Hi there. I'm a new member and wanted your thoughts please.
My condition has become worse over past few weeks after birth of my
Child. Not sure if sleepless
Nights have an impact on RLS Severity? Is this normal?
I find exercise has an good impact but wondered if there was anything else I could try?
Thanks!
Hello there, good thing I came online at this moment, it seems you only posted this question an hour ago.
I don't really know much about RLS but what I do know is I have found something that is working very good so far for me. It's called the low FODMAP diet. Basically you eliminate certain foods from your diet until you are symptom free, then slowly reintroduce them to see what you can/can't eat. I was doing it for two weeks, had really promising results, then ate a bowl of strawberries (supposedly low fodmap) and my symptoms flared up. Since then, it has been about a week and things are slowly returning to where they recently were. My right leg is 90% calm whilst my left leg about 30-40%. It is hard for me because I am at university and not the best cook, so I'm having to do two things at once it seems. What has made it easier is my getting help from my room mate. We literally sit in the living room every night and plan plan plan. Write down everything you plan on eating. Instead of throwing out the supermarket catalogues in your mailbox, read through them. Look up websites like catch of the day and iherb for getting good deals. Buy a whiteboard and write everything down on it of you have to.
I think the only advice I can give you besides personal experience above is STAY AWAY FROM HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES. far out those are nothing but wastes of money. You have a duty to look after your child, but in order to do that you need to be 100%. You won't be able to achieve that by yourself. You're going to need good, loyal friends to help you every step of the way. This is a damn hard illness to control, many can't ever control it, so you need to stay hopeful and persistent.
Hope this helps, btw here is the link to the diet I follow religiously:
ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fo...
Hi Back to basics,
Strawberries also affect me, as do persimmons and chocolate ( all high oxalate foods). I'm experimenting with a low oxalate diet and certainly getting better nights - just another idea.
I have heard about the low oxalate diet. Let me know how it's going for you in a weeks time. With my diet, I am waking up each morning with calmer and calmer legs. Each day the calmness lasts a little bit longer before I get a bit of restlessness. Gonna take a few months I reckon. Anyway, give me an update every week,sounds interesting 
I have heard that taking a bath 30 minutes before bed helps. I don't have a tub but I do go to the hot tub and it does seem to relax my legs. Also try Melatonin before bed.
Hi and congratulations on the new baby.
It sounds like your rls may be linked to hormonal changes going on post partum. Are you breastfeeding?
I suspect things will quieten down after a while , if you don't have a history of rls.
Meanwhile you could try magnesium citrate 200mg or make up a solution of Epsom salts and water, half and half by volume , and rub the oily solution on your legs. It may sting a little bit but doesn't last long. That will get mg into you without going through the BBBarrier.
An Epsom salt bath is another option - if you have someone to hold the littlun.
Good luck- and let us know how you get on - if it's your first child , you have a lot going on in your life.
Be kind to yourself.☺
I didn't even consider that. There's a high chance her RLS is related to hormonal changes. Good point. Yeah I would say if you've never had RLS before and none of your relatives have, it's probably just a hormonal thing caused by pregnancy. For the time being, I recommend trying magnesium gel by Ancient Minerals. I use to use that stuff night and day, served me well. Get it off ebay or Amazon for a good price
Congratulations on the new baby. I've had RLS for about 20 years now. I was on Requip but after a few years, it had little to no effect. Then my nuerologist put me on Gabepentin and Mirapex. He advised me to stay away from high cardio impact exercise like Zumba. He said walking or swimming, something more low impact is better. Since the Mirapex has started, I haven't had any symptoms. I have been told after a few years on Mirapex, the symptoms may return. But until then, I'm glad to be able to drive to work without having to pull over every few miles to walk.
Start figuring out a backup plan. Look into the low fodmap diet. I've been doing it and so far the results have been brilliant.
I experienced rls with each pregnancy and unfortunately after the last one it didn't go away. I now wonder if it was caused by my iron levels dropping during pregnancy. US experts in rls consider that for the majority of sufferers increasing the serum ferritin levels to over 100 can help considerably with rls symptoms.
I would suggest you get a blood test to determine what is your serum ferritin level at the moment - you need to get the specific figure - being told you are 'normal' is not enough. 'Normal' for rls is not the same as for others.
My symptoms improved considerably when I raised my levels from an initial figure of 29 to over 80 by taking oral iron. I hope to get them to over 100. If you decide to take oral iron you will of course need to establish that it is safe to do so while breast feeding. It is optimal to take it on an empty stomach and if you take ferrous fumerate you will need to take vitamin C at the same time. If you take 'gentle iron' (ferrous bicglycinate) you don't need to take it with vit C and it is supposed to be easier on the stomach and in particular with constipation. The other option which US experts consider is an iron infusion to bring up levels quicker.
