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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
You NEED your calcium and vitamin D levels checked!!! Most people don't realize that hypocalcemia can cause all of the problems you just described, my husband suffered from it. Your body may not be able to absorb it properly and you NEED to have this checked out if they haven't already! A lack of calcium can be very serious to your nervous system!
abnormal hair growth could be a sign of cushings syndrome... sorry didn't read that part first... Go see an endocrinologist... too many glucocorticoids can cause your body to be unable to absorb the calcium (look it up) it could all tie in together.... endocrinology would look at your calcium levels as well... That is your best bet!
Thanks so much! I dont know if they have checked my calcium levels or not. After so many blood tests i've lost track of what they are even checking for anymore. My nuerologist and I had discussed an endocrinologist as a next resort as i was feeling my hormone levels might be off anyways, so perhaps this is more of a logical step then I had imagined. I'll definatly call for the referral and pursue this option! Thanks so much for taking the time to help out!
many years back in the 70s i was about your age an dthe same thing happened to me. I went through many doctors and a battery of tests and nothing wrong was found with me. Since the doctor couldn't find anything wrong with me they told me it was something mental, but i knew it wasn't. To make a long story short after suffering with three months without being able to go anywhere i started making phone calls and found that a friend of a friend's husband was a Dr. and that he had healed in two or three visits a girl that suffered from facial paralisys for many years. I said that i wanted to see that doctor and they told me he was a different kind, a specialty that i had never heard of. Exspecially since i was born in Chile. The next day a friend came from Manhattan in New York and took me over to this Dr. he took x-rays of my back and my spine was shaped like an S, so he treated me on an articulated table where he stretched my body and made every bone crack, the next day i was a new man, but i was afraid to walk because of the many cramps that i was suffering which made me look like a monster even my face, neck, eyes, everywhere i had a muscle there was a cramp. But anyway the feeling was so great that i walk 5 miles and i didn't want to stop because i felt so great. it was like a miracle. This doctor was a chiropractor, the best i've ever seen. When you mentioned that your back was crooked it rang a bell for when this happened to me i went from a really hot environment to a freezer and out to the street that was very windy and then into a hot place again, which causes a big muscle spasm which pulls my spinal cord in different directions. So i think you should give a chiropractor a try, find one that is honest and doesn't want to keep you going there forever or that makes you sign any contracts as i have known some that are not very ethical and they are giving this profession a bad name. I would also suggest for you to stay away from ALL carbonated drinks for day nutralize the acidity your system needs to absornb calcium, and i also (which works for me) try colloidal minerals. If you see a chiropractor look for one that uses the gontead tehnique and i reccomend this because you have gone through other dr. and i think this may work for you. GOOD LUCK!
-Maury51
-Maury51
Google hyperPARAthyroidism (don't confuse with thyroid). It goes along with what first responder said. If you've had even the most basic bloodwork you've had calcium checked. Even if it's normal, you need to have them check your parathyroid levels. This gland regulates the calcium in the body. Other thought that came to mind was a metabolic myopathy, but your symptoms are totally consisent with that either. Your MRI will be normal with a metabolic myopathy. Probably will see something with EMG, but that's not always the case. Should show on muscle biopsy, but again not always the case. What about your creatinine levels? Any problems there?
It's possible you won't ever find and answer but the best thing is to never give up hope. Keep going to differnet doctors til you find one who helps. As you will learn, not all docs are the same. Even the good ones don't get it right all the time. This is especially tre when dealing with neuroligists. There is just so much unknown about the central nevous system and diseases like MS can cause the body to do just about anything. The best thing to do is keep talking to different docs. Hope this helps!
It's possible you won't ever find and answer but the best thing is to never give up hope. Keep going to differnet doctors til you find one who helps. As you will learn, not all docs are the same. Even the good ones don't get it right all the time. This is especially tre when dealing with neuroligists. There is just so much unknown about the central nevous system and diseases like MS can cause the body to do just about anything. The best thing to do is keep talking to different docs. Hope this helps!
