How Were You Diagnosed With Restless Legs?

I was having breathing problems and my former GP thought it was sleep related (it's not). He sent me for a sleep study where I was finally diagnosed with RLS. I was also diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

🥄🦄Ray (Team member)

It's a proud family tradition. Official diagnosis at age 36, but symptomatic since age 8.

When I was in my late twenties my RLS was really bad. I've had symptoms since I was in my teens, but then the doctor thought it was stress. My mother also has RLS and she never went to the doctor because the doctor couldn't do anything. So that's what I thought. But my new doctor didn't know what it was either and referred me to a neurologist. He did several tests to rule things out and asked a lot of questions. He also asked me to make a movie when my legs and arms started. At the next appointment, he watched for two seconds and then knew it was Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder.

I've suffered from RLS since I was a small child. Lots of people in my family also had it.so we just put up with it. It wasn't until I was in my 30's when my Mom sent me an article from her local newspaper about RLS. Wow, it had a name! I could have cried. Actually I did cry. I was properly diagnosed a few years later. I saw a Neurologist and went through all of the medications available at the time with no success. I've now been taking a low dose opioid for almost 20 years and my RLS is almost non-existent (I know it's still there trying hard to rear it's ugly head, but I'm winning so far.