Restless Legs Syndrome

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The difference between sensitivity and awareness is that the former is a reactive defence to an effect and the latter discovery of its cause.

Talking from experience, on the sensitivity side of things, I have had migraine like symptoms (reaction to noise and bright lights) without the headaches for years and having had at least twenty years of migraines, I know the difference. 

People look at me because I am constantly washing my hands but that is because I am aware of food and other residues on my skin. This includes flour dust on my fingers from bread rolls that others don't even seem to notice. This skin sensitivity includes feeling a tick on my leg in bed that I couldn't find, when I whipped back the covers, which led to Lymes disease as it bit me (what they call a mite as it is the juvenile version that carries the affliction). 

I have also felt fleas crawling through my hair (the problems of having pets) and witnessed one falling off my eyebrow and passing in front of my eyes. I was had a bit of grit blow up from the road and hit me in the face making me jump as well as a piece of wax falling from the top of my ear canal to the bottom. 

I have itchy palms and like the Princess and the Pea, in a story by Hans Christian Anderson, can feel small bits of stone when they get in my shoes. My nose itches. My inner itches. My skin in general itches and during hay fever season, I can feel pollen on it from the gorse bushes or corn fields and the sneezing, coughing and watery eyes begin. During the winter I can feel the ground temperature drop as the soles of my feet freeze and my wife's complaints begin about them in bed (keep them away from me!). We are hypersensitive like Roderick Usher in Edgar Alan Poe’s story, The Fall Of The House Of Usher.

Internally this reaction to wheat, gluten and dairy hits me as well in the form of indigestion (as someone put it recently, the characteristic swallowing that is a symptom of this gunge in our system that we are constantly trying to deal with). I don't believe that this is the cause of autism as some 'experts' have postulated but just another symptomatic reaction caused by heightened sensitivity. 

The smell of lavender makes me feel ill as does the taste of gin. I clean the dog bowl outside because of the strong smell which my wife seems not to notice at all. I also find citrus fruits to tart for my taste (overwhelming like most sensory input). 

Talking of awareness, I realised that my bleary eyes reaction to winter winds (cold air in motion) is the same distortion of sight you get with steam on mirrors; refraction of light through globules of water. 

One of my other insights into reality was understanding why gorse bushes, along the river bank, bend over at a certain point. This is because winds get siphoned through a road's underpass, causing turbulence, which tosses them all over the place. I always thought my insights would be of use to society as whole but alas this has not proven to be the case. 

This detailed awareness is what makes us so ethical and empathetic because we want to understand neurotypicals and the human world (blend in / not stand out). OCD by the way is a sign of our fastidious nature as well as fear of contagion. 

I suffer from restless legs syndrome periodically and crack my joints. I also get very anxious in social situations or job interviews as I never knew what was expected of me. I have a brilliant memory because I hate mess and disorder, in mind or body (everything in its place and a place for everything as the saying goes). This last bit I put down to having an upbeat attitude most of the time as in depression I let everything go to pieces and I don't care about anything. 

We are the school genius as neurotypicals are the classroom bullies or their followers, jealous of our ability and unwilling to put in the hard work to join us, so blame us for their own failures. 

They try to minimise our abilities and perceptions as they ignore concepts that they don't understand or paranormal events that they don't believe in, dismissing them as wild imagination or fantasy, instead of the truth that threatens them in the form of the future calling. This change will be through gradual, peaceful evolution, not violent revolution. Society should use our hypersensitivity and hyper-awareness to its benefit but instead treats us as freaks or at best a petty annoyance for the rest of humanity. 

And still they deny us as a resource, seeing us as a distracting nuisance instead. 

We are the conscience and consciousness which they would prefer if we shut up and went away. Personally I think some neurotypicals should be labelled as disabled emotionally, intellectually and on a sensory level as we are hyper-enabled in these areas, However this sensitivity can disable some of us through overwhelm and stop us operating physically and mentally in this world. 

See the link below for more of my insights into the human condition or my two books Empty Thoughts From An Empty Head & Observations From Another Planet

An Empty Head

An Empty Head

The philosophical and psychological science behind reality explored in depth
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Autistic Sensitivity and Awareness

The difference between sensitivity and awareness is that the former is a reactive defence to an effect and the latter discovery of its cause.

