Meet People with RLS: Lynne
Hello. My name is Lynne. I am 44 and live in Dallas with my husband; we have two sons in their early 20's. And I have lived with restless legs syndrome – or RLS – for as long as I can remember.
I have what is considered severe RLS and my first living memory is of trying to cope with my RLS symptoms. As a child, I used to climb out of bed and run the bath water as hot as I could get it to prepare a water bottle in the middle of the night, which I would put on my legs to help relieve the uncomfortable, tingling sensations that were keeping me awake. When I think of that now! How sad that at the age of 4 or 5 yrs. old, I knew how to ease my own pain!
In my family RLS is common. I actually have a genetic link to RLS on both sides of my family, though my mom’s family had it much more severely than my dad’s family. Both my mom and my dad had mild-to-moderate RLS, but my maternal grandmother had severe RLS, just like me. Luckily for my sons, RLS severity skips a generation in our family. I just hope my youngest son’s RLS doesn’t get worse as he gets older. But I am agonized knowing that my grandchildren may suffer like I do. For me, the RLS has gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. Though I experienced symptoms as a child, I didn’t really experience severe RLS until I was in my 30’s.
Before I found the best way for me to manage my symptoms, I missed out on a lot. I would be up pacing at night while my family was sleeping. By the time my symptoms subsided and I could fall asleep, it was time for my family to get up. I felt like I lived alone, living on the sidelines of my own life. And RLS affects everything – the lack of sleep turns you into a different person, and you end up changing your behaviors and your habits. It really changes the person you thought you were going to be.
Thinking of my future grandchildren, I want to do everything possible to help other people suffering from RLS. I want people to know that there are many faces of RLS, and that it is a controllable condition.
Click here to see my video and hear me tell more about my RLS story.
