Chronic diahera and severe leg cramps are not a good combo

[Kaleva]

Last edited Tue Nov 2, 2021, 07:03 AM - Edit history (2)

A few days ago as my wife was sleeping, I was outside raking the yard and cleaning up the garden. When I do that kind of work, it's expected I'll be hit by severe leg cramps that evening or during the night.

That night, after me and my wife had dinner and she went back to sleep, I was downstairs in the living room , dressed in a t-shirt, underwear and socks, watching informative video's on YouTube about storing root crops in the ground for the winter.

While watching a video, the urge to go to the bathroom hit and I knew I had little time so I got up and then the leg cramps started. Down to the floor I went as my legs and feet twisted up. Normally, the cramps are extremely painful but thinking about how pissed my wife would be if I shit all over the living room carpet distracted me from the pain. So there I am, rolling around on the floor, gritting my teeth as I'm trying to hold it. Finally, the cramps subsided enough so I was able to pull myself up using a chair and I hobbled kinda bowlegged to the nearest toilet which was in the foyer. There, I blasted the toilet but relieved that I didn't create an epic mess in the living room.

Edited to say I spent the day working outside and cleaning up the garden while my wife was sleeping.

[hamsterjill]

1. Thanks for sharing!!!

[MiHale]

2. Have you ever tried Epsom Salts...

Sometimes after a hard days work in the garden and yard I’ll soak in a epsom salt bath for about a 1/2 hour. The magnesium in the salts helps to relieve and or prevent cramps. Although with the diarrhea problem it may not be a good idea it can in some cases cause a loosening of the bowels.

[dewsgirl]

5. That was my first thought. (Epsom salts as a laxative.)

It really is great for sore muscles, my dad used to use it.

[Anon-C]

3. Love those root cellar videos!

Please consider this or Pedialyte or any competing store brand, it may help with both The Cramps and the Chronic Dea Hera(I have that problem in droves!)



Cheers!

[Kaleva]

12. I'm in the process of making a root cellar underneath the enclosed back basement entrance

I had to put in a proper foundation for the back entrance and I thought I might as well dig down on the inside to the depth of the new foundation and turn the space into a root cellar. It's 6' 8" long by 3' 4" wide and 31" deep. Not big but I ought to be able to store quite a bit of root crops in it plus buckets of home made kimchi and sauerkraut along with glass containers of fermented sugar snap peas, tomatoes and pickled eggs.

[Anon-C]

14. Amazing. You certainly seem to have thought this through!

[doc03]

4. I feel your pain, I got them after going on long bicycle rides many

times. Many times its like 3am in the morning and both legs will cramp up. The last couple years I find
if I drink one or two bottles of Body Armor I almost never get them and if I do they are mild. I am sure
there are other drinks that work but that is the one I use. Number one keep hydrated.

[Probatim]

6. Have you tried Magnesium supplements?

When I got back in to running a few years ago, I suffered horrible cramps - calves, hamstrings, and (the worst) sartorius muscles could cramp at any time.

I tried stretching, rolling, hydration, and fueling during long runs. Those would help me finish a run without cramping but I could get hit later on with terrible cramps. (Did I mention sartorius muscle cramps are awful?)

I spoke to my PCP and he suggested Magnesium supplements. He said muscles need Potassium, Iron, Magnesium, and something else. You get all but magnesium from your diet.

Started taking a daily 250-300mg magnesium supplement and have been relatively cramp free since.

[Laffy Kat]

16. This was going to be my suggestion as well.

Great minds and all.

[zuul]

7. Be careful with magnesium supplements. Guess what too much magnesium can cause? Diarrhea!

I was taking oral magnesium to help with migraines. It helped, but too much can cause the squirts.

Heat is the best way for me to relieve leg cramps. And making sure I drink plenty of water.

I keep "Snappy Heat" instant gel packs next to my bed and the couch. You snap the little metal disk inside the get pack and within 10 seconds, it gets extremely hot. I hold the hot gel pack against my leg until the cramp is relieved.

Once I can walk again, I heat up a rice bag in the microwave for about 3 minutes. It's much larger than the gel pack and it stays warm for 30 to 40 minutes.

[MuseRider]

8. Be careful with the Magnesium

it can cause powerful diarrhea if you take too much. It is a fine line for sure.

[packman]

9. IMPORTANT - GO TO A DOCTOR NOW

Get an upper GI, you may have a bleeding ulcer. I had those symptoms for years, started off with god awful leg cramps, especially at night. Tried everything from electrolytes to scent aroma to message units on the legs. Then the diarrhea hit after awhile. Explosive stuff, not pleasant. Finally wife dragged me to a doctor and they do an upper and lower GI and discovered a bleeding ulcer that , they said started off small and grew larger, leading to the toilet bouts.

If you find yourself drinking a lot of fluids, diarrhea dark and smells especially foul you may have Cdiff which can also cause those problems.

https://www.cdc.gov/cdiff/index.html

[Kaleva]

11. I've had 4 colonoscopies in the past few years but they found nothing.

Also one of those procedures where they go down the throat, through the stomach and into the upper intestinal tract.

MY GI doc thinks it may be stress related as the symptoms flare and wane with the situations I may or may not be dealing with.

I'm on full disability because of my legs. Prone to get blood clots when doing the work I did, my legs and feet will go numb if I sit for too long and I have a very hard time getting up from a kneeling position. I only get the leg cramps when doing tasks I know i shouldn't be doing but i do them anyways knowing the consequences.

Glad to hear they found your ulcer and kudos to your wife for having you go to a specialist!

[in2herbs]

10. Low potassium is my opinion.

[Tetrachloride]

13. 1. Water. 2. Apple juice 3. bananas 4. a bit of chocolate

it may take 3 days to get your potassium back to normal.

If you can ride a bicycle for 5 minutes regularly, it will help.

[LuckyCharms]

15. Deleted original comment.

Didn't read closely enough...turns out this is a serious thread.

I hope things improve for you!