Talking from experience, on the sensitivity side of things, I have had migraine like symptoms (reaction to noise and bright lights) without the headaches for years and having had at least twenty years of migraines, I know the difference. 

People look at me because I am constantly washing my hands but that is because I am aware of food and other residues on my skin. This includes flour dust on my fingers from bread rolls that others don't even seem to notice. This skin sensitivity includes feeling a tick on my leg in bed that I couldn't find, when I whipped back the covers, which led to Lymes disease as it bit me (what they call a mite as it is the juvenile version that carries the affliction). 

I have also felt fleas crawling through my hair (the problems of having pets) and witnessed one falling off my eyebrow and passing in front of my eyes. I was had a bit of grit blow up from the road and hit me in the face making me jump as well as a piece of wax falling from the top of my ear canal to the bottom. 

I have itchy palms and like the Princess and the Pea, in a story by Hans Christian Anderson, can feel small bits of stone when they get in my shoes. My nose itches. My inner itches. My skin in general itches and during hay fever season, I can feel pollen on it from the gorse bushes or corn fields and the sneezing, coughing and watery eyes begin. During the winter I can feel the ground temperature drop as the soles of my feet freeze and my wife's complaints begin about them in bed (keep them away from me!). We are hypersensitive like Roderick Usher in Edgar Alan Poe’s story, The Fall Of The House Of Usher.

Internally this reaction to wheat, gluten and dairy hits me as well in the form of indigestion (as someone put it recently, the characteristic swallowing that is a symptom of this gunge in our system that we are constantly trying to deal with). I don't believe that this is the cause of autism as some 'experts' have postulated but just another symptomatic reaction caused by heightened sensitivity. 

The smell of lavender makes me feel ill as does the taste of gin. I clean the dog bowl outside because of the strong smell which my wife seems not to notice at all. I also find citrus fruits to tart for my taste (overwhelming like most sensory input). 

Talking of awareness, I realised that my bleary eyes reaction to winter winds (cold air in motion) is the same distortion of sight you get with steam on mirrors; refraction of light through globules of water. 

One of my other insights into reality was understanding why gorse bushes, along the river bank, bend over at a certain point. This is because winds get siphoned through a road's underpass, causing turbulence, which tosses them all over the place. I always thought my insights would be of use to society as whole but alas this has not proven to be the case. 

This detailed awareness is what makes us so ethical and empathetic because we want to understand neurotypicals and the human world (blend in / not stand out). OCD by the way is a sign of our fastidious nature as well as fear of contagion. 

I suffer from restless legs syndrome periodically and crack my joints. I also get very anxious in social situations or job interviews as I never knew what was expected of me. I have a brilliant memory because I hate mess and disorder, in mind or body (everything in its place and a place for everything as the saying goes). This last bit I put down to having an upbeat attitude most of the time as in depression I let everything go to pieces and I don't care about anything. 

We are the school genius as neurotypicals are the classroom bullies or their followers, jealous of our ability and unwilling to put in the hard work to join us, so blame us for their own failures. 

They try to minimise our abilities and perceptions as they ignore concepts that they don't understand or paranormal events that they don't believe in, dismissing them as wild imagination or fantasy, instead of the truth that threatens them in the form of the future calling. This change will be through gradual, peaceful evolution, not violent revolution. Society should use our hypersensitivity and hyper-awareness to its benefit but instead treats us as freaks or at best a petty annoyance for the rest of humanity. 

And still they deny us as a resource, seeing us as a distracting nuisance instead. 

We are the conscience and consciousness which they would prefer if we shut up and went away. Personally I think some neurotypicals should be labelled as disabled emotionally, intellectually and on a sensory level as we are hyper-enabled in these areas, However this sensitivity can disable some of us through overwhelm and stop us operating physically and mentally in this world. 

