ElizabethC in reply to risabel59

Discovered the stomach ones very recently - definitely ow! and in my back if I twist around too much. Never had those before.

The worse ones, though, are in the ankle near the achilles tendon. Thos are irritating, very twitchy and painful.

However, would rather the cramps and be able to breathe than not have cramps and difficulty without the inhalers.

Cavapoolover in reply to risabel59

Hi, yes I have had bad cramps/spasms in my stomach just under my right breast, in my feet, calves and fingers. I was really bad with my asthma, after a bad cold/cough in March/April this year 2020 at the start of Covid. I had a course of steroids and my Gp swapped me on to Fostair 100/6 instead of Clenil. I have been racking my brains as to what could be causing this cramp. My Gp gave me Codeine and Voltarol. Did nothing. She then sent me for an ultrasound, as 15 years ago I had my gallbladder out and the pain is in the gallbladder area. Ultrasound was normal. Then I had a chest X-ray .. that was normal too. Now I’m having a set of bloods. Since all of this, I can only think that what I am doing differently is that I’ve changed my inhalers. So I’ve reverted back to Clenil... HEY PRESTO!!! All cramps/spasms in my stomach have gone!!! It’s like magic... I feel a different person! Hope this helps anyone going through the same 😊

ElizabethC in reply to O-T-

I used to do ballet - only as an exercise. Nothing serious. Had to stop due to any attempt to point my toes and even very gentle stretching will trigger bad and painful cramps. This was after I'd been diagnosed with asthma (12 years ago now).

I usually do a lot of walking a day - to the office from car park is about 10 minutes (and then reverse end of day so 20 minutes) then into town from office for lunch (again 10 minutes to town and 10 back - so thats 40 minutes.). Then there is the going up and down 2 and sometimes 3 flights of stairs for various reasons for work. So on average its about 40 to 45 minutes of walking a day. Except that has dropped significantly since this viral infection kicked off. I can barely go a few hundred yards without getting badly out of breath and am having to use the lift in work, which I hate doing (don't like lifts).

I'll check out the different magnesiums and see which will work best. I'm also trying out Vitamin D. Being very pale and it being winter here I dareasay my Vit D levels are probably low.

And eczema is a beast. I had it rampant last year. Was ignored by one doctor and managed to practically gouge my back to shreds with the itching. Second doctor took one look and prescribed me Betnovate cream (not the greasy ointment) and this has stopped it. The eczema was over my back, chest, neck. It was in, on and behind ears and on my scalp and face. It was so bad at times that the pillow, bedclothes and nightwear were bloodied and the skin so raw and painful I could barely move. I remember one morning coming into work stiff and sore and one of my team asked me if I was ok and I dissolved into silent tears, the pain and discomfort and that infernal itch was too much to bear.

O-T- in reply to ElizabethC

I'm so glad the betnovate helped. How much you suffered I can sympathise with as I was in a similar boat when I was younger, 17. at that time I was seen by a consultant ant prescribed diprosone and modrasone - Schering-Plough's equivalents to the Glaxo creams. I had it on my neck, which of all is the worst, but my eyelids too!. since then, for more than 20 years it's been well controlled but has worsened from time to time and never clears off my right hand. I am humbled by my recall of how I suffered as a child and young man, as I now have mere niggles that defeat me too easily!

Cheers, Ollie

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O-T- in reply to ElizabethC

Hi again, I just looked up magnesium on examine dot com and: 'Supplementation of magnesium is not very effective at reducing fat mass or cramps.' - here is an example of why I said I thought the anti-cramp thing contentious! rest of the page is worth a look too though.

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MaggieHP in reply to ElizabethC

I've only just caught up with this post. I do ballet as well. Some years ago I did it more seriously (never to professional standard though I did get the first of the teaching qualifications). Then I had a break from it for some years before going back to it about two years ago.

I've not got a lot to add to the suggestions put forward by others, other than keeping yourself well hydrated. I sympathise with socks and slippers; I have to aim to keep my feet at an even warm temperature. Even now I'm sitting with a pair of socks on, with another pair of thick very warm socks on top and then what I call my fluff boots (fluffy slipper boots) on top of that.

I aim to eat a banana every day plus plenty of other fruit and veg (no, I'm not a vegetarian:-)). I also down over two litres of fluid every day. Because of GORD my stomach can't cope with tea or coffee, or hot chocolate (boo hiss), so I have either water for a cold drink, or hot milky water (think milky tea but without the tea) for a hot drink. Before a ballet class I will normally down three or four mouthfuls of water and then have a further drink of water when class is finished.

I certainly suffered a bit from cramp in my feet (particularly if I overstretched them) when I first went back to ballet, but that has eased as my body has adjusted to the exercise.

Ballet is a great form of exercise for asthmatics (any dance is quite good I think). It's a shame you had to stop. Have you thought of trying any other forms of dance?

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TrixieTT in reply to Highlighter

Well survey me too, but until I happened on this post by accident, no one ever suggested my awful cramp was anything to do with my inhalers. I take quinine tablets when it is really bad. Only recently been switched from seretide so will see!