulation and nerve supply are working appropriately. Meanwhile, I would suggest eat a diet rich in fruit (therefore banana can not be a cause) and vegetables, vitamin E & zinc supplement, drink at least eight glasses of water in a day and avoid smoking. Hope this helps.
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