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muscle cramps, Bun 26, bun/cre ratio 24, creatinine normal 1.1

Posted , 15 users are following.

joecus
joecus

Hello all - I really need your help.  I have been having severe muscle cramps in all muscles after moderate or light use.  I have been getting very severe cramps after walking a few blocks when I normally can walk miles and miles.  I get cramps in jaw after chewing a steak.  I get cramps in my arms after taking out garbage.  Cramps in my hand after normal activity (thumb and index finger pulling together and locking).  Went to doctor and had full work-up at NYU.  They had few answers. A few things were a little abnormal.  My BUN was 26, my BUN/Creatinine ration was 24.  My creatinine was normal at 1.1.  My vit D was low at 17.  My RDW was slightly high at 17.1 (prev was 19.4).  Doctor says this cannot be causing severe symptoms I am having.  It is so bad I cannot lie down after walking, the cramps are so bad, I get up and walk around for a few minutes and they get a little better.  I am not dehydrated at all.  I take all necessary supplements and blood work shows it.  Cramps are worse in legs because they get the most use but it happens in every muscle.  Even when I am cleaning myself in shower, if I turn to left or right, pain in the "lats" of the side I turn.  Please help if you can.  I would really appreciate it.  Thank you.

1 like, 27 replies

27 Replies

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  • john75639
    john75639 joecus

    Posted

    Sounds you have claudication. I used to get this symptom to the point I would walk a few steps and my calves would seize up with cramps and I would have to stop walking. What usually too me 2 blocks to walk in 10 minutes took me 45 minutes. Every 3 steps, a cramp would occur. Nothing relieved them. I can't pain medications at that time because I would get horrible headaches. Massage didn't help or rubbing my legs helped a little.

    The definition includes perpherial vascular disease, which I have.

    Has your doctor checked. My doctor used 4 blood pressure cuffs. One on each arm and one on each leg. I was discovered I had poor circulation in my legs.

    I eventually had my leg cut off due to poor circulation, diabetes and gangrene. and perpherial vascular disease and venous statis.

    My hands clamp and I usually have to pry my fingers apart with the other hand. It's worsee when both hands clamp together and I have to use furniture to pry my fingers apart. Haven't ask the doctor why they clamp except the the dialysis tech says it is normal for dialysis patients.

    If too much liquid is taken out of your body through the dialysis machine, I get horrible cramps in my stomach, front or back of my thighs or the back of my calves. I was told to eat something salty like pickles. I tried it and it didn't work, but salty peanuts helped.

    I hope someone can give to more advice on this forum. Good Luck

  • jane6280
    jane6280 joecus

    Posted

    joecus,

    How are you doing?     I found your post searching on muscle cramping and high BUN/creatinine ratio.   I have full body sensory neuropathy that's idiopathic, and have developed bad cramping problems recently.  The high ratio is the first abnormal blood result I've had since this all started four years ago.

    Jane

    • marj01201
      marj01201 jane6280

      Posted

      Jane,

      I began having severe leg cramps about 18 months ago. My nephrologist said he thought it was due to shifts in my fluid levels. I would stretch my legs, kept doing light exercise, etc. but the cramps persisted. (Even my abdominal muscles would cramp.)

      He had me start taking one of my medications with about 156 mg sodium in it first thing in the morning. That helped some in the morning. But this went on all day and throughout the night.

      I have a lot of difficulty staying hydrated. So I've worked hard on that. But I also went to the internet to see if there was a natural remedy that would be safe for me to try at home.

      One that showed up over and over again was drinking Canada Dry Tonic Water. It has guinine in it which helps relieve muscle cramps. My nephrologist confirmed that doctors use to prescribe guinine for muscle cramping but it was no longer done due to some side effects when prescribing high doses of guinine. But he said the small amount of guinine in the Tonic water would not pose a problem for me.

      So I have several 1 liter bottles of sugar free Canada Dry Tonic water in my pantry. I drink 12-16 oz if I experience leg cramping. It does relieve my leg cramping. Although, I really don't care for the taste of Tonic water. But it's worth drinkingbit for relief from the cramping.

      Having shared this, I should also say that for the past 10-12 months I've had virtually no difficulty with the cramping. I've done a much better job staying hydrated. And I was taken off a diuretic medication at about that time.

      Anyway, I have no idea if the Tonic water with guinine in it will provide relief for you or not. But it might be worth trying. The cramping is really miserable! Mine got so bad it was all my muscles including those in my abdominal area.

      Let me know if you discover anything else that works for you.

