General Q and A Forum - What's Wrong With Me?

Meggie Pants wrote:

Dear everyone,

I am posting here in the hopes that someone might be able to help me. I am not 100% sure where to post as I have a variety of symptoms and I am not sure if they are in any way related. Smile

Some basic background info about me: I am a caucasian woman, early 20s, non smoker, only drink very occasionally. slightly on the plump side but not enough to be a health concern. I am an active horse rider and exercise almost daily. I try to eat healthily as far as possible. No history of serious illness, mental or otherwise.

Okay, what I have been experiencing:

Calf cramps - I have been getting serious cramps/spasms in my calf muscles at night, this happens often and is occuring more and more frequently. My entire calf muscle seizes up and I wake up in extreme pain, usually unable to move my entire leg. It doesn't seem to happen in one leg more than the other and never happens in both at the same time.

Leg jerks - It's a silly thing and I know most people experience this but again, it's been happening with increasing regularity. It happens just as I am dozing off at night, I involuntarily kick out with one leg or the other and wake myself up.

Hearing loss - I seem to be struggling to hear lately, but this may be due to a lack of concerntration rather than actual hearing loss itself as I am finding it difficult to concerntrate and to focus. This is most unusual for me as I am usually very focused.

It's gotten so bad that it's actually affecting my relationship because I have to keep asking my bf to repeat almost everything he says. This is distressing me greatly because I am really trying very hard to concerntrate and hear what he says but sometimes I just can't hear what he is saying and it's extremely frustrating for both of us. Confused

"Mental" - Don't know if this is relevant at all but here goes anyway...lol I have been having very vivid dreams and occasional nightmares lately. When I am having these dreams I feel like I am living them, so much so that my boyfriend told me that I have been laughing, crying and talking in my sleep and going through the full range of emotions out loud. He also says that I move alot and am very restless when I am asleep (which might explain why I have felt so tired lately too! lol).

I haven't been under any unusual stress lately, nothing has happened to upset me, nothing is worrying me at all...

I was told (by non-professional people) that cramps in the leg muscles can be due to a defiency of Magnesium and that this could also explain the lack of concerntration etc etc I have been experiencing.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Here are a few things I found out about the leg cramps.. Hope this helps.. The dreams might be because of lack of sleep, and then when you fall to sleep, you sleep hard.
good luck.

Muscle overexertion
Prolonged sitting
Dehydration
Pregnancy
Diabetes
Decreased potassium levels
Neuromuscular disorders, such as Parkinson's disease
Certain medications, such as albuterol, niacin, diuretics, and some calcium channel blockers and antipsychotic medications
Alcohol use
If you do get a leg cramp, you may be able to make it go away by:

Walking on the affected leg
Massaging the affected muscle
Straightening your leg and flexing your foot toward your knee until you feel the calf muscles stretch
Applying a cold pack to the affected muscle
Taking a hot bath
To help prevent night leg cramps:

Drink plenty of fluids during the day.
Stretch your leg muscles before bedtime.
Get adequate potassium in your diet.