I understand your pain my dear. I am currently in the same position. I just went to the Mayo Clinic the best hospital in the Country so I have been told...They came up with nothing. They put me on medication for Fibromyalgia which helps a bit. I have such a sharp pain in my neck that is there 24 seven. I have difficultly sleeping and I am unable to work. It has affected my eye site, shoulder's, tail bone and other joints in my body. I did see a chiropractor but, in my opinion I felt worse. Maybe the gentlemen who saw a chiropractor in New York was different and if he is please forward details.....I had MRI's, CT no MS. My thryroid is underactive and I am going to be persistant with that. My doctor thinks I am mental and making these things up. He is not a pill pusher which is good but, if I have a thryroid conditon it needs to be addressed. I am trying aqua water with a Physiotherapist. We will see how that goes. Try looking up dystonia...This illness unvoluntary contracts muscles in involuntary movements. I was check for this as well and believe I have some form of it but it is really hard to diagnose. It has to do with your basal gaglion. My CT scan reports that I do have some calification in that area however, the doctor said I don't have it. I am going to see another Neurologist in June located in Detroit.....I am taking vitamin D and Calcium as well....I think oh my gosh am I going to live like this for the rest of my life. Each day is a struggle and I am sick to death of my family and friend's saying you need to exercise you need to do this and that but, they are not the person who is inside of my body........Oh ya, then they said I might have had a mini stroke. I have had my horomone levels checked??????? Marcelina Graves diease, ALS, Lou graex diease and a movement Neurologists. Someday's I feel like my head is going to fall off. However, MRI reports no MS. If you find the answer's or a doctor that helps please report back. I will do the same. First, ask your doctor to try medication for Fibromyalgia. It has helped with the aches in my muscles and the nerves in my body.
Well , my wife actually started having this "EXACT" same problem queenlian a couple of months ago , also started with very strong cramp in her calf. We went to some doctors . and they put jer on cyclobezapar or something , we went to a nerologist , and put her on bactoban or something , which seemed to make it worst , so we decided to stop it (she only took it once) , and kept the previous med. I became very scared when I saw this progress , from one leg to the next , then to her face , and to now , we dont know whats wrong with her , but I can tell you what I believed has helped some.
I after we went to the doctor , somewhere online I read diff vitamin deficiencies can couse similar problems , I read a post of a woman with similar problems that used Vitamin B1 and it helped (will look for link on post later)
so I took my lady to the store , and bought her a bunch of SmartWaters (for electrolites), bannanas (for potassium) , Pinaple (for magnesium) , avoavatos (they are just very healthy) , and a one a day women's multivitamin. So every day , she started drinking a smart water , eating a bananna , a slice or 2 of pinaple , invluding avoacate in her meals , and drinking her multivitamin. We also threw away any diet and sugar free stuff we have (look into the symptoms of aspartame poisoning if you intake that and you will be shocked).
And , since she has been doing all that , she has gotten better. She is not 100% , but , she hasnt had any cramps since , her trembeling has almost completely stopped , a little here and there , she was able to continue going to school , and is living a more or less normal life. We still keep the cyclobenzapar in case she ever needs it , but very rarely uses it. I also notice she sometimmes gets bad if she doesnt sleep enough , or if she is under a lit of stress , or diff situations sometimm*es trigger it , but she is doing much much better after we included those foods and multivitamin. Some days ago , I bought her a bottle of Vitamin B Complex , it has all the Vitamin B's which are essential to the brain/neuro muscle functions.
Now I'm not saying this will cure you , but I would sujest at least trying it , it has certainly helped my wife a lot , as her twitching was almost constant , and her tendancy to want to spam as well ( We controlled this by rubbing theragesic ointment on her calf when she felt her muscle starting to contract , or when she felt she might have a spasm , this itself has helped control the number of spasms she's had by stopping them before they started) , and now it's very little , usually only when she over does it (sleeping only 5 hours or overworking her body).
So , I hope this is helpful to somebody , as most of the stuff you read on the internet is horrifying , so , even though we havnt founnd out what she has , or a cure , we seem to have found something that up to know seems to help, and I hope it can help somebody else.
If anyone tries this out do post if it helps you out at all.
Let me add , I forgot , we also bought some Pomegranate juice (I hear it's very good) , and some Green Tea Decafinated( must be decaf , as cafeine could start the twitching) and not hte lipton drink , the tea bags.
Also , she stopped drinking coke because of the caffeine.
