The Trio of Pain

The Trio of Pain is a diabolical team always at my door, often kicking it down and it rains down hell on me. I know that sounds like comic book villains but it's just how I have chosen to view my situation.

If I can visualize the pain as a manifestation, maybe I can try easing it back, something recently suggested to me in a chronic pain workshop. I suffer from several diseases that cause pain but I am going to talk about the 3 that love to team up the most.

What is my Trio of Pain?

The Trio's names? Restless legs syndrome, fibromyalgia, and joint hypermobility. Honestly, I can't recall what showed up first, RLS or fibro...or maybe they were both at the same time. Joint hypermobility was the last on the scene, well at least as far as I can recall.

To be fair, I haven't been officially diagnosed with joint hypermobility, my physiotherapist told me I have it. COVID-19 has delayed getting that figured out.

When the Trio teams up

About a decade ago is when the Trio first started to team up. My RLS would start to act up in the daytime and fibro would decide to hijack the experience and pain. I can't stay in one position for too long because of the joint hypermobility, which can also trigger the RLS to act up, soon followed by fibro.

Trying to balance being active for the joint hypermobility without aggravating RLS is extremely tricky, all the while fibro rages on.

Evening and nights are the worst for me

The evening and nighttime are when the Trio is the most active for me. My hips and other joints start to ache, which causes the other 2 to act up. It's the most frustrating time of the day for me.

I have been taking magnesium pramipexole (Mirapex) an hour before bed each night to try to help ease the symptoms. It kind of seems to have helped a little bit but there are still some pretty bad nights.

I also work the sleep program that was suggested to me by the sleep clinic when I had an overnight sleep study. I follow these steps that were laid out an hour before bed and which has helped me to fall asleep faster.

A little relief goes a long way

Before the sleep program, sometimes it seemed like my legs would be in spasm for half an hour sometimes more before I fell asleep. Now, even on those bad nights when my legs don't seem to want to quit, it feels more like 20 minutes. Which I know may not sound like much of a difference, but to me it's wonderful.

All I can do is ride it out

When the Trio is acting up, all I can do is have cannabis for the pain and ride it out. Nothing the doctors have prescribed to me has helped in the slightest bit for pain relief. I realign my lower back and get my hips myself (big heavy cracking sounds) to be back in place before either walking around my small apartment unit or doing calf raises.

While this doesn't stop anything, it's better than doing nothing at all. When I can't stand any longer, I sit with my legs out in front of me and do the same motion as I was standing up.

Do you have another health condition that "teams up" with RLS? What do you do to find relief? Share with us in the comments below.