CRAMPS

28 December 2021

The cramp woke me up at 2 a.m.

I'm an old pro with leg cramps.  I don't know if I had them before pregnancy, but I definitely had cramps frequently whenever I was pregnant.  I learned that the way you could get it to stop was to get to a cold floor and stand on it, flat footed.  Worked right away.

Of course getting to a cold floor was definitely not fun.  It's easier in this house, where we have no rugs.

When I slept on the couch in the living room, cramps were very common.  Several times a week I would be awakened by a leg cramp and have to struggle to my feet to get rid of it...and then sometimes as soon as I got back on the couch, it would cramp again.

The cramps would affect one leg and go from thigh to knee, or knee to foot. 

How I hate cramps.

Now that I sleep in the recliner all the time, I sleep more soundly and almost never have cramps.  when I do, it's difficult because the chair reclines using a motor and it's very slow to get it upright enough where you can stand up.

I don't know that I've ever had toe cramps, though.

Last night it was my little toe and the one next to it that cramped.  Even if you stand up flat footed, it doesn't get the cold to the toe and it took me a long time to get it to stop cramping.  Fortunately, the pain wasn't as severe as it is when you get a leg cramp.

As I was recovering from the cramp, I realized that what i've done for a very long time is to eat a banana when I wake up in the middle of the night.  Bananas are supposed to be the home remedy for cramps, because of the potassium (like pineapple is the home remedy for muscle aches).  I haven't had bananas in awhile, so maybe my potassium level is low.  I'll have to start eating bananas again.

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I spent a good part of Christmas day wrapping packaaes.

With nobody here and the Ned/Marta + us packages having been opened Christmas morning, and no way to get gifts to people, I waited untl the house was empty and then wrapped all the gifts for Tom and his familiy and for Walt's sister and her husband.  I have a big box of wrapped gifts that have to go to Santa Barbara.

Fortunately, Walt's sister and her husband have been up to No. California to be here during Norm's surgery and are going to be headed home today or tomorrow.  We can't go to Norm's house because he's recovering, so we are going to meet Alice Nan and Joe at a restaurant halfway between here and Norm's house, where we can have lunch and give them the box of gifts.

I'm very glad I don't have to MAIL these!

 (I still have to wrap Jeri's gifts...she won't be here until sometime in January)