Question:
Why am i having so much probles with leg cramps a night
Does any body els have this problem? I am have the worst leg cramps a night. They even wake me up and the pain is of the charts it makes it hard for me stand up and walk them off. — Debra F. (posted on June 12, 2004)
June 11, 2004
Debra I have them too. For awhile I had them so bad and so frequently I
went to the emergency room with them. My pcp did all kinds of lab work and
found no deficiency's nutritionally. She said that this is common though
among us post ops and that it's been found that extra folate and B12 help
even when there is no deficiency. So she prescribed me a monthly B12 shot
and a prenatal. I also did some surfing around online and dehydration can
cause that too. Now i drink a lot through the day but I also drink way, way
to much coffee with is caffinated and caffiene dehydrates us. So I tried
cutting back on that and increasing my water and crystal light and other
decaf 0 calorie beverages. I also tried increasing my pottasium be eating a
bannana every day. I'm not sure which thing is working but it is helping. I
still get the cramps. I don't get them every day or nearly as severely. I
hope you find an answer.
— Carrie D.
June 12, 2004
I WOULD SEE YOUR PCP. YOU MAY HAVE LOW POTTASIUM. I HAVE HAD IT SINCE
SURGERY AND HAVE TO TAKE MEDICATION TO KEEP IT NORMAL. PAULETTE
— Paulette G.
June 12, 2004
Potassium, calcium, magnesium can be missing. My whole family has to take
the extra magnesium/calcium for leg cramps and it totally eliminates it.
They have not had wls either. Get it checked out and supplement what is
missing.
— ZZ S.
June 12, 2004
Debra. I too was having leg cramps at night. They were really jittery and
I couldn't go to sleep. My doctor said it could be from dehydration, but I
was low on B1 so he put me on one B complex a day and the problem went
away. Hope you find what works for you. Please check with your doctor
before trying anything.
— Carolyn B.
June 12, 2004
I have been have the same thing, very bad nightly leg cramps. I am a
little over 2 mos post op. I asked my surgeon about it and they ran a
potassium check on my blood that came back normal. We chalked it up to the
extra walking and activity that I can do now that I have lost 70 pounds. I
do walk a lot at home and at work and am on my feet a lot more than I was
pre op.
— Pookie B.
June 12, 2004
Debra,
Look into your potassium levels. Potssium deficiency is often the cause of
night cramps. It is important to check with your doctor just to make sure
where all your levels are. With several of the doctor supervised diets I
have been on - its potassium that I get deficient on quickly. My surgery
is at the end of this month - expect that I will have a similar issue too.
— Susan H.
June 12, 2004
Debra, I used to get calf cramps all the time preop, especially if I did a
lot of walking during the day. I once read the best thing to do to get rid
of it is to flex the foot (bringing the toes up towards your knee and your
heel out) and it worked. It may come back an hour later, but that
technique gets rid of it fast.
— Lisa N M.
June 12, 2004
It could be caused by a myriad of things, so the best thing to do is see
your doctor. Among the common causes with WLS patients could be too much
exercise, low potassium, dehydration, low B-12 levels, diet etc. So to
make sure you get it nailed down the exact cause in your case, it's best to
get to the doc. I have that problem a lot and mine is usually low
potassium. Early on, I had the problem and it was because I wasn't getting
enough fluids in. So the causes can be different--depending upon what
you've been doing.
— Cathy S.
June 12, 2004
When I was pregnant I had the worst leg cramps at night due to low calcium
- have had a couple of episodes since WLS as well. Make sure you're
getting in all your calcium!
— barbdeane
June 12, 2004
Debra,
I know you don't want to hear that you should see your doctor about it.
Actually your Potassium is VERY important to keep you from having cramps.
He may need to check your levels or just give you a scrip for some to take
daily. Hope this helps. Keep looooosing! :-)
— smoore_911
June 14, 2004
I get leg cramps when I am starting to get dehydrated. I would check with
your doctor but in the meantime I would pump up the fluid consumption. It
is especially important now that the weather is warmer and you may be
losing more fluids during the day.
— Carol S.
June 14, 2004
I'd see your doctor asap. It could be many things none of which we have the
knowledge to diagnose. But my Mom had bad leg cramps for a few weeks. Then
she had a blood clot go from her legs to her lungs. She now has a lung
disease called pulmonary hypertension, thanks to a damned ole blood clot.
She never smoked ether! But a blood clot can kill. Just in case, I'd see a
doctor! You never know what it might be.
— Danmark
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