Diagnosis by exclusion confusion? My sister was diagnosed with FM 30 years or so ago. I read that now there's a test they can do, but my reading indicates that it does not seem to be that definitive of a test. Anyway, it would be "unusual" for someone at Beth's stage of life to begin showing symptoms, wouldn't it?
I jammed the bristle of a horse grooming brush under a fingernail once. No oxygen, horse germs.... I went in for a tetnus shot. Told the nurse I had 'stabbed' myself with a bristle of a horse grooming brush and what I wanted. "Stabbed myself" got big attention (without listening to the rest of the statement) and I think the doctor was coming in for a psych exam.
I have never heard of having a tetanus shot before surgery...??? Anyhow, the doc said if they can't find an answer with my blood tests then she will refer me to a neurologist. Good grief.
When I was in cancer treatment, they'd ask me every visit if I had thoughts of "harming myself." Yeah, I'm going through chemo, radiation, and a boob-ectomy just to slash my wrists later. Obviously I wanted to LIVE or I wouldn't have bothered with treatment. Oh, and the one time I had a melt-down in the oncologist's office over chemo, I got home to a phone call from the MDA "Mental Health" counselor. Wouldn't you expect them to know that people with cancer aren't going to be singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"??
Yep, and if you don't show signs of falling apart they put you on the "denial" list and not taking it seriously.
I got a call from the doctor's office. Apparently all my labs are normal, except for creatine kinase that is slightly elevated. They called in a prescription for a muscle relaxer and told me to start drinking Gatorade. Naturally I have been googling "creatine kinase" and finding some scary possibilities, but the doctor didn't seem too concerned. She has offered a referral to a rheumatologist for further eval, however. I was interested to read that Metoprolol can cause a rise in CK and also muscle cramping. Makes me go, "hmmmmm." I've been taking 50 mg of metoprolol for about a year, since shortly after chemo due to an increase in my heart rate. I was also given a new Rx for 100 mg Metroprolol yesterday due to my high BP. So what the hell. If that stuff might be causing this muscle cramping then I certainly don't want to take more of it.
It all depends on how elevated your CK is and what type it is. Creatine kinase goes up anytime there is destruction of muscle tissue or strained muscles. Severe cramping can do it, but so can going for a long run. I suspect @Bobby Cole runs an elevated CK much of the time. There is a type of CK that is cardiac, and you definitely don't want that, but skeletal CK is not that a big deal unless it is massively elevated as you get with the rhabdomyolysis that occurs with statin drugs.
All over me, Bobby. It's horrible and painful. It started about 2 weeks ago in my trapezius muscle in my back, then in my chest, my jaw, my legs. I got a knot in my calf night before last that I swear was as big as a baseball. That calf muscle is still sore from that! If I yawn I get a cramp in my jaw.
That’s a lot of cramping! So far as CK being the culprit, I’m sort of doubtful. I could go around the block and explain everything you have already found out by consulting Dr. Google but the central product, creatine, generally affects the digestive system (cramps and diarrhea) when too much is being produced. I wrote, “central” product because the byproduct of creatine is creatinine and if your kidneys didn’t show any excess levels of that then the catalyst (CK) > creatine are doing their jobs. I’m not a medical doctor nor anything close to it but I am surprised that your physician only recommended Gatorade. Other than sugar, the only attribute that it has is a heavy dose of sodium. There’s no calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium nada. Nothing that would prevent massive cramps and aid in repairing all the damage that you have through chemo and surgery. Dunno but if it were me, I’d be supplementing the 4 minerals I mentioned like crazy and up my D3 to 2000 + units a day to help metabolize the minerals quicker and keep them from being stored.
My doctor said the higher CK is often a byproduct of a muscle injury; the bad news being that the heart is a muscle. So sometimes heart failure can cause elevated CKs. She did an EKG in the office yesterday and it was normal, thankfully. There are also other reasons such as athletic training, etc. but y'all know that is not me, lol. She said just the severe cramping/ knotting of my muscles could be the cause. I think she has reached the extent of her expertise, short of saying "pickle juice." That's why the specialist referral is already in play. She just mentioned sports drinks for the electrolytes, but I'm not a fan of any flavored drinks so I'll probably stick with the supplement pills and keep hydrated with orange juice and water. Thanks for your input!
They may not have tested it. It used to be regularly done, but now they generally rely on the troponin to check you heart and assume the CK is skeletal muscle in origin. You may have seen me comment that women are cross-wired though and have pain that doesn't hurt where it originates.
A friend is taking metoprolol succinate 100mg and to help with muscle cramps, they added Losartan Potassium 100 mg. The addition of Losartan reduced the frequency and also severity of the cramps. It also helps protect the kidneys against damage that might result from just taking Metoprolol. I think you were on the right track when you mentioned worrying about your kidneys. With high blood pressure, taking Metoprolol without Losartan may save you from a heart attack or stroke, but may in time damage your kidneys.
Ditto that with mk-7 (vitamin k2) and for every 15 mg of zinc take 2mg of copper. Doctor was right suspecting electrolytes but Beth is passed Gatorade. I Dr Berg on youtube recommends 6 Thousand mg of potassium mostly to be gotten by vegetables. He explains that tests don't find the deficiency correctly because most of it should be taken up in the tissues not in the blood. Magnesium is easy to gauge. You take it till you are loose and then back off. Red algae is a good source of calcium and magnesium, NOT carbonate or oxide.