Compression hose? Yikes!

[Jittery]

Hi! I'm new to this site. I'm 31 and have had Restless Legs for as long as I can remember. My mom, aunt, and grandma all have RLS too, although my gram and I seem to have it the worst.

As I've been reading the many imformative posts on this site, I've seen a ton of references to wearing pantyhose or compression hose to help stop the creepy-crawly's - or the "jitters" as my family calls them.

Yikes! Just the very thought of having something restrictive on my legs makes me cringe. When I have RLS episodes, I want to take off anthing restrictive - pantyhose, my wedding ring, my watch, socks, shoes, a tight shirt - what have you. This doesn't bring complete relief, but it does provide some. However, I haven't seen any other posts where folks have felt exactly the opposite about the pantyhose. Anyone?

Also, when you have a RLS episode, does anyone's skin get supersensitive so that even a slight brush of a hand against your leg sends you skyrocketing? I've found this sensitivity has increased by leaps and bounds within the last 5 years.

I've been lucky so far that my RLS symptoms to date really effect me the most in the evening or on any long car/plane ride. Up until last night, they didn't effect my sleep. Usually when I do feel the jitters coming on at night, I can go to bed, stretch out and have almost instantaneous relief. Last night, for the first time, this was not the case, and it was a nightmare. Many of your posts say that RLS gets worse with age - that's just awful news!!!!!!

Last night, I did find relief by putting moisturizer on my legs. Go figure?! That was a new one for me, but just seemed like the right thing to do?

This seems liek a great group of folks for information and support. Thanks for all the posts you folks have already provided! Hope to hear if anyone else has reaction to the hose like me.

Jittery in Massachusetts

[Sara]

Hi, Jittery--

and welcome. Sorry you have RLS (and your family, too!), and especially sorry that it disturbed your sleep last night. I'm like you so far (though I'm older and have had RLS at least 20 years)-- I have evening and morning symptoms most intense, and on car trips... though lately I'm having RLS almost all day, but I only notice it if I sit down.

Interesting about the pantyhose issue. I am relatively new to this forum,too, and I was one of the people who resurrected the pantyhose discussion last month. I thought it was an interesting theory to put in the back of my mind.

Well, I'll be honest with you, I live in a rural area, and haven't had a reason to wear pantyhose for looks since I heard about that... and haven't had a night I was inclined to try that for RLS, either.

BUT, it was interesting, when I brought that up with a friend who has very intermittent but intense RLS, she said what you said... she notices her RLS sometimes on the drive home from evening church or things like that when she's already wearing pantyhose, and she can't WAIT to get them off for some relief.

I used to wear pantyhose often (when I had a different job and lived/worked where there was cement not dirt and mud), sometimes daily, and although I wasn't really thinking RLS at the time (I went years not knowing that this was a specific syndrome... just thought it was me), I do recall coming home late in the evenings and stripping my stockings off absolutely the first thing because I was so uncomfortable in the car on the way.

My mom would say it's because pantyhose were invented by the devil but I don't mind pantyhose normally. So, although I've not tested the hypothesis (and I should sometime), I'm thinking that I actually might feel as you do, that pantyhose were NOT an improvement. I need to test this out.

I think I also do know about the sensitivity you mentioned. But for me, I think it's almost one of those sensations that feel horrid, but is almost irresistable? Hope you know what I mean. I know it'll make my RLS sensations go through the roof if I rub my feet, but I feel I have to do it anyway--- and somehow the touch sensation, though intense, is preferable to the weird feet-aren't-connected-to-my-legs-below-the-ankles feeling of leaving them alone. Interesting!

OH!!! and I knew there was one other thing.... we seem to be in the minority here (maybe because we're earlier in the progression of the disease), but I AM LIKE YOU in that when my symptoms are bad in the evenings when I'm sitting watching TV or have ridden home in the car, if I go to bed and stretch out, it DOES relieve the symptoms to some extent. Not as much as it did say 5 years ago, but laying down IS an improvement over sitting, and I CAN get to sleep most of the time. (Now my problem is that the RLS is waking me up very early and keeping me from getting BACK to sleep.) I think you're the first person I've heard explain it JUST the way it happens with me (more on that in my bio in a recent thread, information below on the location).

Glad you found us here, and wishing you well in Massachusetts (I love Massachusetts!) Take good care--
Sara

[Guest]

Hi Jittery, this is Jan

Well, you've found your match. I cannot stand to have anything tight on my legs. In fact, there is a publication called a medical alert card and you can obtain it by going to www.rlshelp.org, hit enter, scroll down to number 16, hit enter, and print. It's a medical alert card that lists all kinds of medicine you should not take, but interestingly enough, it also says, tht RLS patients should NEVER have restraints of any kind put on them. I would consider compression hose as a sort of restraintl Maybe I'm off out in left field. I don't know. But if they had not taken those compression hose off of me, I would have ripped them off myself, and I'm not generally like that at all. And, I know what you mean about sensitivity. Sometimes, I cannot stand my legs touching each other. I often use a pillow to put between my legs. RLS effects everyone differently.

Now to my "official welcome". I'm so glad you found us, but so sorry you have RLS. We are a great bunch of people with different abilities, all ready and willing to help you. When you post in a thread, that thread will automatically go to the top of the category you are in, so your name will appear on the home page and someone will see it and respond, almost immediately. We have great researchers, people with backgrounds in the field of medical research, and some of us are here to share our experiences with you, to offer and ear to listen or a shoulder to lean on, when you get discouraged, AND YOU MOST LIKELY WILL as you travel on your journey with RLS. We ar a family, and the more you get to know us, the more you'll see what a wonderful place you've found. We laugh, we cry, we share--not just about RLS--but, if we so wish, we share things about our lives. We are a family and we're glad you've come. We hope you join us.

Jan

[jan3213]

Hi Jittery, it's Jan

The above post is from me. I don't know what happened, but I'm not a "guest", I am a member, so it should say Jan3213. Sorry!

Jan

[Anonymous]

Jittery wrote:
>Yikes! Just the very thought of having something restrictive on my legs makes me cringe. When I have RLS episodes, I want to take off anthing restrictive - pantyhose, my wedding ring, my watch, socks, shoes, a tight shirt - what have you.

Dear Jittery,

Have you considered taking off a doyle? Doyles are bodily memories stored before one was five and recapitulated during later life. I don't know if RLS is amenable to a doyle trace or not, but the doyle trace (or "speed trace") has been used for other motion-related doyles such as the unsteady motion associated with acrophobia for some and other proprioceptive (motion-related) doyles.

If you're game, learn to do a speed trace at this URL:
http://www.doyletics.com/training.htm

And then some time when your legs are acting up, do a trace on them.

Let me know how this works for you. If you need help, my email address is available on the main page of the Doyletics Foundation website:

http://www.doyletics.com/

most cordially,
Bobby

[tiredofrls]

Hi there! I feel the same way you do when episdoes start. I also need to take off anthing restrictive. I am 29 and have had RLS my entire life. Unlike you, mine greatly effects my sleep. I have not tried the compression hose, but the thought of something restricitve on my legs, is not comforting. Oh and I also have the hypersensitivity. But it varies for me. I am also fairly new to the site and agree that it is helpful!! It is great to have the support of others in similiar positions. Good luck!