still sleepy wrote:As a relative newby, I need some information--are these symptoms RLS or am I using RLS as an excuse or do I need counseling therapy? Some days I am so exhausted and emotionally on the ragged edge--the most minor infraction by my kids will set me off, yelling and screaming "I can't take it any longer!"--and I cannot stop myself--there is no filter.
I kept reading this and trying to figure out how to address all the questions, and finally I realized that there was no way I could remember them all without copying your post. Sheesh, talk about foggy.
It's really hard to tell if the RLS is causing you to be irritable or if it's something else. I know that personally I tend toward being crabby and agitated all on my own, and that when I'm more tired I can be less irritable. I guess I get too tired to crab at people, LOL. I totally know what you mean when you talk about having "no filter." But for me it's a symptom of my depression which I've had for much longer than I've had severe RLS.
So really, you need to decide if it's the RLS that's making you edgy. And then decide what you want to do about it.
My polysomnogram indicated a periodic limb movement/arousal index of 30, however, the current neurologist I'm seeing does not believe it is reliable. He wants me to re-regulate my sleep cycle first over the next two weeks before he goes any further (in other words, I'm assuming he wants me to change my sleep hygiene, probably so he can establish a baseline, however, it's day 3 and my cycle's a mess.) He doesn't want me napping, however, yesterday I was so exhausted I had to cat nap just to find the energy to make dinner.
Honestly I don't know how any doctor can tell people to not take a nap when they're exhausted. Not unless they're going to prescribe something to keep me awake! Oh sure, doctor, let me just fix my circadian rhythm on my own so that you have something to work with. Huh?
Three weeks ago, my shoulder started twitching in the morning. At times if I take a nap, my legs are twitching so much so that I can't rest even though I'm exhausted.
What I need to know is this--where does my RLS fall on the continuum of severity? How severe (or not) are these symptoms?
It sounds severe to me if you're exhausted, but the RLS and PLMD keeps you from sleeping.
Is my problem that I don't exercise sufficiently? In other words, what role does exercise and excess weight play in the severity of RLS????
I've never heard that weight has any correlation to RLS. It has to do with dopamine utilization in the brain, why would it have anything to do with weight? Sometimes I think that blaming weight is just an easy answer to a difficult question. Some people just have issues with people who carry around excess pounds and will blame everything on the weight. My mother is like that. She loathes people who are heavy. Just because they're heavy.
Exercise is something that everyone needs to figure out for herself. Some people can't exercise close to bedtime. I, on the other hand, sleep much better when I go for a long walk late at night before I try to sleep.
Do I need to find a different neurologist?????
That's totally up to you. Just know that it's all a huge puzzle to figure out how to treat this condition, and it helps to have a doctor who is up to the challenge.
I hope this made some sense. Please keep us posted on how you're feeling.