cramps

[BRANDY]

What do you do for these cramps that are potasium related..  I have got them in my hands bad right now while typing.  Just ate some stew I made  with potato  didnt leach them long enough  ( bad thing about it   iknew  I didnt leach long enough)   ate them any way..     Any ideas

[boxman55]

Control your K intake. Read labels stay away from bananas, tomatoes, potatoes try and find a book that lists the "K" potassium in foods. Some others are melons, oranges and orange juice, yogurt and the list go's on. Hope this helps some...Boxman

[Sunny]

Good adivice. I've been cramping in my feet and I guess this is why.

[nursewratchet]

Be sure to know what your potassium levels run.  Are you on Hemo?  The bath at the clinic can be changed to raise or lower your K+. 

[monrein]

Be sure to know what your potassium levels run.  Are you on Hemo?  The bath at the clinic can be changed to raise or lower your K+. 

I think Brandy is still pre-dialysis.

[Restorer]

Predialysis, I found that I'd cramp more often when I was dehydrated. I don't know for sure about my potassium level relative to my cramps, but I do know that I cramped most often (in my feet and legs) in the early morning in bed, and with the kidney function I had left, my potassium levels were always okay or slightly low in the morning, before I'd eaten anything.

[Lucinda]

I am pre-dialysis and I cramp in the legs mostly during the night.  I don't think in my case it is potassium related.  I think it is possibly just one of the pesky symptoms of kidneys that are failing but I do agree with the comments about hydration.  I think you cramp more when you are dehydrated. 

[Lucinda]

PS...tend to cramp less if I go for a walk just before I go to bed.....around 30 minutes.  xx

[BRANDY]

Yes I am predialysis   16% gfr with last test last fri.  As for the walking 30 min .  that sounds like it might work. or  at least help.  Im not sure if my cramping is from high potasium or dehydration  I ate potatoes  not  leasched long enough  so I was cramping during daytime.  Yes I know about the early morning cramps  they are quite frequently.   What about exercise , does dialysis patients need alot of exercise or are you all doing it for regular fitness.  I need to know  as I dont get much.   

[paul.karen]

I started cramping real bad in my (leg bones).  Never knew bones could cramp but i think they can.
My Doctor gave me a pill to take every other day.  I will look at home to tell yo what they are.  Since taking the pills i have had no cramping in my legs.  I am also Pre-Dialysis

I should really know what pills im taking.

[Lucinda]

I wasn't an exercise person at all Brandy.  Have a look at the exercise threads on this site and it will give you a pretty good idea of what everyone does.  Start off my walking for 10 minutes and then work up to more. When I first started exercising my blood pressure was quite high so I was a little nervous to walk alone in case something went wrong so I joined the gym and walk the treadmill.  Now I am feeling better I walk nearly everywhere.  I swear that the exercise has helped me lower my blood pressure and weight so it has also helped retain the function I have.  You also feel much better in yourself for doing something to help yourself.  Read the recipes on here as well.  They are great.  Kit is a really good role model on here.  She works fulltime, does nocturnal dialysis and her exercise regime is really impressive.  When I first came onto the site I read a lot of the threads and I was really impressed with how long Zac had been on dialysis and how well he looked after himself.  I pulled up all his old posts and read everything he did about diet and exercise and tried to follow his advice.  My blood pressure dropped and so did my weight.  His advice was far more valuable than any of the dieticians I had talked to at the hospital.  Best advice.....just keep reading. xx

[LightLizard]

i find the cramping is bad if i haven't drank enough water through the day. often dehydration will cause it. but low potassium is certainly a major culprit. for me, i find that eating a toasted tomato sandwich before bed allows me to sleep, relatively cramp-free. or, a banana. the source of the potassium doesn't matter as much as people think. at least, not in my experience. i've been on dialysis for two years and a bit, now.

i told my wife the other day that i felt as if i was in a building, wandering the halls, looking for an open door, but they are all locked.
i go down a floor and there are less doors on this floor, but again, they are all locked.
this is what my condition has done to me.
i was an active tai chi instructor and a professional musician. all gone now....
my sex life is also gone.
slowly, one by one, all the things i cared about and wanted to do have been taken
away from me.
i wonder what happens when i reach the ground floor?

never mind. i have a good idea of that. sometimes, i look forward to it.
other times, i find a reason to sing.

 

[paris]

Please keep singing LL!   You have had such problems with cramping.  I wish it would get better for you.   In the meantime, we need you to keep drumming and singing 

[BRANDY]

Im CRAMPING really bad my hands and also muscle spasm in rt side. I was fine till I ate now it is on . All I ate was 3pc dark meat dipped in buttermilk and flour then fried  also salad THATS it   What is going on   anyone else do this with what I ate  .  LIke I said  I was ok till I ate.  Also  I drank 2 pina colada wine  cooler  could that be it .  I
  I was looking at chart and everything has pot and phosporus in it    What do you eat .   I was naseas earlier,  do I  need toxins out of blood or  what  I really am at a lose.sometimes I feel ok most of time but at other times I really dont know how long I can go .   I am at 16% as of last  tests , 6 days ago.  26 days  till I see neph   please give me some advice.

[Restorer]

As far as potassium goes, fried chicken has a fair amount (probably 400-500 mg in the amount you had). Dehydration, as mentioned, could also be a factor in cramping, and the salt in the fried chicken could contribute to that, as well as the alcohol in the pina colada coolers. I don't know what the composition of the wine coolers were, but pineapple and coconut both also have potassium.

Yes, it's true that almost everything has some potassium and some phosphorus, but the whole idea is to limit the overall amount you eat over a period of time (daily is the usual time period) rather than to eliminate it completely. How much you can have all depends on your remaining kidney function, which is a little more complex than your GFR of 16%, and your blood levels. Recurrent nausea is a sign that you're getting closer to needing dialysis. Even so, everyone's different and it may get better or worse.

[Sunny]

Try switching to water instead of wine coolers. See if you find an improvement. You may need to cut down on alcohol and juices completely and stick to boring old water.
I have a glass of red wine maybe once a week and I never drink juice and soda. I do have one cup of coffee in the morning. Also, was this a home cooked meal? Sometimes restaurants put in a lot of extra things you can't account for. Anyway, I hope the cramping gets better soon. Just keep working with your diet to see what does and does not work. Also remember to check renal diet recommendations.

[monrein]

You probably should be limiting your total daily intake of protein at this point too.  Once on dialysis you'll need to eat more protein but pre-dialysis they usually recommend a low-protein diet. 

[Pam]

Brandy, I have had those cramps and pains a couple of tims. They start on th top of my feet and go to my knees. The only thing that has ever helped is to apppy ICY HOT. I do not have a problem with potassium so I don't think that is causing the cramps for me. I think it is high blood sugar and dehydration ane they go hnd in hand. So check your BS when you are cramping maybe that will give some answers.

[BRANDY]

I never thought about the BS that has an effect on every thing else  so it could be  thanks for that.  I am sick of these darn cramps   I got them now  I think I will get a large glass of water see what that does.  Yes the wine coolers  got to go.  thankseveryone/