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What Casues Ankle Swelling And Sudden Jolts In Body?
Question: I am a 38 year old woman. What would cause your ankles to swell and your body to have a sudden jolt when you lay down to try to sleep? These strong body jolts happen more if I lay on my left side rather than right. I also get strong headaches when I go to bed at night along with the muscle cramps in my calves. I feel like it might be small heart attacks but my EKG came back normal. I went to the ER room twice this past month, but by the time I get there and have been seen my body has calmed down and the doctors don't seem to believe me. I am overweight and just did a full human dock. I got the results in the mail today and the T cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL are all high. The WBC were also very high, creatine level and uric acid was high. I also had a 42mm myoma in my abdomen. Can someone help me put all of this info. together? (I live in Japan and communication is not always clear or easy to understand)
Brief Answer:
Following answers to your queries...
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX
Now, let me explain few things step by step:
- I have gone through your lab reports, and noticed slightly elevated T-cholesterol and L-cholesterol, most probably due to being overweight. If you try to lose weight and conduct a healthy lifestyle and diet regimen, your lipid profile will be back to normal again for sure.
- With regards to your uric acid, it is slightly elevated too; while your creatinine level falls within the normal range. At this point, changes in your lifestyle and diet regimen and losing weight will also help you lower high uric acid levels.
- The other parameters are within normal range.
The most probable factors causing your ankles to swell include:
- possible gout attack (due to high uric acid level) or gout arthritis
- urinary tract infection (UTI)
To exclude UTI, you need to have an urine analysis done and to evaluate if protein (albumin) is present in your urine.
Next, the "sudden body jolts" you experience when trying to fall asleep are called myoclonic jerk, and they are not worrisome. Most of my patients report to experience myoclonic jerks when they fall asleep (or just about to fall asleep). It is true, they are not seizures, and are not worrisome neither (not indicating a serious disease).
With regards to the causes, if you are undergoing a stressful life situation or are having physical activities, these might cause such body jolts. Being tired or sleeping in a bed position can also be a cause.
The cramps you feel in your calves muscles might be related to:
- moving around all day long (your muscles got over-fatigued)
- lack of magnesium (you can take supplements containing vit D, Calcium and magnesium with zinc)
At the end, it is important to lose weight and conduct a healthy lifestyle and diet regimen. Everything else will be back to normal after 3 months of starting such changes.
All the best!
Dr.Albana
If anything else, do write me back!
Following answers to your queries...
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX
Now, let me explain few things step by step:
- I have gone through your lab reports, and noticed slightly elevated T-cholesterol and L-cholesterol, most probably due to being overweight. If you try to lose weight and conduct a healthy lifestyle and diet regimen, your lipid profile will be back to normal again for sure.
- With regards to your uric acid, it is slightly elevated too; while your creatinine level falls within the normal range. At this point, changes in your lifestyle and diet regimen and losing weight will also help you lower high uric acid levels.
- The other parameters are within normal range.
The most probable factors causing your ankles to swell include:
- possible gout attack (due to high uric acid level) or gout arthritis
- urinary tract infection (UTI)
To exclude UTI, you need to have an urine analysis done and to evaluate if protein (albumin) is present in your urine.
Next, the "sudden body jolts" you experience when trying to fall asleep are called myoclonic jerk, and they are not worrisome. Most of my patients report to experience myoclonic jerks when they fall asleep (or just about to fall asleep). It is true, they are not seizures, and are not worrisome neither (not indicating a serious disease).
With regards to the causes, if you are undergoing a stressful life situation or are having physical activities, these might cause such body jolts. Being tired or sleeping in a bed position can also be a cause.
The cramps you feel in your calves muscles might be related to:
- moving around all day long (your muscles got over-fatigued)
- lack of magnesium (you can take supplements containing vit D, Calcium and magnesium with zinc)
At the end, it is important to lose weight and conduct a healthy lifestyle and diet regimen. Everything else will be back to normal after 3 months of starting such changes.
All the best!
