Nutrition suggestions

[creekland]

So, if you had a muscle (or two) in each arm that sometimes had trouble getting more than a quart of liquid out of the fridge, at other times had no issues at all (can easily lift a vacuum time and time again), and most of the time was just "hey, remember I'm there" (a burning feeling would be the closest description) when lifting that quart or heavier - actually - even at rest some times, what sort of nutritional changes would you make to try to fix it?

 

NOT using the muscles does not fix it - or change it.  Working through it can make it feel worse on the same day, but appears to have no effect on the next day.  Exercise in general (not using those muscles, but other exercise like walking) helps some (I think - not sure).  Rest/sitting seems it make it worse, but again, since it varies anyway, I'm not really sure.  Aside from one or two muscles in each arm (same muscles - just in each arm), nothing else is affected - not fingers, hands, etc.  I really don't think I pulled them at any point, and if so, it sure shouldn't be variable the way it is.

 

I found out the other day (due to having a pretty bad headache) that ibuprofen tends to make it feel a whole lot better, so I'm debating just using more of that when needed, but that would be a bit too often for my comfort level (not saying comfort levels can't change).

 

However, being more of a "natural" person... got any nutritional suggestions to test first?  I'm a bit stymied with this one (it's been going on for maybe a month now, maybe a little longer).  On the day or two (not in a row) that it goes away completely I feel relieved and figure it's gone, but then, each time, it's back... and now could be two muscles in each arm as opposed to one - or could be the same one if one muscle can be in both the lower and upper arm - lower got affected first- upper feels the "burn" more (now).

[zoobie]

Are you sure it's a muscle? There are a bunch of medical causes for arm weakness, including carpal tunnel (one of many) that would respond to an anti-inflammatory.

[creekland]

Are you sure it's a muscle? There are a bunch of medical causes for arm weakness, including carpal tunnel (one of many) that would respond to an anti-inflammatory.

 

No, I guess I don't know for sure.  I was just making an assumption off how it seems when it's happening.  I originally was thinking pulled muscles (due to prior experience with them, plus we live on a farm with various chores) and was trying to figure out how/when I did it - never coming up with anything, then noticing the variability which makes pulled muscles kind of unlikely.  Meanwhile I've been waiting for it to fix itself, but instead, aside from those good days/hours, I'm wondering if it's getting worse - not sure.

 

According to my obstetrician, youngest was nice enough to give me carpal tunnel when I was pregnant with him 19 years ago.  She originally said it would go away after his birth, but, then modified that when it didn't to say, "that happens sometimes."  I've had it (another assumption) since then, but it's only noticeable when my arms are above my heart for a little length of time as with driving or reading a newspaper.  It's never been that big a deal, hasn't progressed in those 19 years - and doesn't SEEM related at all to this - but it's all a guess.

[Debate Mom]

Have you looked into trying turmeric?  It is a natural anti-inflammatory

[Barb_]

Try massage therapy. Could be a twisted ligament or a muscle knot. Do you have a massage envy within an hours drive? The first one is $40/hr I believe.

[ktgrok]

Where is the pain? I get "tennis elbow" from carrying groceries and such. Or could be carpal tunnel. 

[zoobie]

No, I guess I don't know for sure. I was just making an assumption off how it seems when it's happening. I originally was thinking pulled muscles (due to prior experience with them, plus we live on a farm with various chores) and was trying to figure out how/when I did it - never coming up with anything, then noticing the variability which makes pulled muscles kind of unlikely. Meanwhile I've been waiting for it to fix itself, but instead, aside from those good days/hours, I'm wondering if it's getting worse - not sure.

 

According to my obstetrician, youngest was nice enough to give me carpal tunnel when I was pregnant with him 19 years ago. She originally said it would go away after his birth, but, then modified that when it didn't to say, "that happens sometimes." I've had it (another assumption) since then, but it's only noticeable when my arms are above my heart for a little length of time as with driving or reading a newspaper. It's never been that big a deal, hasn't progressed in those 19 years - and doesn't SEEM related at all to this - but it's all a guess.

