Not sure what is going on...
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Anonymous
Not sure what is going on...
I have just stumbled on RLS while I have been trying to figure out what is going on with my legs. I am not sure that my symptoms are matching what the rest of you are talking about. I had growing pains as a child. What I have now is that same 'achiness' but it moves around. My knees seem to get the most sore but I will have radom discomfort that travels - sometimes from my hips and down the outside of my thigh, sometimes across the bottom of my feet, on my heals, on the side of my lower leg, or sometimes it feels like shin splints. The aches come mostly in the evening or night - watching TV or bed time. I am looking into it because I became alarmed when I realized how often I was popping Tylenol or Advil for the pain. The pain is not debilitating but very distracting - especially during the day. I don't have any jerking in my sleep. What do you think?
Hi, Judi, and welcome to the forums--
So sorry to hear about the discomfort and pain you're in.
From what you said, it's hard to know if it's RLS or not, necessarily. But do keep in mind that each of us has both a different set of symptoms and a different way of describing them. I noticed that a lot when trying to research if others in my own family have RLS.
If it's most often at night, that's consistent with RLS. Just because you don't have jerking in your sleep, that doesn't meant it's not RLS. The jerking is a related thing, periodic leg movement disorder, I think is the name. I've not had a sleep study and my husband is a sound sleeper, but I have no INDICATIONS that I have PLMD or jerk in my sleep (and I DEFINITELY have RLS.) The locations of the "distracting" (a familiar term around here) pain are also quite consistent with where many of us have symptoms.
A lot of us have achiness in one form or another along with our more-traditional RLS sensations of discomfort and pain. A number of members are diagnosed with other disorders that cause achiness, but I also wonder if some of it isn't RLS-related-- perhaps from the things we do with our bodies to combat the RLS, from unsatisfying sleep, etc. I have some achiness that comes and goes which might be arthritis (because I have definite osteoarthritis in my finger joints, I could have it elsewhere), but might also not be. It's hard to say.
My big question to you is this, though, Judi.... does your pain go away or abate a bit if you move around? That's one of the big clues for RLS. We don't usually have symptoms when we're walking, standing, moving around. But nelly-bar-the-door when we have to sit for long (or sometimes ANY) period of time like at the computer, watching TV, riding in the car, on a plane ride, etc. My RLS is bad this morning, and actually, I think I'm going to be "done" on the computer when I'm done with this post!!!
Just moved into a new house, so I have plenty of standing activities for cleaning and unpacking! My hubby may actually BLESS my RLS today for keeping me off the computer! 
Take good care!
Sara
So sorry to hear about the discomfort and pain you're in.
From what you said, it's hard to know if it's RLS or not, necessarily. But do keep in mind that each of us has both a different set of symptoms and a different way of describing them. I noticed that a lot when trying to research if others in my own family have RLS.
If it's most often at night, that's consistent with RLS. Just because you don't have jerking in your sleep, that doesn't meant it's not RLS. The jerking is a related thing, periodic leg movement disorder, I think is the name. I've not had a sleep study and my husband is a sound sleeper, but I have no INDICATIONS that I have PLMD or jerk in my sleep (and I DEFINITELY have RLS.) The locations of the "distracting" (a familiar term around here) pain are also quite consistent with where many of us have symptoms.
A lot of us have achiness in one form or another along with our more-traditional RLS sensations of discomfort and pain. A number of members are diagnosed with other disorders that cause achiness, but I also wonder if some of it isn't RLS-related-- perhaps from the things we do with our bodies to combat the RLS, from unsatisfying sleep, etc. I have some achiness that comes and goes which might be arthritis (because I have definite osteoarthritis in my finger joints, I could have it elsewhere), but might also not be. It's hard to say.
My big question to you is this, though, Judi.... does your pain go away or abate a bit if you move around? That's one of the big clues for RLS. We don't usually have symptoms when we're walking, standing, moving around. But nelly-bar-the-door when we have to sit for long (or sometimes ANY) period of time like at the computer, watching TV, riding in the car, on a plane ride, etc. My RLS is bad this morning, and actually, I think I'm going to be "done" on the computer when I'm done with this post!!!
Just moved into a new house, so I have plenty of standing activities for cleaning and unpacking! My hubby may actually BLESS my RLS today for keeping me off the computer!
Take good care!
Sara