Hope this helps somebody , pls comment back if anyone tries this, I will find the post by the other lady taking the Vitamin B1 , where she says how it's helped her a lot, but I would sujjest everything I posted , since it could be many different things causing the problem , an array of nutrients might be the best way to start treating it.
I after we went to the doctor , somewhere online I read diff vitamin deficiencies can couse similar problems , I read a post of a woman with similar problems that used Vitamin B1 and it helped (will look for link on post later)
so I took my lady to the store , and bought her a bunch of SmartWaters (for electrolites), bannanas (for potassium) , Pinaple (for magnesium) , avoavatos (they are just very healthy) , and a one a day women's multivitamin. So every day , she started drinking a smart water , eating a bananna , a slice or 2 of pinaple , invluding avoacate in her meals , and drinking her multivitamin. We also threw away any diet and sugar free stuff we have (look into the symptoms of aspartame poisoning if you intake that and you will be shocked).
And , since she has been doing all that , she has gotten better. She is not 100% , but , she hasnt had any cramps since , her trembeling has almost completely stopped , a little here and there , she was able to continue going to school , and is living a more or less normal life. We still keep the cyclobenzapar in case she ever needs it , but very rarely uses it. I also notice she sometimmes gets bad if she doesnt sleep enough , or if she is under a lit of stress , or diff situations sometimm*es trigger it , but she is doing much much better after we included those foods and multivitamin. Some days ago , I bought her a bottle of Vitamin B Complex , it has all the Vitamin B's which are essential to the brain/neuro muscle functions.
Now I'm not saying this will cure you , but I would sujest at least trying it , it has certainly helped my wife a lot , as her twitching was almost constant , and her tendancy to want to spam as well ( We controlled this by rubbing theragesic ointment on her calf when she felt her muscle starting to contract , or when she felt she might have a spasm , this itself has helped control the number of spasms she's had by stopping them before they started) , and now it's very little , usually only when she over does it (sleeping only 5 hours or overworking her body).
So , I hope this is helpful to somebody , as most of the stuff you read on the internet is horrifying , so , even though we havnt founnd out what she has , or a cure , we seem to have found something that up to know seems to help, and I hope it can help somebody else.
If anyone tries this out do post if it helps you out at all.
Let me add , I forgot , we also bought some Pomegranate juice (I hear it's very good) , and some Green Tea Decafinated( must be decaf , as cafeine could start the twitching) and not hte lipton drink , the tea bags.
Also , she stopped drinking coke because of the caffeine.
Hope this helps somebody , pls comment back if anyone tries this, I will find the post by the other lady taking the Vitamin B1 , where she says how it's helped her a lot, but I would sujjest everything I posted , since it could be many different things causing the problem , an array of nutrients might be the best way to start treating it.
I also want to add , Lyme disease seems like a candidate as well , I need to have my lady checked out for that , as it ;s symptoms sounds similar.
Thank you all for your replys.
Since the time of my original post things have not gotten any better with my muscles. However, some light was shed on the situation. As my hormones grew even more crazy I finnally sought out an endocrinologist thinking that it all was related. He did two boughts of testing on me. One to test for PCOS which would explain everything BUT the muscle cramps. The second test was to test for Cushings Syndrome, which would have explained ALL my symptoms.
Unfortunately it wasn't Cushings, it was just PCOS. The strange weight gain, hair growth, irregular periods, incontinence, and several other smaller issues are all in relation to that. The PCOS didn't start untill Winter of 2007-2008 so we know the muscle problem isn't related. Its good to have some of my symptoms handled though so that I can no focus on just the muscular issues alone.
I have stopped seeing my neurologist. He was continuing to try medication after medication with no releif and I was starting to feel like a walking pharmacy. I was paying 50 dollar copays for him to talk to me for 5 mins, write me a prescription, and send me out the door. All of which he could have done over the phone.
Since the last time I posted I have been having increasing difficulties with any activity leaving me basically useless for days. If i'm on my feet and walking too much my legs get really bad by the end of the day and then theres a corresponding issue with my hip. It feels like theirs sandpaper in my hip joint. But only on days when the muscles are bad as well so I know its related. I've started using a cane more days than not to help prevent spills. I had my legs lock up really bad one day in walmart while grocery shopping, and totally collapsed in the isle breaking a glass jar that was in my hand. It was embarrassing so I bought a cane that day so I'd have some support when things were bad like that.
