Habits of a severe case - Restless Leg Syndrome Message Board

stacker · 09-19-2003, 08:05 PM

Now that I have written a few times I feel a bit more comfortable posting my routine. This is more of a retrospective of the routines I built up when I had no idea what was wrong with me. Here are some of the ways I learned to cope pre-permax:

1. Always needed the end isle at the movies, plane, etc. If I didn't the preasure not to have an occurrance of RLS brought it on immediately. If I did get the end spot I could coast through most events with minor RSL because I knew I wasn't trapped and I wouldn't bother anyone else.
2. Extreme attention to trying to hide my RLS. This usually took the form of trying to surpress the urges. This just made them worse and my silence of what was going on with me caused others to think I had a problem with them.
3. Get up in the night and eat all the leftovers. Eating most always gives temporary relief. It rarely mattered what the food was - I would grab it and eat it cold. Often I was not considerate of other's food.
4. Get up in the night and do sets of push-ups, sit-ups and deep knee bends until I couldn't think. If I was lucky my initial exhaustion would lead to sleep the remaining 2 hours of the night.
5. Watch TV until I fell asleep. Sometimes I would get on the computer and play people from around the world chess, cribage, Rummy, etc until I fell asleep - literally while I was playing.

I could go on. Does any body else want to share their coping haits?

elnkar · 09-20-2003, 07:57 AM

Hi stacker,

I'm the same with movies, planes, concerts, anything that involves sitting for long periods of time.

I was on a 7hr flight from Ireland last Nov and wasn't able to get an end seat. I tried to claim squatters rights and sit on the end anyway but the stewardess (*****) made me move. The poor guy who sat next to me - I drove him nuts. My legs were jerking allot and I had to keep getting up - it was so uncomfortable. He finally got up and asked for a new seat. There weren't any available so he had to suffer along with me. That was before I had my sleep study. Now I know to request an end seat all the time so I don't make anyone else suffer.

Anyway, my rls strikes anwhere from 9 in the morning to late at night. If I'm at work (I sit all day) and I have an attack I have to get up and take a walk. Sometimes I have to keep doing that all day. It can be really awful and not to mention unproductive. If I'm at home, I try massage. I have a back massager that you're supposed to put on the back of a chair and sit on. I put that on my bed and lay on it. It helps take the edge off. I also put pain patches on the backs of my legs. The kind you buy over the counter. They seem to help relax the muscles (I get muscle tension, movement, and achiness).

I haven't needed to do anything lately. I've been taking Neurontin for my problem and it's been helping. I cut down on caffiene allot and that seems to help. I do notice if I have some caffiene or a very sugary piece of cake or something my legs start up again. That's when I curse myself!

Take care,
Ellen