As others have advised there are medications which will help with rls, at least for a while, but it is worth looking into whether raising your iron levels would allow you to progress without resorting to prescription drugs at this early stage in your life. I hope you are managing to enjoy your new baby in the midst of all this turmoil.
Yoga and stretching can be helpful with rls symptoms if they are not too severe. Exercise is helpful in accessing sleep if symptoms are not too severe (another aspect of rls which many experience in addition to the horrible crawly sensation and urge to move, is nocturnal alerting and insomnia - though this is unlikely to be a problem for any new parent).
Some people swear by magnesium - taken as a supplement or rubbed on the legs or in the bath - but do be aware that there are some who find it makes the rls worse. Others are passionately convinced that taking gentle iron (iron bisglycinate) at the onset of symptoms will alleviate the symptoms. Some find vitamin D helps. I have also seen people recommend a small tot of apple cider vinegar before bed and also a cup of rooiboos tea.
I sometimes find that lying on my back with my legs sticking straight up against the wall (bum as close the wall as possible) can help - I have to turn round because the wall is behind the top of the bed.
Other non-pharmaceutical remedies suggested are taurine, l-theanine and l-tyrosine but I would steer clear of these if breast feeding. Then there are a number of dietary suggestions, one of which has been posted already and may be worth a try.
If the rls is severe, however, it is unlikely that any of these remedies will alleviate it effectively - only increased iron (which works in a majority but not all cases) and prescription medication will work for severe rls.
Hard to tell what severe rls is. For me, I'd wake up every 2 hours and have no relief 24/7. Nice to hear you're giving the diets a shoutout. Low fodmap diet is working fantastic for me so far
Hi backtobasics,
I am so pleased the diet is working and you are getting good results. I have observed a correlation between rls and some foods in myself but it is weak - no matter what I eat or do not eat, I will get symptoms of some sort if I am not medicated. I am envious of those for whom following a particular diet has such a profound impact. That said, it is on my list of possible actions to try the fodmap diet as it is so strongly recommended. I need a burst of positive energy to get up and running with it ...
You just gotta take a leap of faith. I know what you mean tho. I vaporise cannabis every night so that's something I look forward to each day. Lately, the days have been a lot easier because the diet is working so I can sit through lectures/meetings easily. If and when you start getting results, your motivation will go through the roof. You'll be like, right, no more rls, this is it, I'm gonna stick to the diet. In terms of knowing what to eat, you'll just have to research research research and find out handy tricks. I really recommend you give it a month trial.
Have you followed it rigorously? Is it difficult to stick to? I see that it is recommended only to stick to the strict diet for 3 to 6 weeks before adding food back in. Have you started adding back in yet? What meals do you eat?
Yeah I've followed it very closely. Absolutely no mishaps. It has been hard because I am at university and working, so learning about new recipes and what to eat hasn't been an option because I'm just too busy. You stick to the initial phase until you are symptom-free. So if and when you get to the point of heaven (I'm not there yet), you enjoy that for as long as you like before experimenting with what you can/can't eat. The diet was made for IBS, so people with RLS should expect much longer waiting times. I think I've got about 2-3 weeks before my legs are completely calm, because improvements are happening every day. I eat a lot of rice and fish. Rice is so versatile, you can have it with pretty much anything. Buy yourself a rice cooker and start making some everyday. It's so dam cheap. I don't know what kind of budget you have, but if you can afford a low fodmap diet coach, that would make things 100x easier. Obviously you would do a 2-3 week trial just to make sure it works for you, but after that, getting advice from an expert is what I'm gonna do once I have the time. I think it would be ok that you're using the diet to treat something other than IBS, I mean the people are there to help so surely they will have no problem helping you.
Hi there and welcome,
Congratulations on the new baby. I had RLS in the third trimester of my second pregnancy and suffered anaemia during that time so as Involuntary Dancer suggests ask for a blood test to check your serum ferritin and if below 100 take supplements to increase the levels. If you're breastfeeding, check which iron supplements will be safe. It could also be the hormone changes. Avoid any meds or foods that might make it worse, like antihistamines or cold medicines.
Hope you get some naps when the baby sleeps during the day.
Take Care
Jools
Hi jools,
Read this article about how fermented foods is very good for the gut and how it helps the low fodmap diet process. There was a part in there where the writer talks about sodium and iron ions binding to each other if there is too much of a certain acid in the stomach. That's a big thing for us as obviously RLS is caused by lack of iron in the brain (pretty sure it is). I've gone to the shops and bought a jar of pickled cucumbers (one of the brilliant fermented foods she mentions). Had one with dinner and it tasted bloody awful, but I'll stick with. Will let you know in a week or two if I can feel a difference. Probly take longer tho.
thefodmapfriendlyvegan.com/...
Take care
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