I am going to give the specialized diet you mentioned a try and see if I can gain any releif from that. If I could just get it manageable that would be nice. I havn't been able to find work that is willing to work around my problem. My doctor wont give me a note because i'm un-diagnosed. *sigh*. I'm beggining to really dislike doctors in general. At least my endocrinologist is semi competant!
Again, thank you all for the support and help. I really appreciate it. I'll keep you posted on my progress.
Since the time of my original post things have not gotten any better with my muscles. However, some light was shed on the situation. As my hormones grew even more crazy I finnally sought out an endocrinologist thinking that it all was related. He did two boughts of testing on me. One to test for PCOS which would explain everything BUT the muscle cramps. The second test was to test for Cushings Syndrome, which would have explained ALL my symptoms.
Unfortunately it wasn't Cushings, it was just PCOS. The strange weight gain, hair growth, irregular periods, incontinence, and several other smaller issues are all in relation to that. The PCOS didn't start untill Winter of 2007-2008 so we know the muscle problem isn't related. Its good to have some of my symptoms handled though so that I can no focus on just the muscular issues alone.
I have stopped seeing my neurologist. He was continuing to try medication after medication with no releif and I was starting to feel like a walking pharmacy. I was paying 50 dollar copays for him to talk to me for 5 mins, write me a prescription, and send me out the door. All of which he could have done over the phone.
Since the last time I posted I have been having increasing difficulties with any activity leaving me basically useless for days. If i'm on my feet and walking too much my legs get really bad by the end of the day and then theres a corresponding issue with my hip. It feels like theirs sandpaper in my hip joint. But only on days when the muscles are bad as well so I know its related. I've started using a cane more days than not to help prevent spills. I had my legs lock up really bad one day in walmart while grocery shopping, and totally collapsed in the isle breaking a glass jar that was in my hand. It was embarrassing so I bought a cane that day so I'd have some support when things were bad like that.
I am going to give the specialized diet you mentioned a try and see if I can gain any releif from that. If I could just get it manageable that would be nice. I havn't been able to find work that is willing to work around my problem. My doctor wont give me a note because i'm un-diagnosed. *sigh*. I'm beggining to really dislike doctors in general. At least my endocrinologist is semi competant!
Again, thank you all for the support and help. I really appreciate it. I'll keep you posted on my progress.
Another thing I would sujest queenlian is , when your legs are really tired or hurting , is to rub either some theragesic ,or some icy hot gel on your legs , this really makes my wife feel much better. Usually , her legs start to feel bad at night , specially if she has been moving too much during the day , when this happens I usually rub some icy hot gel or theragesic on her legs , and she goes to bed , the next day she wakes up feeling much better. You can try one or the other , see which you like best , they are different but both seem to help a lot , though the icy hot gel is much less messier to apply. I hope we figure out what this is , and that this does not turn out to be a progressive dissorder, since thats what scares me the most , but for now we are just trying to live with it and hope for the best. Good luck queelian.
Ask you Dr. for a test called Mycoplasma. My son is going through alot of what you are. This is a bacteria infection that is onle caught by a test for this. Everything else comes up normal. Onle certain antibiotics help.
Worth a look.
Good Luck
Worth a look.
Good Luck
Here is another one that could be ,
http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/
There are so many diseases out there that have this exact same symptoms it's hard to tell which is the one. And from what I've read , doctors have a hard time finding which problem it is as well , because of the nature of the disease.
http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/
There are so many diseases out there that have this exact same symptoms it's hard to tell which is the one. And from what I've read , doctors have a hard time finding which problem it is as well , because of the nature of the disease.
Hi I told about Mycoplasma. Since then they are also looking at Lyme's disease.
Hop these ideas can maybe help.
Hop these ideas can maybe help.
