Hello to all, it has been awhile since my last post. I am on the fence today as to go into the clinic or not, I'm sure double checking is always the answer therefore I may go in today and have a few scans to make sure. I am asking this question to see if any of you have had prolonged constant leg cramping as if you have a charlie horse that never goes away, it lessens when legs are elevated but then it does not go away completely. Has anyone gone through this? My INR levels are stable and consistent, today they were 3.6. I am eating correct foods and have been taking walks on the river close to my house consistently. Until now which my both of my legs are deeply painful. The area where the cramping is, is on my calf on both legs and then my heel on my right leg. Sometimes my feet/toes cramp up also like a charlie horse. Could I be deficient in something? I would hope a clot could not creep in considering my INR's are stable and in the high range which I prefer, but is this possible? Has anyone experienced this? I went to ER a short time ago with a leg rash that was all over my thigh and it went away the same day, the rash was not really a rash more like red markings that took over my outer thigh in the front. The doc sent me home said it was Lupus symptom. Which later on in the week I had the same markings/rash on my arm. The fatigue has been hitting me quite hard and I push past the pain and fatigue only to find myself drained beyond. If I take a "leg" break a few times a day and elevate the pain is not as bad yet it does not leave completely. My left upper arm/shoulder seem to flare up often as well during the last few weeks of the legs pulling this stunt so to speak.
Would love to know if this has happened to anyone? could it be a clot even with my INR's this high and stable?
Thanks for input all...have a blessed day
Becca
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I was so glad to see the post from you but also so sad that you are having problems. I can only ask you about your anticoagulation; what is your present therapeutic value? Do you test often enough to know if the INR suddenly drops. Are you testing in the vein or in the finger and if you selftest is there a big difference between the two readings in the vein and in the finger?
Are you wearing supporting stockings? Perhaps you should take some more bloodtests in general for other autoimmun illnesses or you need somethng more for your fatigue. Others will answer you I am sure.
Hope the Norwegian Prince is fine. Take good care Becca!
ALWAYS a pleasure to hear from you my sweet friend Kerstin. Yes I pulled my compression stockings out of my drawer and I am back to wearing them again. I'm working on the weight issue as I put on 40 lbs since the last surgery and hysterectomy, as I'm accustomed to a petite frame, never had a weight struggle before ever in my life. I eat so healthy and am normally very active. Some would say 'non stop' however that is not the case anymore.
I do self test with a finger prick. I test every three days to stay consistent. I keep my INR's in the 3.5 range, but it does shift down in the 2.7-3.3 range when I drink too much green tea or if I eat the wrong level of vegies but I quickly get my blood back up within a day or two it is back up and never stays down.
My Norwegian Prince is a gem, I pinch myself constantly as he is such a sweet, loving soul and he loves me as I do to the moon and back and then some. We have quite a precious life, I am so deeply grateful for this. Our home on the river has become our oasis. I'm spending almost every day painting on canvas again and writing. I am back to blogging and painting and serving still with my non profit. My life has slowed down to an unrecognizable level after shutting down the outreach warehouse, I see the necessary reasons for needing the live a life of calm vs go go go with this disease misbehaving like it does.
We created an art studio on the property and I truly paint to stay out of pain, when I find myself in pain I go into the art studio and paint the day away. The newspaper is asking to do an article on the calming recipe of paint and I, should be fun to explore what is next in my little world with the art therapy.
Thank you for saying Hi and for reassuring me on the blood complexity. Sometimes I feel lost with some of the barriers, yet I'm thankful and striving to move past it all.
Ask your Doctor for a Fragmin-shot to compensate for the low INR. You will handle the INR I am sure but why not help yourself with the shots? You take a shot as soon as you see your INR is too low and you behave as usual as the Fragmin is not sensitive to the things we have to think about with the Warfarin. That can take up to 2-3 days to change.
I have painted a lot of oil-paintings (also aquarelles) untill 2005 when i saw double etc. I do not see double now so I should restart but I am afraid that I will not manage in some way. My thumbs are making pain also. Perhaps I will start again as painting was my big thing in life. I started at the age of 42 and sold a lot and gave away and still have my appartement full with paintings.
Time does not excist when you are painting. I wish you good times with your painting, dogs and Norwegian Prince!
Oh Kerstin you MUST begin again...you MUST So special to know that you too carry the arts in your heart like I do. I always taught high risk youth art in my non profit and now that I am freer with time I simply slip away in the studio. A few of the recent pieces are leaving for their new home this week after Thanksgiving...they are such a part of my heart so its neat to see them when they go off with the folks that find peace and inspiration with them. Acrylics in Impasto style and a pouring technique has saturated my time in the studio this last year. I'm uber focused as its my happy place now.
I will ask about the shots, that makes so much sense. I'm miserable when it does go low until it raises again.
Thanks for insight. Would love to chat about paint beyond the forum sometime. Message me and look at my blog page as I'm sharing lots on there with art therapy, the mission and over all simplistic life
Did you ever go and get your Thyroid adequately tested beyond the TSH test? It would be good to do test like these: TSH, FT4, FT3, TT4, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies,Thyroglobulin Antibodies, Ferritin ,Folate, Vitamin B12 (NOT ACTIVE B12), C Reactive Protein, Vitamin D (25 OH), REVERSE T3, Insulin, HbA1c, Magnesium. This would rule it in or out, bearing in mind the weight gain. A slow Thyroid can creep up on you in an insidious manner and the one size fits all TSH test is not very reliable.
Please see below the typical symptoms, and I would also add that it would be good to see your consultant to rule out any new clots. You would not be the first to develop them alongside a perfect INR reading. thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...
So good to see you on here, very nice to hear from you. Yes I believe Magnesium may be part of the problem as well. My dad had a magnesium deficiency and I typically eat a banana a day yet I have not for a few weeks. Went off my routine a little. Paying for it it seems. Again thanks for saying hello, big hugs to you, Blessings
I have had a lot of shin cramps lately — to the point where I have had to give up hiking. I’m off to Cleveland Clinic in a few weeks to have the arthritic knee evaluated. As posted above, I see a resemblance to the “near area” pains I was having in my bad hip before I had it replaced. But I know I have a history of magnesium and potassium deficiency. So, I’m back to eating a half a banana a day, or drinking Gatorade.
Thinking back, I had cramps in my calves and they were tight all the time. I failed on blood thinner pills and ended up on Fragmin shots for several years now. Since I've been on Fragmin, I no longer have cramps or tight calves.
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So special to know that you too carry the arts in your heart like I do. I always taught high risk youth art in my non profit and now that I am freer with time I simply slip away in the studio. A few of the recent pieces are leaving for their new home this week after Thanksgiving...they are such a part of my heart so its neat to see them when they go off with the folks that find peace and inspiration with them. Acrylics in Impasto style and a pouring technique has saturated my time in the studio this last year. I'm uber focused as its my happy place now. 
My Leg This Morning/ Unstable INR
Red lumps on leg. 
Possible TIA
No Leg now