I would get that checked out by a doctor. It could be carpal tunnel or arthritis or shoulder or neck or something vascular. Who knows! Maybe some targeted PT could resolve it and then you wouldn't have to deal with it. :)

[creekland]

Have you looked into trying turmeric?  It is a natural anti-inflammatory

 

Interesting.  I cook with turmeric a lot - anything from home made yellow rice to putting it in/on fried eggs and potatoes.  However, I haven't used it hardly at all lately due to a ton of stuff going on (from graduation the end of May on) and eating out FAR more than normal and quick meals at home rather than actual cooking.  I'm wondering if good/better days came on days I used it with eggs in the morning... and if, in general, using it more would help.  It'd be worth trying tomorrow to see.  Thanks!

 

Try massage therapy. Could be a twisted ligament or a muscle knot. Do you have a massage envy within an hours drive? The first one is $40/hr I believe.

 

Hmm, never have had any sort of massage (other than dh).  But in both arms?  Of course, it could be an excuse - just to try it!

 

Where is the pain? I get "tennis elbow" from carrying groceries and such. Or could be carpal tunnel. 

 

Well, the elbow isn't affected at all.  Youngest (who took anatomy I & II) at school this past year tells me it's an extensor (?) muscle - at least the lower arm part that's been going on for the whole time.  I haven't mentioned the upper arm bit as that's only been the past 3 - 4 days (maybe a week) and I wasn't sure if it was even connected.  That one doesn't cause me not to be able to do anything.  It just burns a bit when not in use (sometimes, but getting more frequent) and is in the biceps area.

 

I would get that checked out by a doctor. It could be carpal tunnel or arthritis or shoulder or neck or something vascular. Who knows! Maybe some targeted PT could resolve it and then you wouldn't have to deal with it. :)

 

Ok, we're working on avoiding the doctor part... for now anyway.  Perhaps in later August or afterward.  By then I should know if it's going to hang around or not.  I prefer not, but I guess time will tell.

 

The PT part... my SIL is a Physical Therapist... and I could be seeing her at a family gathering July 4th (if she's there).  That's a thought (assuming it's still around)!  I'll up the turmeric between now and then and see what happens.

[ktgrok]

try a good Chiropracter, bet they could help

[Liz CA]

Try some magnesium as well. The good (or better than grocery store) kind.

Dr. Carolyn Dean used to suggest Jigsaw Magnesium. Amazon and a host of other outlets carry it.

ETA: Cooking with turmeric is not nearly enough. You need a concentrated dose like a turmeric capsule.

[Garga]

I had carpal tunnel for a long time after the kids were born. I looked online and found an exercise that made it go away. You put your hands together as if you were praying, with the fingers pointing straight up. Just hold them there for a time, pressed together. It felt sore to do it, but after a week or two, the pain was completely gone and has been ever since.

 

My mother gets ganglions on her wrist and they make the muscles in her wrist weak unexpectedly. Sometimes she can pick things up and other times she loses her grip. Do you have a ganglion? The way to get rid of them is to wait for them to go away, or smash them with a book. I don't think I'd have the nerve to smash them, but that's a treatment her doctor suggested if she was brave enough. (She's not.) She also wears an ace bandage thing by the ganglion to make it go away slower than smashing it with the book, but faster than waiting for it to dissipate on its own.

[creekland]

try a good Chiropracter, bet they could help

 

We have one moving in next door - in a couple of years.  That might be a little long to wait though.  If it's still bugging me after trying other options, it'll drive me to trying something else.  Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Try some magnesium as well. The good (or better than grocery store) kind.

Dr. Carolyn Dean used to suggest Jigsaw Magnesium. Amazon and a host of other outlets carry it.

ETA: Cooking with turmeric is not nearly enough. You need a concentrated dose like a turmeric capsule.

 

If turmeric worked before to stop it from happening at all, it was solely what I used in cooking or otherwise fixing food (line tuna or macaroni salads for uncooked things).

