My late Mother & RLS

[Stelladevico]

It makes me so sad to realise that my poor Mother was not only suffering from RLS in the terrible year before she died, but she was being prescribed the drugs that made it worse. Twenty years ago I had never heard of RLS but remember how many times she would ask me to move her legs as she lay in bed. I also remember a dreadful night when she had been given sleeping tablets by a visiting doctor & spent most of the night getting in and out of bed until she was utterly exhausted. I now believe that she would not have ended her life in a nursing home, being given even more drugs, if the doctors had recognised that she was suffering from RLS 😢

[Joolsg]

I am so sorry for your loss and for the unnecessary suffering your poor mother went through.It is sadly a common thread on here. Educating the medical profession is essential.

[Stelladevico in reply to Joolsg]

I completely agree and have ensured that my own medical record includes details of drugs that make my RLS worse.

[Hidden]

This is very sad and horrible.

It's made worse by the apparent fact that your poor mum may have been very vulnerable at this time with no real advocate to aid her in articulating her concerns.

Although I agree with Jools' idea, I also think in your mum's case I believe the nursing home staff should have acted as your mum's advocate. Any doctor whose role in this case seemed to be solely about prescribing drugs will only see a patient for a few minutes at a time. The staff would be spending all day with her and supposedly attending to all her needs.

This wouldn't necessarily mean having a great deal of knowledge of RLS.

Perhaps it demonstrates that weneed to be self-advocatingwhenwe're able and be preapred to seek advocacy assistance when we're not able.

[Stelladevico in reply to Hidden]

Actually the sleeping tablets were prescribed when my Mother was living at home. I honestly don’t think the doctors were listening & assumed that her agitation and restlessness were down to some form of dementia. They were obviously not even aware that RLS was a possible cause.

[Hidden in reply to Stelladevico]

Obviously I don't know all the details, but it seems to me that the doctors weren't entirely to blame. What were the nursing staff doing?

[Stelladevico in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your interest but there were no nursing staff as my Mother was living at home.

[Hidden in reply to Stelladevico]

Sorry, I misread your post.

[Ranjits]

So sad 😞 my mum had Rls too she walk all night up and down no medication she died four years back

[Hidden in reply to Ranjits]

Mine too

[Spurdog1]

This is so sad, I really feel for you both. This is another angle of passing away taking secrets with them. I find this so much in my research (Family).

[Stelladevico in reply to Spurdog1]

I often wish I had paid more attention to my parents stories about their own lives. It is frustrating to find photos & not be able to ask who they are of, or what happened to relatives.

[Arkangel]

I am so sorry to read your story, it was the same with my father. The doctor actually laughed at him and said there is no such thing as restless legs! I have had it for as long as I can remember as have my first cousins too. It seems to be a family thing.

[Hidden in reply to Arkangel]

Appalling lack of education & knowledge. Poor guy

[Arkangel in reply to Hidden]

It's unbelievable isn't it. I remember him walking about the house all night and then going to work in the morning.

[Hidden in reply to Arkangel]

It is the strangest conditionisn’t it? How on earth did he work?

I find even friends & famiiy who have the mild version don’t ‘get’ the very severe version & imply you are just not dealing with something they so easily can - so really what chance does a non afflicted dr have?