Breastfeeding and low circulation problem?

[BellaClaudia]

I am nursing my dd for the last 5 years and now I am starting having some
circulation problems.. as in my fingers would get stiff and painful in the
night or upon wakeining.. Sometimes one somemtimes two on one side..
like the pinkies and ring fingers of both hands one night.. and thumb
and index on both hand other night..

sometimes my legs are just painful and bit swallen at night and
feels like cirulation is again a problem..

I wonder if my nursing is contributing to it in some way
and what could I do to improve my circulation.

Also a while ago (a year or so) I noticed that when she is
using one breast more then the other, the kindey on this side
is sort of painful for few days, then it goes away completly
and if she nurses again a lot on one side then the pain in this kidney
comes back. It is strange but I noticed connection.

I would like to hear from moms who might have had similar problems
or have ideas as to what might be happening.

[HaikuMommy]

I have those exact same symptoms. I don't know whether nursing causes them or not. I am tandem nursing a 2yo and a newborn, and have been thinking these might be postpartum symptoms that could go away soon. I'll be interested to see if anyone else has answers.

Best wishes! Hope you feel better.

[purplepaisleymama]

I have experienced those exact symptoms and always thought that they were related to the arthritis that the women in my family experience. Turns out it was my thyroid being out of whack and it was causing me many problems that I had always thought were just me...... being cold, joints being stiff and my hands and feet not working well. I ended up going to a neurologist because I was sure that there was some nerve issue going on, he tested me thinking that it might be carpal tunnel. The test was inconclusive, a few months later when I was almost 10 weeks pregnant I had a bunch of problems that ended up with my neck swelling from a goiter, they tested my thyroid and it was way out.

I have had these issues for many years but hadn't realized that they were all connected.
~laura

[BellaClaudia]

hm.. you made me thinking.. maybe my thyroid is out of wahack..

One thing that I noticed is that salt is messing up my metabolism big time..
and not JUST any salt.. I am talking salt with Iodide..

I starated reading about the sald and it is just insane how they justadd this supplement willy neally to our salt and along with tons of other ingredients to prevent it from this and that.. yacky chemicals that I can't even pronounce..

In any case.. it is said that iodide should be only added for individuals that have deficiency.. I do live in an area near the ocean and we have plenty of it in the environemnt so chances are I just DONT NEEd andy additional iodide!

I have to get to the bottom of this but for now I noticed that few things do help my metabolism and not to feel that way..:

1. avoiding salt with iodide completly, using salt htat have one ingredient only: SALT. and do it really sparringly, the days that I don't use ANY salt at all are the days I feel best.

2. gluten. for some reason I noticed that anything with white flour specifically turns my body into this bloated water retainer..
it is just as my blod is getthing thick or something?..

regardless.. when I skip all white products with starch in them and add no salt died on any given day I feel amazingly better..

Hm.. would love to hear from you comparing notes..

and btw.. I noticed also that on the day my DD nurses more my system is just very very tired hours and hours after nursing. The more she nurses on one breast the more kidney on this side seem to be effected.

curious if anybody has similar experiences