      Marj

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey jane6280

      Posted

      Jane, I have dreadful leg cramps from time to time mostly overnight - daren’t suddenly stretch my legs as I wake.  A friend swears by the quinine in tonic water but she doesn’t have CKD as I do.  I tried it and it didn’t agree with me.  Cramps usually point to a lack effect of magnesium.  I asked for a magnesium blood test and that was normal.  However, I since learned that just because a magnesium deficiency doesn’t show up in the blood, it can still mean it isn’t reaching the tissues.  A GP showed me how to do calf stretches before bed with hands on a wall, leaning forwards and backwards bending the arms but leaving the legs straight and stretching them as you lean forwards.  Hope that makes sense.  Of course, many medications can lead to muscle cramps.  Vitamin D can because taking it can unmask any signs of deficiency.  The very best thing for me has been to add a couple of dried apricots with my breakfast - full of magnesium, and there are other magnesium-rich foods that can help.  Do try the apricots.  The cramps can be so miserable and a really bad one can cause discomfort in the leg for days.
  • jane6280
    jane6280 joecus

    Posted

    Thank you both for you responses.   My neurologist actually mentioned tonic water when I told her about my new-found feature of cramping, so I'll definitely give it a try.   All my electrolytes test normal, but I also supplement magnesium.   Magnesium cream or lotion seems to help my feet when they burn from the neuropathy, so that's at least something.

    I'm concerned about my kidneys because my paternal aunt had life-long problems with them, and my great grandmother also had problems.  I haven't talked to the neurologist since the results came in, but I'm going to start digging into kidney issues and possible neurological effects.   Something is causing this mess!

    I'm trying to cut back on salt as that is one sure thing that will cause the cramping.   Even though I'm sure to drink a lot of fluids if I'm eating something salty, it still gets me.    

    Thanks again.  I'll go to the store tonight and get tonic water.   

    Jane

    • marj01201
      marj01201 jane6280

      Posted

      Jane, I was eating every little sodium daily when my cramps started; around 800 mg daily only. And I was taking a diuretic at the time. That was leeching sodium out of my system. I've got that straightened out now. Do I'm finding it much easier to stay hydrated.

      I had wondered about magnesium too; was mine too low? But my labs showed no problems. However, after reading MrsO's post I'm realizing it may not hurt for me to eat some higher magnesium food daily too. 

      I'm seeing a diffetent nephrologist now so don't know what my current nephrologist would say given that I haven't had any cramping to speak of over the 9-10 months I've been seeing him. (He's clearly got a much better handle on my renal care. I'm finding that quite a lot of what my former nephrologist said is just not true in my case. Needlesstosau, I'm glad to have switched nephrologists!

      Anyway, I'm thinking adding some magnesium to my diet may be a great idea! Let me know if you try it how it is working for you🐶

      Marj

  • joecus
    joecus

    Posted

    I am still getting cramps once in a while.  I think the tonic water helped mostly because It increased my fluid intake not really sure if it was the quinine.  So, keep hydrated and limit salt.  Stay in touch.  
    • marj01201
      marj01201 joecus

      Posted

      I'm not sure if it was the quinine or the additional fluid or both that helped with me either, joecus. I have duspicioned it was more a hydration issue in my case though as I've had virtually no cramping now that I'm consistently better hydrated.

      Regardless, I'm just thankful that they have subsided for the past several months. I hope Jane finds something for relief soon.

      Marj

  • LynQ
    LynQ joecus

    Posted

    Hi All,

    My GFR is between 22% and "24%. 

    I got terrible leg cramps at nighht that twist my toes into grotesque positions.  They would last for a very long time and it was not easy to stretch a muscle as stretching one set up cramps in another all over my feet, ankles and usually lower legs.  My GP said it was about electrolytes and told me to eat a banana before I went to bed. Another person told me to take magnesium. Eventually my consultant prescribed a quinine sulphate tablet that is magic and has stopped the cramps almost entirely.  I believe they are not able to be prescribed in the USA because of occasional possible side effects but I have been fine and cramp free for  3 years Hi,

     Hurrah!

    • marj01201
      marj01201 LynQ

      Posted

      LynQ,

      You're right about quinine not being prescribed in the ISA. But I'm so glad you have found relief. This extreme cramping is miserable!

      Marj

  • lauren97994
    lauren97994 joecus

    Posted

    Shot in the dark, but I'm searching my symptoms online for the billionth time and came across this. Your symptoms sound exactly like mine. Did you ever find any answers?

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