Joint and muscle pain

[IdontEven]

Okay, so kinda goofy post, but lately at night I've been getting these really intense aches from the waist down. It feels like the joints, bones, and muscles from where the leg fits into the hip all the way to the foot are painful.

Last night an OTC pain reliever gave enough relief for sleep, tonight it didn't do much. I've been holding my knees up to my chest and scooting up to a wall and putting my feet on it or extending my legs upwards. All these stretches bring some temporary relief but it takes work to hold the positions, so not ideal for going to sleep.

Has anyone else experienced this sort of thing? I'm not particularly worried about anything being majorly wrong, but it's pretty freaking unpleasant.

It's also not present or as noticeable during the day, if that's indicative of anything. I'd love to hear any suggestions or theories, please!

[Tristyn]

I was wondering, do you get leg cramps too (charlie horses)? Do you have a family doctor? I am not making a diagnosis, but from what you described you might have fibromyalgia: http://www.fibrocenter.com/pain-symptoms.

[IdontEven]

Hmm, I did when I was a kid, and I'll admit to getting the same sort of muscle cramps if I'm not careful about how I stretch lately. I'm sort of in between GP's right now, but thanks for the fibromyalgia info. I'll keep an eye on symptoms and see how well they match up.

[Dena]

I don't know if you are on a blocker or not. If you are on a blocker like Sprio, it could be the sign that you don't have enough salt (sodium chloride) in you diet. If are not on a blocker then a shortage of potassium chloride can cause cramps. As I have never been on a blocker and had cramps, I added Orange juice to my diet to remove my cramping issues. You need to have your sodium and potassium levels check when your next blood test and that will tell you if your diet needs adjustments.

[wendylove]

It could be lots of different things if its causing to much discomfort you need to see a doctor. There are a  number of nerves that run down the back of your leg and can cause the pains you are describing which would also explain why stretching eases the pain. Try a regular stretching routine maybe yoga. Over time the muscles of the lower back, glutes and hamstrings become very tight especially if you sit a lot or cycle, stretching is the only way to relieve that. Take it easy though don't push to hard think of your muscles and tendons as a piece of rubber, when its cold its really hard and brittle as its gets warmer it gets  much more flexible and easier to manipulate.

[Tristyn]

I don't know if you are on a blocker or not. If you are on a blocker like Sprio, it could be the sign that you don't have enough salt (sodium chloride) in you diet. If are not on a blocker then a shortage of potassium chloride can cause cramps. As I have never been on a blocker and had cramps, I added Orange juice to my diet to remove my cramping issues. You need to have your sodium and potassium levels check when your next blood test and that will tell you if your diet needs adjustments.

Dena, I think the cramps are due to an insufficiency of Vitamin C. My dietician also says this and I began taking Tums all the time and that helps but for me it doesn't eliminate the problem. In my case, I cannot drink orange juice because there is so much potassium in there that my kidneys cannot wash out like normal kidneys and I can have a heart attack. Is there another source of food with lots of Vitamin C like orange juice? I think pineapple juice does.

[IdontEven]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone. My diet has been quite wonky lately along with a lot of other things changing, so there's really no telling what's going on. I do have some bloodwork being done later this week but I don't know exactly what they're checking. Lipid panel or some such?

Anyways, I've now got some ideas of stuff to work on to see if it helps, so thanks!

[Dena]

Dena, I think the cramps are due to an insufficiency of Vitamin C. My dietician also says this and I began taking Tums all the time and that helps but for me it doesn't eliminate the problem. In my case, I cannot drink orange juice because there is so much potassium in there that my kidneys cannot wash out like normal kidneys and I can have a heart attack. Is there another source of food with lots of Vitamin C like orange juice? I think pineapple juice does.

Cramps are one of the problems you have on dialysis. After treatment I think some of your levels reach depletion levels and by the time your ready for another session, your levels might be on the high side. I also agree that for you, orange juice is definitely bad. I suspect most foods that are hight in vitamin C are also high in potassium but you can ask your dietician what foods might be best for you.

[IdontEven]

I picked up some vit C supplements to try that.

My joints have all gotten very poppy today - every time I move something makes a noise it seems like. I was also measured at 6 feet today, and my driver's license says 5'10". I also gained about 5 pounds in a week even though I've been eating smaller and healthier than usual. I'm way too old to be growing, so WTF is going on >:/