Severe body cramps..... please help

[Jaffalove]

For the past 5 years I've been suffering with severe body cramps. It started out as the odd cramp in my leg or foot or arm, and I put it down to the fact that I was working 12 hour shifts in a hot kitchen, but as time went the cramps got worse and started affecting more muscles. When I was made redundant I thought I could take some time to get this sorted out and get myself back to work. I get cramp in just about every muscle from my neck to my toes. I am under two specialists a neurologist and a musculoskeletal specialist and neither seem to have a clue what is wrong with me. I have had blood test after blood test, iv had a MRI on my spine a DAT scan and a muscle and nerve test. And nothing seems to be wrong. And I also have osteoarthritis. The musculoskeletal specialist seems to think I have RLS, what a joke. If anyone else is suffering with anything like this please help.

[Marz]

Have you had your thyroid correctly tested - if so do share your results with ranges. If you have LOW thyroid then it is possible to have LOW B12 - FOLATE - FERRITIN - VITD - all of which can be the cause of horrid pain.

Sometimes the basics are missed 😴

[Jaffalove in reply to Marz]

Hello Marz, I haven't had any thyroid test done, but I will mention it thank you.

[Marz in reply to Jaffalove]

Did you manage to have some tests done for thyroid ?

[Swallowpoint]

Dear Jaffalove, I have never had cramps as bad as you describe--but have had them off and on for forty years. But to get rid of them I up my POTASSIUM. Some have always claimed the key is in magnesium and it might be in the balance. But with me I increase the potassium. And I mean increase it "heavy like." I now buy my potassium in powder by the one pound container and add a scoop to every quart of water I drink. I also add other nutrients and flavor the mix with pink containers of saccharin. Recently, after a year or more without a cramp I started again with "night cramps." I had changed my diet somewhat. So I upped my intake of potassium again and now have none. It took about three days. But doctors claim it is not the potassium--but magnesium-----but I have found it is the other way around. Good luck.

Eric

[Jaffalove in reply to Swallowpoint]

Hi Swallowpoint, according to the doctor's my potassium is ok, not sure about magnesium as I just get told I'm having bloods done and don't get told what they are for and when the results come back I just get told everything is ok, so really I have no idea what the doctor's have checked for or ruled out.

[Marz in reply to Jaffalove]

You are legally entitled to have copies of all YOUR test results with ranges so you can monitor and check.

[Swallowpoint]

If everything is O.K.---you should feel great? Since you don't ---don't believe the docs. Potassium in the hard tabs is restricted in size. To stop cramps I would have to takes eight or ten after awakening in the middle of the night with cramps. That is why I switched to buying it by the pound. I probably take eight or ten grams. But if you believe the docs--then don't try it.

Eric

[Swallowpoint]

P.S.---But with the powder--I take a gram with each quart of water I consume throughout the day--along with five other supplements including Vit. C. ----Eric

[Teri0905]

I agree, potassium and magnesium. And lots of water. Your body for some reason is not processing these as it should. Take lots of extra potassium and magnesium, and I even spray my legs with magnesium spray every night before bed. I also sleep with old slivers of soap under my fitted sheet, and the combination of doing these things has made my cramps stop. And I was getting full leg cramps, both at the same time, and all I could do was sit there and cry for a half hour or longer every time it happened which was often. So much incredible pain! Now that I have done these things they stopped. But I do get them back if I drink any alcohol at all, so I stopped that too. Having a beer is not worth it if it brings on excruciating cramps. Hope you find what helps you. Try different things til you find what works for your specific needs . God Bless!

[Swallowpoint in reply to Teri0905]

Dear Teri,----I certainly agree with you if you read my comments above. Personally, I get quite a bit of magnesium in my diet of mostly non-fat dry milk. So it has been the potassium increases which solved my night cramps. And the usual magnesium increases is of the form leading to "the runs!" But I have found I can add a variety of my supplements in powdered form in my daily drinking water, sweetened with saccharin. I add five powders which dissolve easily and are beneficial in quantity--like Vit C--potassium, MSM, malic acid, arginine----and it tastes like a "lemonaide." But--for forty years I have heard doctors claim night cramps cannot be helped with potassium. -----Eric in Wisconsin-USA

[Jaffalove in reply to Teri0905]

Thank you for your advice, I'm always trying out new things.

[cindylou222]

Could it be low potassium? I get body cramps, mostly leg, when my potassium is low.. I eat a coupIe of bannanas for a few days and it really helps.

[Swallowpoint]

I have found it takes more than a few bananas. That is why I buy the potassium in powder by the pound and put it in my water as a describe above in my earlier posts. There might be a number or "many" other factors--but enough potassium over shadows most. In fact writer above mentions modest alcohol which could certainly be a contributing factor and I had not associated that. But government regulation has limited the amount of potassium in each "hard to swallow" hard pill. So--consider the potassium in powder. So much in medicine is unknown and complex. ----Eric

[rory1957]

I don't have a clue other than to ask the basic: How is your electrolyte level and are you chronically dehydrated?

Sorry I can't offer more.

RCS

[Jaffalove in reply to rory1957]

Hi Rory as far as I know my electrolyte levels are ok and I drink plenty. But thank you.

[Swallowpoint]

Dear Jaffalove----I hope some of all the comments given above have helped--somewhat?

I thought of something else. Even with the potassium keep your legs very warm. Even in hot weather. At least keep heavy blankets on your legs. That makes a difference. ---Eric

[Jaffalove in reply to Swallowpoint]

Thank you Eric, for your advice I think i will give the potassium a go. And I do try to keep my legs warm as I find they get quite cold below the knee. I just wish I could get the cramps to stop, had a really bad few days even losing the feeling in my legs and my toes feeling numb.

[Swallowpoint in reply to Jaffalove]

And since it sounds like circulation also----(but you can have cramps without circulation problems)----remember the niacin (nicotinic acid type 500mg many times per day---and you will get "over the extreme flush" in about a week----but that will do wonders for your circulation! It reverses "intermittent claudication" for instance! ----Eric