 

However, if adding that back in doesn't work now, I'll try upping it and/or magnesium.  I'm guessing that either are better than regular use of Ibuprofen.

 

I had carpal tunnel for a long time after the kids were born. I looked online and found an exercise that made it go away. You put your hands together as if you were praying, with the fingers pointing straight up. Just hold them there for a time, pressed together. It felt sore to do it, but after a week or two, the pain was completely gone and has been ever since.

 

My mother gets ganglions on her wrist and they make the muscles in her wrist weak unexpectedly. Sometimes she can pick things up and other times she loses her grip. Do you have a ganglion? The way to get rid of them is to wait for them to go away, or smash them with a book. I don't think I'd have the nerve to smash them, but that's a treatment her doctor suggested if she was brave enough. (She's not.) She also wears an ace bandage thing by the ganglion to make it go away slower than smashing it with the book, but faster than waiting for it to dissipate on its own.

 

Interesting with the carpal.  It's never bugged me enough to want to try to do anything about it, but that exercise sounds easy enough to try, and if this new stuff is related to the old, it's definitely worth a shot.

 

I had to look ganglions up on google.  I definitely don't have anything like that on my wrist, but I've had a similar type of lump on one of my fingers for years - probably as long as the carpal tunnel.  When my PT SIL looked at it she thought it was some sort of blood vessel build up.  It's another thing that hardly bothers me, so I don't think much about it.  It's just "there."

 

I definitely like having things to start trying today - love the Hive - so much experience to glean from!

[Debate Mom]

I cook lots of Indian food so most everything has turmeric in it but also make capsules with a machine I got at Amazon.  I can get the organic turmeric powder and make them a lot cheaper than buying them and it is really easy (my 6 year old can do it).  

 

I was having a lot of lower back pain that ibuprofen wasn't helping but since taking the turmeric is has almost completely stopped.

 

For magnesium, I found a website that has a DIY magnesium supplement you can make that is supposedly more bio-available.  It is on the gwens-nest blog and is really easy to make.  Since taking that my muscle spasms that I was having in the arms have mostly stopped.

[Cakes]

You have received a lot of ideas here! I just wanted to add that Magnesium is indicated when there is cramping...as in the muscle tightens but has trouble relaxing. That equates to a need for mag. A need for calcium is indicated when the muscle won't lock/tighten. It sounds like maybe you are having a muscle weakness. One would think a calcium deficiency would affect more than one set of muscles, but bodies are strange and unpredictable. I would try increasing you calcium intake if I were you. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

The active ingredient in tumeric is called Curcumin and can be bought at health/vitamin stores.

[J-rap]

Is there a new, specific movement you're doing now, even if it is not a movement that exerts you at all?  My daughter got severe carpel tunnel after working on a meat slicer for several months.  She didn't even know anything was happening.  It felt like easy work.  Once it hit, then movement made it worse, but sometimes even no movement but holding her arms in a certain way would hurt.  (Or sleeping on them wrong.)  Sometimes it was more of a burning feeling, or sometimes just a numbness would settle in.

 

The best thing was simply not doing that movement anymore.  It has been about 8 months now and they are a LOT better.  She would wear braces sometimes. 

 

She ended up getting some kind of an anti-inflammatory cream for her skin in those areas which helped.  Also, for the turmeric, this is what I take:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YC70XY/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[creekland]

Is there a new, specific movement you're doing now, even if it is not a movement that exerts you at all? 

 

No, there's nothing new.  That would be way too easy...  It bugs me that things I normally could do are now sometimes rather painful - hence - the question.

 

But I like the sounds of people's experiences with turmeric, so am fairly hopeful.  Plus, as mentioned before, one thing that is different (in hindsight) is there's a bit less in my diet than there used to be, so just going back to "normal" might help.  If not, I'll try increasing "normal."  Then there's magnesium... and/or calcium... plenty of options to try.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I would get that checked out by a doctor. It could be carpal tunnel or arthritis or shoulder or neck or something vascular. Who knows! Maybe some targeted PT could resolve it and then you wouldn't have to deal with it. :)

This! It could be anything. I am dubious nutrition will fix any of the possibilities.

