Hi everyone.
I'm 19 years old and think I've been suffering from RLS for several years.
The symptom I have is like "cramps" in my muscles (especially legs).
I feel relief when I straighten my legs (as though I'm exercising to improve the flexibility of my legs).
I don't have an urge to move my legs -- just do something with the muscle (even massaging it)
Does anyone else suffer from the same symptoms?
Thanks in advance,
Kate
Help in self diagnosis
-
Rubyslipper
- Posts: 992
- Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2004 2:53 am
- Location: Missouri
Glad you found us 
!! If you don't have an uncontrollable urge to move your legs that only actually moving them seems to help, you may not have RLS. You may also have early stages of RLS. Do the symptoms you have run in your family? Are there any "triggers" that seem to make it worse? When does this seem to be worse? What (if anything) are you taking or doing that makes it better? I'm certainly not an expert on RLS but I have had it for many years. Check out the others topics on this site. There are some very smart, knowledgable people here and some good links to other sites. Have you been to see a doctor yet or is it something you can live with so far? Let us know how you are doing. Love, Ruby
!! If you don't have an uncontrollable urge to move your legs that only actually moving them seems to help, you may not have RLS. You may also have early stages of RLS. Do the symptoms you have run in your family? Are there any "triggers" that seem to make it worse? When does this seem to be worse? What (if anything) are you taking or doing that makes it better? I'm certainly not an expert on RLS but I have had it for many years. Check out the others topics on this site. There are some very smart, knowledgable people here and some good links to other sites. Have you been to see a doctor yet or is it something you can live with so far? Let us know how you are doing. Love, RubyRe: Help in self diagnosis
Guset wrote:Hi everyone.
I'm 19 years old and think I've been suffering from RLS for several years.
The symptom I have is like "cramps" in my muscles (especially legs).
I feel relief when I straighten my legs (as though I'm exercising to improve the flexibility of my legs).
I don't have an urge to move my legs -- just do something with the muscle (even massaging it)
Does anyone else suffer from the same symptoms?
Thanks in advance,
Kate
Hi Kate
Welcome to the group
When my RLS first "kicked in" last year all I wanted to do was "waggle" (for want of a better word!) my legs.
However despite all the drugs i'm on, at the moment, my biggest problem areas with my symptoms are in the muscles in my butt, hamstrings & calves. I know it's not the actual muscles themselves, but that's where those dang "feelings" are all the time.
"Waggling" doesn't help at all and the only way for me to get ANY relief at the moment is to stretch the bejesus outta those particular muscles in any way possible; be it walking funny (
), finding a set of stairs, doing leg stretches, etc.
The downside is that i'm overstretching my poor muscles which haven't done anything to deserve this in the first place and as a result, have a rough time walking
'tis a viscious circle 
Ruby has given you some good advice in her post. A good place to start with your research is with the Medical Bulletin here on this site. The next logical step would be to approach your GP.
Below are some links to some excellent RLS sites, including medications & treatments:
http://www.wemove.org/rls.html
http://www.jmjudson.com/rls.html
http://www.jmjudson.com/medications.html
http://www.rlshelp.org
http://www.rlshelp.org/rlsrx.htm
http://www.rlsrebel.com
http://www.sleepnet.com/disorder.htm
http://www.rls.org
Take care and keep in touch.
Nadia
Nadia
My philosophy is simply this: Life is too short to be diplomatic. Your friends should not care what you do, or say; and for those who are not your friends ... their loss!!!
My philosophy is simply this: Life is too short to be diplomatic. Your friends should not care what you do, or say; and for those who are not your friends ... their loss!!!
-
Kate
Thanks! :-)
First of all, many thanks 4 your reply.
The sympoms bother me, but they don't bother me enough to get a medical treatment for them.
It is however good to know that I'm not alone on this. Cause my family always looked at me in a funny way when I tried to take actions to relieve the sympoms.
However, I read something that really scared me -- that almost 50% of all people suffering from RLS (including children/teenagers) will suffer from Parkinson's disease. Did you happen to hear about it?
I have no idea when I began to suffer from RLS. I guess I've gotten used to it by now. So although I want to move my legs, I just control that urge. It's funny but when I tried to think about when it's better and when it's worse, I honestly have no idea.
I was coming to grip that I would spend the rest of my life like this. But having Parkinson is just too much for me.
I had a best friend whose father suffered from Parkinson and it's just such an awful way to die.
I'm also afraid that because of my young age, I would get Parkinson at an early age, which really makes my life a living hell these days.
Kate
The sympoms bother me, but they don't bother me enough to get a medical treatment for them.
It is however good to know that I'm not alone on this. Cause my family always looked at me in a funny way when I tried to take actions to relieve the sympoms.
However, I read something that really scared me -- that almost 50% of all people suffering from RLS (including children/teenagers) will suffer from Parkinson's disease. Did you happen to hear about it?
I have no idea when I began to suffer from RLS. I guess I've gotten used to it by now. So although I want to move my legs, I just control that urge. It's funny but when I tried to think about when it's better and when it's worse, I honestly have no idea.
