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Four years......RLS free

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 4:38 pm
by nephriticus
Haven’t been here in a long time. (Hi to Ann) I suffered from RLS for about six or seven years as I recall. It appeared in my early fifties. At the time my duties as caregiver to my debilitating wife were ramping up all the while working full time. I also provided some caregiving to my mother-in-law. Sinemet helped me for a couple of years but I discovered that one of my respiration elevating exercises was ninety percent effective at avoiding the RLS symptoms when performed immediately before bedtime so I no longer needed meds. Four years ago it became necessary to retire to become a fulltime caregiver to my wife. Five days after I retired my mother-in-law passed away. Five days after that my long suffering wife died. In short order I was relieved of wage earning and care giving to two people. Interestingly enough, one month later my RLS simply went away and has not returned.

I relish the freedom from this horrible nemesis and my sympathies are with all of you who are still burdened by it. Apparently stress was the incipient and sustaining cause for my RLS symptoms. Perhaps some of you have stress as a factor in your RLS. I wish all of you could find similar relief, though I would not recommend eliminating loved ones to accomplish that end.
:? :?

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 6:41 pm
by ViewsAskew
Neph! I'm so glad to hear the RLS is still gone. I hope it never, ever comes back.

Thanks for checking in. How are you enjoying retirement?

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 8:57 pm
by nephriticus
Ann,
A bit of a new direction in my life. I was prepared to again become a full time caregiver to my adult son who was debilitating from the same muscular dystrophy his mother had. However he caught pneumonia and in his weakened condition was unable to fight it. He passed away Christmas Eve 2007. Since my first wife's passing I had met a wonderful woman. We emigrated from southern California to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. We were married last August in the back yard of our new home.

I rather expected RLS to return when my son became fully incapacitated and required full time care. That is a non-issue now. There is no stress in my life, I enjoy good health at this time, and I am relishing retired life. Thank you for asking, Ann.

BTW--No, I did not marry some younger trophy wife, even though it would have been easy as all get out what with the single women to men ratio. I gave it some thought and figured no way did I want to co-exist through another episode of menopause. :lol:

Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 1:57 am
by Polar Bear
It is nice to hear of things coming good ......... may you enjoy your new future and may it remain rls free.

Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 4:37 am
by ViewsAskew
That's wonderful to hear, Neph. I'm so sorry about all the loss you encountered in such a short time. I remember how devoted you were to your wife's care and how much it took out of you. I'm equally, if not more, happy that you've met someone and have a new life that sounds wonderful.

I hope you can enjoy it for many years to come.

Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 4:14 pm
by dogeyed
Neph,
Can you describe in more detail the breathing exercise you did that helped your RLS? Might help all of us get more comfortable. Thanks.
GG

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 4:34 am
by nephriticus
GG,

It is not a breathing exercise and I'm afraid it requires brief but strenuous activity. I had reported this method a number of times in the past but I have never heard of any disciples of this method, though I am confident it would work for some of you sufferers.

I called it the Rapid Respiration Elevation method (RRE). No doubt that the specific exercise is not important but the rapid elevation of respiration seems to "burn out" the instigator of that evening's RLS.

Following is how I accomplished it which I discovered accidentally out of desperation one evening. I had been performing for many years aerobically modified exercises for my poor back. I included push-ups just for the cardiovascular benefit. I had managed to achieve one-hundred successive push-ups daily. That many push-ups will rapidly elevate respiration regardless of any previous exercises.

Not being able to get to sleep one night even with the Sinemet I, for whatever reason, performed a hundred push-ups. Following the push-ups for the next three or four minutes my legs went just nuts! It was RLS on steroids. But, once my respiration returned to normal I was able to drop off to sleep like a baby. I never used Sinemet or any other RLS prescribed drug from that time forward. On rare occasions I would have RLS symptoms about twenty minutes later but would successfully perform the RRE a second time. Only once or twice did I have to perform the RRE a third time and never a fourth.

To my knowledge no one has reported using my scientifically :wink: achieved RRE method. Likely others could achieve rapid respiration elevation using other, less physically demanding, exercises. I would be interested to learn if this works for others.

Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 12:52 pm
by dogeyed
Thank you very much, Neph, for your detailed response. I should be able to find some activity similar to yours to accomplish the fast breathing thing, I used to do pushups, tore up my arm forever, but I'll try perhaps situps.

Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 5:19 pm
by becat
NEPH! Brother, so awesome to see your name here and a couple of post. My heart beeps with you about the discovery to your key of NON RLS living. Yahoo and blessing abound. Yeah, I'm happy to hear that is still just working gangbusters for you.

Love to see new pictures, I'll send you my new or use the email on my profile here. I bet sleep has brought some new ideas and seen shapes where one, might not find them....but your not the average bear. *winking and smiling*

I'm sorry to hear about your son's condition and the level it has risen to. You have been so very strong and so loving. More should be like you, my friend. Know that you and your son stay in my prayers, yes I still keep working the moon. God's message pad for me. LOL I always will, you continue to teach and reach me. I love you brother.

I bet your arms are like steel by now. My legs and body were doing so well with walking. I thought for sure it was the key, still do, but I have progressed. That is what it is, I can walk after the summer months and the 110 degrees, settle some. However, it was you and I talking about this that made me start so long ago. I thank you for your own work and your heart to share it.

Always love,
Lynne

Re: Four years......RLS free

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 3:14 am
by nephriticus
It's my ten year anniversary of being RLS symptom free. I wish I could bottle up the cure and share it with all of you. My assessment of this past decade is that it was stress that brought on the condition and the removal of stress that allowed my recovery. I empathize with you who cannot find relief. My episode lasted about six or seven years. I initially used Sinemet but later learned I could abate the symptoms to gain sleep by my RRE method (see my previous posts). Neph

Re: Four years......RLS free

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 4:26 pm
by Polar Bear
What a wonderful anniversary - Congratulations, and thank you for coming back to tell us.

Re: Four years......RLS free

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 10:25 pm
by ViewsAskew
nephriticus wrote:It's my ten year anniversary of being RLS symptom free. I wish I could bottle up the cure and share it with all of you. My assessment of this past decade is that it was stress that brought on the condition and the removal of stress that allowed my recovery. I empathize with you who cannot find relief. My episode lasted about six or seven years. I initially used Sinemet but later learned I could abate the symptoms to gain sleep by my RRE method (see my previous posts). Neph


Hey, Neph! So glad to hear. When I first saw the topic subject, I was worried you were back to say that it had come back. Much better to see that it was the other way!

Re: Four years......RLS free

Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2016 4:23 am
by Yankiwi
It must seem like a miracle!