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Q. I have been diagnosed with celiac disease. One of the early symptoms was leg and foot cramps, often screamers, early in the morning. The tonic water was by my bed at all times, just in case, as it would provide quick relief. Mustard helps too, if nothing else is available.
I started taking extra calcium, magnesium and zinc to prevent the cramps. That helped, but it wasn't until I went on the gluten-free diet that I found reliable relief.
I was diagnosed with celiac disease by finally becoming anemic due to improper absorption of iron. The person who wrote to you about terrible leg cramps should be checked for this possibility. Celiac disease reduces normal absorption of a lot of necessary minerals.
A. Thanks for sharing your story. Doctors are discovering that celiac disease is not nearly as rare as they once thought. It occurs in almost 1 percent of the population, which means millions of people are affected.
Celiac disease is an inability to digest gluten, a protein found in barley, rye and wheat. When people with celiac disease eat foods with gluten, their bodies react and cause damage to the lining of the small intestine. This can interfere with the absorption of many crucial nutrients.
To learn more about the subtle symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease, readers can request a CD of our radio show on the topic. It is an hour-long interview with one of the country’s leading experts.
I found out that I was celiac a year ago. For five years, I also had leg and foot cramps. The only relief I have found is with a gluten-free diet. People kept telling me that leg and foot cramps aren't possible with celiac. It is nice to know that someone else has the same problem.
I use butchers broom herb for leg and foot cramps. It seems to help. Anyone else using it?
I have been suffering serious leg cramps for the past few years, but extra calcium and magnesium didn't help. It was getting so bad that I would have residual pain in my left calf for days.
However, since going on a gluten-free diet, all of the pain has gone away. I tested allergic to wheat as a child, so I elected to go gluten-free without testing for celiac. My husband had celiac as a child, so we are now both gluten-free and feeling wonderful.
I have celiac's and I have been experiencing the leg cramps really bad. In addition my feet (pointing down) and hands (pointing up) will sometimes seize up and I can't move them. Last night it felt like my heart was seizing up, my neck went stiff and it felt like my upper torso was numb. I had to go back on my Protonix because the pain in my stomach was so severe I thought I was going to spew blood, but I'm sure it is just masking the anemia. And my teeth have started cracking apart, etc. It's a nightmare really. Has anyone experienced the neck & chest cramps?
My dad, who was 62 then, was having leg cramps especially during night time. Couple of years later he was found to have anemia and small intestinal cancer. He might have had an undiagnosed celiac disease. I think it is important to rule out any serious problems if you have anemia.