Muscle cramps in ribcage, back and hips

by Jonnie
(Small Town, Pennsylvania)

At work, my ribs and back start having cramps/spasms and it makes it painful to breath, almost like pleurisy, except for the location. It starts under my scapulae and goes down almost to my waistline - the whole back and about half-way around mys ides. When I walk more than about 100 feet in any one continuous walk, inside my hips, near the joining of the femur with the hip bone, those muscles start cramping too.


And whenever I walk on uneven ground regardless of distance, those same muscles around my hips/femurs start cramping. Could this be a magnesium issue?

Comments for Muscle cramps in ribcage, back and hips

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At Work?
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Hi Jonnie,

You started out your question with 'At Work'. I'm curious if this happens only at work? Or does it happen other places too?

That may sound irrelevant to your problem, but it may be very relevant.


Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System
The pain happens all the time....
by: Jonnie

....not just at work. My poor dog doesn't get walked anymore. She and I both show the effects of that! And I'm always exhausted. Not sure if it's because of pushing through the pain at work every day or from some other reason. I did find out my vitamin D level is 27.

I'm going to see a neurologist today because the pain has escalated in the last 3-4 weeks and now my hands hurt/tingle/burn at night all the way up to my elbows.

They're throwing about diagnoses like carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, but nothing is being done. I was told to take 50,000 i.u. per month of vitamin D. I get pain pills for the other pain and cramps (which has been going on for almost 2 years now) and that just barely takes the edge off the pain, and Adderrall for the almost constant brain fog. I'm really not very happy being me right now, you know?
Get My Book
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Hi Jonnie,

Well, I'm sorry to hear all of that and I'm glad that you've had your vitamin d level checked, but 50,000 IU's per MONTH is pretty ridiculously low.

With all of your issues, it sounds like you have a whole complex set of problems that would be best addressed if you were to follow the instruction in my book 'The Essential Guide to Pain Relief', which you can get for free when you Sign up for My Newsletter. With as ill as you sound, I suggest that you follow ALL of the instructions and not 'just' the magnesium and vitamin d portions.

Also, you may want to read my pages on Symptoms of Fibromyalgia to see why your doctors are just saying that they have no idea what you have if they tell you that you have 'Fibromyalgia' or 'Carpal Tunnel Syndrome'.

These are meaningless designations that allow them to stop looking for the cause of your problems.


Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System
Things I think I need....please advise
by: Jonnie

I did sign up for your newsletter and downloaded "The Essential Guide to Pain Relief". I'm not ready to deal with a gluten free diet now or in the future, but am willing to try everything else.

So far here's what the plan is. I will be ordering vitamin D3 and taking 10,000 I.U. per day, also ordering chelated magnesium and starting at 250 mg a day and working up from there, methyl version of vitamin B12 subl. and taking 10 mg (10,000 mcg) a day to start and I'd like to add a B-complex as well. Should I go with the 50 or 100 strength?

I also want to add the EPA/DHA krill oil but I'm not sure I can afford it. The max dosage I've seen available is 500 mg and if I need 5-6 of those a day to make 2500 to 3000 mg, that makes it cost close to $3.00 a day. Add that to the other supplements and I'll go bankrupt just trying to get the recommended dosages - or is it possible that less krill oil is needed??? Please say yes! I have already tried fish oil and I really can't hang with burping up fish all day and that's at only 1000 mg!

So is there hope for me?? They want to do surgery on the carpal tunnel and have me go in traction for my back. I'm holding out for a few months - if I can take the pain - to see if supplements will work instead.
Fish Oil, Gluten Free Diet, etc.
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Hi Jonnie,

Good for you. It sounds like you read through that pretty thoroughly. If you need to take less Omega 3's due to cost, then do what you can. You can also get Omega 3's in Chia, Flax and fatty fish. Salmon is likely the best source, but there is always a mercury issue. Wild Sockeye salmon (I've read, someone correct me if I'm wrong) seems to have the least mercury of all the salmons.

A nice inexpensive fish with Omega's is sardines. While that may not sound appetizing, it's also called herring and pickled herring is pretty widely available and tasty. Lots of people around the world eat herring every day- even for breakfast.

