Tingling in Calves, Feet, and Hands

(Alison) #1

Been having a lot of tingling sensations in calves, feet, forearms, and hands the past few days… I’ve never had this before and it’s only started recently here in my second month of keto… it doesn’t make sense to me that I would have an appearance of diabetic neuropathy after going well into keto & fat adaptation, when I’d never had it before… what do you think? Electrolyte issue possibly? Has anyone experienced this? It’s starting to freak me out a bit… Thank you!

#2

I would definitely see your doctor. It could be electrolyte related or something else entirely.

(Tim) #3

I’d hit the big three. Sodium, Magnesium and Potassium. Probably 3 grams 500mg and 500mg respectively. Bonus points if your magnesium suplement has calcium in it.

If the feeling persists after 8 hours or if it’s continuous not intermitent, get to a doctor. I got this feeling occasionally on and off over the last couple months but I haven’t eaten in 54 days.

(Teresa Driver) #4

I have that when my thyroid meds need adjusting, or when my blood sugar plummets (which happens much less on keto). My husband gets it with accidental gluten exposure. Just things to consider.

#5

I’ve also heard of tingling being related to calcium, which should be in balance with magnesium.
[Cramping, twitching, tingling are all symptoms something is out of balance or deficient]

(Arlene) #6

I believe electrolyte imbalance is highly likely. I have had the same issues. It comes and goes, depending on how hard I work, how long in the sun, how much water I drink during the day, how much salt I ingest, etc. In my case I have dealt with a lot of muscle cramping at times too. Some suggest magnesium, some suggest calcium or potassium. I have tried all three, but the most effective thing has been to eliminate all mineral supplements and just put 1/4 teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt on my tongue every hour during the day. I hope you find what works for you.

(Ellie Baum) #7

If you use a lot of lite salt or take potassium supplements go see a doctor RIGHT NOW. It could be an OD on potassium.

(Alison) #8

Thank you, everyone! I love this community <3 I’m reading through these and reviewing my recent intake to see if I can narrow it down/pinpoint. The tingling subsided some overnight rather than getting worse, so that’s comforting. It’s also comforting to know others have had this too, for various reasons. If it continues though or worsens, I’ll get to the doctor. I will update with any changes or connections…

(Teresa Driver) #9

Oh, yeah. I did this to myself one time because I take potassium sparing blood pressure meds and I was drinking apple cider vinegar to lose weight. My boss is a trainer in his other life, so he handed me a salt shaker and told me to eat salt until it didn’t taste good anymore. I probably had a teaspoon full in small bits but once I’d had enough the symptoms stopped.

(Linda) #10

@allyfco
I just listened to the latest episode of Jimmy Moore’s Keto Talk and there was a discussion with a guest who used to be vegan where it was discovered that she was severely low in B12 of which one of the symptoms is tingling in the hands and feet.

Now I’m not vegetarian at all, but out of curiosity I looked up my latest blood test results and found that my B12 was borderline low so I’ve started taking a supplement as I’d heard how important it is.

Perhaps you could look into this?

Here’s the link to the podcast - it’s about 15 minutes from the end.

(Alison) #11

Whoa, this is very interesting… I used to be vegetarian for about 10 years and lean that way, and took Prilosec for a very long time for acid reflux which has been linked to B12 deficiency… going to the vitamin cabinet right now to read my multivitamin ingredients and see if I have a B specific vitamin, I think I do… I’ll be listening to this in a few - thank you Linda!

(Linda) #12

We’re here to help where we can! Please let us know what you discover.
This is the one I take:

IMG_8393.JPG3024×4032 1.99 MB
IMG_8394.JPG3024×4032 1.96 MB

(Alison) #13

UPDATE: Seemed to be caused by a deficiency rather than a surplus… I upped my Magnesium, Multivitamin (which does include Potassium and B12), & Sea Salt (doubled my dosage of all for one day, and am taking them like clockwork each day) and added some extra spinach, avocado, and beef and the tingling has improved a lot… it’s just slightly perceptible in one foot now. Because I increased everything though, it didn’t shed much light on what specifically was lacking.

(Alison) #14

*This was an important consideration - thank you Ellie! I did not take this lightly, and felt pretty safe that it wasn’t a potassium OD, I don’t use lite salt, there’s not much potassium in my multivitamin, and I seem to fall into not eating/supplementing enough.

(Linda) #15

From everything I’ve read and been told, B12 is not absorbed very well in capsule form. The tablet I take has to be absorbed by putting it on my tongue and letting it dissolve. Just a consideration!

#16

True, that. tabs < 10% effective; sub-lingual a bit more but still … I use topical, love this patch, for a kick start, https://www.vitasciences.com/B12patch
My gorgeous ex-fiance uses this cream, MAXASORB BioActive B12 Cream, on amzn dot com We are so not worried about our levels now, high nor low, http://freshbeetle.com/vitamin-b12-blood-test-levels/

(Lee Jones) #17

I’ve been experiencing the same kind of ‘tingling’ in my feet and lower legs for the past few days. I’m still in Ketosis and my diet hasn’t changed so I’m guessing it’s an internal imbalance of sorts.

I’m due a blood test soon so I may ride it out and ask for a full blood count and see if the results offer up any answers.

Just thought actually; my ferritin levels go right down every 6 months or so (docs not sure why) and I have to take folate for 3 months for that. Need to do some research on the symptoms of low ferritin levels as it may well be that.

(Alison) #18

Hi Lee, I wasn’t able to pinpoint exactly what caused this for me, I kept up with my water/hydration, magnesium, daily vitamins, and sea salt supplementation though, and that seemed to help… it eventually went away entirely… took maybe a few weeks. Hope this wraps up quickly for you, and please let us know what you learn… I just guessed my way through.

#19

Try eating some sugar, like 20 or 30 grams. It cured my pins and needles and tingling in my hand and foot in about 10 minutes. Completely gone. And I was dealing with it for about a week before I realized my body just needed more carbs. And nuts and fruit didn’t work, it had to be actual sugar. Worth a try anyway!

(Roxanne Godoy) #20

Hey, I been on the keto diet since December 28th 2018.
And i been getting heart palpitations all day! And tingling sensations and the back of my head feels kinda swollen and achy. I get random nerve pinching sensation on my abdomen and some kinda twitch on my hand it was like a shock sensation or hot flash it was very weird. Is that normal? I also I get cramps on my sides hurt really bad on my stomach like a nerve pain. Idk. I’m new. And I don’t do the calories count or anything just eat from the book.