Vibration helped me through the drug holiday
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:48 pm
So, I had an advantage that many people don't have, but there's still a moral to the story.
When I had increased my Rx dosage a few times, and benefits were declining, my specialist said I was augmenting, and we agreed it was time to wean from Pramipexole.
Timing was bad because my wife and I were to fly from the Seattle area to Maine for a couple weeks together exploring the fall colors of New England. It had been on our bucket list for quite some time. However, I was already dreading the flight; my RLS symptoms started barely 15 minutes after recent flights took to the air. And within 30 minutes it was unbearable. I'd have to spend most of the flight in the gallery with the VERY patient attendants. But... my wife had an idea.
You see, I have a motorcycle. A big vibrating cruiser that I'd taken on long solo rides up and down the Pacific Coast and zig-zagging up and down the Rockies in the past. She said to hit the road and meet her in Maine when she arrived on the scheduled flight two weeks hence. So, off the Pramipexole I went and on the road I went. I would ride between 6 and 10 hours a day, exploring the backroads all along the way. It was a delight! And withdrawal symptoms were only bad when I'd ride less than ~3 hours in a day. No problem.
I deliberately took my time, taking a different route out and back, and saw much of this glorious country, from the Rockies, the Badlands, the Adirondacks, across the Great Lakes to Niagara Falls and up into eastern Canada, back down through beautiful Vermont and New Hampshire in the fall, down through the Appellations, and back through Kentucky, Nebraska, Wyoming, and on. Temperatures ranged from above 100 to below 10, and conditions ranged between burning sun to accumulations of snow/ice. But... I only felt the misery of the drug holiday a couple nights.
I'm not necessarily recommending you go out, get your endorsement, and ride 8,000 miles during your drug holiday. But I am suggesting that if your drug holiday has you in its grips, you might find a health club or weight loss clinic that has a vibration platform and enjoy a good dose at least once a day and more if you can swing it. The higher quality machines you find in these facilities can do wonders on tired and bruised legs, which in turn can do wonders for your mental state.
All the best...
Barry
When I had increased my Rx dosage a few times, and benefits were declining, my specialist said I was augmenting, and we agreed it was time to wean from Pramipexole.
Timing was bad because my wife and I were to fly from the Seattle area to Maine for a couple weeks together exploring the fall colors of New England. It had been on our bucket list for quite some time. However, I was already dreading the flight; my RLS symptoms started barely 15 minutes after recent flights took to the air. And within 30 minutes it was unbearable. I'd have to spend most of the flight in the gallery with the VERY patient attendants. But... my wife had an idea.
You see, I have a motorcycle. A big vibrating cruiser that I'd taken on long solo rides up and down the Pacific Coast and zig-zagging up and down the Rockies in the past. She said to hit the road and meet her in Maine when she arrived on the scheduled flight two weeks hence. So, off the Pramipexole I went and on the road I went. I would ride between 6 and 10 hours a day, exploring the backroads all along the way. It was a delight! And withdrawal symptoms were only bad when I'd ride less than ~3 hours in a day. No problem.
I deliberately took my time, taking a different route out and back, and saw much of this glorious country, from the Rockies, the Badlands, the Adirondacks, across the Great Lakes to Niagara Falls and up into eastern Canada, back down through beautiful Vermont and New Hampshire in the fall, down through the Appellations, and back through Kentucky, Nebraska, Wyoming, and on. Temperatures ranged from above 100 to below 10, and conditions ranged between burning sun to accumulations of snow/ice. But... I only felt the misery of the drug holiday a couple nights.
I'm not necessarily recommending you go out, get your endorsement, and ride 8,000 miles during your drug holiday. But I am suggesting that if your drug holiday has you in its grips, you might find a health club or weight loss clinic that has a vibration platform and enjoy a good dose at least once a day and more if you can swing it. The higher quality machines you find in these facilities can do wonders on tired and bruised legs, which in turn can do wonders for your mental state.
All the best...
Barry