Will We Ever Say Goodbye to RLS?
Our time upon this rotating rock is fleeting. Billions of heartbeats have been wiped from existence over the course of our human invasion. No doubt when we have tortured Mother Nature to her extreme, we will find out her wrath is to ensure her survival.
We spend so much time saying goodbye — the painful ones to parents, siblings, grandparents, or, God forbid, children. Or the sometimes lesser ones, like items we have owned or temporary medical conditions we have dealt with.
Living with health conditions since early childhood
When I was born prematurely, I spent 2 months in the SCBU (special care baby unit) stabbed full of needles and breathing tubes. Thankfully, I battled against the odds, ultimately thriving. Due to the medical intervention my lungs were a little scarred, resulting in me being diagnosed with asthma when I was 2 years old, alongside its bedfellow, eczema.
Once I started school, the realisation happened that proved how much my conditions would affect me. Running was impossible; I was collapsing at the finish line, gasping for air. As I grew, I found it bothered me less and less, whereas now, I only use my medication if I have a cough or cold.
Saying goodbye to asthma and eczema
Eczema was a cheeky complaint, spoiling my fun at every turn, as it was triggered by grass and pollen. One summer, when I was 8 years old, I rolled down the recently-cut grass slope located at my school; this led to me being off school for 2 weeks, covered in Calamine lotion, watching Pebble Mill on the TV at lunchtimes with my mother.
Over the years I have learnt to stay away from grass! No huge breakouts for decades, largely due to the fact I ensure my elbows stay away from grass.
In my years I seem to have been able to say goodbye to both my chronic asthma and annoying eczema. I wonder, if there will be more conditions, will I be able to wave them off in my lifetime?
Still struggling with breakthrough RLS symptoms
Take my RLS for example. I currently take pramipexole to subdue its anger most evenings, allowing me to have a comfortable night's sleep. On the odd occasion, I still struggle with breakthrough symptoms. On nights like tonight, I find myself plonked on the sofa typing my sorrows away to you wonderful individuals. The only thing in common between us? We resemble a wavy inflatable dude at a car dealership during the wee small hours!
Having RLS is what draws us together
With any luck, tests and scientific progress will develop a vaccination, implant, or foul-tasting liquid that will stop our RLS symptoms, side-effect-free! To be a "normal" human being would be fantastic! Knowing my luck, it would come to fruition the day before I shuffle off this mortal coil!
What I am trying to say is, always keep your faith. You never know when the breakthrough will happen, when the side effect of a different medication would be to stop RLS! It’s usually how these things happen — completely out of the blue and off script!
RLS is what draws us together. The shared experience is what keeps us together.
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