Cramps, numbness, trouble walking.

[Formaleins]

Getting a bit long in the tooth (mid 50's) but recently have been a bit worried where things are going here. I am not "unfit" but have a few issues - mainly high blood pressure and chronic pancreatitis. Over the past few months I seem to have developed some pretty annoying symptoms.

1: Walking - Previously I could walk all day, literally, I could do 30 KM no problem, now I am having difficulty with terrible calf muscle pains even walking 100 metres, mainly in my left leg.

2: My left arm just below the elbow feels like I am wearing an inflated Blood Pressure cuff, no pain just discomfort.

3: Terrible cramps, these for some reason begin in the left hand then go to the right hand, then to the left foot, then to the right foot. Then stop.

Local hospital said I might have banged my leg! and gave pain killers....

 

Anyone have sensible ideas?

[lopburi3]

I take it no exam of your spine was done?  Ask as wife had serious issues years ago and main symptom was left leg pain. Deposits in spine pressing on nerve.  But I have no medical knowledge so hope others can provide you better information.  

Are you taking any medications - they can sometimes cause a lot of different symptoms in different people and cramps is something I have had from medication.

Edited May 11, 2020 by lopburi3

[Puchaiyank]

You also may be experiencing a blood clot or clots...

 

Limbs feel heavy, warm, swell after moderate walking or exercise.  If so, you may need to ask to have your left leg and other limbs tested.

 

Not trying to scare you.  Twisted my left ankle badly...last Sept...still dealing with blood clots to this day...taking a blood thinner to reduce chance of complications...

[Formaleins]

40 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

I take it no exam of your spine was done?  Ask as wife had serious issues years ago and main symptom was left leg pain. Deposits in spine pressing on nerve.  But I have no medical knowledge so hope others can provide you better information.  

Are you taking any medications - they can sometimes cause a lot of different symptoms in different people and cramps is something I have had from medication.

Nope, no spine exams. Thanks for the info, certainly something worth looking at. I stopped taking all of the meds last year as they just keep prescribing more and more that seem to mask the symptoms rather than fix the issue...blood pressure meds, Tramadol...you end up like a zombie!

[Formaleins]

17 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

You also may be experiencing a blood clot or clots...

 

Limbs feel heavy, warm, swell after moderate walking or exercise.  If so, you may need to ask to have your left leg and other limbs tested.

 

Not trying to scare you.  Twisted my left ankle badly...last Sept...still dealing with blood clots to this day...taking a blood thinner to reduce chance of complications...

Well, funny you should mention this but I broke my wrist and arm last year and these symptoms certainly got worse after that. I also (Not very often) get a bit of a funny turn where I get pains across my upper back across my shoulders become dizzy and almost vomit, it only lasts about a minute and is very infrequent, but the main thing is the terrible cramps and the damn inability to walk any distance. I can ride a pushbike for 20 KM with no ill effects, but walking 100 metres on the flat the pain can be unbearable in my left calf. (For the last month I started taking 160mg of Aspirin to see if it would thin my blood but it didn't help)

Edited May 11, 2020 by Formaleins

[Traubert]

I'd definitely say back problems somewhere.

 

I have similar issues with calf cramps when walking only short distances and they have said  spondylosis might be the cause.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Formaleins said:

Anyone have sensible ideas?

Blood pressure medication has some strange side-effects.

[BritManToo]

11 minutes ago, Formaleins said:

I can ride a pushbike for 20 KM with no ill effects, but walking 100 metres on the flat the pain can be unbearable in my left calf.

Cycling doesn't use your calf muscles much, and there's a couple of other walking leg muscles it misses out as well.

I cycle 20Km every day, yet a 8Km walk in the jungle on Saturday gave me some killer calf cramps.

The only way to keep your leg muscles working properly is to walk every day, 4-5Km/day would keep you going.

[Formaleins]

Stranger than strange, after the cramps these things turned up on my right arm, no pain, no itching nothing, just appeared as if by magic!

 

 

[Formaleins]

23 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Cycling doesn't use your calf muscles much, and there's a couple of other walking leg muscles it misses out as well.

I cycle 20Km every day, yet a 8Km walk in the jungle on Saturday gave me some killer calf cramps.

The only way to keep your leg muscles working properly is to walk every day, 4-5Km/day would keep you going.

8 KM I could do without any worries a while back, I have pain after 80 metres these days!

[timendres]

The description of your problems, and now that photo. These are not minor symptoms. I would be seeing a good doctor asap. A blood panel is in order to see if you have some deficiencies in vitamins or minerals, or other issues. A spine MRI is also a good idea. There are many ways nerves get pinched, and this causes all sorts of problems.

