Will the foot cramps EVER stop?
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Thanks. We had to travel today and I felt like I was going to explode, my clothes are so tight. It's a horrible feeling.
And now the friends hosting us just announced that dinner is vegan; chickpeas and tortillas and so on.
That on top of the salt would blow me up even more. I see a trip to the grocery store in my immediate future. 2 -
Lots of water to help flush what's not needed. Keep working it, and find what level works for you. Another thing to remember is that with seasonal changes in the weather the amounts needed will change again (
). Expecting this will help. I'm glad your'e willing to help yourself by working through it. And I can promise that the longer you work it, the easier it will become! 
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Thank you.
My concern is that all day yesterday I was short of breath. Scary. It's not so bad this.morning, but I'm dropping to 3500 MG instead of the 4000 I had planned.
This is what happened a while back, last time I increased my sodium drastically. Looks like I'm pretty sensitive. Figures. I'm like that with medications, too.2 -
If 3500 isn't enough to keep cramps away, I would drink a small shot of pickle juice when they woke me up in the night.
Maybe you're dosing is too much too fast? As severe as you were describing and just going from 3000/3500 ish to 5000 and swelling like that seems extreme for such a small increase. But idk...
just makes me wonder about concentration being too much over too short of time.
Hmmmm
You drank a lot of boullion to get the sodium. ... (those are thinking dots lol)
I wonder if MSG could be a problem for you? Just a thought. I don't recall what the reaction was but I think I remember @KnitOrMiss discovering a problem with MSG from boullion cubes once upon a time. I think a couple others mentioned similar problems at the time that was being discussed too.
I don't know if I'm remembering correctly. Hopefully she will help us out here2 -
Yeah, I'm wondering about the bouillion cubes too. Seems to me I get an odd reaction. I was fine this morning after some tea but after the bouillon my chest tightened up again.
I'm buying some chicken and making my own broth this week. The cubes are gross, though expedient for travel. We'll be home again tomorrow and life will get back to normal.
The good news is that the Spousal Unit's test today was reassuringly normal.
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »If 3500 isn't enough to keep cramps away, I would drink a small shot of pickle juice when they woke me up in the night.
Note to self - keep jar of pickle juice by bed.
Wait.... I've got a special jar in the fridge.... It used to be just olives but now contains olives, pickle juice, gorgonzola, and vodka. (In other words, it's a Dirty Ketotini jug.) I'll put that by my bed instead. We'll just see who wins next time the cramps come calling!
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@LauraCoth Are you on something for cholesterol or do you take other prescriptions? Did anyone ask that yet?0
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »If 3500 isn't enough to keep cramps away, I would drink a small shot of pickle juice when they woke me up in the night.
Note to self - keep jar of pickle juice by bed.
Wait.... I've got a special jar in the fridge.... It used to be just olives but now contains olives, pickle juice, gorgonzola, and vodka. (In other words, it's a Dirty Ketotini jug.) I'll put that by my bed instead. We'll just see who wins next time the cramps come calling!
That sounds like it would really help you sleep!
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »If 3500 isn't enough to keep cramps away, I would drink a small shot of pickle juice when they woke me up in the night.
Note to self - keep jar of pickle juice by bed.
Wait.... I've got a special jar in the fridge.... It used to be just olives but now contains olives, pickle juice, gorgonzola, and vodka. (In other words, it's a Dirty Ketotini jug.) I'll put that by my bed instead. We'll just see who wins next time the cramps come calling!
That sounds like it would really help you sleep!
And... not that this is any justification.. well... but straight liquor at 3:00 a.m. does tend to result in lower morning BG levels!
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »If 3500 isn't enough to keep cramps away, I would drink a small shot of pickle juice when they woke me up in the night.
Note to self - keep jar of pickle juice by bed.
Wait.... I've got a special jar in the fridge.... It used to be just olives but now contains olives, pickle juice, gorgonzola, and vodka. (In other words, it's a Dirty Ketotini jug.) I'll put that by my bed instead. We'll just see who wins next time the cramps come calling!
That sounds like it would really help you sleep!
And... not that this is any justification.. well... but straight liquor at 3:00 a.m. does tend to result in lower morning BG levels!
That's true! Lol0 -
RowdysLady wrote: »@LauraCoth Are you on something for cholesterol or do you take other prescriptions? Did anyone ask that yet?
No medications for cholesterol. "Statin" would be a dirty word for me, in any case, were a doctor to use it in my presence. My cholesterol is fine.
I am on thyroid medication, progesterone and a prescription for L-Tryptophan; the latter two were added because my insomnia became life-threatening a couple of years ago (life-threatening in that I was no longer competent behind the wheel of a car, and also because after six months of sleeping 2 hours a night, life no longer holds any joy and is not worth living).
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You know, I'm still really struggling with this.
Over the last few days the cramps have been gone. Yesterday I drank lots of bouiliion (a different kind that seems okay) and salt water and salted my food heavily, so I had about 3,500 mg sodium in all. In total, including the broth and my tea, I had about 8 cups of liquid.
