Transferrin

[Roger411]

I see there is another iron transporter called Transferrin.I had my ferritin level checked back in March and it came in at a low 9.After taking vitamins for 3 weeks, I had it checked again and my Dr. said it was normal.(I have not found out what the second reading was yet.)Should I get the Transferrin checked also? Im not sure if Ive got RLS.

[ViewsAskew]

It's not easy to check transferrin, if I remember correctly.

Your ferritin at 9 could NOT have come up to OK levels in 3 weeks! It takes months to increase it.

Your doctor probably is unaware that it needs to be at least 50 and better if it's 100. Keep taking the iron and have it tested again in 3-6 months.

[Polar Bear]

And when your doctor says normal - ask what the actual reading level is so that you can keep tabs on your progress.

[badnights]

Transferrin has not been shown to reveal anything about RLS/WED.

Have you had a sleep study yet? If the sleep doc was experienced with RLS/WED, s/he would probably recognize the twisting-kicking-etc movements made by someone with the disease. If not, a high PLM index with no other diagnosable sleep condition would point to WED/RLS.

Another test would be to get your GP to try you on a dopamine agonist, pramipexole or ropinirole. If it brings relief, that would confirm a diagnosis of WED/RLS. It might take a few nights, because you start at the lowest dose possible; if that provides relief, you don't increase, but if it doesn't, the next night you increase. You stop when you hit the max your doctor set, or at the dose which gives relief. You might not feel any relief at all until you reach an effective dose. But if you go through this stepwise process and do get relief at some stage, then you probably have WED.

[Roger411]

I took an iron supplement recently and got sicker than a dog for about 12 hours.I don't have a sensitive stomach.Maybe Ill try the slow release iron.
Im not convinced a sleep study will help me.I couldn't sleep under those conditions.Sleep studies,I was told, are mainly looking for sleep apnea,which I have no risk factors for. Im thinking of getting my thyroid checked, as I read that hypothyroidism can cause low ferritin levels.
I dont have kicking or squirming in bed at night but insomnia.I will ask my Dr. for a Dopamine agonist.Thanks for your help.

[debbluebird]

I didn't have a risk for sleep apnea either. But they wanted a sleep study because my WED/PLMD was so bad. That was the only reason. Turned out I have sleep apnea, which makes WED/PLMD worse.

[Roger411]

Now that you mention it,I do seem to sleep better sitting up.I don't don't snore,not overweight,no diabetes,or anything else.
What do you do for the sleep apnea,wear the mask, or use a dental device?

[debbluebird]

It's a machine called CPAP. There are several masks that can be used. Some feel more comfortable than others. I had no clue that I had sleep apnea. But now that I wear the mask I can tell the difference. When I don't wear it I feel horrible. Also when you don't wear it you are at risk for a stroke. There are also other machines, Bi PAP and another one I can't think of the name. They figure out which one you need. I wake up 90 times an hour. It's worth investigating.

[badnights]

sleep studies measure the quality of your sleep in many different ways, and the data can be used to diagnose or support the diagnosis of a number of different sleep disorders. If you think you might have RLS/WED, the other disorders have to be ruled out.

Starting a DA with such low ferritin could create a risk of augmenting, IF you have RLS/WED. If you don't, who knows.

I don't remember your original threads; do you have any symptoms of RLS/WED, besides problems sleeping?

[Roger411]

I have an urge to shake my foot when relaxed.The foot shaking calms down after Im in bed awhile and I don't think it bothers my sleep.My problem is depression,with an outside chance of sleep apnea.I don't think DA's will help me.No anti depressant has helped me except adderall or ritilin. I then take a benzo to get to sleep.
Sleep studies mainly look for sleep apnea.Right now I am very much against having one done.Instead of a sleep study why dont they just give you the sleep apnea equipment and see if it works.I am looking at some natural sleep aids, mood boosters, vitamins, 5-HTP,Tyrosine and others.

[ViewsAskew]

I have an urge to shake my foot when relaxed.The foot shaking calms down after Im in bed awhile and I don't think it bothers my sleep.My problem is depression,with an outside chance of sleep apnea.I don't think DA's will help me.No anti depressant has helped me except adderall or ritilin. I then take a benzo to get to sleep.
Sleep studies mainly look for sleep apnea.Right now I am very much against having one done.Instead of a sleep study why dont they just give you the sleep apnea equipment and see if it works.I am looking at some natural sleep aids, mood boosters, vitamins, 5-HTP,Tyrosine and others.

