* Weekly Thread Feb 26-March 4 * - Page 3

[herbmama3-7]

Thanks everyone for your hugs to my miserable day! At times I thought maybe I was overreacting, but after thinking about it more and more, the driver was just plain RUDE!! He may have been having a rough day too, but that doesn't mean he has the right to take it out on a complete stranger and her son!! So I am not going to let it go, I will call the company and file a formal complaint, especially since making me get up and walk to the back was very unsafe, he is lucky he didn't crash during that, plus I was completely embarresed!! Thank you Willo for your tips, they will come in handy!

[wombatclay]

So in the wee hours of Tuesday morning I woke up with a horrible cramp in my left calf. I mean a full-on screaming OUCH of a muscle spasm. I massaged it away and got back to sleep but it is STILL sore today, three days later.

I'm getting plenty of water, I take a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement along with my prenatal, I stretch my legs...any other cramp cures out there? It's just my left leg too, which is a bit odd.

[Neve]

Originally Posted by wombatclay

So in the wee hours of Tuesday morning I woke up with a horrible cramp in my left calf. I mean a full-on screaming OUCH of a muscle spasm. I massaged it away and got back to sleep but it is STILL sore today, three days later.

I'm getting plenty of water, I take a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement along with my prenatal, I stretch my legs...any other cramp cures out there? It's just my left leg too, which is a bit odd.

Sounds like you are doing everything right--from what I understand it's usually dehydration that causes those--at least when you are NOT pregnant. But pregnant problems seem to break every mold out there. I know that if you flex your feet, that will make it go away instantly, but you may have known that already.

Sorry I don't have any other magic cures--just wanted to chime in for sympathy sake--I know those can be extremely uncomfortable!

[Neve]

Originally Posted by Jilian

I'm still hanging in here on bed rest for a while. Contractions have slowed down a lot and my cervix hasn't changed from it's soft/fingertip dilated/anterior position. My MW gave me a whole bunch of things to do to calm my uterus and I'm doing them all. I think they're working. And babe is still breech so that is a good thing - no big head applied to my cervix

We're all gonna have a great weekend, I can feel it!

Positive thinking goes a LONG way Jilian! So glad to hear things have calmed down for you too. I'm curious what your MW says to calm down uterus. I have an extremely "active" uterus (hardening/contraction/whatever) too.

[wombatclay]

I know that if you flex your feet, that will make it go away instantly,

If only that worked!

Pointing your toes will make a calf spasm sooooooo much worse it's hard to believe, but while flexing your foot WILL help the muscle relax it's not something that happens instantly...well, at least not for me! I never really had the leg cramps last time round, and I'm hoping they go away this time, but somehow I'm not betting on it.

Ugh.

[Corri]

I've always eaten bananas for leg cramps, and it works pretty well. It's got something to do with bananas being really high in potassium. I hope you don't have to go through that again!

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by Neve

I'm curious what your MW says to calm down uterus. I have an extremely "active" uterus (hardening/contraction/whatever) too.

Cramp bark tincture, calcium/magnesium/zinc and Omega 3,6,9 supplements, extra vitamin c (up to 2,000 mg), warm baths, lots of water, resting, accupuncture, and when all else fails - a small glass of wine.

[Jilian]

I wish I could say my week got better but it didn't. I ended up in the hospital again last night for severe kidney pain. I swear it was a kidney stone but they only found an infection. I had to stay overnight and most of today. I ended up with 6 shots of terb to stop contractions, a sedative, and some antibiotics. I'm so upset about all of the medicine I had to take while pregnant, I was trying really hard to avoid all meds this preg Babe is doing good and I'm feeling a little better. I just feel so weak and exhausted from being through all that.

[txbikegrrl]

Jillian -- sorry you're so sick, but glad the baby is okay. I understand about not wanting to take meds. I'm finishing up antibiotics for UTI which was SOO painful (and I was absolutely exhausted) I thought I was going into early labor luckily just an infection but had to clear it up with meds. Yours was obviously worse so I give you a LOT of credit for being able to stand all the pain. Hope you heal quickly...

[todavia]

jillian- i'm so sorry to hear that you're going through all of this . i wish there was something concrete i could do for you but i'm sending lots of healthy wishes and postive thoughts your way...hang in there, mama.

[WhiteWax]

long but from the queen of CALF CRAMPS!

Originally Posted by wombatclay

...
Pointing your toes will make a calf spasm sooooooo much worse it's hard to believe...

WOW... I didn't quite know how to explain this to anyone so I never bothered but I know EXACTLY what you mean!!!! With DD I as the QUEEN of nightly leg cramps!!!! To the point where DP was "trained" to (practicly in his sleep) jump up and massage my calf when I would cry out "CRAMP" and whack him in the side! It is the most horrendu, paralysing feeling!!!

Then the one or two I've had so far here have left me with that pain (oddley also my left leg) for (the first was a good two weeks) and the second was only a day or two...