But last night I had the most awful thirst, just deadly. I was up all night alternately peeing and drinking water, with not one hour of uninterupted sleep. Then at 6:00 a.m. I was woken up by a cramp in my foot.
I just don't seem to be able to get this right.1 -
You know, I'm still really struggling with this.
Over the last few days the cramps have been gone. Yesterday I drank lots of bouiliion (a different kind that seems okay) and salt water and salted my food heavily, so I had about 3,500 mg sodium in all. In total, including the broth and my tea, I had about 8 cups of liquid.
But last night I had the most awful thirst, just deadly. I was up all night alternately peeing and drinking water, with not one hour of uninterupted sleep. Then at 6:00 a.m. I was woken up by a cramp in my foot.
I just don't seem to be able to get this right.
I honestly believe sodium tablets are the simplest way to go for people that seem to have a difficult time with the balance. There's no guesswork at all to how much you get. If 1 doesn't sit well on the stomach, then take half and get the other half later. Taking at least 3 a day along with salting food is a good starting point.
I know you retained water the first day you tried 5000mg. Did you try 4000mg the day after or go back down to 3000? It's possible to jumping around between such dramatically different amounts isn't helping. The tablets could help achieve consistency.
And I honestly still think magnesium when cramps are the symptom. I feel like sodium is usually more responsible for the headaches, brain fog, being tired kind of symptoms more often.0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »You know, I'm still really struggling with this.
Over the last few days the cramps have been gone. Yesterday I drank lots of bouiliion (a different kind that seems okay) and salt water and salted my food heavily, so I had about 3,500 mg sodium in all. In total, including the broth and my tea, I had about 8 cups of liquid.
But last night I had the most awful thirst, just deadly. I was up all night alternately peeing and drinking water, with not one hour of uninterupted sleep. Then at 6:00 a.m. I was woken up by a cramp in my foot.
I just don't seem to be able to get this right.
I honestly believe sodium tablets are the simplest way to go for people that seem to have a difficult time with the balance. There's no guesswork at all to how much you get. If 1 doesn't sit well on the stomach, then take half and get the other half later. Taking at least 3 a day along with salting food is a good starting point.
I know you retained water the first day you tried 5000mg. Did you try 4000mg the day after or go back down to 3000? It's possible to jumping around between such dramatically different amounts isn't helping. The tablets could help achieve consistency.
And I honestly still think magnesium when cramps are the symptom. I feel like sodium is usually more responsible for the headaches, brain fog, being tired kind of symptoms more often.
I agree on this. I know op said that she's been taking highly absorbable magnesium but I just feel like its more related to that than the sodium. I also agree on the jumping around on the sodium, someone told me recently that you have to look back 2-3 days on sodium intake for what's affecting you today. So the sodium you ingest today isn't always what is affecting your symptoms and its more likely what happened a couple of days ago.
Have you consulted your dr yet on this?
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You can't buy sodium tablets here -- perhaps not in Canada at all, but definitely not here in B.C. I asked at every drug store, and got blank looks, except for the compounding pharmacist who gave me a lecture on the evils of sodium and said his sodium was for prescriptions only.
Local vitamin and sports stores like GNC don't sell it, either.
Can't get it here.
And I'm maxed out on magnesium. On 400 mg bisglycinate (plus the mag gel) I get diarrhea now.0 -
What about a sports supplement store? Maybe something like Popeyes?0
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Seems like you might be able to get by with baking soda, which is 100% sodium bicarbonate, 616mg per 1/2 teaspoon.
But I have no idea how that compares to sodium tablets. I know that baking soda can not only clean pots & pans but also internal pipeworks if you take too much; but I suspect plain sodium may also have a purging effect in excessive quantities. And of course you have to get the stuff down........
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I can't find sodium tablets here either, in NY. I went to a million places and they all thought I was crazy, it was rather annoying. Online is your best bet. Theres also this stuff, not sure if you have it locally or not, but maybe something along a similar line. I use this instead of soy sauce when I run out. Its got quite a bit of sodium per tsp
http://www.edenfoods.com/store/ume-plum-vinegar-raw-unpasteurized-11390.html
ETA I know someone else on here who's mentioned eating cornichons, they have lots of sodium too, I wonder if a food source of sodium might do better for you than eating salt. I too struggle with my sodium balance and it never seems to work for me, thankfully I don't get foot cramps but I feel like hell and then I drink salt water even just a little and my belly goes nuts.2 -
You can't buy sodium tablets here -- perhaps not in Canada at all, but definitely not here in B.C. I asked at every drug store, and got blank looks, except for the compounding pharmacist who gave me a lecture on the evils of sodium and said his sodium was for prescriptions only.
Local vitamin and sports stores like GNC don't sell it, either.
Can't get it here.
And I'm maxed out on magnesium. On 400 mg bisglycinate (plus the mag gel) I get diarrhea now.
How are you dosing the 400mg? That's so incredibly little magnesium that I think it's just not the right kind for you or are you taking all 400mg in one dose? Is it possible to take 100 or 200mg doses every 4 hours?1
