Thank you card to Dr. Allen

[ViewsAskew]

I would like to sign the card. So who do I give my address to?

Thanks! PM me - I think I'm next in line.

[Polar Bear]

debbluebird - Good for you.....

[badnights]

Thanks Deb! I bet he's going to be so pleased to receive it. And he sure deserves it. I know there are lots of other doctors who've done wonderful things too, and maybe we should send them all cards! but this guy is past retirement age, and it will be nice to thank him for his continuing work which is effectively on our behalf.

[ViewsAskew]

Thanks Deb! I bet he's going to be so pleased to receive it. And he sure deserves it. I know there are lots of other doctors who've done wonderful things too, and maybe we should send them all cards! but this guy is past retirement age, and it will be nice to thank him for his continuing work which is effectively on our behalf.

I was thinking the same thing! Maybe we do this as they retire? Or just do one a year?

[rthom]

I think this kind of acknowledgement of their efforts is important. Hopefully it will give them a positive energy boost. My only other thought is about Dr. B, I had suggested at the start that we send one to him as well and I wonder if it would be a good plan to send one to him (why wait?). I didn't get any answer about one for him before, but maybe now is a better time to re-visit the idea?

[badnights]

I noticed what you said, sorry I didn't reply at the time. I recall thinking it was a good idea, but perhaps not at the same time. I think it might detract from the significance if we do more than one at a time.

[ViewsAskew]

I received the card today. I have Deb's address and will send to her soon.

[debbluebird]

Received the card today !

[Polar Bear]

[debbluebird]

Does anybody else want to sign the card ?

[Polar Bear]

The card for Dr Allen has now been signed by those who have put themselves forward. It has travelled from the UK to Canada to the US.

Is there anyone else who feels they would like to thank Dr Allen ?
You don't have to provide your real name.
Just let us know that you would like to acknowledge Dr Allen's continued research work and we will add your User Name to the card.

Consider what Dr Allen, and others like him, has done for us.

[debbluebird]

I sent the card to Chipmunk today.

[Polar Bear]

Great - chanks Chipmunk.

[Chipmunk]

Last chance! I'd be happy to send it to you - just PM your address. If I don't hear from anyone by Wednesday, I'll put it in the mail to Dr. Allen.

[badnights]

Does anyone feel gratitude that we know more about this disease than we did 20 years ago? That we're being treated (for the most part) as if we have a medical issue, and not being relegated to psychiatric wards where we would slowly go mad?

We definitely want more, we want a cure or just a consistently effective treatment, but pause for a moment to think of how much we have now that we wouldn't have had if no one had been researching the disease. We know it's related to iron, to the opioid system, to the dopamine system, to glutamate. We know it's circadian and neurological, involves a disruption of sensory and motor neuron systems, is inherited and also can be caused by pregnancy, renal disease, and intestinal diseases.

We have medications that give us some kind of a life. Some of us have had iron infusions that have relieved our need for medication, and physicians like Dr. Allen are trying to get FDA approval for iron infusion as a treatment for RLS/WED. That would make 5 approved treatments (pramipexole, ropinirole, gabapentin encarbil, rotigotine, iron infusion). We have ongoing research into the role of glutamate that might lead to more effective medications. Other research in other labs. A lot is going on, for which I'm grateful.

I was hoping we could include a sheet of paper or a hand-written message on the card saying something like this:
The following members of our discussion board would also like to thank you for your years of work in researching the causes and treatment of RLS/WED: username, username, username, username etc.
Does anyone want to have their username included?