I was coming to grip that I would spend the rest of my life like this. But having Parkinson is just too much for me.
I had a best friend whose father suffered from Parkinson and it's just such an awful way to die.
I'm also afraid that because of my young age, I would get Parkinson at an early age, which really makes my life a living hell these days.
Kate
RE: Scare tactics
Hi Kate
First of all.....stop panicking!!!! Stressing about something you've read, which may turn out to be untrue, will only make your legs worse. I don't recall reading anything to this effect anywhere... NOTE TO JUMPYOWL IF YOU READ THIS: Have you read this anywhere?
Even if you don't wish to have treatment, you should still get a proper diagnosis from your GP.
Jill Gunzel's RLS Rebel page is a great site for non-drug treatments and tricks.....and believe me when I say that even though some sound quite strange....they DO work!
You are young, enjoy your life to its fullest!
Take care
Nadia
First of all.....stop panicking!!!! Stressing about something you've read, which may turn out to be untrue, will only make your legs worse. I don't recall reading anything to this effect anywhere... NOTE TO JUMPYOWL IF YOU READ THIS: Have you read this anywhere?
Even if you don't wish to have treatment, you should still get a proper diagnosis from your GP.
Jill Gunzel's RLS Rebel page is a great site for non-drug treatments and tricks.....and believe me when I say that even though some sound quite strange....they DO work!
You are young, enjoy your life to its fullest!
Take care
Nadia
Nadia
My philosophy is simply this: Life is too short to be diplomatic. Your friends should not care what you do, or say; and for those who are not your friends ... their loss!!!
My philosophy is simply this: Life is too short to be diplomatic. Your friends should not care what you do, or say; and for those who are not your friends ... their loss!!!
-
Rubyslipper
- Posts: 992
- Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2004 2:53 am
- Location: Missouri
Nadia is right, please don't stress. One of the drugs I take is also used for Parkinson's. I think quite a few are. There may be a link between RLS and Parkinson's but from what I've read, RLS doesn't usually lead to Parkinson's. Please don't take one article as gospel. Educate yourself by reading all you can and asking all the questions you want. I do know that RLS usually gets worse the older you get. I don't think anyone knows why. This is a crappy disease we have and is just now starting to get recognized so there is lots of misdiagnosis and misunderstanding, but it is definately getting better. Just a few years ago, almost no one had heard of it. Keep with us on this site. We'll keep each other informed and supported. Just share your concerns, ideas, treatments and news. Take care. Ruby
Kate, These fantastic ladies, Ruby and Nadia, are right on the button. People (even writers, 
) love sensationalism and jumping to conclusions. True, some medications used in treating Parkinson's are also used (at much lower dosage) to treat RLS. This does not mean one progresses to another!!! It just means that you have a certain set of nerves (peripheral and central) and down at the building block level you have the same type of ion movements, transmitters to process and send signals.
It would be suprising if the same type of medications would not effect disorders in the same system (since they work on the same receptor sites). Keep also in mind that for many of these medications the mechanism of action is unknown. Especially insidious if the writer uses a percentage (out of his/her hat) because it makes it sound as if it comes from a clinical study.
This 50% sounds like a figure I read on the occurrence of pain in RLS patients. Only a few years ago they thought that RLS patients did not have pain. Turns out that at least half of them have pain except in many cases they thought it was not associated with the disorder!
I am virtually certain that RLS patients do not progress to Parkinsonism as a rule. Possibly only rarely and even then it is only a coincidence and not a cause and effect relationship.
By the way, do not fight the urge to move. If it takes away the discomfort, do it.
In your case, taking of magnesium (gluconate rather than the oxide form) is worth trying. And also have the doctor check your ferritin levels. I would almost bet that they are low.
Anyway, go and visit your doctor. I think you are worrying and suffering needlessly.
) love sensationalism and jumping to conclusions. True, some medications used in treating Parkinson's are also used (at much lower dosage) to treat RLS. This does not mean one progresses to another!!! It just means that you have a certain set of nerves (peripheral and central) and down at the building block level you have the same type of ion movements, transmitters to process and send signals.
It would be suprising if the same type of medications would not effect disorders in the same system (since they work on the same receptor sites). Keep also in mind that for many of these medications the mechanism of action is unknown. Especially insidious if the writer uses a percentage (out of his/her hat) because it makes it sound as if it comes from a clinical study.
This 50% sounds like a figure I read on the occurrence of pain in RLS patients. Only a few years ago they thought that RLS patients did not have pain. Turns out that at least half of them have pain except in many cases they thought it was not associated with the disorder!
I am virtually certain that RLS patients do not progress to Parkinsonism as a rule. Possibly only rarely and even then it is only a coincidence and not a cause and effect relationship.
By the way, do not fight the urge to move. If it takes away the discomfort, do it.
In your case, taking of magnesium (gluconate rather than the oxide form) is worth trying. And also have the doctor check your ferritin levels. I would almost bet that they are low.
Anyway, go and visit your doctor. I think you are worrying and suffering needlessly.
Jumpy Owl