Re: Does this happen to anyone else?

October 7, 2004

I had whole body cramping after my RAI that lasted several years.. it was explained to me that it has something to do with oxygenation of the muscles of the body, as in not enough oxygen.

When you have been still, as in sleeping, you're not moving around and keeping the muscles moving and replenishing the blood within them. The oxygen in the blood that is lingering there is used up. Then you move and the muscles need oxygen to do that but don't have enough... causing the cramp.

They told me that it was because I had been so active, a body builder, and that my muscles were breaking down from lack of activity... that all of those things, combined, were causing the pain and that there was nothing to do about it but wait... Eventually my muscle tone and blood circulation would equalize and I'd get enough blood to the muscles and wouldn't cramp like that anymore.

But it's terrifying... I had RAI 15 years ago.... and it's only been the last couple of years that I've been brave enough to stretch when I wake up and to be able to do it without locking into cramps.

That's just my two cents....

I'm not sure why you are getting it only on one side... unless it has something to do with how you lay....

Topper ()

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 06:14:09 -0700 "Carol M. s" writes:

Hope I am not being too much of a pain here. OK, this started pretty recently, and it’s now the 3rd or 4th time this has happened to me and it’s not been fun to say the least. While sleeping, (well, half sleeping/waking) during the night I will do this sort of whole body stretch. And then my left calf seizes up and cramps so bad, I want to scream. But I don’t or my husband and dog would fly through the ceiling. Only the left, every time. And there is nothing I can do but endure the pain and wait it out. Any experiences? Am I missing something from my diet? I don’t take vitamins, they upset my stomach. I just hope it is that simple. Thanks!

Carol

October 7, 2004

I had whole body cramping after my RAI that lasted several years.. it was explained to me that it has something to do with oxygenation of the muscles of the body, as in not enough oxygen.

When you have been still, as in sleeping, you're not moving around and keeping the muscles moving and replenishing the blood within them. The oxygen in the blood that is lingering there is used up. Then you move and the muscles need oxygen to do that but don't have enough... causing the cramp.

They told me that it was because I had been so active, a body builder, and that my muscles were breaking down from lack of activity... that all of those things, combined, were causing the pain and that there was nothing to do about it but wait... Eventually my muscle tone and blood circulation would equalize and I'd get enough blood to the muscles and wouldn't cramp like that anymore.

But it's terrifying... I had RAI 15 years ago.... and it's only been the last couple of years that I've been brave enough to stretch when I wake up and to be able to do it without locking into cramps.

That's just my two cents....

I'm not sure why you are getting it only on one side... unless it has something to do with how you lay....

Topper ()

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 06:14:09 -0700 "Carol M. s" writes:

Hope I am not being too much of a pain here. OK, this started pretty recently, and it’s now the 3rd or 4th time this has happened to me and it’s not been fun to say the least. While sleeping, (well, half sleeping/waking) during the night I will do this sort of whole body stretch. And then my left calf seizes up and cramps so bad, I want to scream. But I don’t or my husband and dog would fly through the ceiling. Only the left, every time. And there is nothing I can do but endure the pain and wait it out. Any experiences? Am I missing something from my diet? I don’t take vitamins, they upset my stomach. I just hope it is that simple. Thanks!

Carol

October 7, 2004

I had whole body cramping after my RAI that lasted several years.. it was explained to me that it has something to do with oxygenation of the muscles of the body, as in not enough oxygen.

When you have been still, as in sleeping, you're not moving around and keeping the muscles moving and replenishing the blood within them. The oxygen in the blood that is lingering there is used up. Then you move and the muscles need oxygen to do that but don't have enough... causing the cramp.

They told me that it was because I had been so active, a body builder, and that my muscles were breaking down from lack of activity... that all of those things, combined, were causing the pain and that there was nothing to do about it but wait... Eventually my muscle tone and blood circulation would equalize and I'd get enough blood to the muscles and wouldn't cramp like that anymore.

But it's terrifying... I had RAI 15 years ago.... and it's only been the last couple of years that I've been brave enough to stretch when I wake up and to be able to do it without locking into cramps.

