My Story: Spinal Stenosis and RLS

Here is my story. I am 74 years young. I must have had RLS in college since I remember my father, a physician, giving me quinine tablets without much luck. I guess they continued on and off but got especially bad after I graduated nursing school and started working.

Trying Vitamin E

I met my future wife in 1977 and I can remember having a discussion with her mother, a very wise lady of Irish descent about RLS. Vitamin E she said. Take Vitamin E and so I did. I think I probably started taking about 800 iu at bedtime. That was my routine for over 40 years. If I missed a dose, I paid for it.

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Spinal stenosis and RLS

Fast forward to about 2 months ago. I have spinal stenosis that has gone from moderate to severe. Suddenly, my RLS is back at night and when I sit too long. Nothing is helping it except just letting run its course. I am sleep-deprived and there is no rhyme or reason for which nights it appears. I have read that my spinal stenosis affects the nerves in my legs and the worsening of the stenosis could cause the RLS. I am awaiting surgery on my back and hopefully, that will not only fix my back but also help my RLS. Stay tuned.

Do you want to share your experiences living with RLS too?

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