Does anyone suffer from cramps , I seem to get a lot of muscle cramps in my legs
OMG! Not only do I get them in my legs but also in my feet, hands, and forearms! I take potassium pills, they rarely help. I can't stand bananas. A retired nurse I knew told me to drink gatorade. Not the 'ready made' but ot get the powdered and mix it yourself. She stated that it had ten times the power of bananas. But as you know ..... we fibro kids never seem to all get the same results among us - much less with 'normals'. Good Luck and
Soft Hugs!
OMG, I am so sorry to hear about you fighting leg cramps. There are cramps and there are CRAMPS. I also get leg cramps. Mine are excrutiating. I have really large thighs and when they seize up they cramp so bad I end up with bruises for a couple of weeks. I've tried calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc with little success. I get a forwarning sometimes. For some reason I get cramps in the front of my neck and or find myself yawning all day...then later that night I get hit with really bad leg cramps. It's to the point of crying screaming pain. If anyone finds something that works I'd also like to know. I've heard some will prescribe quinine (sp?) pills. Legatrin works for some people if you can find it but I'm allergic to that.
Good Luck.
I get cramps in my hands, forerms, legs, feet, and neck almost daily. Some days it’s so bad I can hardly carry a bottle of water. I’ve tried potassium and it does nothing. My doctor recently put me on a low strength muscle relaxer and that has helped a lot!
Good luck to you
Yes, I do. It's awful - one time I had a cramp that lasted for 3 days. I ended up going to the ER. They tested my potassium level and it was normal. They never found out what caused it but told me to double up on my muscle relaxer which did work (thankfully). I can definitely relate to this issue.
I now have a TENS unit and use it whenever my muscles cramp up. It gives me relief. Maybe you can ask your doctor to prescribe one.
Nancy
This has been a problem for me as well over the years. My Physical Therapist taught me some stretches which help in both preventing and treating. I do these stretches every morning before I get out of bed and in the evening while watching TV. I also take Magnesium, Calcium and Flexeril every night. I repeat the Flexeril on my bad days.
The stretches seem counterintuitive at the time of the cramping but they work. A good PT is worth their weight in gold.
We have a hot tub to which I add Epsom salts - works in a regular bathtub as well. Use lots of Epsom salts - like a full 2 cups.
I’m with you on this - the pain from the cramping is excruciating. My Pain Management doctor is an osteopathic doctor. The adjustments he does have also resulted in far fewer cramps. I hope you find something of this that is helpful
I agree - I also do stretches my PT taught me. I wish I could try the Epsom salt bath but we live in an older house and the bathtub scares me (I might not be able to get out of it without help). The pain from muscle cramping is excruciating! Hope these ideas help. I take Xanaflex now - Flexiril stopped working for me.
Yes, I have a book that says it's a classic symptom of Fibro. I take calcium, magnesium and potassium now and then to see if it will help. It helps some. I get muscle spasms so bad it feels like a bone could break, and others so small it feels like an ant walking across my skin.
How do you feel about going to a massage therapist. I made an appointment but am nervious, not sure if good or bad. Hopefully someone has experience one as a tx option.
what is the name of the book? I am new. Lil Bit
lil bit, you look in the phone book for massage therapists, then when you go to the appointment, you can tell them to do it lighter or harder. Some people with fibro want the knots worked out, which is painful at the time, but people say it helps them for a couple of weeks. You can also ask them if they have or use a cold spray (there are different brands, one is cryospray), such as physical therapists use. Some like this, it numbs them a bit. If you have found that heat feels better, ask if they would be willing to put a hot moist towel on your muscles before you get massaged, to relax the muscles. One friend of mine takes Voltaren emulgel with her, and asks them to massage her worst spots with that. It's a painkiller with no smell, and helps to get the knots out easier. Tell them you have fibromyalgia and ask if they have experience with that. Personally, I have never been able to afford a massage, and I'm in so much pain, I think they would barely be able to touch me anyway. Even my skin hurts.
Best wishes, Sheila
lil bit, this book is like a fibro Bible to those who own it. It's written by an M.D. lady who also has fibro, and it has every possible symptom in it, with diagrams to see what's going on, and chapters that help tell you how to live every area of your life with Fibro. You can buy it used at www.amazon.com or other online bookstores, because it's a bit expensive if its new, because it's like a medical textbook written in layman's terms. It's called Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Syndrome, by Devin Starlanyl, M.D.