I was told that it is very possible to "sprain" your muscle from an intense cramp but that if it doesn't get any better you need to see some one... ongoing pain can be the sign of a blood clot... but like I said the pain I had lasted at LEAST two weeks.

So here's the tricks! HEAT AND MASSAGE!!! Some one had mentioned heat packs out of rice and I with my last nasty "sprain" I put the heat on it a few times and it helped it go away alot faster.

Some one mentioned Bananas and they are dead on! It's a big potassium issue involved with the leg cramps!

I've read that doing regular calf stretches before going to bed can help...

But the other thing is that when they come on real suddenly (and you know they do), dont sit and think they will go away... massage (or have dh massage) as soon as it starts and keeping rubbing it out and for a minute or so after you think it's gone.... I've noticed that if I dont rub it enough when it's happening, thats when I get the "sprained muscle"

and what ever you do.... DONT TRY TO FLEX IT away WHILE it's happening!!!! You can only rub it away!

[WhiteWax]

on another note...

We had our Kittens!!!!!!!!!!

We had two that made it and two that did not

She decided to have them in DD closet! Dp found them... they are sooo tiny and sweet looking... we have a little grey one and an alll white one... mama is allll black!

And, what is particularly cute, IMO, is that our Mama cat is a Manyx (These cats are born tail-less) We acctually have two Manyx cats, one has nothing there where the tail should be (called a rumpy) and our Mama cat has a little nub for a tail (called a stumpy) well the two kittens we have, the white has a big long tail and the grey one is stumpy just like Mama!!!! soooo cute to see this tiny little kitten with a tiny little stump of a tail! awww love them!

terrbily jelous that DP will get to have tiny little kittens to play with for the next 4 or 5 weeks! and watch them grow.... I will miss out... I may end up taking one of the kittens though!

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by WhiteWax

on another note...

We had our Kittens!!!!!!!!!!

We had two that made it and two that did not

Congrats on the new kitties, I'm sorry that two did not make it Kittens are so much fun, I remember a cat of mine had kittens when I was 11 and I had to much fun taking care of them. Kittens are so sweet

[WhiteWax]

Moving day today... again

Today I am packing up my stuff and DexP will behelping out to rearrange the room at mymoms house and DD and I will start staying there tonight

: just trying to to keep strong over here

[todavia]

aww whitewax i know this is going to be a difficult adjustment for all of you but try to stay positive. there's a new baby on the horizon and you never know what the future will bring.

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by WhiteWax

Moving day today... again

Today I am packing up my stuff and DexP will behelping out to rearrange the room at mymoms house and DD and I will start staying there tonight

: just trying to to keep strong over here

We're here for you mama. Maybe some time apart will be good right now. Just focus on yourself, your DD, and your growing baby. The rest will fall into place.

[Enchanted Gypsy]

Originally Posted by WhiteWax

WOW... I didn't quite know how to explain this to anyone so I never bothered but I know EXACTLY what you mean!!!! With DD I as the QUEEN of nightly leg cramps!!!! To the point where DP was "trained" to (practicly in his sleep) jump up and massage my calf when I would cry out "CRAMP" and whack him in the side! It is the most horrendu, paralysing feeling!!!

ROTFL

That is me and DH exactly ! I have been experiencing these also and found that if you flexy your foot down, like in a point, it DOES makes it worse. However, if you flex your foot up towards the ceiling as soon as you feel it comming on..it goes away completely !! Try this next time, it really works..completely gone..

The pain of a calf cramp is horendous and all I keep thinking is this is what labor must feel like, but 10X worse and in my abbs..a gigantic muscle spasm..GULP...

[Jilian]

I just passed the MOTHER of all kidney stones today. It is about 2-3 times larger than my last kidney stone (2 yrs ago). I feel SO much better now. My MW is pretty confident that this is what was causing all of the contractions and that the contractions will now stop. I'm so relieved to have this over with, I'll be cutting back on my calcium now!

[Neve]

Originally Posted by Corri

I've always eaten bananas for leg cramps, and it works pretty well. It's got something to do with bananas being really high in potassium. I hope you don't have to go through that again!

Yes--I have heard that potassium deficiency causes them too.

[Neve]

Originally Posted by Jilian

I wish I could say my week got better but it didn't. I ended up in the hospital again last night for severe kidney pain. I swear it was a kidney stone but they only found an infection. I had to stay overnight and most of today. I ended up with 6 shots of terb to stop contractions, a sedative, and some antibiotics. I'm so upset about all of the medicine I had to take while pregnant, I was trying really hard to avoid all meds this preg Babe is doing good and I'm feeling a little better. I just feel so weak and exhausted from being through all that.

Jeez...that is too bad. I wonder if your contractions from before are related to the kidney problem? Antibiotics are better than a pre-term baby anyday though, so dont' sweat it too much. Just keep your eyes on the prize!