Has anyone discovered a fast-acting emergency relief from cramp?
I’m quite down tonight, after having one of my occasional agonising and very frightening episodes, in which I cramp literally from toe to groin, for a period of around 15 minutes.
I do know it’s only cramp, and nobody ever died of it, but these cramps are so severe that they can cause actual injury, and leave me limping for several days. When they happen, they’re so painful, I’m drenched from head to foot in cold sweat, and sometimes have to change complete clothing or the bed linen. Afterwards, I’m left shaky and exhausted, and very fearful of it happening again, although this fear usually proves groundless, as it can be many weeks before there’s any recurrence.
I’m already on Baclofen, which I’m sure makes them rarer than they’d otherwise be, but on those rare occasions they do still happen, I’m beside myself with pain, and just don’t know what to do. I find I can’t sit, stand, or lie down, as there’s no position that makes it bearable. I didn’t have any tonic water, bananas, or magnesium in the house this time - all of which I’ve tried before, but not with a great deal of success anyway.
If it’s been a while since I took any Baclofen, I take some immediately - sometimes also Diazepam. But as these take at least 15 minutes to work, I almost feel it’s a wasted dose, as they’re not fast enough to help before it eases of it’s own accord.
I’ve never worked out what triggers them, although today, I did spend an unwise amount of time (more than 35 minutes) standing in the cold at a bus stop, before giving up and coming home. Although the BIG cramp was several hours later, I feel this episode may have contributed, as I was beginning to show signs of fatigue and distress when I got home, which never quite eased off.
Tina