tickled1
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14257
posted
Has anyone had this happen? I had this awhile back and it's been creeping up again over the last few days.
My hands and feet don't want to work and then they criple/cramp up like claws and my jaw also criples up like that and I get kind of tingly all over.
When I got this in the past I also had electric shock sensations in my arms.
I've kind of related it to dehydration. I've been really thirsty the last few days and I know I haven't been drinking enough. When it happened yesterday I chugged a lot of water and it went away. It may also be related to POTS. I had POTS really bad last year and it eased up for awhile but I'm feeling some symptoms coming back w/it and my BP is down again which would also make sense w/dehydration b/c that would affect my blood volume.
I also just started my period so I don't know if that's a factor as well.
One doctor also told me that hyper-ventilating could cause it to happen b/c your blood Ph gets messed up but I think that blood Ph can get messed up for other reasons. Coincidentally when I feel the cripling coming on I start to panic and hyper-ventilate and it makes it worse but don't feel that a breathing issue makes it start.
Posts: 2541 | From Northeast | Registered: Jan 2008
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posted
Yup, the old claw hands. My husband gets this periodically when he is herxing. His thumb sort of wants to rest back toward his palm and his fingers curl down toward the thumb..
I am under the impression that it is neurological in nature, but I could be wrong. If you had it before treatment (like my husband) and reexperience it during treatment I am inclined to think of it as a herxy thing.
Posts: 554 | From Naples, Italy | Registered: Jun 2006
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disturbedme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12346
posted
I get this once in a while. I think it's because my hands/fingers are so stiff already and when I open a door or try to open a bottle of water or something like that, it triggers my hands just curl up and stick like that for a short time. Luckily, it only lasts a few minutes. My big toe does it a lot too.
-------------------- One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller
My Lyme Story Posts: 2965 | From Land of Confusion (bitten in KS, moved to PA, now living in MD) | Registered: Jun 2007
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I've got this when I am very hot (such as in a bath) - but with me it does not have anything to do with hydration. My finger force themselves together and inwards. It's impossible to move my finger even though I want to. The same happens to my feet. It looks a little bit like those who have the disease "cerebral paresis". And I feel tingly all over too.
The feeling when the fingers and feet curl up feels somewhat like when I took a test at the hospital when they send an electric current thru my fingers and they clamped up. (I think it was called an ERP, but I'm not sure, it was a three letter abbreviation anyway..)
Posts: 275 | From Home | Registered: May 2007
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posted
I've only had this happen once that I can remember, but it was a doozy.
It was right after marching band practice in high school.
I was having difficulty breathing as well, though not hyperventilating. It was an asthma attack.
I collapsed on the floor due to the breathing.
My hands did the claw and my friends could not even pry them apart. They called 911.
I remember that my legs also felt cramped.
At the ER, my heart was trying to stop on them. Like 3 or 4 times they had to massage my chest really hard to make it beat again.
They took my blood gases twice because they did not think it was right the first time.
I had NO potassium levels. After the second reading came back same as the first, they had me drink some really vile liquid potassium.
Like HUGE quantities. It was awful. The whole thing was like my entire body cramping all at once. Even my heart.
They sent me home about 30min after drinking the potassium. I don't think they even re-checked my bloodwork.
Chris
Posts: 155 | From Texas | Registered: Oct 2007
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tickled1
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14257
posted
Hmmm....I was kind of thinking potassium too. Maybe I'll try eating some bananas. I've started taking some powerful vitamins/minerals/antioxidants and also supplementing with additional Vitamin D, Calcium and Magnesium. Maybe I'm not taking enough potassium to balance it out.
Posts: 2541 | From Northeast | Registered: Jan 2008
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posted
I think imbalances in any of the electrolytes can cause this.
Hubby has had problems with clawhands in the past. For him it seems like it could be either potassium, magnesium or sodium. He has problems with all 3.
For hubby baths work the best to keep his electrolytes balanced. The body just absorbs what it needs. Have tried electrolyte drinks and IV magnesium, IV saline and even IV potassium in the hospital but IV's only help for less than 24 hours.
He had decreased his baths to every 3rd or 4th day but now since his new symptom of heart palpitations he is back to taking baths every other day. His nutritionist did check and one of his new antibiotics (zithromax) can deplete magnesium.
His favorite bath is 3 cups epsom salts (for the magnesium), 2 cups of baking soda (for the sodium) and 1 or 2 tablespoons of potassium salt substitute (in the spice aisle. He adds 1 -3 tablespoons of dry mustard powder to improve circulation.
If you take a bath start slow with maybe only one ingredient at a lower quantity and increase as tolerated. If you start felling dizzy or weak stop the bath immediately. Goal is 20 - 30 minutes in the bath.
You could just soak your hands and feet instead of taking a full bath.
This is not medical advice, just info based on hubby's experiences.
At one point hubby had one doc prescribe a brace to keep his fingers from curling. If he wore it for more than an hour or so it just seemed to cause more pain and spasms. Didn't really help at all.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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AZURE WISH
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 804
posted
Mine has off and on over these years. Just another symptom for me....
Typically it has been biliteral and all fingers but now it is just in my right hand although lately my index finger will usually straighten.
I suspect that for me it is nerve related although i really have no hard evidence of this...just a sneaky suspicion.
tickled1
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14257
posted
Bea,
Yes, it definitely seems like an electrolyte thing. The first time it happened I ended up in the ER by ambulance and they said I was dehydrated. Gave me IV fluids and it got better.
Also, the last abx I was on was Zith and now I'm on Biaxin so maybe those are also to blame.
Thanks for the advice on the baths. I will definitely try that!
Posts: 2541 | From Northeast | Registered: Jan 2008
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