Roger, I don't remember I asked or if I did ask if you answered.

When you get the urge, does moving your foot make the urge stop? This is key to WED. When you move, the urge and the sensation should stop.

Or, if you walked or did other activity, would the urge stop? Also key is that while some activities are better than another, any activity helps.

If you paid attention to something important - a puzzle, a problem, solving something - would the urge go away?

And, last, is the urge accompanied by any sensation - painful, creepy, electrical? There are some cases of WED/RLS that do not have a sensation, but most do.

[badnights]

With all the information out there, it seems like we can just read it and realize what's wrong with us. Sometimes that's true, but when things are complicated, it might take someone who knows way way more about the possibilities to ferret out what's wrong. A physician, usually. Of course they don't always know, but sometimes, we don't know either, and we can't tell from reading because there are so many aspects of diagnosis that are not easily found on the internet. That's why they spend so many years in school and in training to become physicians. We can't expect them to all be right all the time, but we also can't expect that we can discern all the possibilities from a month or two of reading whatever happens to be available.

Sleep studies can diagnose obstructive and central sleep apneas, other breathing disorders like hypoxemia due to neuromuscular disorders that affect the chest wall, PLMD, a variety of nocturnal seizure syndromes, narcolepsy, REM behavior disorder, and nocturnal state dissociation disorders; and aid evaluation or support diagnosis of a number of other disorders, including WED/RLS, arousal disorders (confusional arousals, sleepwalking, sleep terrors), sleep/wake transition disorders (which include rhythmic movement disorder, sleep starts, sleep talking, and nocturnal leg cramps), bruxism (teeth grinding) and other disorders of orofacial activity, other parasomnias like sleep-related choking, circadian rhythm sleep disorder, and physiological and idiopathic insomnias.

In evaluation of a suspected disorder, a sleep study is useful in telling you exactly where your sleep is suffering. Maybe you're not getting any REM sleep, maybe you wake up 100 times a minute whenever you enter deep sleep, maybe you stop breathing in deep sleep, maybe your legs kick 100 times a minute.

That said, sleep studies are not necessary for a diagnosis of RLS/WED or of sleep apnea. For sleep apnea, they could very well give you an APAP for 2-3 nights, which would go a long way to revealing the presence of sleep apnea, but I know where I live the one machine available for that is in high demand. Usually, if they suspect sleep apnea, before or even instead of a full-blown sleep study, and definitely before the machine is lent to you, they test you at home with straps around your chest and an oximeter on your finger; the straps measure if you're making an effort to breathe, and the oximeter if you're getting oxygen into your blood (ie if you''re breathing). If you're not making an effort, it's central sleep apnea, meaning your central nervous system is not sending the signal to breathe, as opposed to obstructive sleep apnea, in which tissue is blocking the windpipe).

So, let's get back to what your problem is. Is your primary complaint being tired all day? Feeling unrested? Or is it something else?

If it is feeling unrested, then that thing going on with your foot might be important, because RLS/WED disrupts sleep even when it's not giving you the urge to move or disturbing sensations. To get a better idea, your answers to Ann's questions will be very helpful.

And I have onemore questions for you, if you don't mind You say you fall asleep after a while - does it stop? Or do you fall asleep despite it?

[Roger411]

Ann
When I get the urge to shake my foot and stop, the urge doesn't go away no matter what I do.There are no painful, creepy,or electrical feelings.When I go to bed things settle down after half hour or so,and its not a problem(I think) I just tried requip for the first time, and after the first pill, I knew this drug is not for me.I got sore muscles in my leg
and my knee hurt for over two days.Thanks for the reply

[ViewsAskew]

Ann
When I get the urge to shake my foot and stop, the urge doesn't go away no matter what I do.There are no painful, creepy,or electrical feelings.When I go to bed things settle down after half hour or so,and its not a problem(I think) I just tried requip for the first time, and after the first pill, I knew this drug is not for me.I got sore muscles in my leg
and my knee hurt for over two days.Thanks for the reply

Since the urge to move doesn't go away, it is doubtful is can be WED/RLS, Look at my last post in this thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8432. It has a lot of things that seem similar to WED but are not. Maybe there is something in there to help you find out what this is.