L E G C R A M P S

flo0ow · 07-16-2003, 12:57 AM

im not sure if this would be more for the obese cysters but lately i have been getting cramps in my legs... like today i had a charlie horse while i was swimming after about 20 mins (know i know that you can get them from swimming for a long time but it was only 20 mins) i couldnt even move... (thank God i was only in 4 feet of water otherwise i think i wouldve drowned) but anyways... its now almost 7 hours later and it still hurts... thats 1 of the cramps... then i get these other ones that make my legs feel like they are 300#s each... (i usually only get it in one leg) but it feels like i am retaining a lot of water in that leg... so what my question is............... does anyone get these cramps often? like this is going on 2 cramps this week.... i just saw my md and i have an endo appt on aug 21 so i really dont want to go to the dr' again this week but i need an opinion before i do anything... should i go to the dr? (well obviously if it doesnt go away) but is there anything they can do about that... please help....

indiana_troll · 07-16-2003, 10:34 AM

A common cause of leg cramps is low potassium. Are you taking a multi vitamin with an RDA of potassium in it? If so, try adding more potassium through your diet. Bananas are loaded with it. Dark, leafy vegetables have a lot too. Take care and hope your legs feel better soon.

Patty

nygrlintn · 07-16-2003, 01:18 PM

I agree! I always use to get leg cramps that would wake me up in the middle of the night but I try to make sure I eat enough potassium and then they stay away. I am also on spironolactone which can make you retain to much pot. but so far I haven't had a problem and no leg cramps in a long long time! Good luck I hope this helps.

PeacefulAngel · 07-16-2003, 09:55 PM

I take Lasix for swelling in my feet and legs, and I have been
having some horrid leg cramps lately.

Definately take potassium in your vitamins, or in a
seperate supplement. As Patty said, Bananas and green
leafy veggies are excellent sources. Oranges are a
good place too!

Have you ever heard of quinine water? My mom's doctor
told her to drink it, and it helped her cramps. I think it's
alot like tonic water.

Also, (this post is starting to sound like a infomerical

)
Make sure you are drinking enough fluids. Dehydration
can cause cramps too.

If you get them while you sleep, another thing that has helped me
is making sure my sheets are not waded up so my feet don't
get wraped up and in a bind.

I had gotten an info sheet from my medical doctor not
long ago on cramps, don't think I'm really this smart. :p

I hope some of this helps!
God bless!
Julie

sugarbug · 07-16-2003, 10:53 PM

When I was pregnant my doc gave me the best piece of advice ever: Charlie Horses in the legs can be caused by low calcium. Eat a few Tums (the gas chewable things) and they are gone. It worked- still does to this day!

But I agree being dehydrated and low potassium can also cause them.

Hope you find your solution soon!
BUG

anglewormm · 07-17-2003, 08:06 AM

I was reading somewhere about leg cramps and dehydration. Actually, in order to become dehydrated enough to get leg cramps you would have to be drinking a lot less fluids than you normally do. You would also have bowl problems. I drink a ton of water a day, plus the other fluids, but it is when I haven't gotten enough calcium that I get my leg cramps. I drink a glass of moo and they go away.

The thing about dehydration is that our bodies get used to the amount of liquids we give them and eventually the will only require what we are giving them. We don't need as much water as we used to because we don't work as hard as we used to, unless of course you are a labor worker or a mom

. If you drink coffee or soda as a daily drink, then you can actually count that towards your consumption of liquids for that day, as well as any water from fruits or veggies (especially high water content ones like watermelon, cuccumber, lettuce, etc). Now that doesn't mean you should quit drinking 8 glasses of water a day (64 fl oz.) but that you can get the water from other sources.