Not sure this is rls

[Bsox1972]

Hello to everybody from Tennessee. I had rotator cuff surgery on July 24. I stopped taking pain meds about 4 weeks in because I got constipated. The next night the symptoms started in my legs. Weird sensation. Now 6 weeks later symptoms are still there. My legs, feet and arms burn. When I sit down after about 10 min the burning starts. I also have some muscle twitching. I can see my skin moving. I'm able to sleep at night. But when I wake up the symptoms start and go all day. I have had all the labs done nothing came back positive. All opinions would b appreciated. Forgot 1 other symptom. There's a buzzing in my leg. Not sure what that's all about

[Polar Bear]

Hi Bsox, sorry you have need of us.
There are lots of variations on WED/RLS and people have all sorts of ways of describing their own particular sensations.... ?? buzzing in the leg.
Also, some people have had WED start following surgery, or worsened following surgery.
The pain meds could have been covering any symptoms and they surfaced once the pain meds ceased.
Did you have anything at all similar prior to surgery?

One thing... this disease occurs mostly at night, or worse at night. And would normally affect sleep, or getting over to sleep.
Also, the biggie is the urge to move.... an irresistible urge that will not be ignored, to provide some relief albeit often temporary.

There are 4 essential criteria that are all necessary for diagnosis:
1) A need to move the legs, usually accompanied or caused by uncomfortable, unpleasant sensations in the legs. Any kind of sensation may be a manifestation of RLS and a wide variety of descriptions have been used ranging from "painful" or "burning" to "Elvis legs". Sometimes the need to move is present without the uncomfortable sensations and sometimes the arms or other body parts are involved in addition to the legs.
2) The need to move and unpleasant sensations are exclusively present or worsen during periods of rest or inactivity such as lying or sitting
3) The need to move and unpleasant sensations are partially or totally relieved by movement such as walking or stretching at least as long as the activity continues.
4) The need to move and unpleasant sensations are generally worse or exclusively occur in the evening or night.

Actually I think there is now a No. 5 but I can't recall it off the top of my head.

Darn.... there was something else I wanted to say and it has 'gone' !!!

Oh... did you have a ferritin serum blood test done among your blood works. A low level in itself could be enough to cause WED symptoms in some folks. It's not a test normally done as routine, you will have to ask for it. Levels considered normal are not sufficient for someone with WED. If you are told your levels are 'normal' don't take this as an answer, ask for the levels which are best up around 100 (for someone with WED).

[Bsox1972]

Thanks polar bear for the response. I should say there's a vibration I can feel in my legs. I never had any symptoms prior to surgery. When u say an urge to move I move when the burning becomes to uncomfortable. I don't have like an urge that comes on all of a sudden. When I go to bed at night I an able to go to sleep. When I wake in the morning symptoms usually start right away. Tingling in my feet then followed by burning on bottom and top of feet. Also I can feel it in my arms. Simetimes in my back. I'm so confused and scared. Not sure what's causing it

[ViewsAskew]

When people say burning, the first thing I think of is not WED/RLS, but neuropathy. It can be hard to tell the apart. These questions may help:

1. Is it worse at night? WED/RLS is, but neuropathy can be bad at any time.
2. Is their an anxious feeling that you MUST move? With WED/RLS, you just feel like if you don't move, you'll explode. With other issues, including neuropathy, you are more likely to move because you want to readjust or just can't stand the feeling anymore.
3. When you move, if you keep moving, does the feeling stop? With WED/RLS, if you keep walking you usually don't get symptoms again. It's as if everything is now OK. As soon as you stop, the feeling is back.

Because your symptoms start as soon as you wake up, my gut feeling is that this is not WED/RLS. Have you researched neuropathy at all? It's extremely common and there are several types of neuropathy. There is even something called post-surgical neuropathy! I have minor neuropathy - unknown type or cause - and to me it feels very stinging/burning. I will sometimes jerk my arm or foot from it. Since I have WED, too, and it came first, it's not hard to tell them apart. But, if I'd not had WED first, I'm sure I'd have not easily identified what it was.

Read a few of these websites and see if this sounds like what you have:
http://www.neuropathy.org/site/PageServ ... bout_Facts

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147963.php

[badnights]

Bsox, I can understand why it's scary, but that fear and confusion will subside as you find answers. Keep researching, on this site and others, because knowledge is the key to getting yourself good treatment (and recognizing it when you have it!), but you need to see your doctor about this. It doesn't sound like WED because it starts in the morning. It really does seem to be related to the surgery, and it sure smacks of neuropathy - nerve damage or nerve dysfunction.

Is the vibration in your leg always in the same leg? Is there any actual movement associated with it - like, if you put your hand on your leg, would you feel the vibration?

[Bsox1972]

Thanks for the info guys. Badnights the vibrations sometimes in one leg but have also felt it in both legs. I have an appt. soon with neurologist. Hope to have answers then. Thanks again for responses.

[Chipmunk]

How much pain medication were you taking? I'm wondering if it was withdrawal from the opiates, which can often cause RLS-like sensations.