Leg Cramp Follow Up

I'm writing this because so many of you commented that you or your spouse also suffered from leg cramps. I hope this information helps someone.

I have been taking a prescription potassium supplement and using the magnesium oil I bought at Whole Foods for two weeks now. Although I have tried to drink more water during the day, I am not pushing it to extremes like I did in the first few days. I do drink Pellegrino with dinner, and most nights consume most of a liter. I only stretch lightly when I think of it, and that is not often.

I've had new blood tests that are showing good levels of potassium and magnesium. They were low before. Apparently all the avocados and other high in potassium things I have been eating, and the magnesium in my Cal-Mag were not enough. (Avocados have more potassium than bananas.)

It is difficult to describe how different I feel. Until I relaxed, I didn't know I was tense. I do know I was afraid to turn or change my leg positions in bed because if I did I was likely to set off a cramp. I often had what I can only describe as a "jangly feeling" in my entire body: a slightly nervous feeling. 

I have been fighting sleeplessness for a long time, and would often have to get up to walk out cramps in my feet or legs several times a night. I would also visit the bathroom, but that was just because I was up already.

I have not had a cramp for ten days. I have been falling asleep much quicker than before, and only waking once to go potty, and then falling back asleep easily.

My whole body feels calm, no more jangly feeling.

My mood is better because I am more rested.

I can turn over in bed without worry about setting off a cramp and my feet and legs are relaxed. There has also been an improvement in my Restless Legs Syndrome, but that comes and goes so I don't know if it is related.

One negative: I have gained three pounds in one week. This may be because I am now "hydrated" as opposed to being "dehydrated."
I can live with a gain of three pounds if it means no more cramps, but have to be careful not to gain any more. Weight gain is not supposed to be a side effect of taking either of these minerals.

Only one more point. For me, this is the first time a doctor has taken this problem seriously. I guess it took a trip to the ER. If you get leg cramps, insist you get a blood test for potassium and magnesium. It sure has made a difference in the quality of my life. 

What My Doctor Said ...

I think this will be the end of this post line! 

Basically my doctor was no more help than any other. She listened and she was understanding about the pain I had experienced, but she could not give me a cause nor a real solution.

My Potassium levels were a bit low, but still within "normal" range. She prescribed a Potassium supplement. My Magnesium levels were not tested in the ER, but she had tested them in January and they were OK then. We discussed the use of the Magnesium oil, and she was OK with it.  I will have additional blood work in a week to check these two minerals again.

She gave me a prescription for Valium to be used as a muscle relaxant if I should have another occurrence similar to last Tuesday's. Its good to have it as an emergency treatment that will ease the cramps and keep me from having to call 911 again. 

We agreed that increased  hydration and stretching were both good and I should be sure to do.

Just to be on the safe side, she is ordering a Vascular Study on my legs.  We don't think there is a problem, but it is an elimination of a potential cause. She said the pulse was not strong and my feet were very cold.

If I learn anything else that might be of interest to others who have leg cramps from time to time, I'll be sure to share.

But other than that, I am returning to post about RV travel,  food, and getting ready for full timing!

Cramping Legs, follow up

I want to thank all of you who left comments on my March 13th post about having bad leg cramps. It warmed my heart knowing so many cared about me. I have carefully read all of your suggestions, and am working on changes that will hopefully prevent this from ever happening again.

Thank you Jim and Sandie for saying you would have hit the guy who said they were "just" Leg Cramps. My feelings exactly, but at the time I was curled up on the floor unable to move.

Al's description of my situation as being like "having a whole herd of alligators attacking my legs all at once". Yup. They just didn't want to let go. 

Potassium, magnesium, water, quinine, stretching, water exercise, Epsom salt soaks, Hyland's Leg Cramp PM, bananas, dates, potatoes, and pickle juice. I'm willing to consider them all, but I've tried the Leg Cramp PM in the past and it didn't do much for me. It is a homeopathic remedy.

I used to eat a banana a day, but it never helped when I had moderate cramping. I stopped eating bananas and potatoes when I started my weight loss plan last year. They do have a high glycemic index without the benefits of high fiber. Especially if they are ripe, which is the way I like them. On Wednesday I did some reading about foods with higher potassium levels, and find that avocados have more potassium than bananas and have more fiber. I've been eating an avocado several times a week for the last couple of months just because I like them and they have been reasonably priced. But I will still start including bananas into my eating plan again. 

It's the butter and gravy that make potatoes fattening, so I guess I'll include some plain steamed new potatoes. I had some last night and they were fine without any butter. My overall diet has been very high in vegetables and fruits so I don't know how adding these back in will help all that much.

I have found that sometimes tonic water helps, and sometimes it doesn't. It seems to help most when I've been hiking, so I will continue to drink it nightly when on an RV trip.

My regular doctor is on vacation and the soonest appointment I could get is next Friday. She asked me to bring in the lab results from that night, which I have gotten a copy of. As I look at them, it looks like all my results were pretty near normal. The potassium was on the low side of the normal range, and I couldn't find anything that looked like a magnesium test. The only really high number was my blood glucose level. We'll see what she says.

What I have found to try for the week is a product called "Magnesium Oil". (If you read all of the claims about this stuff it is a miracle product. I am as skeptical about it as I can be in regard to all the claims, but if it helps at all I let you all know.)

You spray it onto your skin (in my case onto my legs and feet) and the magnesium is absorbed thru the skin. I bought it at a Whole Foods. The clerk gave me a sample of it to try the first night. Actually the sample would have lasted several days, but I think it did some good relieving some small cramps I was getting in my toes, so I went and bought the product. It is rather expensive, but if it helps it will be worth it. She also told me to look up how to make it myself, which I did, and if it works I will give that a try. 


So there it is. I've been OK, except for a few little twinges.

I will post about what I learn after I see the doctor next week.

Till then I'll be drinking lots of water and ...