I am sorry if you guys don't like these types of posts but I feel like I need to speak with someone about this and figured that here would be the right place. For the past 4 days there has been a certain feeling in my thighs more precisely where my hamstrings are. It feels a lot like an itch but its not quite the same and I just can't scratch it. I keep massaging/scratching it but it doesn't go away. This is not the first time I have felt that sensation. The last time was about a year ago. I went to the doctor but he just dismissed me as being anxious and said that a healthy 19 year old has nothing to fear so I am weary of going to get it checked now. I tried googling it and what came up is rls . I checked the symptoms but mine don't quite match up.
1. It says that the sensations one may feel are accompanied by the compulsive need to move one's legs but I don't feel that need. It's just really annoying.
2. The descriptions of the sensations don't match mine.
3. It appears exclusively at night but mine seems to be present all the time.
I'd appreciate any feedback.
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FakeBeans
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Hi FakeBeans, what you describe sounds really annoying. As you noticed by checking against the criteria for diagnosis of RLS, the urge to move is the most telltale sign. Accompanied by symptoms occurring mainly in the evening / at night and at rest. What you have doesn't sound like RLS. That is good, as RLS is a nasty disease, far from understood, chronic and progressive and difficult to treat.
But then what is it? I don't know. You will have to consult a doctor again. The only thing I could think of is a trapped nerve in your spine. Or in a muscle on your buttocks. I once had that, but the name eludes me right now. If this is the vase, doctors, but also physiotherapists know exactly from where the pain presents where the nerve is trapped. And what can be done to 'untrap' it.
Don't let yourself he dismissed. If you suffer pain, it is pain. Whatever the cause, even if it was psychological. Please try to see another doctor or a physiotherapist to see whether it could be a trapped nerve. Or exclude it and then you'll have to search further. I do hope in a way it is a trapped nerve. It happens quite often and can be treated effectively, mainly with the right stretches and some time. I hope you get better soon.
Thanks for the response. I'll try to find another doctor but because I live in a smaller rural town i think i'll have to visit a nearby city. Btw i didn't really grasp what was meant exactly when I read about the urge to move one's legs. It would be unmistakable to someone who has it right? Something like an instinct?
Yes. It's unbearable and you have no option but to move. Movement relieves the sensation but the minute you sit down or try to sleep, the sensations start again and you have to move. That's why it's a Sleep Disorder. It stops you sleeping and constantly wakes you from sleep.I think Lotte is right, your symptoms sound more like a trapped nerve, sciatica or neuropathy. If you've had it before and it went away, can you recall what helped? Rest, sleep, stretching, diet?
Hi, I'm not against anybody posting on here if they think they've got RLS. It's not always easy to diagnose it, especially when symtoms are mild.
For me I think the main thing that shows you probably don't have RLS is that you say you have it all the time. It is cefinitely a sleep related disorder.
I recall my first symptoms of RLS weren't the urge to move, but I did have PLMD. This is Periodic Limb Movement Disorder and it means kicking your legs in your sleep. Most people with RLS also have these and may not be aware of it.
Your problem now, obviously is what is it.
It's really difficult to say without an actual conversation with you, what your issue might be.
I'd have to ask, what seems to make it better and what seems to make it worse as thete are quite a few possibilities.
I doubt if it's a neuropathy, i.e. a nerve condition. The usual symptoms of these are burning or stabbing pains, pins and needless and numbness.
Neuropathy is usually associated either with other conditions or with events, e.g. diabetes or back trauma.
It may well be anxiety, your doctor may be right, but it isn't very helpful to just say that then send you away. If you are suffering anxiety you deserve as much help as if you did have a physical health problem.
I do have some mild anxiety . Also I forgot to mention that it sometimes can go to my back,arms and face but it quickly disappears . That can happen when I am stressed.
It doesn’t sound like RLS to me, I would have suggested nerve related although it doesn’t quite seem right either. I had “nerve sensitivity” after some back/spine issues which caused me a lot of anxiety until I got some help and I found I got a tingling or “presence” on my skin (a bit like spider web touching) which spread to my arms neck and face when I was really stressed and anxious, so your doctor could be right. It’s not easy to relax when your body is doing unexpected things but if you can it will probably help and you may find it just goes away. If you are sedentary then getting more moderate exercise such as a couple of miles walking a day may help.
I always find it difficult to be sure how stressed I am. It sort of creeps up on you. The other thing is that "stress" is a physiological reaction, anxiety is just one way in which we feel it. I can be stressed and not necessarily feel it as anxiety. You need to look out for the signs and symptoms of it to really appreciate how stressed you are.
I'm not a doctor (or psychiatrist) but I do have some knowledge and your symptoms could be explained by stress, but obviously that's not a diagnosis and I can't say for sure. It's just a possibility.
If your symptons get worse or if you are concerned then you do need to go back to your doctor and if they do say "it's just stress" ask them to explain that and also ask for advice on what to do about it.
I hope you don't feel patronised but I'm about to cimmit one of those "when I was your age" things.
When I was your age I did experience major stress and I didn't really know anything about it or how to manage it at the time. I was on mega doses of both antidepressants and tranquilisers andt hey just made things worse.
I don't recall that 19 was a particularly good age to be
FYI. Before I got my RLS under control, I suffered 24/7. Not just at night. Many, many days I woke (from what little sleep I could eke out) with it.. Remember, we are all different.
Well said! I’ve had RLS my entire life and as a child I suffered from it day and night. I can still have an attack during the day, though thankfully it doesn’t happen so often now. I’ve also read people saying that symptoms usually disappear about 4am as dopamine levels increase. I can be woken up by RLS at 4am, 5am and 6am.
I have suffered with RLS for around 40 years, and like you, I can be awoken at 4am, 5am and 6am.I have forgotten what it is like to have 8,7or even 6 hours of decent sleep.
Me too. Permanently tired and struggle to get up most mornings. Spend the whole day feeling spaced out if I have to get up early.
I agree with LotteM, could be a trapped nerve. My 'RLS' so called was misdiagnosed for over 4 years before I went on a big learning curve and then managed to get a second opinion and eventually an appt with another consultant, then a pain clinic and it appears it is nerve pressure in my spine. My symptoms never matched the RLS ones but the first consultant would not admit that he may have got it wrong!. I have curviture of my lower spine which seems to be the culprit and had one spinal injection that was unsuccessful but having another one whenever that is going to be. I find that you have to do alot of research and then try to persuade the GP that it is not RLS but could be a trapped nerve or pressure. Have all the details to hand and print them out for your GP, also why not go to a physio, they are knowledgeable and generally very good. Do not give up.
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