That's just my two cents....

I'm not sure why you are getting it only on one side... unless it has something to do with how you lay....

Topper ()

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 06:14:09 -0700 "Carol M. s" writes:

Hope I am not being too much of a pain here. OK, this started pretty recently, and it’s now the 3rd or 4th time this has happened to me and it’s not been fun to say the least. While sleeping, (well, half sleeping/waking) during the night I will do this sort of whole body stretch. And then my left calf seizes up and cramps so bad, I want to scream. But I don’t or my husband and dog would fly through the ceiling. Only the left, every time. And there is nothing I can do but endure the pain and wait it out. Any experiences? Am I missing something from my diet? I don’t take vitamins, they upset my stomach. I just hope it is that simple. Thanks!

Carol

October 7, 2004

I can tell you from having those cramps during pregnancy, that it's often linked to low potassium/calcium. But, as for enduring one.... the minute you feel it, pull your toes up as if you were trying to get them to your knees. This flexes the muscle and helps it to let go of the cramp. Keep your toes pulled back hard until the cramp is well gone. Worked for me.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Hope I am not being too much of a pain here. OK, this started pretty recently, and it’s now the 3rd or 4th time this has happened to me and it’s not been fun to say the least. While sleeping, (well, half sleeping/waking) during the night I will do this sort of whole body stretch. And then my left calf seizes up and cramps so bad, I want to scream. But I don’t or my husband and dog would fly through the ceiling. Only the left, every time. And there is nothing I can do but endure the pain and wait it out. Any experiences? Am I missing something from my diet? I don’t take vitamins, they upset my stomach. I just hope it is that simple. Thanks!

Carol

October 7, 2004

I can tell you from having those cramps during pregnancy, that it's often linked to low potassium/calcium. But, as for enduring one.... the minute you feel it, pull your toes up as if you were trying to get them to your knees. This flexes the muscle and helps it to let go of the cramp. Keep your toes pulled back hard until the cramp is well gone. Worked for me.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Hope I am not being too much of a pain here. OK, this started pretty recently, and it’s now the 3rd or 4th time this has happened to me and it’s not been fun to say the least. While sleeping, (well, half sleeping/waking) during the night I will do this sort of whole body stretch. And then my left calf seizes up and cramps so bad, I want to scream. But I don’t or my husband and dog would fly through the ceiling. Only the left, every time. And there is nothing I can do but endure the pain and wait it out. Any experiences? Am I missing something from my diet? I don’t take vitamins, they upset my stomach. I just hope it is that simple. Thanks!

Carol

October 7, 2004

I can tell you from having those cramps during pregnancy, that it's often linked to low potassium/calcium. But, as for enduring one.... the minute you feel it, pull your toes up as if you were trying to get them to your knees. This flexes the muscle and helps it to let go of the cramp. Keep your toes pulled back hard until the cramp is well gone. Worked for me.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Hope I am not being too much of a pain here. OK, this started pretty recently, and it’s now the 3rd or 4th time this has happened to me and it’s not been fun to say the least. While sleeping, (well, half sleeping/waking) during the night I will do this sort of whole body stretch. And then my left calf seizes up and cramps so bad, I want to scream. But I don’t or my husband and dog would fly through the ceiling. Only the left, every time. And there is nothing I can do but endure the pain and wait it out. Any experiences? Am I missing something from my diet? I don’t take vitamins, they upset my stomach. I just hope it is that simple. Thanks!

Carol

October 7, 2004

That works for some cramps but didn't work for the ones that I got after going hypo, after the RAI...... the only way for those to go away is to lay there for as long as it took and wait.. if I got impatient, especially when my bladder needed to be emptied, if I started to move a leg to swing out of bed, or even move a hand to scratch my nose, it started all over again....

..... leaving that place in my brain... like one of my worse nightmares but I lived it... for a long long time.

It's still good to share experiences... please don't think I'm blowing off your suggestion... we all need to share what we know, it case it helps someone else......

