December 14th this year, I fell in my home. I somehow managed to knock over my computer( it still works), and my printer came down and slammed me in the back. I didn't know till I saw my Dr. the next day but I had a broken rib in my upper back. I'm getting arond pretty good now. A Neurologist I saw after the stroke says the cramps are a result of the stroke. I still take prescriptions for the hyper extensiom in my left hand and foot, but no foods or pills including Quinine tablets do anything for the cramps. Thankfully they aren't frequent, I just never know when they're going to strike. By the way they tell me the stroke was in the Thalmus of the brain and they tell my there are a lot of nerve and pain recptors in that area.. Thanks for listening. Like most of us, I'm used to muscle and joint pain, but this broken rib was a whole new experience in pain.
I wish u a speedy recovery. I also wanted ask if anyone knows if Lupus cause constant cramps in the legs, toes, ankles, and arms, because I get this problem all through the day especially at night.
I have leg cramps sometimes. When my blood pressure get high, I will have muscle spasms and cramps. I have to check my blood pressure frequently. I am afraid of having A STROKE. My leg cramps are usually in my thighs. I take a muscle relaxer and at times, I have to take my blood pressure and take more medicine so that the cramps will cease.
Hi kcjim, thankyou for this post, its really interesting to me. As i get really bad leg cramps and cramp in my feet alot too, it drives me crazy at times. When i mentioned it to my doctor he said he thought it might of been the vitamen B12 jabs i have to have. I also have had a couple of falls last year, one really bad one last february where i cut my nose open, broke both wrists and had no use of my legs for about three weeks, my husband had to do literally everything for me, as my hands wouldnt do anything with the wrists broken, the pain was the worse i have ever had. I had knocked my body so badly. The one after that which wasnt so long ago, where i fell coming from the kitchen into the lounge. I bruised myself in alot of places, but i also broke a couple of ribs on my left side, and of course having Lupus we are slow to heal. I also had a stroke a few years back. So what you are saying is interesting. No-one said anything about the cramps being linked to the stroke to me. My left side is weaker now than ever, and i find i cant use it as much as the right. There is no way i can get into a car on the left side or i tend to topple over, it can be really frustrating. I take asprin and other drugs to help me not have another stroke again. I used to take the quinine but i got a really rare side effect from it, where i got pigmentosis on the backs of my eyes, making it hard for me to see, so now i still have blurred vision because of the pigmentation on the backs of my eyes making patches where i cant see properly. I have to either use a magnifier or if its the computer i enlarge the text size and also a couple of years back after it happened, my husband bought me an ereader so that if i wanted to read i didnt have to keep holding the manifier which made my wrists hurt, as the ereader increases the text size to a really big print for me which helps alot. My rib has still not healed, it was broken about three or four weeks ago, so i wouldnt of expected it to have done yet, but with Lupus patients it takes abit longer than it would in a normal healthy person, so we have to be abit more patient. Funny that you should of mentioned this, as i was laying here doing my messages from my bed and i had just had another spell of the cramps in my right leg and foot, so how was that for coincidence, anyway thankyou for talking about it, take care, look after yourself, love and hugs Astrid40xoxox
Hi Fighter, i have just mentioned this earlier, i too have cramps in my leg, feet and toes, it drives me crazy putting up with it. I mentioned it to my doctor and he said it might be through me having had some vitamen B12 jabs as that can be a side effect. But it has been some time since i had those. I have also had a stroke too, and the lady who originally posted about cramps said this can be one of the side effects of having a stroke, i do take meds now to prevent further strokes, it is frightening to know i am prone to strokes. As Ann A, and kcjim said about broken ribs, i broken a couple of ribs on the left side when i had a fall coming through from my kitchen to the lounge, it was such a shock after i fell, i am not too good on my legs now. I also had a fall last year around February time where i broke both wrists and cut my nose open so that i had to have stiches. My husband looked after me until i was better as i wasnt able to do anything for myself anymore. The other thing i find now is that my thumbs go stiff after the breaks in my wrists, i mentioned this to my doctor once and he said that i have to massage them everyday to stop them from siezing up altogether and getting Necrosis in them, as i am on high dose steroids and that is one of the side effects, i already have necrosis in my left leg through having fallen badly and the effect of the steroids. Its so bad that alot of med have counter productive side effects that cause more problems than we already have. I am trying to stay positive, it is a battle to do so sometimes. I think i try to forget everything i have wrong with me but thats not always easy when the symptoms keep rearing up all the time. Anyway i wish you well finding out what is causing the cramps you have, let me know how you get on, bye for now, love and hugs Astrid40xoxo
fighter said:
I wish u a speedy recovery. I also wanted ask if anyone knows if Lupus cause constant cramps in the legs, toes, ankles, and arms, because I get this problem all through the day especially at night.