When I was in my mid 20's, I traveled around Europe in hostels for almost a year and nearly all hostels offer pickled herring for the breakfast buffet. I got to really like it and still eat it once in a while.

You are going to absolutely HATE me, but with the way that you vehemently decided against doing the gluten free diet, it's very likely that that will help you a LOT. If you would rather face surgery than go off of gluten, then you are addicted and need to get off of that stuff.

In people who have problems with gluten, the undigested gluten coats their digestive tract and creates substances called 'Gluteomorphins'. What does that sound like? Gluten and morphine- yep, you create addictive feel good substances in your digestive tract when you eat bread. So, when someone reacts like I'm taking away their crack cocaine when I suggest that they go off of gluten, that's REALLY what's happening!!!

That doesn't happen to people who DON'T have a problem with gluten- and so they don't really care. So therefore, the people LEAST willing to go off of gluten really need it the most.

I told you that you'd hate me.

I highly recommend that you get off gluten- even over and above taking any of the supplements!! You might be EXTRAORDINARILY surprised at how you feel. But, it's you who ultimately has to decide and I won't judge you either way. Just let that info sink in.

In any case, I'd love to hear what you decide and get some updates on how you are doing. Feel free to come on back and get any questions answered...


Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System
Bread
by: Jonnie

and glutens - yes, you are definitely taking away my crack! lol I do love my breads....but really it's more about taking brain power and effort to get started with that kind of diet right when I don't really have the brain power or will to start with because I'm usually too exhausted to care...I just want something in my stomach so I can hurry up and lay down and get out of the worst of the pain. I will look the essentials of the diet this weekend and see how feasible it looks. Maybe make small changes at a time.

So B-complex 50 or B-complex 100? I'm going to go with 1500 mg of krill a day, I can swing that at least. I've got orders in for 90 days worth of supplements at the right dosages (except the krill - hoping 1500 is enough). 90 days should make at least 30% difference - if I see even that little amount, I'll keep at it. Right now I have no life outside of work so 30% increase in living - that would be FANTASTIC in my book!

Thank you for all the input and I'm sure I'll come up with more questions - just may be awhile since all of this seems to take some serious time to make a difference. THANK YOU!!!!!
Definitely B100
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Hi Jonnie,

Definitely go with the B100 if you can.

It's actually not a hard diet if you do it the EASY way by only eating whole foods and oatmeal, quinoa and rice for grains.

People who have a hard time are those who need to find their pastries and breads in a gluten free form. But if you just stick to the fruit, vegetable and meat sections with those 3 grains and/ or a loaf of gluten free bread if you feel the need, then it's REALLY REALLY easy.

As a super easy example day:

Breakfast: Eggs and steamed broccoli

Lunch: Fruit, yogurt and protein powder smoothie

Dinner: Chicken, vegetables and rice

snacks: fruit and nuts


easy if you don't get caught up in what packages to buy. Don't buy any packages of anything and there's no hassle.

But it does still have a bit of a learning curve, but that is a good way to start out anyway. Good luck, I'm rooting for your 30% or more!!


Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System
A little progress and some bumps in the road too
by: Jonnie

Okay, I've been on all my supplements for 5 days now and today was the first day I was able to delay taking my pain pills until 2:00 p.m.!!! Usually I take 1.5 at around 10:30 and then another 1.5 at 2:30. However, it was a light day too, so the physical stresses weren't quite as bad as usual. On the down side, I felt like a slug, walking through molasses, a snail in a losing race. lol My mouth tastes like someone took a dump in it and/or metallic, depends on when I last washed it down with something to drink. And we won't even talk about the super strong sulfur smell that will run you out of the room. Thank goodness I've had no slippage! lmao!

So, I guess what I need to know is this: Is it supposed to get worse in some ways before everything rights itself? If I'm fighting my way through molasses on a typical day, they'll fire me!

