Somtetimes (like last night) I am awakened with a severe leg cramp often in both calves and find in virtually all cases my glucose level is either too low or way too high. Last night, my glucose level was over 400 which for which I took a correction bolus only to be awakened an hour later by more cramps. This led me to surmise my pump infusion set was obstructed so I made an unscheduled change. This happenned two more times during the night but at least my level was on the way down after that.
My endocrinologist has suggested I am blessed with this built-in alert system from Mother Nature. There’s a lot of buzz about low potassium or chemical imbalance but in my case it’s always related to out of whack glucose levels. I am curious as to whether anyone else has experienced this phenomenon?
Yes. I asked the same question several weeks ago. I used to have terrible muscle cramps. Usually in my legs and upper torso. Leg cramps usually occured at night and torso at any time. One of the first things I noticed different when I started insulin is NO MORE CRAMPS! Oh boy, that was enough to justify insulin
happy in texas
Yes, before starting insulin, I also had terrible night time leg cramps and muscle cramps when my BG was so high . Like Danny, I haven’t had any since.
I have leg cramps after extremely high blood sugar. I had them right before I was diagnosed and was told that it was due to the lack of potassium (related to the fact that my body was deprived of nutrients), but I’m not sure of the link between high blood sugars and leg cramps.
Yep - they were one of my many, many symptoms pre-diagnosis. It’s nice you have that warning, but that is a crap way to be warned of high blood sugar. I would have 8 minute long charlie-horse cramps that made me want to just shrivel up and die.
This is a new one for me. I hadn’t thought to check my blood sugar when my legs cramp. I have such potassium issues and always assumed it was the potassium too low again. I am so glad you brought this up Harold. Do you get up and try to walk the cramps out too or just adjust your blood sugar levels?
hey sandra! I dept (past tense) a bottle of tonic water by my bedside so when cramps woke me up it was handy. About half a bottle was enough to relax the cramp. A doctor told me about it…works great and the cheap 50 brand at walmart works as well as the high dollar stuff. Give it a try some time.
the first thing I do is jump out of bed and try to relax and hope the cramps subside…this morning I was a little shaken because the cramp in my left ankle wouldn’t relax…I always check my glucose in these situations…usually I’m hypoglycemic in a cold sweat so I take a few glucose tablets and drink some cold water…
before I was diagnosed wtih diabetes I occasionally got cramps and my internist prescribed tonic water (now diet) since quinine tablets in the US are not readily available for some reason…
YES! I get severe leg cramps when my blood sugar is about 300+. If I’m sitting, most of the time I need help standing up, it’s so bad. And if I’ve been sitting in the car? …and have to get out, Lord, help me. The muscle pain, for me, isn’t just in my legs, it can be in my arms, too.
