rls is a sad condition

Share how living with this disease can and does impact your relationships. How do you cope? What questions to you have?
Polar Bear
Moderator
Posts: 8799
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 4:34 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Re: rls is a sad condition

Post by Polar Bear »

Duuuhhhh.... how could I say I had never heard to touch therapy ??. Can't imagine what I was thinking - or perhaps not thinking. On another foggy medicated planet at the time.

I really like the thought of massage, have always loved to have my feet rubbed. The idea of someone 'working' my legs with deep massage when symptoms are present sounds quite appealing.
Betty
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation

majoraward
Posts: 274
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:36 pm

Re: rls is a sad condition

Post by majoraward »

When my meds were not working and I was pacing all night I could get into our hot tub and just lay there as almost it did not exist. I assume it is because it is a type of full body massage. The heat, the pressure of the water jets, and the swirling of the water seemed to override the need to move. It may trick the body into thinking it is moving, I wish I knew why.

Problem is that I could only stay in hot tub about 45 minutes tops before getting water logged :lol: then RLS symptoms would begin as soon as I was out of the tub.
It was at our last place but moved a few months back, we sure miss the hot tub.

badnights
Moderator
Posts: 6259
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:20 pm
Location: Northwest Territories, Canada

Re: rls is a sad condition

Post by badnights »

I fill a normal bathtub mostly full with water as hot as I can bear. I sit in it for blessed relief and peace. (as long as the WED's not going full bore - then it doesn't work and I just wet the whole room kicking). I turn the hot water on from time to time as the bath cools, to keep it jacked up to that almost-burning temperature that gives relief. It lasts for some time after I get out.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
Click for info on WED/RLS AUGMENTATION & IRON
I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

majoraward
Posts: 274
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:36 pm

Re: rls is a sad condition

Post by majoraward »

badnights wrote:I fill a normal bathtub mostly full with water as hot as I can bear. I sit in it for blessed relief and peace. (as long as the WED's not going full bore - then it doesn't work and I just wet the whole room kicking). I turn the hot water on from time to time as the bath cools, to keep it jacked up to that almost-burning temperature that gives relief. It lasts for some time after I get out.


I am talking about when WED is "full bore". A hot bathtub doesn't do it for me either and I gave up on hot baths. There is something different about a hot tub. There are a lot of differences about a hot tub, maybe a few I have never thought of until now:

1. The water is swirling constantly
2. The water jets are usually spraying water against back
3. The water is usually a constant temperature. We had it set at between 98F and 101F depending on season, cooler during summer
4. It was very noisy
5. It had cleaning chemicals in it, ours were based on chlorine
6. Usually covered with water to neck
7. Sitting back like in a recliner
8. The hot tub was outside

There may be other differences that I have not thought of also.

badnights
Moderator
Posts: 6259
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:20 pm
Location: Northwest Territories, Canada

Re: rls is a sad condition

Post by badnights »

very good list. very good. One or more of those things makes the difference. The full-body coverage, maybe; the jets and movement, I would guess probably. Fresh air --- that''s a possibility. Noise - interesting thought, I wonder if that would make a difference. I use a white-noise machine at night.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
Click for info on WED/RLS AUGMENTATION & IRON
I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

majoraward
Posts: 274
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:36 pm

Re: rls is a sad condition

Post by majoraward »

badnights wrote:very good list. very good. One or more of those things makes the difference. The full-body coverage, maybe; the jets and movement, I would guess probably. Fresh air --- that''s a possibility. Noise - interesting thought, I wonder if that would make a difference. I use a white-noise machine at night.


1. The water is swirling constantly
The body feels this, sees this, and hears it.

2. The water jets are usually spraying water against back
The body feels this, sees this, and hears it.

3. The water is usually a constant temperature. We had it set at between 98F and 101F depending on season, cooler during summer
The body sense of warmth, in fact usually one has to get out of a hot tub at some point because of becoming too warm.

4. It was very noisy
The body sense of hearing.

5. It had cleaning chemicals in it, ours were based on chlorine
The body sense of smell and the chemicals can be an irritant (discomfort to the body).

6. Usually covered with water to neck
The body sense of warmth, touch.

7. Sitting back like in a recliner
Body is touching the surface of tub, but often I would sit up, or have my head hang forward
Not sure about this one but it is the body in different poses.

8. The hot tub was outside
The body feels coolness of wind, hears sounds, sees different surroundings

I have a feeling that maybe it is a combination of all of these things that keeps the body occupied.

Walking itself can stop RLS symptoms for most sufferers. It is not the brain that needs to be occupied for the symptoms to disappear, if that were true then reading a book would stop the symptoms, at least it is not the part of the brain that has to do with reason. It must be a part of the brain that has to do with physical activity, but also a part of the brain that has to do with the senses like touch, sight, sound, temperature changes, smell, maybe even taste.

I have noticed before that when my RLS symptoms are really bad that eating, while I eat, tends to make me feel better and for the symptoms to lesson.

Anyway, maybe because many of our senses are involved while in a hot tub that it somehow is the equivalent of walking for some people with RLS, like me. I don't think everyone with RLS is helped by a hot tub, although I don't know that for sure, but it sure helps me. I suppose movement is the one of the great senses. Not only do we have all the regular senses while walking but we also have the sense of our bodies movement which is hard to define. It is not like we usually think about what it feels like to have our muscles moving, our joints, our bones, even our skin and organs moving. Everytime we breathe we are moving our lungs, our ribs, our skin, our muscles.

It is gross, but after my surgery they had to take a drainage tube out of me, used for capturing blood and body fluids. It was probably a foot and a half long to two feet long and they pulled it out of me and I felt it (painfully) throughout my lower body weaving its way out of me. For some reason we can even feel within our bodies, I mean if I was going to create a being I doubt I would worry about putting in sensors inside the beings body, you know, like a robot, I would just have them on the outside. We on the other hand can feel pain (believe me!) on the inside too. So maybe my pacing back and forth endlessly when I'm not taking medications for RLS/WED is a very good way to relieve RLS/WED because many of the senses are being occupied, similar to being in a hot tub, but much better because of the movement of the body itself is a jumble of senses too.

I'm just guessing :lol:

Post Reply