Taking My Life Back From RLS

I have been dealing with RLS since October 2025. It started out with a "bang." I had heard of this condition before and immediately, I recognized the fact that I was experiencing the symptoms that I had only read about -- the creepy, crawling, pulling -- and in my experience, it is accompanied with neuropathy.

My treatment plan so far

I am a 55-year-old retired Army veteran, and the military wasn't too nice to my body for 23 years. Nevertheless, I refuse to let RLS control my life. I'm a woman who is determined to NEVER QUIT!

Between my doctors at the VA as well as my outside doctors, they have worked with me to lock down the culprit of my RLS.

I've been prescribed Gabapentin (which I didn't like); and now I'm on Lyrica, which is working better for me. I've been to one neurologist and I'm scheduled to see another neurologist to conduct an electromyography. That sounds fun!

The iron connection

As we worked on my diagnosis, I also went to see a sleep doctor. Prior to seeing her, my Primary Care (PC) doctor ran a blood panel on me. She stated that my iron levels were "normal."

I started doing my own digging because my doctors weren't paying attention to my ferritin levels, with the exception of one: My sleep doctor.

The culprit of my RLS is low iron. With a ferritin level of 40.5, that didn't sit right with my sleep doctor. She has prescribed iron supplements, so I ordered Proferin to increase my ferritin level. It was recommended to me because of the absorption, and it won't constipate you like iron often does.

Back problems are also a concern

I've also had an MRI, which showed normal amounts of degeneration in my spine and a couple of bulges in my discs. But the fix (I'm praying) is to increase my iron levels. I'm also doing physical therapy twice a week, and it helps tremendously.

My sleep doctor stated that if the supplements don't work, then the next step is an iron infusion.

RLS will not define me

For the most part, my RLS is not severe; however, I'm addressing it head on in its infancy. I'm a fighter, and I'm a Christian. Prayer is the other and most important "medicine" in my toolkit that I fight with! So, I refuse to allow RLS to take over my life, and I hope that anybody who is suffering from RLS will continue to fight, too! I'm taking my life back from RLS!