See the link below for more of my insights into the human condition or my two books Empty Thoughts From An Empty Head & Observations From Another Planet

An Empty Head

An Empty Head

The philosophical and psychological science behind reality explored in depth
Most common user reactions 14 reactions 7 comments
Post

Restless leg syndrome increased in severity

Has anyone taken mirapex for RLS? Does it even help ? What are the side effects you experienced? Pls let me know as I just started on it idk how I feel about it # ##CheckInWithMe #RestlessLegsSyndrome

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"It's Okay"

I was listening to music today and this song came up by Imagine Dragons. I've been having a very rough time feeling unmotivated and have been down on myself. This song really helped me to put in perspective that we all have bad times...it doesn't mean we give up, it means we allow them to happen then get back to where we are at peace again. Here is a portion of the lyrics:

"....It's okay to be not okay
It's just fine to be out of your mind
Breathe in deep, just a day at a time
'Cause it's okay to be out of your mind

I don't want this body, I don't want this voice
I don't want to be here, but I guess I have no choice
Just let me live my truth, that's all I wanna do
Baby, you're not broken, just a little bit confused.
...."

My birthday is Saturday and I am feeling a bit sad that due to all of my illnesses, my life hasn't been what I thought it would be. I've lost out on so much. And then I give myself a shake and remember everything I have to be thankful for. On Saturday I need to celebrate me, who I am now, not who I was, or the things I used to be able to do. I hope I can wake up and tell myself "Wow! I made it another year. Way to go!" And then face the day with a smile and a sense of adventure for the upcoming year. I hopefully can say " I'm okay!" #Fibromyalgia #BipolarII #Retinal Vein Occlusion #Pre -Parkisons #RestlessLegsSyndrome #OccipitalNeuralgia #ChronicDepression #intractablechronicmigrains

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My Experience With Restless Legs Syndrome

If you have Restless Legs Syndrome, or RLS for short, you know what a debilitating disease it can be. Long nights without sleep, difficulty doing simple tasks such as walking up and down stairs, the endless uncomfortable sensation that worms are crawling in my legs… the name is cruelly misleading. Restless. That’s what I feel when the toddler on the bus seat next to me pokes me for the third time.

I’ve had RLS for approximately 11 years. The first few years it was mild and I didn’t think much of it. My father has it too, and he never seemed particularly bothered. However, my diagnosis now falls in the ‘severe’ category. I have symptoms 24/7. I’m only in my 30’s. Since RLS can worsen over time, the likelihood of me making it to 50 without further decline… well, that’s pretty unlikely.

I have tried a number of pharmaceutical drugs, over-the-counter drugs, herbal remedies, and home remedies in the last decade. The most popular class of drugs for this disease, dopamine agonists, actually cause a worsening of symptoms over time. (This is called augmentation.) Yet they are prescribed by thousands of uneducated providers every day. Hot baths, melatonin, leg massages, iron tablets, epsom salts, you name it, I’ve tried it.

Then I moved to a state with medical marijuana. I contacted a doctor after reading someone’s story online where they swore this was the secret I had been looking for. The doctor told me he had a number of RLS patients and it did indeed help them. He wrote me the prescription and I got the medical card. (This costs a total of $250 since it is not covered by insurance.) I went to the dispensary where the helpful people told me what forms and strains would be best for my condition, after giving them a bit of insight into what RLS actually is and what causes it.

Prior to this, I had been running on 2 hours of sleep a night for so long I was truly losing my mind. I felt 5 seconds away from a psychotic break. I couldn’t imagine living the rest of my life this way. I was starting to seriously wonder what it would be like if I chopped my legs off.

But then I slept. Longer and deeper than I had in years. I felt like a person again. With this medicine, I am able to consistently get at least 6–8 hours of quality sleep a night. This was a drastic improvement that allowed me to enjoy my life again.

#RestlessLegsSyndrome needs to be taken more seriously in the medical community. There is a reason that having this condition drastically increases your risk for depression. It is a special type of misery that only sufferers can understand. We also understand that treatment is not one size fits all. What works for me, might not work for someone else. That makes it all the more difficult to deal with.

My Experience with Restless Legs Syndrome

My Experience with Restless Legs Syndrome

If you have Restless Legs Syndrome, or RLS for short, you know what a debilitating disease it can be. Long nights without sleep, difficulty…