Thanks for the input Astrid40, I suffer from polymyositis which causes my muscles to become inflammed and weak, and I have fallen a couple of times myself, but fortunately it wasnt anything serious, just a few bruises. But I go to the doctor in February and I will mention it.Happy 2012
Thanks for the feedback Nellatator, I too suffer from high blood pressure and I sure don't want to experience a stoke, and I don't monitor my blood pressure, because it is always good when I go to the doctor, but I know that doesn't mean a thing, thats why they call it the silent killer. I will keep a check on it. Happy 2012
Nellatator said:
I have leg cramps sometimes. When my blood pressure get high, I will have muscle spasms and cramps. I have to check my blood pressure frequently. I am afraid of having . My leg cramps are usually in my thighs. I take a muscle relaxer and at times, I have to take my blood pressure and take more medicine so that the cramps will cease.
Hi,
I failed to mention that my Drs determined my stroke was caused by Lupus. I've never had high blood pressure or blocked arteries and my colestrol has always been good.
kcjim
fighter said:
Thanks for the feedback Nellatator, I too suffer from high blood pressure and I sure don't want to experience a stoke, and I don't monitor my blood pressure, because it is always good when I go to the doctor, but I know that doesn't mean a thing, thats why they call it the silent killer. I will keep a check on it. Happy 2012
Nellatator said:I have leg cramps sometimes. When my blood pressure get high, I will have muscle spasms and cramps. I have to check my blood pressure frequently. I am afraid of having . My leg cramps are usually in my thighs. I take a muscle relaxer and at times, I have to take my blood pressure and take more medicine so that the cramps will cease.
im glad your computer didnt break...i fell not too long ago while carrying groceries in...i fell and didnt break a single egg---lol.
im so rry about the broken rib...i hear they really hurt
Hi Janice, thankyou for this post, it made me smile, thats amazing not one egg being broken. When i had my accident where i broke both wrists last year and cut my nose open so i had to have stitches. I was holding my Cannon camera at the time, its one of those really expensive DSLR's, my husband bought it for me with his works christmas bonus for me, as i had passed a City & Guilds in Photography a good few years back and love doing photography when i am well enough. Anyway i went down with such a thud with the camera and long lens in my hands, and onto thick hard concrete. The pain was horrendous not to mention the shock. Anyway i couldnt do anything for myself for ages, and my husband had to look after me until my wrists were healed. So once i was feeling abit better i thought i had better get the camera checked out, thinking there is no way it wont be useless after that fall and it went head down with me. Anyway a real shock, there was nothing wrong at all with the camera, which was pretty amazing as that was the first thing to fall at great height and went into my face too, hence the bad cuts. So apart from it being a lovely surprise, although i did have it covered on insurance, i would now say that Cannon cameras are built like tanks, not that i would want to try that theory out ever again. I have also dropped my laptop when i have had cramps and my hands have gone completely numb, thankfully it survived the disaster and still works now. I do worry about the fact i drop things, i have everything by the side of my bed that i need now, so i dont have to carry anything too far. Its horrible when we have these falls, its the shock that goes with us and when we get bruises or breaks, they do take longer to heal, its down to the Lupus again. So i count myself lucky i have survived two bad falls last year, the other one was where i fell indoors and broke some ribs. One thing i would like to ask you Janice, do your legs just go underneath you sometimes, mine do, i was told it was the MS symptoms that go with the Lupus. Its quite frightening when it happens, hope you dont mind me asking. Love and hugs Astrid40xoxox
I don't mind the question at all...when I fall it's more like my feet don't get the same message that the rest of me gets. They just stay glued to the floor while the rest of me goes forward.. I am really sorry about the severity of your injuries though! It sounds like you were in so much pain.
I am dropping things more and more. In fact just this week I have spilled several bottles of meds. Seems I can't grasp like I need to.
that's great about your camera!
maybe I can talk you into posting some of your pictures when you can? One of the things I have found so helpful with the life with lupus community is that i have been able to channel my creative energies in a good direction. Sharing my creative side helps the Lupus aspect stay in better perspective.
anyway, i do hope you are feeling better soon.
take care,
janice.
