Dealing with Everyday Aches and Pains

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L

Lovely

Well-known member
I experience those cramp-like deep aching pains in my arms and legs, predominately hands and feet. It does sometimes feel like the bone is aching. I have it everyday at some point. I have just learned to deal with it. Question- How do you differentiate between a true muscle cramp (*** cramp) and what I and other people experience? Does anyone have a suggestion as to lessen the pain?

Thanks all!
 
I believe the "bad" cramps are acute extremely painful charlie horse cramps, while the dull achy pains are just that. That said the average person gets 4 charlie horse cramps/year--that's normal.
 
Every single morning my thighs and calves feel like I've climbed mountain, run a marathon w/o training, done 50 400lb squats -- take your pick. And I mean literally ... I've done those things in real life (back when I could) and the feeling is the same. I hobble pathetically for the first hour, and more or less throughout the day to some extent as well as it never goes away completely. It is bad, very bad, and any exercise at all makes it even worse. But it is just BFS.

(I've had BFS for 1.5 years, neuro dx)
 
If you cannot exercise,you must try to stretch the affected areas,several times a day if possible. Also try to load up on fluids,non stop if possible preferrably gatorade or powerade. Also try adding more protein to your diet. Try a powdered mix if you can. they dont all taste great but you can add a little sweet and low to non-fat milk.this will make them more palatable. Not sure what else to suggest.

Good Luck. And Hang On, Things Will Get Better :LOL:
 
Thank you guys for the kind advice. I'm starting to notice it in other areas too such as my arms, hands, etc. I wonder if it's pregnancy related??? As far as exercising, I am a nurse so I am on my feet alot at work which seems to make the aching worse. They get so achy sometimes they even feel like they will give out on me. Is that normal???
 
You,re pregnant :unsure: On your feet all day :unsure: that answers a lot of your questions. Still try to get as much exercise as possible,low impact. A stationary bike would be a goog idea. high protein diet.lots of fluids.
Good Luck
 
I really appreciate the positive comments and advice. I find that every day there is something new and my mind goes right back to ALS. Are muscle aches a sign of ALS when there is no weakness/atrophy???
I mean aches, and sore muscles like I worked out, not extreme cramps.
Anybody know???? I want so badly to stop worrying but every day it is a chore just to convince myself that I am not dying of some horrible disease. I am also waiting for an appt. with a neuro at UCLA for 2nd opinion.
 
"Are muscle aches a sign of ALS when there is no weakness/atrophy??? "

No, they aren't.
I even ask the question on a french ALS forum, and the answer I got was : the only muscular pain associated with the disease is cramp pain. Oh, there must be other kind of suffering during the course of the disease, alas, but at the moment you feel it, you're way beyond diagnosis. As far as I know (and I've learned a lot in 7 months :confused: ), buzzing is not associated with als neither.
My advice : relax. Go to the neuro if it can put your mind at ease & help you feel better, but have no fear.
Take care,
Fabrice
 
This is one chore you have put off for some other day(like maybe some day after the sun has gone super nova,turned into a white dwarf, with such density and mass that nothing escapes,not even light. that it then completely engulfs our entire universe and then some,in other words about 10 billion years :eek: ) Your brain is in overdrive now I thought that might jolt it to a stop at least for a second. (Worked did'nt it :unsure: ) this is what you must work at full time,not easy by a long stretch,but give it some time along with some good deep breaths and you will be o.k.
 
...and people wonder why the West of Scotland is the heart disease capital of Europe! Once you're done worrying about your twitching you could move on to the state of your coronary arteries! :) :)

David
 
Great point.We obsess about our twitching (which in the end will have probably nothing to do with our demise) And Bang, before you know it we find out that we have been afflicted with something that really may have a serious affect on our longevity :eek: .
 
the only muscular pain associated with the disease is cramp pain.

Does *** cramping come after weakness/atrophy? I get "almost-cramp" like pain alot in my calves and feet . . . it feels like I am going to get a severe cramp, but I don't. Also, I can prevent a charlie horse in my calf by flexing my leg.

I remember a time (pre-twitching) where I used to get charlie horses alot, so I would assume these cramps are also very common in the general population?

I am also pregnant, and have gotten one charlie horse so far, but I read these are VERY common in pregnancy, even nightly ones.

Peg
 
Well, I don't know if cramping comes after or before atrophy in als - as far as I know, they don't come alone - but this should not be a concern. The fact that your cramps are not real cramps AND the fact that you are pregnant AND anxious certainly explains everything. Cramps in themselves are not a proof of anything. An awful lot of people have cramps. My wife, who is pregnant too, has cramps almost everyday, and her symptoms are very much like yours. You've been around for a few months, right ? You are safe. Enjoy your pregnancy.
Fabrice
 
Yes, I am an 8.5 month veteran.

I recall reading a PALS story (one of the few I dared) where the guy was already bedridden and diagnosed and was having *severe* charlie horses in both legs *repeatedly* day and night.

I looked up charlie horses once on Google, and ALS did not come up, but it did seem to be pretty common in general for a variety of reasons.
I guess this twitching changes your perspective.

And my twitching had gotten BETTER. I even go days without any. I keep telling myself ALS twitching is constant and progressive (and joined by weakness).

Peg
 

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