Leg issues. Anyone have any guesses what is going on here.

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pittsburghracer

pittsburghracer

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I’ll start off by saying I’ve had three meniscus operations on my right knee and both of my knees are shot. I get cortisone shots in both knees every three months and usually get 5-6 weeks with less pain. Well a couple of months I get woke up out of my sleep with my right calf muscle feeling like it’s trying to roll over. Terrible pain. Three weeks ago at a race at Norwalk it did it again in my motorhome. This past weekend I could hardly get out of a chair and walk till I stretched it out. Today I got half way to my shop (75 feet) and had to turn around. Tylenol and advil do nothing. Ice does next to nothing. Anyone ever have something like this happen.
 
Charley horse? Eat more bananas.
Actually, I'm serious. When i have a bout of Charlie horse in my calves, I'm low on potassium. Bananas are an excellent source. Three or four over a day or two.
Edit: my girlfriend bought us a couple bottles of this stuff. Seems to work good too.

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Could it be cramp/Charlie whores?
I get cramps bad enuf to wake me up and I do all sorts of disco moves to try and alleviate it. Hard to describe.
Drink more water.
 
Yep, Charley Horse or muscle spasm. Yes Dr 33imp is right. Low on Potassium. Eat one for faster relief. Take a over 50 multi-vitamin daily. Those spasm's take me 2 days for the pain to go away.
 
I made shore I took at least my multi vitamins and trying to drink lots of water. Just cleaning the litter box is a major chore. I have an appointment Thursday with my family doctor and scheduled my November 20th cortisone shots. This really sucks as it radiates up into my hamstring. Moist heating pad coming from Amazon on Thursday. Thanks guys.
 
pittsburghracer said:
I made shore I took at least my multi vitamins and trying to drink lots of water. Just cleaning the litter box is a major chore. I have an appointment Thursday with my family doctor and scheduled my November 20th cortisone shots. This really sucks as it radiates up into my hamstring. Moist heating pad coming from Amazon on Thursday. Thanks guys.
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Not to be Debbie Downer but it sounds like you may be heading towards a knee replacement as well. Ask me how I know.
 
Would cats jump on table to take a dump? :poke: If you keep litter box waist high, might help?
pittsburghracer said:
I made shore I took at least my multi vitamins and trying to drink lots of water. Just cleaning the litter box is a major chore. I have an appointment Thursday with my family doctor and scheduled my November 20th cortisone shots. This really sucks as it radiates up into my hamstring. Moist heating pad coming from Amazon on Thursday. Thanks guys.
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Sublime one said:
Not to be Debbie Downer but it sounds like you may be heading towards a knee replacement as well. Ask me how I know.
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Ya I hear you on the knee replacement. Being single and both my boys and sister out of state it’s something that I will put off as long as possible. At 67 and running on 3/4 of my heart since 2000 I figured my life warranty doesn’t have a lot of time left on it.
 
pittsburghracer said:
I made shore I took at least my multi vitamins and trying to drink lots of water. Just cleaning the litter box is a major chore. I have an appointment Thursday with my family doctor and scheduled my November 20th cortisone shots. This really sucks as it radiates up into my hamstring. Moist heating pad coming from Amazon on Thursday. Thanks guys.
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Staying hydrated and keeping your electrolytes up is a good thing, but, something else you might want to consider...

Cortisone shots can damage nerves. It's not typically a concern if you get an occasional one here and there, but, with multiple shots in the same location you can end up with nerve damage. You're basically getting shots as frequently as they're allowed, so, there is definitely an increased risk of nerve, muscle, and tendon damage from the cortisone itself (on top of what you've already got going on).

Not saying that's what you have but it might be worth a conversation with your doctor. Outside of the cortisone, it could just be an inflamed or pinched nerve because of the condition of your knee joint. Cortisone can be great, but it's pretty nasty stuff.


67Dart273 said:
What would a clot feel like?
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Typically they're specific, localized pain, like pinpoint pain at the site of the clot or close to it. They can cause sharp pain if severe, but they're also frequently just a sore feeling that's more painful to the touch. They can also cause swelling below the site of the clot because fluid can back up.
 
pittsburghracer said:
Wow I checked my multivitamin and has a whopping 2% potassium
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Definitely need more than that. I used to get severe leg cramps that would wake me out of a deep sleep. In those days I was on my feet all day pulling wrenches and then drinking beer all night, 7 days a week. I almost never drank water and my diet was almost entirely fast food. That was in my 20s and early 30s, now I have a much better diet, take vitamins and minerals, and drink a lot more water and a whole lot less alcohol.
 