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I HAD ALL OF YOUR SYMPTOMS YOU NEED ANTIBIOTICS!!!!!! FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
www.lymenet.org
I HAD ALL OF YOUR SYMPTOMS YOU NEED ANTIBIOTICS!!!!!! FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
www.lymenet.org
Hello queenlian , just wondering how things are going for you ? Did the diet do anything for you ? I also wanted to add , that we've basically settled on Icy-Hot gel for when she does get a cramp , it stops them almost instantly. Though , the cramps (1 or 2) she's had since the incident , seem like normal cramps anyone can get at night , not the strong one she got that time. I dont really know what was happening , but it looks like controlling the cramps , diet change , resting , and good sleep really have helped my wife a lot. I would suggest the diet , as well as trying to control the cramps with Icy-Hot by applying it when you feel you are going to get a cramp , and resting , not over doing your legs. Maybe something like a muscle relaxant pill as well , not nothing powerful like baclofen or anything , my wife was given Flexeril by the general doctor which saw her the first time , and thats what we used while she was having the cramps and twitching. She has since stopped taking it completely , but during that time it was helpful , I would advice to go to your general doctor and ask him about it , since it's not as strong a medicine yet it seemed to help her with the twitching. I would advice trying all this things , and very importantly , resting , and good sleep , letting your brain , body , and muscles relax , recuperate , and heal. I'm not exactly sure what my wife or you could have , but I know what we have been doing has been working , and I'm hoping it can work for you as well.
Even though I don't know what caused this problem with my wife , let me tell you the change she had in her life before it happened , see if maybe you were going through a similar situation or if something seems similar. About one or two months before my wife had that massive cramp , which led to more cramps and constant twitching , my wife had started medical school. And she was VERY VERY stressed out all the time. She would wake up early , go to school , come home , eat something quick , and go to study till around 11 or 12 at night , and go to bed. Wake up and do the same thing again. She also told me she had been taking to stairs in school every day , while carring all her books which weighed about 50 lbs. She also would skip breakfast most of the time , to make it to school in time. I am not sure which of this if not all could have contributed , but after around 2 months into school , she woke up at night to that horrible cramp , which basically crippled her for the rest of her semester. When she started getting much better was after summer vacation , when we focused on her resting ,forgetting about school or anything stressful , eating well , and getting good sleep at night. And in this couple of months , she has changed dramatically , she hasnt had any more twitching or cramps , she is very active , doing house work , playing with our little girl , taking walks , and even exercising , and she has stopped taking any medications. I'm very happy to see my wife moving around again , feeling good again and being happy.
I'm really hoping that my posts can help you out queenlian , the description of what happened to you , and how it started , is identical to what happened to my wife , she is doing much better with what we have been trying , and I'm sharing in hopes that this information can help you get better yourself. Let me know how your doing (hopefully better) , if I find out anything else I will post here. And be careful with the doctors , I'm glad you stopped the neuro , after 1 visit we decided not to go back , he gave my wife medicine which made her feel sedated , and made her arm start twitching (which it had never before) . Oh yeah , and a daily multivitamin like one a day , I would also recomend , specially one with 100% of Thiamin (vitamin B1).
Well , good luck queenlian , I hope to hear from you soon , take care.
Even though I don't know what caused this problem with my wife , let me tell you the change she had in her life before it happened , see if maybe you were going through a similar situation or if something seems similar. About one or two months before my wife had that massive cramp , which led to more cramps and constant twitching , my wife had started medical school. And she was VERY VERY stressed out all the time. She would wake up early , go to school , come home , eat something quick , and go to study till around 11 or 12 at night , and go to bed. Wake up and do the same thing again. She also told me she had been taking to stairs in school every day , while carring all her books which weighed about 50 lbs. She also would skip breakfast most of the time , to make it to school in time. I am not sure which of this if not all could have contributed , but after around 2 months into school , she woke up at night to that horrible cramp , which basically crippled her for the rest of her semester. When she started getting much better was after summer vacation , when we focused on her resting ,forgetting about school or anything stressful , eating well , and getting good sleep at night. And in this couple of months , she has changed dramatically , she hasnt had any more twitching or cramps , she is very active , doing house work , playing with our little girl , taking walks , and even exercising , and she has stopped taking any medications. I'm very happy to see my wife moving around again , feeling good again and being happy.
I'm really hoping that my posts can help you out queenlian , the description of what happened to you , and how it started , is identical to what happened to my wife , she is doing much better with what we have been trying , and I'm sharing in hopes that this information can help you get better yourself. Let me know how your doing (hopefully better) , if I find out anything else I will post here. And be careful with the doctors , I'm glad you stopped the neuro , after 1 visit we decided not to go back , he gave my wife medicine which made her feel sedated , and made her arm start twitching (which it had never before) . Oh yeah , and a daily multivitamin like one a day , I would also recomend , specially one with 100% of Thiamin (vitamin B1).