I am sorry that you had stroke. I have had leg cramps off and on now for about 3/4 years....sometimes hurt extremely bad. I was told it was from fibro....with Restleg most likely also. The lyrica does seem to help with it.
Yes a broken rib is hard because you must breath and it hurts every time. SO Pain in the you know what!! I am sorry you fell but glad your computer is fine...just wish it was really the other way around!!
Yes most of us who have had arthritis/lupus and now fibro plus the regular things of getting older ...well it can all add ups to be very painful. I hope you are getting some pain help. Nerve pain is hard to treat but can be very painful.
Hope you had happy holidays and this new year will be improvement over last!! lg
Hi siskiyousis, thankyou for this. I did wonder if it was just me to begin with who was getting the cramps in the legs, feet and toes, so it is reassuring that other people have got the same symptoms, yet at the same not nice they are suffering too. I have got the full set, Lupus, Arthritis, Fibromyalgia and abit of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which exaccerbates the tiredness i get with the Lupus, its like fighting a losing battle most of the time. But we still have to try and fight it. I have got a very good doctor and a wonderful Lupus specialist. They both have been good regarding my pain relief, i know i am one of the lucky ones as i have heard other people have had alot of problems. Although now i am facing cuts with pain meds due to cuts in the costs of prescribing pain meds for everyone. Its ridiculous really. I dont really want to be on pain meds but know i have to be. But here in the Uk, there is an association called The Primary Care Trust who deal out funds to doctors telling them what they are allowed to spend each year on each patient, and which pain meds they can prescribe and up to what dose, just as what i was taking was helping, they are now talking about withdrawing one of the drugs of my regime. I have to go along to a meeting to discuss the options, i am sceptical and so is my husband as he has seen the pain i get and how bad it gets at times, so withdrawing a pain medication and leaving me with less, is only going to make the situation worse. My husband said to me if it gets to the point where i have to comply and it doesnt work and i get worse we will fight the decisiona and even go to our local MP if needs be. We had to do that before when our doctors was getting rid of the patients furthest away from the surgery because there were lots of new houses and flats being put up by the surgery causing a higher demand in services, and after i had been at my doctors for a long time and he was the one who diagnosed the Lupus and knew my case inside out and with the goverment keep saying about patients having "continuity of care", we thought we might have a chance of not having to change doctors, and we were right, the ones who didnt fight it are now at new surgeries and very angry as some of them were at the previous surgery for over 30 years. Its wrong to say to people who are the furthest away they are the ones to go. There are three surgeries all close to my doctors with space so why not send a few of the ones who need a doctor to one of those surgeries, sometimes i dont think the people who are at the top think enough. My doctor was pleased to keep me on, and didnt want to send me off to someone who knew nothing about me and my case history. I am whats known as a complex case, as i have alot of things wrong with me, so better to keep with the person who really knows you eh? Anyway thats another subject, take care, bye for now, love and hugs Astrid40xoxox
Hi Janice, thankyou for answering me, i know exactly how you feel, its an odd feeling and scary too. I sometimes feel as though there is nothing between my feel and my body, the way i go down so quickly and its like i crumple down sometimes. It happened when we had a bar-b-que this year too, there were lots of friends who knew all about my condition and others who werent so sure, they were totally shocked. My husband came over and picked me back up and took me indoors and waited for me to recover. One of my husbands friends said to him, she didnt make a fuss, she just came back outside afterwards as though nothing had happened. I dont know what he expected me to do, be hysterical, although i was upset inside, there is no point crying my eyes out in front of people, as it wont solve the problem, i just have to get on and deal with it i thought. It was really painful when i had the fall in February and the one just a few weeks ago where i broke my ribs, i am still feeling it now, they havent healed yet, but i am told this is normal for someone with Lupus, these things take longer to heal. An average healthy person would be showing signs of healing by now, but i am not getting there yet, they reckon twice the time of a normal person for my ribs to heal. So i will just have to be patient. What did make me laugh though, was when my doctor said, really seriously i might add,, was try not to fall again. As if we want to eh? I also have Necrosis now in my left leg where i knocked it falling over, some muscle and tissue have completely died off, that was a shock when that was diagnosed. I went to the doctors thinking the large lump that had developed would be something simple and easy to clear up, how wrong could i be. When i am up to i will look through some of my albums, i do have some really nice ones of butterflies which would be quite apt i would think. You are right this LWL site is really good and is helpful for all those involved. Its good to chat to people who understand and dont judge you, like others who dont understand Lupus do. Well done for keeping going and staying strong. Take care, look after yourself, bye for now, love and hugs Astrid40xoxo
Hi Ann A., Its amazing that kcjim and myself are still here after having strokes, it was my husband who noticed that something wasnt right with me, that my side of my face had fallen on one side and also i had slurred speach. So we went prompty to the doctors and i was sent immediately up to the hospital and put on some meds and left to recover. I still have problems using my left leg and i am alot weaker on that side. If i get in a car, i have to make sure its on the right side, otherwise i tend to have problems and feel as though i could or would fall over. It does scare me to think i might have another one, but i try not to think of it. I dont think about it everyday. I know what to look out for if it was to happen again. My lips were also only slightly swollen and tingly, so now i think if i had the same symptoms i wouldnt waste time i would get to either the hospital or doctor, but touch wood, i have been okay for a couple of years now, so here's hoping that 2012 will also be okay as far as thats concerned. Anyway take care, bye for now, love and hugs Astrid40xoxo
Ann A. said:
I am very glad that you are still here with us. I have seen several young people be taken out by lupus caused strokes, before they were even dx with lupus. I am so glad you and you great spirit are still here.
