Near paralyzing neck pain. AAAUUUUUGGGHHHHH!

(Consensus is Politics) #1

I felt like Charlie Brown must have felt after Lucy pulls the football away.

So, now I have all this energy, I’ve been painting the rooms in the house. I have a slight problem, an old back injury, prevents me from doing too much. After several days of touch and go, trying to do enough, dialing in that painting/pain ratio :roll_eyes: I started to get a slight chest pain, that moved up into my neck. Oi Vey! I couldnt not turn my head left, and had to put pressure on the left side of my neck with my left hand or the pain would be unbearable.

I took some ibuprofen at bed time. I was still pretty sore, but could lay my neck on my pillow just right, that it helped with the pain. Until about 2 am. It felt like someone was trying to cut my head off with a dull saw. I had to get out of bed, I didnt want to wake the wife, so I went into the kitchen to pace around a bit. There I had an epiphany. While I had been worried about cardio issues, medication problems, etc… I forgot all about electrolytes! Surely it couldnt be that simple. After all I take about a teaspoon give or take, in an ounce of water before bed everynight. Except for the past few nights!!

So I got some warm water and added about a tsp of kosher salt. Let it sit in my mouth for a few minutes, maybe osmosis will work through the mucus membranes. Drank it down. Got some ACV too while I was in the kitchen, because, well, why not?

I’m sure it was quite the spectacle too. I couldnt tilt my head back to drink. My neck was contorted down at a 45 degree angle. I had to arch my back to get my head back to less than 0 degree angle so I could swallow it. It took a while. After my kitchen gymnastics I went and laid on the couch. The pain was still just this side of me calling 911. I seem to remember seeing the time every few minutes for the next hour. The wife came out and woke me about 4am. I was sound asleep. I had forgot why I was out there. I went to bed. Woke up after about another hour and realized the pain was all gone.

Coincidence? I think missing my saline nightcap for a few nights led to this. I had been drinking a lot of water all day, as well as releasing a lot of water too. I hadn’t been doing very well at keeping my salt intake up. But thats not going to be an issue anymore. From now on its a night cap of kosher salt before bed.

(Jerrett Scott) #2

I’m sorry for your pain, but glad it turned out well!!

(Edith) #3

I had pretty much stopped supplementing with salt a few months ago. I thought that maybe since I’d been keto for so many months I was getting enough sodium from my food. Boy, was I wrong! My entire body started cramping. It was terrible and scary. As soon as I started supplementing again, the pain/cramps went away. I found I need about 5g of Sodium a day.

Electrolytes have really been a challenge for me since starting this woe. I think after almost a year, I’m finally getting them squared away.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #4

Salt, magnesium, and potassium at the proper level eliminate such cramps. As Dr. Phinney points out, cramps in legs or arms are bearable, but it’s really nice when your heart muscle doesn’t cramp.

Remember that we need much more salt than we did when we were eating carbs and retaining water. Magnesium is found in chlorphyll, where it is quite bioavailable, so leafy green vegetables (with lots of salt, lol!) are a Good Thing. (And besides, they hold a lot of fatty blue cheese dressing!)

(Rob) #5

You want to invest in some straws :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Glad it turned out well in the end and VERY instructive about the power of electrolytes (ya great big under-salted snowflake :rofl:)

(Consensus is Politics) #6

Aye, Cap’n. I do have straws. I coul’na reach ‘em! Just stretching mah arm over mah head wasna possible. I guess I better put a secret stash in a low enough to reach place :face_with_monocle:

(Sarah Chapman) #7

Thank you so much for posting about this experience - I woke at 5am with identical issue - took pain killer, went back to bed only to suffer worse pain at 7!

I was on the verge of calling docs when I googled keto neck pain! I have been forgetting to take the electrolyte supplements the past few days - voila!!!

Took tabs 10 mins ago and already feeling pain ease!

I’m happy to have found a forum dedicated to keto too! I’m a newbie and loving the way I feel (up to the stiff neck!)

Thank you :slight_smile:

(Consensus is Politics) #8

One of the main purposes of this forum.

By the way, since the original post of this thread, I have not had another muscle cramp. I add salt to everything I drink now. I came to the conclusion… If I can’t taste it, my body is low on salt. I pay attention how much I actually use, and will sometimes not over salt. Odd thing to say right? But I can usually tell I only need a certain amount. So I add to taste, nearly everything, and some things just enough to be sure I’m not going to be deficient for the day.