Help! Could my young child have RLS?

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scaredMom

Help! Could my young child have RLS?

Post by scaredMom »

HELP! Could my young child be suffering with RLS?

Last night at 11pm my husband and I were online desperately searching for what was wrong with our 3 year old son. RLS popped up when we typed in symptoms. So here we are, asking for help in making sense of what appears to be a miserable, painful experience.

Our son woke up from his room, ran into see us and was asking for our help. His legs were moving and he couldnt seem to stop them. He did 'bicycling' while lying on his back, kicking, squirming and turned over on his hands and knees, kicking his legs out behind him.

He was very uncomfortable. We got him into our bed where he continued to kick his legs almost violently. The movements appeared to be involuntary but it could have just been a three year old not knowing what else to do with obviously painful problems with his legs.

We put him in a warm bath and he calmed down/woke up a bit more. Then we got him into a recliner and he continued to kick, wiggle his legs as he fell back to sleep and for maybe 10 minutes after he appeared to be out.

I had my husband get out the video camera in case it happened again as I knew there was no way to explain it all to the doctor. It was quite a scene. Fortunately, he slept the rest of the night in the chair and had no recall in the am.

We are both educated people but scared by what we are seeing. I dont think it was a night terror as he seemed more "awake" and the leg kicking/movement was the primary problem.

I did some research and my grandmother and mother both report restless leg symptoms and iron deficiency/anemia in the past. I have never suffered this miserable RLS fate but have had a diagnosis of anemia during my pregnancy.

After putting some clues together, we also remembered our son experienceing leg symptoms after getting some cold medications with guaifennisin in them. Again, he was miserable and moving his legs uncontrollably.

Are we in the right place? Does this sound like RLS? What can we do to help our little boy.

Kelly
AKA Concerned mom

squirmy
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Location: Indiana

Post by squirmy »

I believe you are in the right place. There are many people here who are very well educated about RLS. Over the next couple days, I am sure you will get some very good advice. I think you should request a referral to a Neurologist with knowledge of RLS. It seems that they are the most qualified. I am so sorry your little one is suffering with this. I have found relief from low-dose anti-seizure medications, but they often wear off and we change them occasionally. I have not found any non-medicine relief, except moving, stretching, walking. He may not be getting good sleep even when he is sleeping, so he may need a long daytime nap. Some others have found ways to deal with it, without medication. I wish I was of more help, but I know you will get answers here from others. Talk to your doctor and please let us know how things are going. Tina
RLS, SLE (Lupus) and Asthma

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

This post was also answered in General topics.

RHuntsbabydoll
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Post by RHuntsbabydoll »

It sounds like this could very well be RLS and the symptoms sound the same, but with a child so small it could be many different things also. Your best bet would be to go to a doctor and have him checked out. If you're not comfortable with what your doctor tells you, tell him you want to see a neurologist. I would hate for this child to be misdiagnosed.

Hugs,
Cindy

Lara

Your approach to the situation seems very reasonable

Post by Lara »

I think that you did a great job in dealing with the situation. Looking at the diet, activities, and medicine taken prior to the episode is a great place to start. I don't know if I would let one incident convince me that my son has a disorder especially since he was taking medicine prior to the incident. You may want to look up the medication on the internet to see what kind of side effects are possible. Or you could ask your pharmacist. One common side effect some medications have is involuntary muscle movement.

If there are other symptoms that he has in common with RLS consistantly over time or if this type of activity continues I would consider the possibility.

You seem like such loving parents. Don't fret. it soulnds like it was a scary experience, for all involved. First things, first. Continue to check out the medication then see where things go from there.

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