Well , good luck queenlian , I hope to hear from you soon , take care.
Its been a year and a half now since the onset of my illness. There are days when giving up is so tempting. I have tried so many muscle relaxants from my neuro and none of them helped. I have tried taking daily vitamins with full vitamin d and b1 and the works. I tried the diet. We tried physical therapy, Rest and Relaxation... the works. I am sad to report that nothing has seemed to help.
When the problems first came on I do admit my schedule sounded alot like you're wifes... Get up at 6am, spend 1.5 hrs in traffic dropping off husband and getting to the office, fast food breakfast and lunch while working an extremely stressfull fast paced job, 1.5 hrs in traffic getting home, fast food for dinner most nights, work from home till late and then sleep and start over 6 hours later. It was pretty intense. About 8 months into my illness though, my husband and I moved to Montana (we were in D.C. before), in hopes that being closer to my family, in fresh air and a more slow paced life, might bring about some change and some much needed relief.
Sadly, it didn't. For a full year now we've been here in Montana. I stayed home and relaxed... no working. Just me at home doing the things I love to do. I baked and sewed and played alot of video games. But there has been no improvement. I have a cane to walk with for the really bad days... days like the day I collapsed in walmart while grocery shopping, or like the day I ran a red light and nearly caused a 3 car pile up when my right leg seized up on the gas pedal.
I guess some of it has been a blessing in disguise. They found out that I have PCOS over the course of trying to find the cause of my muscle problems. So i'm on treatment now to get my insulin levels back down to normal. They think they caught it early enough that I wont have too much trouble getting pregnant when i'm ready... If it weren't for the muscle issues I'd never have taken note of the other strange things that led to that diagnosis.... so thats good I guess.
I think most days its just hard to come to terms with my limitations. I want to be able to hike in the mountains with my husband. I want to have a child without worrying what pregnancy will do to my already weak body. It would be nice to be able to excercise to lose some weight... its so hard to do without full use of my legs. I think my next attempt at finding relief will be to find a gym that has a pool and take water aerobics courses aimed at increasing mobility. I'll let you know if that helps.
Thank you again for all your support and help. It helps just to know that I'm not alone in this battle. I'm glad your wife at least has found relief. Take Care.
Best,
Adriane
When the problems first came on I do admit my schedule sounded alot like you're wifes... Get up at 6am, spend 1.5 hrs in traffic dropping off husband and getting to the office, fast food breakfast and lunch while working an extremely stressfull fast paced job, 1.5 hrs in traffic getting home, fast food for dinner most nights, work from home till late and then sleep and start over 6 hours later. It was pretty intense. About 8 months into my illness though, my husband and I moved to Montana (we were in D.C. before), in hopes that being closer to my family, in fresh air and a more slow paced life, might bring about some change and some much needed relief.
Sadly, it didn't. For a full year now we've been here in Montana. I stayed home and relaxed... no working. Just me at home doing the things I love to do. I baked and sewed and played alot of video games. But there has been no improvement. I have a cane to walk with for the really bad days... days like the day I collapsed in walmart while grocery shopping, or like the day I ran a red light and nearly caused a 3 car pile up when my right leg seized up on the gas pedal.
I guess some of it has been a blessing in disguise. They found out that I have PCOS over the course of trying to find the cause of my muscle problems. So i'm on treatment now to get my insulin levels back down to normal. They think they caught it early enough that I wont have too much trouble getting pregnant when i'm ready... If it weren't for the muscle issues I'd never have taken note of the other strange things that led to that diagnosis.... so thats good I guess.
I think most days its just hard to come to terms with my limitations. I want to be able to hike in the mountains with my husband. I want to have a child without worrying what pregnancy will do to my already weak body. It would be nice to be able to excercise to lose some weight... its so hard to do without full use of my legs. I think my next attempt at finding relief will be to find a gym that has a pool and take water aerobics courses aimed at increasing mobility. I'll let you know if that helps.
Thank you again for all your support and help. It helps just to know that I'm not alone in this battle. I'm glad your wife at least has found relief. Take Care.
