Suddenly worse?

Hoffdna · Post by **Hoffdna** » Wed May 17, 2006 11:48 pm

Any ideas out there about reasons for a sudden worsening of RLS? I've had it all my life, 30 yrs, and in the last few weeks it's gotten SO much worse, my whole spine, and all the time. I've started taking vicodin to sleep and I don't want to get addicted.

Rubyslipper · Post by **Rubyslipper** » Thu May 18, 2006 1:00 am

I'm very sorry to hear this but it does happen. Sometimes it gets worse as we get older. Have you had any life-style changes? Diet changes? Sometimes what you used to be able to eat/drink suddenly becomes a problem. Keep a diary during the day for a week or so to see if there are any trigger points you may not be thinking of. Have you had recent surgery? Any medications that could be causing problems? Check out a few things then get back with us. Do you have a doctor to discuss this with? If not, I suggest you find one who treats or at least understands RLS. Keep us posted.

Hoffdna · Post by **Hoffdna** » Thu May 18, 2006 1:58 am

I'm not on any meds, except the vicodin for the past few nights. It's leftover from surgery a few years ago (surprised it still works). Of the things you mentioned, the only change I can think of is that I left my job to stay at home with my 2 kids starting 3 months ago. Along with the increase in RLS, I also have horrible fatigue (even with a good night's sleep), and pain all over. The pain is similar to what I've often had and always assumed to be related to RLS, but it is not the same. Got tested for Lyme's Disease (common around here) but results were negative. Same for thyroid issues. Still looking into these other, possibly related, symptoms. My doc is good, but new to me, and the only indication I have is that she knew what I was talking about. Of course, now that it's on TV ads, that's not so unusual.

Rubyslipper · Post by **Rubyslipper** » Thu May 18, 2006 2:08 am

First thing is to educate yourself and then your doctor. Lack of REM sleep can and does cause fatigue and pain as your body does not have a chance to "repair" itself during the night. Stress plays a big part also. But it seems to me that finding out all you can about RLS and then taking it to your doctor is paramount. Then if your doc isn't any help, find another one. It takes time and that by itself is stressful and frustrating, but hang in there.

Post by **ViewsAskew** » Thu May 18, 2006 2:26 am

Other sudden causes are accidents, surgery, and many things that cause secondary RLS. If you already have it and get one of these, it can really worse your RLS. Here's a post with as many of the possible causes I could find. . .there sure are a lot of them. Maybe as you read through it, something will catch your eye.

http://bb.rls.org/viewtopic.php?t=1840& ... ondary+rls

Hoffdna · Post by **Hoffdna** » Thu May 18, 2006 11:22 am

Yeah, i've been a little worried about MS, I have most of the symptoms and also had mono when I was younger. I'll try to stay optimistic, but it's a bit difficult. Thanks for all your support!

Rubyslipper · Post by **Rubyslipper** » Sat May 20, 2006 7:41 pm

Luckily this boat is big enough for all our concerns. The doctor has been puching MS on me lately too. Fibro, RLS and MS have so many of the same symptoms (although different causes) that it gets really confusing. If you want to talk about that part of it, let me know.