How a Long Road Trip and a Horrible Bed Was an RLS Nightmare

Last year my husband and I needed to travel out of town for a specialist appointment, and because of how far away it was, it required spending 2 nights away from home. I don’t know what part I dreaded more: the long drive or the RLS nightmare bed that I had to sleep in.

I love traveling, but I also dread the drive

My husband and I planned to leave the morning before my specialist appointment so that we didn’t have to worry about timing at all. About half of an hour before we left, I made sure that I didn’t sit at all, knowing that there was a minimum 5-hour drive ahead of us but that we definitely would be taking longer than that.

I love traveling so much, especially where we were going, but I also dread the drive because of my RLS. We ended up stopping every 2 hours so that I could get out, stretch my legs, and put the joints in my back and legs back into alignment.

Movement brought some relief

By the time we arrived at our destination, my RLS was acting up really bad. Stepping out of the car brought sweet relief (mentally) — no more being cooped up in the car. With how bad my legs were doing, my husband and I decided to do a small little mosey around.

It felt so great to be moving and I was also able to get in some medical marijuana to help ease the pains and relax my muscles. We grabbed our luggage and got checked into our room.

This was my husband's first time staying at Easter Seals House Vancouver. It’s a place for sick kids and their families, as well as sick adults, to stay while they have doctor or specialist appointments. All the furniture is donated and basic, so the beds are hard, a complete RLS nightmare for me.

A hot shower helped calm my restless legs

The bedsheets are cheap cotton that has been bleached and starched a million times, so they feel so rough on my sensitive skin. I think both my RLS and my fibromyalgia have made my skin super sensitive. The combo of a hard bed and rough-feeling bedding made it challenging to get comfortable enough to sleep. On top of that, my RLS was still ragging wildly and my RLS medications weren’t offering any relief.

After half an hour, I caved and jumped in for a hot shower. Finally, my RLS started to calm down a bit. I don’t know how long it ended up taking for me to finally fall asleep out of sheer exhaustion, but sleep eventually did come.

I was grateful for a faster, easier trip home

With my specialist appointment being late in the afternoon, we had decided to spend another night so we didn’t have to drive at night. One more night of the RLS nightmare bed before hitting the road. At least this time, my RLS wasn’t rough. I was grateful that the travel the day before didn’t affect me any longer.

By sheer luck, the drive back wasn’t as rough on my RLS. We didn’t have to stop as many times and made it home in good time. Maybe part of it was the excitement at knowing I would be sleeping in my comfortable bed. Thankfully, by the time I crawled into my own bed, I was so exhausted I passed out quickly.