For the past year or so, my doc has me taking 400mg of magnesium oxide every day for leg cramps. I'm not getting them anymore, so maybe that's why.
I had my first knee surgery in 1976, so I feel ya. I'll get the corticosteroid shot, but hold off as long as I can. Weight loss helped me a lot, too. I'll hold off the replacement as long as I can.
 
Just don't overload the potassium. I heard too much can also cause cramps. For me, that is the case. If I eat a banana, I will get leg cramps. I also don't stay hydrated enough. All I really want to drink is coffee.
 
67Dart273 said:
What would a clot feel like?
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It can feel like death! My wife felt nothing from the Blood Clot that killed her. She was always taking care of herself with Dr. visits, was on NO medication. Blood pressure good,no problems, until she didn't wake up one day. Drs at Chattanooga stroke center said it was as big a stroke as they had ever seen.
NO warning signs, no pain, no discomfort.
Just massive stroke from blood clot.
 
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This is what my 90 year old Mom keeps handy for cramps. Contains quinine. I think I read that quinine is poison but the drink contains a very small amount. I have tried it. It seems to help but maybe the cramp subided anyway.
 
You show all the symptoms of worn out knees and your legs are talking to you. I did the lubricant injections, till something got pushed into the joint and I went septic. They opened it up and did a major cleaning of the joint. All total, I've had the cleaning/infection, three scopes to each knee, one right replacement, and two left replacements. Three months after my last replacement, my dog licked a cut on my shin and I went septic again. I contracted a Pasteuella Multicida infection. The infection goes directly to the metal in your body, as there's no blood to fight the infection. They disassembled my new knee, replaced a couple pieces, scraped and power-washed the joint, and laced me back up. I was on IV antibiotics and infusing at home for 3 months. I took orals for 6 more. If you're always in pain, look into your knees with a real skilled/renowned surgeon. Living in unneeded pain isn't good or smart.
 
This is gonna sound stupid, but it works for me. For immediate relief, grab and pinch the indention in your upper lip just under your nose. HARD. About as hard as you can stand it. Daddy told me this when I would get leg cramps when I worked out when I was young. Damned if it didn't work. I've read that the banana and potassium thing is a bunch of hoorah, that you need to drink more water. I drink lots of water now and I cannot remember the last leg cramp.
 
S'cuder said:
For the past year or so, my doc has me taking 400mg of magnesium oxide every day for leg cramps. I'm not getting them anymore, so maybe that's why.
I had my first knee surgery in 1976, so I feel ya. I'll get the corticosteroid shot, but hold off as long as I can. Weight loss helped me a lot, too. I'll hold off the replacement as long as I can.
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I understand the reluctance, I hurt my knees pretty good in my twenties, but they don't hurt unless I do something stupid, and I know what stupid is.
That said, I know LOTS of people that have had a knee replacement or two, and if they did the rehab they are supposed to do, every one of them said they should have done it sooner. My best friend finally got hers done after a few years of waiting, cause Kaiser was hoping not to have to pay for it.
 
pittsburghracer said:
I made shore I took at least my multi vitamins and trying to drink lots of water. Just cleaning the litter box is a major chore. I have an appointment Thursday with my family doctor and scheduled my November 20th cortisone shots. This really sucks as it radiates up into my hamstring. Moist heating pad coming from Amazon on Thursday. Thanks guys.
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It might also be Sciatica if it radiates up into your thigh. It's usually caused by a pinched nerve in your lumbar area.
 
33IMP said:
I understand the reluctance, I hurt my knees pretty good in my twenties, but they don't hurt unless I do something stupid, and I know what stupid is.
That said, I know LOTS of people that have had a knee replacement or two, and if they did the rehab they are supposed to do, every one of them said they should have done it sooner. My best friend finally got hers done after a few years of waiting, cause Kaiser was hoping not to have to pay for it.
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Everyone has a story about why they put it off but mine is a bit complicated. I don’t like to ask for favors and I’m about as stubborn as a person could be. No family at all inside of 8 miles. I take care of 8 cats outside and have two inside cats, it’s 7 miles at least were I would get operated on and or therapy. I live on very unlevel property where I either have to go up a hill or down a hill. There’s my position.
 
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