Best,
Adriane
I made an appointment with my family docter tomorrow.I have been having severe muscle spasms and cramping in both feet and legs 3 and 4 times a night.Unable to place my feet on the floor to try to relieve the pain because of the contractured shape the spasm cause. I get these spasms when I sit in my desk chair or Lazyboy for two long of a time. Had some cramping in my foot while driving the other day. Today I went to get out of the neighbor's pool and had a very difficult time climbing the 3 step ladder. Two of the ladies had to help me and I almost fell.The pain and cramping was so bad I couldn't set my foot down.
The pain is sometimes are up the sides of my legs, in my thighs, calves or groin. I also get the contractures in my hands when I set my hair. My neck spasms when I yawn. This has been getting progressively more severe the pass two months.
I am 77 and in fairly good health otherwise. I bowl 2xweek and go to "Curves" 3 to 4xweek. I play in my flower garden a little. Hire my housework done. Otherwise pace myself and enjoy life. Have no real responsibilities, but this is more that I can cope with without some relief. We all get a certain amount of the spasms thru our lives when we exert our muscles differently on somedays, but this has to be more than normal.
My last blood labs were normal. Had doppler test of legs in May. Lower back X-rays showed some scolosis. Eat a lot of fruit and drink a quart of skim milk with sugar free chocolate milk daily. Maybe the Aspartane in the sugar free choc?? Will try cutting that out of my diet.
Any other suggestions than what I have read in the above info.?
The pain is sometimes are up the sides of my legs, in my thighs, calves or groin. I also get the contractures in my hands when I set my hair. My neck spasms when I yawn. This has been getting progressively more severe the pass two months.
I am 77 and in fairly good health otherwise. I bowl 2xweek and go to "Curves" 3 to 4xweek. I play in my flower garden a little. Hire my housework done. Otherwise pace myself and enjoy life. Have no real responsibilities, but this is more that I can cope with without some relief. We all get a certain amount of the spasms thru our lives when we exert our muscles differently on somedays, but this has to be more than normal.
My last blood labs were normal. Had doppler test of legs in May. Lower back X-rays showed some scolosis. Eat a lot of fruit and drink a quart of skim milk with sugar free chocolate milk daily. Maybe the Aspartane in the sugar free choc?? Will try cutting that out of my diet.
Any other suggestions than what I have read in the above info.?
Your situation seems very similar to what i'm going through. That is how mine stated.
Lately Its been causing so much pain in my hips and knees as well that i'm on a cane 24/7. Its embarrassing at my age. I work in a nursing home and always feel as though the elderly there with broken hips in wheel chairs must be looking at me and rolling their eyes....
The more I notice the syptoms getting worse in the heat the more I'm drawn to beleive that it truly is Multiple Sclerosis and that the earlier test was just too early. When I read the symptoms lists for MS is just fits all too well for what i'm going through.
I've decided to go back to my doctor and request that he put me through another rigorous strain of tests and labs to determine if it is in fact MS I have. If it is its better to find out sooner than later.
I dunno.... maybe i'm just so despirate for answers that i'm blinded to other options. Who knows. Its just been a long two years.
Lately Its been causing so much pain in my hips and knees as well that i'm on a cane 24/7. Its embarrassing at my age. I work in a nursing home and always feel as though the elderly there with broken hips in wheel chairs must be looking at me and rolling their eyes....
The more I notice the syptoms getting worse in the heat the more I'm drawn to beleive that it truly is Multiple Sclerosis and that the earlier test was just too early. When I read the symptoms lists for MS is just fits all too well for what i'm going through.
I've decided to go back to my doctor and request that he put me through another rigorous strain of tests and labs to determine if it is in fact MS I have. If it is its better to find out sooner than later.
I dunno.... maybe i'm just so despirate for answers that i'm blinded to other options. Who knows. Its just been a long two years.
I used to have symptoms of Fibromyalgia, Epstien Barr and Chronic Fatigue???? or what ever it was. Only took NSAID's prn and predisone if too severe.I have been doing fairly well with thoes symptoms since I retired and have a more relaxed life.Don't take meds unless it is intolerable. Do have a blood pressure problem and borderline diabetic. Wt 160#. 5' 7' in HT. but apple shaped thru abdomen. I understand this can be a syndrome that needs attention. Not sure what PCOS stands for?
