John's Posts

John, has your iron level been checked recently? I used to have Restless Leg Syndrome and although it can be a genetic issue or the result of some neurological issue, it also can occur after major surgery and be the result of low iron and/or long periods of sleep deprivation. Here is an abstract of a study of post op Restless Leg Syndrome. It's a study of a 9 year old and I realize you are not a 9 year old but it might give you some questions you can ask your doctor. The first time I had it, I never knew what caused it but when I had my second bout of Restless Leg Syndrome, it came shortly after having two surgeries close together for Ovarian Cancer. Afterwards, the magnesium and iron in my blood was low and took a while to get the levels to stabilize. It took two rounds of IV therapy but it went away. My Restless Legs are no longer restless and haven't been for some time now (6 years). Here's the abstract if you'd like to read it. I hope this helps a little or at the very least gives you a direction to investigate. ~Karen http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16939866

I'm a long-time leg flopper. Good idea to have underlying causes checked, as Karen mentions. But if it's benign RLS and driving you nuts during the day, you can get a thing that looks like a curry comb with flexible plastic bristles on it. I rub this on my legs when they start jerking, and the whim-whams go away. There's some thought that RLS could be on a spectrum of neurological phenomena related to Parkinsons/essential tremor. My doctor is tracking me and some other RLS patients to see if other neurological symptoms develop, but for many years, this has remained pretty stable.

Hope this is not TMI, but I also sleep alone because my legs jerk in the night; doesn't wake me up, but bugs my husband. This arrangement works fine for us and cuts down on grouchiness. If co-sleeping is important to you, there are meds you can try. Or get a king size bed.