[talahtnut]

Try 'grounding' it helps with inflammation,

and costs nowt..and you can do it tonight.

 

 

 

 

[Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai]

Go have a full checkup they cost between 5k and 8k and they check everything.

I wouldn't hesitate and forget trying to get diagnosed on thaivisa. 

The checkup will give a thorough report. 

????❤ thaivisa doctors. Lol 

 

[Formaleins]

3 minutes ago, talahtnut said:

Try 'grounding' it helps with inflammation,

and costs nowt..and you can do it tonight.

 

 

 

 

What on earth is grounding?

[Formaleins]

33 minutes ago, timendres said:

The description of your problems, and now that photo. These are not minor symptoms. I would be seeing a good doctor asap. A blood panel is in order to see if you have some deficiencies in vitamins or minerals, or other issues. A spine MRI is also a good idea. There are many ways nerves get pinched, and this causes all sorts of problems.

I think what you are saying kind of makes sense. The issues with my pancreas stacks up. That would explain the vitamin shortages. Probably explain why I end up dumping half a litre of orange oil in the bowl every time I use the toilet. Cannot process food properly. Thanks for your help, appreciated.

[Lacessit]

Quinine is good for night cramps, but this doesn't sound like that. Have you tried leg massage?

If massage doesn't give any relief, time for medical investigation. The OP may have to persist, IME Thai doctors are not good diagnosticians and take the easy way out by throwing pills.

[northsouthdevide]

It may be something as simple as dehydration. 

If I was suffering those symptoms, and it wasn't dehydration, I would have a blood test at a decent hospital, then see if anything is out of the ordinary. 

[White Christmas13]

Well I had a similar problem but just in my lower legs and feet and also excessive pigmentation.

I had a ultra scan done (the whole body) and the result was bad blood circulation going in 

to my legs. So I had vascular surgery done and I feel better now.

[Odysseus123]

As another poster has suggested-"Get thee to a doctor pronto!"

 

Circulation problems can be a real killer..

[thainet]

55 minutes ago, White Christmas13 said:

Well I had a similar problem but just in my lower legs and feet and also excessive pigmentation.

I had a ultra scan done (the whole body) and the result was bad blood circulation going in 

to my legs. So I had vascular surgery done and I feel better now.

Would appreciate if you could you give a bit more detailed information on your exact symptoms and procedures that were done and meds etc..either here or on PM. Thanks.

[White Christmas13]

34 minutes ago, thainet said:

Would appreciate if you could you give a bit more detailed information on your exact symptoms and procedures that were done and meds etc..either here or on PM. Thanks.

Well my symptoms were, sore feet, and muscles cramps in my legs and feet difficult to walk for

a long distance,but as I mentioned no problems in my upper body just my legs and feet.

I had vascular surgery done to increase the blood flow in my legs. There is 2 types of muscular

surgery I think and I know of, create a bypass with a new artery or just get it cleaned out

by injecting a tool(don't no the medical term) in to your artery. The surgery did not take to long

but you can not walk for a while (maybe 3 days) But as I said I only had this problem with my

legs because my blood flow in my upper body was normal. I am not a doctor I am just replying

to you because I had similar symptoms. Read this

 

What are symptoms of vascular problems?

Symptoms

• Painful cramping in one or both of your hips, thighs or calf muscles after certain activities, such as walking or climbing stairs (claudication)
• Leg numbness or weakness.
• Coldness in your lower leg or foot, especially when compared with the other side.
• Sores on your toes, feet or legs that won't heal.

Edited May 11, 2020 by White Christmas13

[timendres]

15 hours ago, Formaleins said:

I think what you are saying kind of makes sense. The issues with my pancreas stacks up. That would explain the vitamin shortages. Probably explain why I end up dumping half a litre of orange oil in the bowl every time I use the toilet. Cannot process food properly. Thanks for your help, appreciated.

 

I wish you the best. As my grandmother used to say "Gettin' old ain't for sissies."

[Sheryl]

There are many possible causes of this, from nutritional deficiencies to blood clots, neurological disease, and peripheral arterial disease.

 

This is not to a job for a *local doctor".

 

Start by seeing a good vascular specialist to rule out a DVT )dee vein thrombosis0 or peripheral arterial disease.  Where do you live?

 

Should also get complete blood chemistry panel inclusive of magnesium, calcium, postassium, sodium etc.

 

Who manages your pancreatitis?