Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

If I have to go back, then I would just be with the kids. He would be in the hospital, with her there, two hours away. They have swimming everyday this summer. They have to be there at 8. Some of the days she was able to take them and I picked them up. That was when I got to sleep until 8. I also could take a nap. She had to take him for his treatments.
Back to RLS
Last night was bad. It hasn't been this bad in a very long time. A lot of time I'm up for an hour or so and go back to sleep. Last night I got up to bathroom, like always, but then leg started after that. I've been up since then. It's 7 am now.
I recently started a new med, a diuretic called chlorthalidone. I hope that's not the cause. I've been retaining fluid for most of this year. Kidneys are the cause.

It is the type of kidney problem that could grow into kidney failure? Could it explain your RLS?

Can you get afternoon naps? Need to keep you alive and a healthy grandmother, not a gibbering idiot from sleep loss.

Yes, I believe so. I'm at stage two kidney failure. I never thought of that being the cause of my leg issues. If so, I have more than one cause for my RLS and PLMs. My kidneys were fine until I started taking all these drugs.
Last time I had my iron levels checked, I was good.
I do take a nap occasionally, when my legs allow it. Last week , I had a very bad night, up most of the night. In the morning I'd try to go back to bed, and only sleep about 2 hours at a time, and my leg would start. I did that until late into the afternoon.
I realized today that my lack of energy is due to needing sleep. I don't know why it took me so long to get that, but maybe because I think I'm getting sleep a lot of the time. Now, I'm thinking I am so behind in sleep, I will never catch up.
A few months ago, I told all of my friends, not to count on me to be anywhere early. (9 am is early) I was going to sleep as much as I could. Then one of them said to me, can't you just sleep later in the day if you need to. I told her no, not usually. She doesn't get it.
I have pretty much stopped most activities, that invloved having to be somewhere. I just don't feel like you,g anywhere.

I realized today that my lack of energy is due to needing sleep. I don't know why it took me so long to get that,

I've experienced the same thing. A "d-uh" moment. We take so long to get it because we're sleep deprived! It's a complicated circle of cause and effect.

Then one of them said to me, can't you just sleep later in the day if you need to. I told her no, not usually. She doesn't get it.

I have to tell people that all the time. I tell them, "no, I have a movement disorder that's circadian, and that's when my movements start." It's easier to say it's the movements because people understand that, better than if I started talking about abnormal sensations and an urge to move. I'm also lucky enough to be surrounded by people who know what circadian means. I would have to modify my stock reply if I wasn't.

I hope things go as well as possible for you and for your daughter and her husband - and the kids! - over these next few weeks. I'll be working in a remote camp without internet, but I guarantee I'll think of you while I'm there!

Thanks, Beth.
He's had a bad three days and may get admitted to hospital today.

debbluebird wrote:Thanks, Beth.
He's had a bad three days and may get admitted to hospital today.

deb - Thinking of you and your dear husband.

It's my son in law who is in the hospital, but thanks.
I talked to my daughter late afternoon yesterday, he was dehydrated, had gotten 3 bags of fluid and meds for nausea and vomiting. He was getting some relief.

Deb - I thought of you yesterday when I was reading a book by Jason Fung, MD. He is a proponent of intermittent fasting. He advocates eliminating much of what you have, but taking it farther. He says it helps completely reverse diabetes (he has been using his approach for 4 years, I think) and that following a low carb, healthy fat diet will cause your body to release a lot of retained water. Wonder if that would help or hurt your kidney issue?

My apologies deb - I do know it is your son in law - just got confused in my typing
Good news to hear he is getting some relief

Hi Deb,
I'm so sorry to hear of your son-in-laws cancer. No cancer is good but some are worse as I believe esophageal cancer is. I'm glad you can be there to help.

ViewsAskew wrote:Deb - I thought of you yesterday when I was reading a book by Jason Fung, MD. He is a proponent of intermittent fasting. He advocates eliminating much of what you have, but taking it farther. He says it helps completely reverse diabetes (he has been using his approach for 4 years, I think) and that following a low carb, healthy fat diet will cause your body to release a lot of retained water. Wonder if that would help or hurt your kidney issue?

I'm not counting calories or carbs. We have a list that we follow from Dr. Mark Hyman. We do the healthy fat. Did I tell you that my husband is off his diabetic med. His blood sugars are normal, from the way we are eating. Now, he wouldn't be able to start eating flour, sugar, ect. My cholesterol levels have also improved.
I'm down 22 pounds, but I also know that I probably have another 5 to 8 pounds of fluid on me right now. I can tell by the way my legs look. My goal is another 30. The Pulmonologist is looking at the implant for my sleep apnea, but I have to have weight down. Of course after that much weight loss, who knows how much it might just improve.
The last three nights, I've used my methadone and kramton. It feels like I'm sleeping better. I only used it before when I was going through the withdrawal from methadone. The last few weeks I'd been taking methadone and 2.5 to 5 mg of oxycodone. I really wanted to stop the oxy. I don't want to use it all the time, just for emergencies. Like no more than once a month. I used Gabapentin only two or three nights after stopping the oxy. Also don't want to use that very long, but then I don't want to use the kramton for a long period either, we might not be able to get it someday.

Yankiwi wrote:Hi Deb,
I'm so sorry to hear of your son-in-laws cancer. No cancer is good but some are worse as I believe esophageal cancer is. I'm glad you can be there to help.

I was only there two weeks. Don't know if I said, but he's in the hospital again. They have told him there is nothing else to try for his nausea and vomiting. He had his last chemo today. Last radiation will be Monday. Then they wait, 4 to 8 weeks. Have to get radiation out of his body before surgery. He may come out of hosp. today, or stay the weekend. It's really bad. He's depressed. My daughter is hanging on.

Polar Bear wrote:My apologies deb - I do know it is your son in law - just got confused in my typing
Good news to hear he is getting some relief

Deb, so sorry that your family is having to go through this. Hope there is better news next week once the side effects of the chemo and radiation treatments start to wear off.