Post Surgery Relapse

[Peterdh2u]

Hi everyone,

Having managed my RLS very satisfactorily for several months without having to resort to taking dopamine agonists, I am now suffering a dreadful relapse following a total hip replacement (THR) last week and, as many of us are of a certain age, wondered if any of you guys had any similar experiences?

I usually take 20mg Naproxen (Aleve), 400mg magnesium citrate and 450mg glucosamine and chrondroitin of an evening. In addition, I was also prescribed 900mg Gabapentin a few months ago for cervical nerve related pain. This immediately improved my sleep quality and, being a recognised RLS treatment, had a double benefit for me.

My recovery from the THR surgery has been excellent and I was allowed home after two nights, but then, wallop...my RLS kicked in with a vengeance on the third night and has remained as bad as I have ever known it for the 7 nights since... I hobble around on crutches until 3 or 4am, clamber in and out of bed every 15-20 mins until around 5am and finally get a couple of hours of broken sleep after that. The symptoms are made all the worse for having to wear compression stockings and only being allowed (and able) to lie on my back.

Other than painkillers, the only change to my medication was that I had to stop taking the Naproxen because I was prescribed an anticoagulant. I was also given a couple of antihistamine tablets whilst in hospital, but these will have well left my system by now.

I called the hospital doctor who suggested I gave the RLS a few days to settle down and tried increasing the Gabapentin, neither of which helped, so today I called my GP for help.

As my ferritin was recently tested at 135, I am probably ok for iron, but he wanted to prescribe Pramipexole. He listened to my concerns about the potential for augmentation and, accepting I was a low risk for dependency, agreed to prescribe Tramadol instead, so fingers crossed for some relief tonight. It seems that some sympathetic doctors are prepared to prescribe opiates in certain circumstances and, as I am also having a knee replacement later this year, I hope it works!!

Finally, I wanted to share something I found online whist wandering around in the wee small hours this morning which I found extremely informative and may be relevant to any fellow sufferers who are considering surgery. anesthesiology.pubs.asahq.o...

There is much fascinating and indeed, disturbing information in there which may prompt further discussion!

[Madlegs1]

Good luck with the Tramadol.

I tried it once and had severe itching and insomnia. I changed to Oxycontin and had similar experiences, but stayed with it , because I knew there was no alternative.

Probably, if I had persevered with the Tramadol, I might well have been ok.

So what I'm saying ,is that you may experience initial difficulty with the Tramadol, but do stay with it.

All the very best. You'll soon be jiving the nights away!💃🤗

[Peterdh2u in reply to Madlegs1]

Ha! Thanks very much for that!😂

The sad thing is that I was as fit as fiddle when I retired a year ago, but will end up distinctly bionic by next year!

I'm sorry Tramadol didn't work out for you. Fortunately, I haven't experienced any problems with it before but as I have read so often on here, part of the very nature of RLS is that the triggers and treatments for it can vary so much from one person to another. I am just grateful that my GP threw me a lifeline without condemning me to risk the DA route and there is considerable evidence for me to be optimistic.

Hopefully, it will work out ok, as I have read that acute, post operative exacerbation of RLS can last for 4-6 weeks and shares numerous similarities with a severe form of augmentation. I certainly don't fancy another 5 weeks like the last one!!

If this fails, then Pramipexole it is....😬😬😬

[Hidden]

Wow, very interesting article, thank you. The last surgery I had was 7 years ago. I think I was lucky. However, I didn't have all that medication. I also didn't miss any dose of Pramipexole, was able to mobilise and had morphine.

I think the distressing pain I had distracted me from any RLS symptoms. It was an endoscopic procedure and they'd pumped all this gas into my abdomen!.

I even had a severe infection after and was bleeding for four weeks despite which, no RLS.

[Peterdh2u in reply to Hidden]

Hi Manerva, great that you were spared the additional discomfort of RLS when you last had surgery. I also had no problems when I had a couple of procedures under general anaesthetic back in 2010. The main difference this time was that I was given an epidural and the surgery was more invasive.

I'm glad you enjoyed the article!

[finder1234]

Check my reply to Hoochybaby ....failing that I suggest u try some pot to relax.

[Peterdh2u in reply to finder1234]

Cheers, Finder. Thanks for the advice. I can't stand the taste of tonic water much to the delight if my wife who is the family gin drinker!!

As for pot, I dabbled as a youngster at university, but never enjoyed it and the stuff the kids get nowadays is lethal by comparison.

Sugar is a possibility though, as I have been working my way through a mountain of chocolate and sweets brought as gifts this week. However, I've not previously had a problem with it, so will let you know!

[Peterdh2u]

Yay...... nearly 8 hours sleep last night thanks to a double trouble Tramadol at bedtime!!!

The RLS did put in a fight for half an hour or so around 3am, but was slam dunked by the Tramadol.

The only downside has been waking up with a bit of a hangover despite not drinking, but that's a fair swap as far as I'm concerned.

[Sky7777]

Thank you for sharing this article. How scary.