*shy smile*

Topper ()

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 08:44:02 -0700 "J Sisemore" writes:

I can tell you from having those cramps during pregnancy, that it's often linked to low potassium/calcium. But, as for enduring one.... the minute you feel it, pull your toes up as if you were trying to get them to your knees. This flexes the muscle and helps it to let go of the cramp. Keep your toes pulled back hard until the cramp is well gone. Worked for me.

October 7, 2004

That works for some cramps but didn't work for the ones that I got after going hypo, after the RAI...... the only way for those to go away is to lay there for as long as it took and wait.. if I got impatient, especially when my bladder needed to be emptied, if I started to move a leg to swing out of bed, or even move a hand to scratch my nose, it started all over again....

..... leaving that place in my brain... like one of my worse nightmares but I lived it... for a long long time.

It's still good to share experiences... please don't think I'm blowing off your suggestion... we all need to share what we know, it case it helps someone else......

*shy smile*

Topper ()

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 08:44:02 -0700 "J Sisemore" writes:

I can tell you from having those cramps during pregnancy, that it's often linked to low potassium/calcium. But, as for enduring one.... the minute you feel it, pull your toes up as if you were trying to get them to your knees. This flexes the muscle and helps it to let go of the cramp. Keep your toes pulled back hard until the cramp is well gone. Worked for me.

October 7, 2004

That works for some cramps but didn't work for the ones that I got after going hypo, after the RAI...... the only way for those to go away is to lay there for as long as it took and wait.. if I got impatient, especially when my bladder needed to be emptied, if I started to move a leg to swing out of bed, or even move a hand to scratch my nose, it started all over again....

..... leaving that place in my brain... like one of my worse nightmares but I lived it... for a long long time.

It's still good to share experiences... please don't think I'm blowing off your suggestion... we all need to share what we know, it case it helps someone else......

*shy smile*

Topper ()

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 08:44:02 -0700 "J Sisemore" writes:

I can tell you from having those cramps during pregnancy, that it's often linked to low potassium/calcium. But, as for enduring one.... the minute you feel it, pull your toes up as if you were trying to get them to your knees. This flexes the muscle and helps it to let go of the cramp. Keep your toes pulled back hard until the cramp is well gone. Worked for me.

October 7, 2004

Hi Carol,

I found that taking Calcium with Magnesium and Zinc at bedtime

really helped with my " charlie horses " . In the beginning I took

double the recommended dosage, to build up what my body may have

been missing and then after about a week or two I dropped down to

the recommended dosage, taking it just before bedtime.

Hope this might help.

Gossimer

> Hope I am not being too much of a pain here. OK, this started

pretty

> recently, and it's now the 3rd or 4th time this has happened to me

and it's

> not been fun to say the least. While sleeping, (well, half

sleeping/waking)

> during the night I will do this sort of whole body stretch. And

then my left

> calf seizes up and cramps so bad, I want to scream. But I don't or

my

> husband and dog would fly through the ceiling. Only the left,

every time.

> And there is nothing I can do but endure the pain and wait it out.

Any

> experiences? Am I missing something from my diet? I don't take

vitamins,

> they upset my stomach. I just hope it is that simple. Thanks!

>

> Carol

October 8, 2004

No, I don't think so, unless it's awfully subtle. I do have this little bit of swelling around my toes, after I've been on my feet way too long, but it does go away with rest, i.e., putting my feet above my heart. What I've had lately, on a couple of occasions, lasting for 3 days one time, and a few hrs the next, all within a week, is this stiff dead feeling in my tailbone and buttocks, whenever I've been sitting for a short while, then go to get up and walk. It's really not painful, it's just that my hips won't swing forward, until I've been attempting to walk for a couple of minutes, as though they are frozen. It's weird, and I've never experienced anything like it. If I slowly keep going forward, then it's as though they unlock and I can walk normally. Funny thing is, though, it was only on and off over a 3 day period, then off for around 3 days, then started again, just for a few hrs. Now it's completely gone, but it was downright scary. I do lift patients at work, but not very many, as I'm on the night shift, but I've never lifted a patient the wrong way because I'm very careful with my back.