Dr.Albana
If anything else, do write me back!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Dear Dr Albana,
Thank you for your response. I feel releived in some ways, but still concerned in multiple areas. My legs and ankles are really bothering me. I tried stretching, soaking them in a tub, massaging, etc. but I have strong pain in them and the muscles are very tight. I am waking up and going to bed with my ankles swollen up quite a bit. I could barely get my shoes on this morning and there is pain when I walk. Something very strange has been happening in my body for the past month now, which is why I went to the ER room twice, but my body had gone back to normal by the time I was seen. I am wondering about diabetes or heart/stroke issues. I have the more intense problems in the evening and at bedtime. My limbs go numb with a tingling sensation. My legs feel the way that they do after a long flight with the deep cramps that don't seem to go away. I get the migraines more in the evenings. I have been taking calcium, magnesium, vitamins d & e, along with fiish oils and ibuprofen before bed to keep things flowing. I am trying to drink more water. Sleeping and getting enough rest is difficult because of all of the multiple body jolts, migraines, muscle cramps & spasms. My knees are constantly cracking once I go to bed. It feels like this pressure expanding my body. One doctor here thinks I might have fibromyalgia. I have had Epilepsy since childhoo and take 60 mg of phenobarbital at night and it has been about 10 years since my last seizure. I also have mild asthma and take Budesonide 200 as needed.
The other main area of concern from that lab report was the 42mm myoma in the abdomen. What should I do about that? I am a single female, never married -no kids, but i hope to have children some day.
Are all of these issues separate, but happening concurrently or are they all related?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
XXXX
Thank you for your response. I feel releived in some ways, but still concerned in multiple areas. My legs and ankles are really bothering me. I tried stretching, soaking them in a tub, massaging, etc. but I have strong pain in them and the muscles are very tight. I am waking up and going to bed with my ankles swollen up quite a bit. I could barely get my shoes on this morning and there is pain when I walk. Something very strange has been happening in my body for the past month now, which is why I went to the ER room twice, but my body had gone back to normal by the time I was seen. I am wondering about diabetes or heart/stroke issues. I have the more intense problems in the evening and at bedtime. My limbs go numb with a tingling sensation. My legs feel the way that they do after a long flight with the deep cramps that don't seem to go away. I get the migraines more in the evenings. I have been taking calcium, magnesium, vitamins d & e, along with fiish oils and ibuprofen before bed to keep things flowing. I am trying to drink more water. Sleeping and getting enough rest is difficult because of all of the multiple body jolts, migraines, muscle cramps & spasms. My knees are constantly cracking once I go to bed. It feels like this pressure expanding my body. One doctor here thinks I might have fibromyalgia. I have had Epilepsy since childhoo and take 60 mg of phenobarbital at night and it has been about 10 years since my last seizure. I also have mild asthma and take Budesonide 200 as needed.
The other main area of concern from that lab report was the 42mm myoma in the abdomen. What should I do about that? I am a single female, never married -no kids, but i hope to have children some day.
Are all of these issues separate, but happening concurrently or are they all related?
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
XXXX
Brief Answer:
Not related...
Detailed Answer:
Hi back dear XXXXXXX
Once again, conducting a healthy lifestyle and diet regimen together with physical activity and multivitamin supplementation will help improve your symptoms.
At the beginning, you will find it difficult to get the desired results, but, you need to be determined and to continue doing the right things.
Seizure has nothing to do with myoma. If I was your caring doctor would like to determine if the myoma is located in the womb and at what extent womb is being damaged.
If no clinical symptoms, then, no treatment is recommended. However, watchful waiting is advised before deciding for surgery. A hormonal balance is also needed.
I understand your worries about having a baby. Many of my patients have had myoma (fibroids) and also have had healthy babies without having any problem. However, I always ask them to keep following by an OG specialist.
Hope it answered to your queries! Let me know if I can assist you further!
Dr.Albana
Not related...
Detailed Answer:
Hi back dear XXXXXXX
Once again, conducting a healthy lifestyle and diet regimen together with physical activity and multivitamin supplementation will help improve your symptoms.
At the beginning, you will find it difficult to get the desired results, but, you need to be determined and to continue doing the right things.
Seizure has nothing to do with myoma. If I was your caring doctor would like to determine if the myoma is located in the womb and at what extent womb is being damaged.
If no clinical symptoms, then, no treatment is recommended. However, watchful waiting is advised before deciding for surgery. A hormonal balance is also needed.
I understand your worries about having a baby. Many of my patients have had myoma (fibroids) and also have had healthy babies without having any problem. However, I always ask them to keep following by an OG specialist.
Hope it answered to your queries! Let me know if I can assist you further!
Dr.Albana
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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