[Tap]

Definately talk to the PT.  I get issues like this when I get bad habits and start using the wrong muscles to move my body parts.  I am tall and have long limbs.  I have a back issue that makes me favor those muscles.  Over time, I get bad habits started of using the wrong muscle to move my body around.  That makes other muscles get week, and then I start using the wrong muscles All the Time.  If I am in a certain position, my body will trigger the correct muscles and I don't have pain. But, if I am twisted a little or standing off balance, I use the wrong ones.  

 

 

For a natural anti-inflammatory, I like Zyflamend.  It is a combination herbal item and works well for me.  I buy it on Amazon, but stores like Fred Meyer in the nutrition center have it too.  

 

For my neck ans shoulders, I like massage.  Due to my back, I tend to use my upper body for balance...which is bad, bad, bad.  If I stay up with massage, I have fewer problems in my neck/shoulder muscle because I keep them loose and mobile. 

 

If it is a pinched nerve, you may try a chiropractor first.  Especially one who has a massage therapist work on you first and then moves to the adjustment.  It loosens the muscles and gives you more flexibility for the chiropractor to do his mojo.  (I know a great one in Vancouver Wa if you are in the area)

 

 

I get extreme fatigue from having low Vitamin D and B12.  Supplementing those do help me quite a bit, but it takes a while to rebuild stores.   Vitamin B12 comes only from meat/dariy so if there is any chance are vegan, it could definitely be the problem. 

[creekland]

This! It could be anything. I am dubious nutrition will fix any of the possibilities.

 

It might not, but it gives me the sense of trying something while I wait to see if the body fixes it on its own.  ;)

 

If it is a pinched nerve, you may try a chiropractor first.  Especially one who has a massage therapist work on you first and then moves to the adjustment.  It loosens the muscles and gives you more flexibility for the chiropractor to do his mojo.  (I know a great one in Vancouver Wa if you are in the area)

 

 

I get extreme fatigue from having low Vitamin D and B12.  Supplementing those do help me quite a bit, but it takes a while to rebuild stores.   Vitamin B12 comes only from meat/dariy so if there is any chance are vegan, it could definitely be the problem. 

 

My SIL (the PT I know) doesn't think it's a pinched nerve due to the muscles/areas involved being so far apart from each other.   I asked about that a bit ago.  And we're about as far away from Vancouver as you can get and stay in the US (not quite, but close).  You live in a pretty area though.  We have fond memories of a trip we took in that area.

 

B12, diabetic issues, and thyroid were all ruled out.  There's also supposedly nothing that shows up on an MRI (done to assess a different tumor in my head that I'm told is in no way responsible for this).  I also doubt it's an effect of low Vit D since we're outside a ton (not right now due to it being HOT and humid).

 

However, I appreciate all the suggestions as one never knows...

 

I do actually have referrals to two other potential doctors should I opt to go that route, but I guess I'm dragging my feet and trying other stuff first - esp since it's variable and on good days I convince myself there's not much wrong as little, if anything, feels wrong then.  Today isn't even as bad as yesterday was.  Tomorrow might be better.  ;)

 

If it were to be something simple I could fix, that sure would be preferable.  Since they didn't see anything on the MRI, I also like to convince myself it can't be that bad - or urgent.  (I do keep in mind that the MRI was, unfortunately, done on a really good day, but if something were there, it should still have been there - at least - that's what I tell myself.)

 

This summer my kids (two of them anyway) are home and we're staying busy doing things and having fun.  After we drop them off at their respective colleges in August and we're empty nesting, if this is still an issue (esp after trying this other stuff), then I might have to actually face reality.  And if any of these other suggestions work, I'll be a really happy camper - er - empty nester!  Turmeric sounds like it has possibilities.  Time will tell.