Anyway I got a lot of information from this web site to toss to my doctor today
Thank You
Rosemary75
Anyway I got a lot of information from this web site to toss to my doctor today
Thank You
Rosemary75
PCOS stands for Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. Its a pre-diabetic state that causes abnormal levels of testosterone in a womens body. The entire imbalance leads to a large amount of cysts in the ovaries. Its the leading cause of infertility in the US.
My PCOS didn't come about untill well after the muscle problems though, so they are most likely un-related.
As far as medication goes, I have tried many but gave up on them. The only one that helped was Tizanadine (a drug used to treat muscle probles with MS). It leveled me out. I didn't have anymore bad days, but i didn't have good ones either. It was just more of a steady mild state. I am considering going back on it untill they get things sorted, because I cannot afford to continue having bad days. The only reason I stopped taking it was b ecause of the side effects. It causes ALOT of drowsiness and also constipation... not fun.
-Adriane
My PCOS didn't come about untill well after the muscle problems though, so they are most likely un-related.
As far as medication goes, I have tried many but gave up on them. The only one that helped was Tizanadine (a drug used to treat muscle probles with MS). It leveled me out. I didn't have anymore bad days, but i didn't have good ones either. It was just more of a steady mild state. I am considering going back on it untill they get things sorted, because I cannot afford to continue having bad days. The only reason I stopped taking it was b ecause of the side effects. It causes ALOT of drowsiness and also constipation... not fun.
-Adriane
The Dr.(Aug. 21) put me on Ca supplement. Had blood work done. Told me to increase fluid intake and eat more fruit. Guess he has to start somewhere. To call him in 2 weeks with results.
Cramping hasn't slowed yet( Aug 25)
Talked to a man today. Same symptoms. On a lot of cholesterol lowering drugs, Dr just put him on Neuroton. Wife an RN and doesn't want him to take it. Too many side effects.
Rosemary
Cramping hasn't slowed yet( Aug 25)
Talked to a man today. Same symptoms. On a lot of cholesterol lowering drugs, Dr just put him on Neuroton. Wife an RN and doesn't want him to take it. Too many side effects.
Rosemary
Queenlian , I sent you a PM , I was trying to post it here but for some reason it won't let me , keeps giving me "Message exceeded the 8000 character limit" .
if you havent found the cause yet ... or even if you have I would still get tested for celiacs disorder (might be spelled wrong sorry im dislexic) its basicly a wheat alergy but it can cause so many health problems you wouldnt believe it. I use to have the following problems
cramps ... not small ones ones that would start off in random parts of my legs and then spread untill my hole lower body and part of my lower back were ridged. I still get cramps but they normaly stay localized to the area they started in.
headaches, migrains, cluster headaches ... compleatly gone exept the rare headache.
lack of energy, omg you wouldnt believe the difference ... one of the reasons celiacs can be so harsh is that it destroys your ability to take in the things it needs to stay healthy resulting in a perminant feeling of being run down.
cysts, havent had any lately
general joint and mussle pain ... still not gone but it is way better than it was.
eritable bowel, I didnt have this one but my mother did and it went away within 2 weeks of not eating wheat.
mussle twitches, agian they havent gone away but they use to keep me up for 3 -4 days at a time now its 2 - 3 hours at the most.
and this is just my list ... you should look up the disorder ... its crazy what it has been known to do to people
take care,
cramps ... not small ones ones that would start off in random parts of my legs and then spread untill my hole lower body and part of my lower back were ridged. I still get cramps but they normaly stay localized to the area they started in.
headaches, migrains, cluster headaches ... compleatly gone exept the rare headache.
lack of energy, omg you wouldnt believe the difference ... one of the reasons celiacs can be so harsh is that it destroys your ability to take in the things it needs to stay healthy resulting in a perminant feeling of being run down.
cysts, havent had any lately
general joint and mussle pain ... still not gone but it is way better than it was.
eritable bowel, I didnt have this one but my mother did and it went away within 2 weeks of not eating wheat.
mussle twitches, agian they havent gone away but they use to keep me up for 3 -4 days at a time now its 2 - 3 hours at the most.
and this is just my list ... you should look up the disorder ... its crazy what it has been known to do to people
take care,
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