My whole repertoire of meds:
* Insulin via pump (basal 31 units + boluses)
* Crestor 10 mg q.d.
* Lisinopril 20 mg q.d.
* Adderrall 10 mg q.d.
* Armour Thyroid 1 gr t.i.d.
* Darvocet-N 100 1.5 tabs b.i.d. (never on
weekends)
* Vit. D3 10,000 I.U. q.d.
* Vit. B12 5000 mcg b.i.d.
* Centrum MVI one q.d.
* Magnesium 500 mg q.d.
* Vit. B-100 complex one q.d.
* Siberian Ginseng 648 mg q.d.
* Fish oil EPA 800 & DHA 500 mg 1 tsp q.d.
* Occasionally Pepcid Complete when I can fit it in without conflicting with any of the other meds.

Do I need to add calcium in this cocktail? My calcium and vitamin B12 levels were right in the middle of the "normal" range.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!! It was wonderful just taking half my pain meds today!
Centrum is junk...
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Hi Jonnie,

Yipes. Sulfur smell and metallic taste. Yuck. It sounds like you might be having some detox reaction. You might be VERY toxic and the B12 and magnesium are both very detoxifying. So yes, sometimes you do get worse before you get better if you are releasing a lot of toxins.

If you have access to a sauna, that is an excellent way to help get rid of toxins without it going through your bloodstream. The heat can make you feel better too.

Centrum is junk by the way. If you can afford something better then do so.

Yeah!! It sounds like you're on the right track and getting somewhere. That's great about the pain medicine.


Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System
The culprit is magnesium.
by: Jonnie

I just upped my magnesium to 750 mg and the funk happened again. Lasted for 3 days but then everything settled back to normal. How high should I take the magnesium, 1000 mg?

And does taking magnesium normally cause weight loss? I don't have loose stools and I've not changed my diet, but in the past 3 weeks, I've lost about 5 pounds without doing anything else differently. Don't get me wrong, I am 40 pounds overweight, so it's a good thing (potentially) but I'm not sure why it's happening, but it's welcome so long as it's normal and healthy.

Once again, I'm am in your debt. There has definitely been a 30% decrease in pain, if not more. I'm hoping in due time I will feel like a normal human. Thank you.
Don't Know Why You're In a Funk
by: Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune Queen!

Hi Jonnie,

WUHOO!! 30% + pain relief and it's only been a month or two! That's amazing!!

I don't know why you are getting into a funk with the magnesium, but there is no 'right' dose of magnesium. Please read the page on Magnesium Dosage to find the right dosage for YOU.

But if 750 mg causes you to feel worse, then stay at the dosage that makes you feel the best. You CAN overdose on magnesium and so you may just be reaching the dose that is the highest dose for YOU. You shouldn't feel worse taking magnesium, so make sure that you don't continue taking a dose that makes you feel bad. It COULD just be that you are detoxifying, but it could be that you are taking too much.

Don't be worried about it, but just make sure that you don't take a dosage that makes you feel bad.

As far as weight loss- don't worry about it. If you are losing weight and that's a good thing, then WHO CARES why. It's not going to be because you are damaging yourself with nutrition, so enjoy it.

It's possible that your adrenal glands are shot and the extra magnesium is helping them to produce cortisol which helps your metabolism, but there is no way to know for sure.

So, go with it and stay with the program!! Yeah!!!


Kerri Knox RN Immune Health Queen

Kerri Knox, RN- The Immune System Queen
Functional Medicine Practitioner
Immune System
update
by: Jonnie

Kerri - Thank you so much! Your pain ebook has been a lifesaver!

I haven't gotten the results back on the 24-hour cortisol yet, so can't say for sure, but I suspected that might be present too, especially with the long term stress I've been under physically.

However, aside from all that, I have news. :-)

Friday I went the whole day at work without taking a single pain pill!!!!! Pain got to about 4/10, but compared to 8/10 being my typical day, it was amazing! And that's after only 2 weeks on the supplements. If it never gets better than this, I'm still one very, VERY happy woman. I can live with feeling like I'm 60 (I'm 53) much better than I can live with feeling like I'm 80! lol

Thank you again - DOUBLE WOOOOHOOOO!

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