kcjim said:Hi,
I failed to mention that my Drs determined my stroke was caused by Lupus. I've never had high blood pressure or blocked arteries and my colestrol has always been good.
kcjim
Hi Fighter, thankyou for your reply, you are welcome, i just hope that you get the right answer. Its not easy living with these things. Its good that you havent done anything too serious, but even bruises can be really painful. Have you tried Arnica for when the bruise is waiting to come out, it speeds up the bruise coming out, and makes it less time having it, so therefore you have less time to put up with the pain. Anyway bye for now, look after yourself, love and hugs Astrid40xoxo
fighter said:
Thanks for the input Astrid40, I suffer from polymyositis which causes my muscles to become inflammed and weak, and I have fallen a couple of times myself, but fortunately it wasnt anything serious, just a few bruises. But I go to the doctor in February and I will mention it.Happy 2012
Hi Ann. A, thankyou for sharing these things with me, it must of been so hard for all of the family including yourself when your mother never fully recovered from her stroke, its horrible to think of anyone suffering like this. As you already know i am a qualified RGN as well as a music teacher and english teacher, only gave up the nursing as i couldnt manage on the pay. But i remember looking after one lady on nights who had a left and right handed stoke and she couldnt do anything but grunt like your grandmother, its sad to see, and often when i was with her i would wonder what this lady was actually thinking, but although she had all these things to deal with, she would delight in watching the tennis and having pureed curry. I used to feel awful as i had to turn her over every two hours, some nights i could see the look of do you have to. I thought it cant be nice to be be woken, even though i tried not to. She was probably in alot of discomfort but never gave that impression, i talked to her as normal as the brain was working as normal. How amazing how you kept watch over your grandmother keeping her safe etc. I had a grandmother who was severly disabled and helped her to wash and dress herself, but nowhere near as bad as your grandmother thankfully. You are doing some very special work. I wish i was able to help others still. But i have been told i am a very good listener and give good advice most of the time, many people stop and tell me there whole life story when i speak to them, my husband says it amazes him how people warm to me when we are out and chat like that. My doctor suggested me becoming a counsellor, but i dont think i could do it, as i would worry like mad about who i had been helping with whatever. And also its still that thing of not knowing how i am going to be from day to day yet, i never have a day where i can be up all day. I would teach piano, but i dont want to let people down with not being able to meet the appointments especially when they are taking exams. Anyway i would love to see some photos of what you do. They do, do some pretty amazing work with stroke patients now, there is a higher rate of recovery than there was say twenty years ago. Its good to say prayers for all the victims of strokes. I still reminisce sometimes about the times when i was a nurse with other friends and the good and the bad times that we had. I still remember everyone i looked after when i was either at the hospitals or in care homes or peoples houses. There is no way i could forget anyone. Anyway thankyou for the lovely chat about this, take care, look after yourself, speak soon, love and hugs Astrid40xoxo
Hi janice your feet sound like mine. I haven't talked to you in a while, I am glad that you are doing well and the Lord has been strengthing you and watching over you. Many blessings and hugs xoxox
Hope that youare doing better !!! Relax and be careful . .... Beverly L.