Welcome to the support group if you're new! Sheila
lilbit! welcome! If you click on 'views' it will bring up most of our yaking. I replied earlier (like 4am) to try powdered gatorade. A retired RN suggested it to me years ago. She said it works better than any other thing she knew of. I too am scared to get into the bathtub for fear of not being able to get out LOL. I get cramps so bad in my sides I'm doubled over - with tears added for fun , right?). When the Dr. told me I had fibro he said 'Good news, I know what is wrong with you - bad news there's no cure. Good news it won't get worse.' I'd like to see him and tell him -------------- Wrong, it got worse! The cramps seem to be a fairly new thing for me. Well the REALLY bad ones. Found out I had fibro in '97, ahhhh! Guess I'm a late bloomer,LOL. Catch ya'll Later!
Yes those muscle cramps in the legs are excruciating. For the past 2 months I am happy to report I'm not getting them anymore...hopefully they won't sneak back.
I dislike bananas too BUT I put one in a cup of milk (in blender) then add a few strawberries to quell taste of banana..puree and wash all my other vitamins down with the drink. It's delicious (my opinion) and with doing this and drinking mega amounts of coconut water daily...those dreaded leg cramps are leaving me alone now.
I hope this might be a suggestion/help for you and/or others FM sufferers. Now if I could just find a way to get rid of the horrid back pains when in a 'flare-up'.
I HEAR your pain & wish you well. Geranium.
Thanks for the info. Lilbit
I get incredible cramping in my legs, feet, hands, and abdomin. Pretty much uncomfortable everywhere. Its a very exhausting syndrome, you never know what you will wake up to.
God Bless and keep moving!
Well I guess I will put my two cents into this one. The answer is YES, of course.
Perhaps the most important and simple things one can do it never never wear nylon especially to bed. it conducts electricty and helps you skin stay cool. This pure cotton is best. Warm the skin, our skin does not like being chilled. Soft baby things help, fleece... things that will absorb and feel yummy. Our muscles have the wrong recipe... they cramp up easily with the wrong electricty around them.
Secondly when the evil things first appear, my object is to stand up straight as I can and stretch the muscle which HAS TO BE warm. You can briskly brush over it, when able with your hand or any soft object like a baby blanket. The hands are best because they can make static electritcity. Rub it over and over till the skin is warm from the brisk rub. Fast!
Take some deep breaths, let in as much oxygen as you can holding it then breathing it all out and doing it again. This is what athletes do when they cramp and it helps.
The object is to get negtive electricity into the muscle not positive (which is in clouds). This happens to us more when there is cloud cover or cold. Taking a warm shower accomplishes that; changes the elctricity around you to negative. For me, I use Magnesium- Malate. A quick sip of dill pickle juice works, or a cup of hot water with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a spenda helps a lot. The muscle needs water and oxygen. It is probably deficit of calcium. So a tall glass of water, and breathing deeply and holding it will get me out of a spasm.
In the long run, Vitamin E may be important to this situation, 200 mg twice a day in one study. there is a spray magnesium I am told. Some rely on Quinine which can be dangerous. It amazes me that many treatments of Fibro treat malaria... I don't think that is a coincidence by the way. Some drink tonic water before going to bed each night.
Generally, potassium shortage would be more muscle weakness but the cramping would be more magnesium shortage and we know that is a fact. I stick with my magesium malate, deep breathing and a tall glass of water.... followed by a hot cup of apple cider vinegar tea. Works for me.
Some rely on Rx drugs like Flexeril, Norflex and Baclofen (Lioresal). I prefer the natural solutions. For years I was on Nitroglycerine. Just when needed. Stopped them in an instant ! Best Rx drug I have used for this mess.
They are not fun.
Thanks to everyone who replied it is nice to know other people have the same symptoms
The solution is simple: Salt, maybe 1/4 to 1/8 tsp, under the tongue if it's an emergency. Try Lite salt if you prefer some potassium with it. Then too magnesium salts. If you have nothing else use Epsom bath salts 1 tsp thorough mixed in warm water; 1/2 tsp if it makes loose bowels. I have a bottle of quick dissolving magnesium with a citrus flavor; it's like Alka Seltzer, from the health food store.
It's for leg cramps. Yes salt causes water retention but many people need more water. Thing is, people don't realize how quickly sodium is depleted under stress, esp. in heat.
Some athletic product I recently read about advertised lots of "cramp-busting electrolytes". Salt & potassium, of course, are the electrolytes, along with calcium and magnesium. They have to do with the proper conduction of nerve impulses and body electricity. I got this from emedicinehealth.com/electrolytes
"Sodium is an important electrolyte that helps with electrical signals in the body, allowing muscles to fire and the brain to work. (!!) It is half of the electrical pump at the cell level that keeps sodium in the plasma and potassium inside the cell."
Besides it's our primary source of iodine and I won't even get into how important that is! Hope that helps; I used to do massage therapy and was very frustrated trying to undo the "conventional wisdom" of low salt, high water" advice which makes no sense.