"Restless Legs Syndrome". That's the diagnosis I received from my good Christian doctor yesterday. She is a wonderful doctor too. A delightful sense of humor, a willingness to actually listen to the patient and she even wrote a Bible verse on my prescription!. Pretty cool stuff, eh?.

Anyway, so as to provide a little background, please allow me to share the letter I gave to my doctor yesterday with the rest of you. It goes as follows...

----------------------------------- LETTER TO MY CHRISTIAN DOCTOR ----------------------------------------------

Dear Dr. Lewin (Please read and put in my medical records)

I realize that there are a lot of different issues here but I would greatly appreciate your taking the time to read this and go over them with me (even briefly if possible) because these are all very real, serious and ongoing problems that are adversely affecting the quality of my life every day and I'm having an increasingly difficult time dealing with them.

First of all, I hope and pray that you can help me understand what is going on with my left leg as I find it very troubling and even frightening. Last night as I lay in bed trying to go to sleep, I had an intense desire to stretch my left leg every few minutes. I'm not sure what biological process is involved in the body's need to stretch. Perhaps it has has something to do with lactic acid build-up. I don't know but every few minutes, I could feel that deep-down muscular "tickling" (or whatever it's called when a person feels the need to stretch) in my left leg that would cause me to have an uncontrollable urge to stretch it.

In fact, It got so bad that I just layed there contorting my left leg and twisting it into all kinds of weird positions but the desire to stretch would only return a few minutes later so I gained only temporary relief. I also tried laying on my side, stomach, back, etc and even just ignoring the desire to stretch but when I'd ignore it, I could feel a "build-up" and then it felt like I would get an intense ticklish charge or "jolt" through my left leg (like it was building up and then releasing on it's own). Sorry, it's kind of difficult to explain.

I don't know if this is some kind of medical condition or not (ie; deep vein thrombosis, restless legs syndrome, etc) but I have have had this deep, muscular "tickling" sensation with the need to constantly stretch my left leg a few times in the recent past only it's never been as bad as it was last night. In fact, it kept me awake for a good hour or more.

A few weeks ago I stubbed/sprained the big toe on my left foot and then even more recently, I stubbed/sprained the same toe again working around the house and outdoors. I'm not sure if this would cause the leg problems I've described because even before I injured my toe, I remember having these leg symptoms (only they were much more mild at the time).

Since I have spent the last 12 years sitting at a computer with very little exercise and because I am concerned about the possibility of deep vein thrombosis, I would like to get tested for this to at least rule it out if at all possable or at least get some kind of test(s) done to see what is going on with my leg because it has become a serious problem for me, it is very uncomfortable and it is now disrupting my sleep.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that ever since I had surgery to repair a damaged tendon in the little finger of my left hand (2-3 months ago), every morning (and throughout the night) my hand goes completely stiff, numb or it aches. When I wake up, my hand is all gnarled (like someone with Palsey) and the joints in my fingers, hand and wrist feel very sore and atrthritic so that I am not even able to move them for several hour upon awakening. A few weeks ago the "pointer" finger on this same hand itched like crazy for about a day and a half and has been numb and arthritic ever since. I don't know what's going on.

I'm also having all kinds of weird visual distortion problems and would be greatful if I could get a referral to see an eye doctor if possable.

Anyway, I don't want to overwhelm you with too many things but these are the most serious and disruptive and anything at all you can do to help me through diagnosis, medication or referrals would be greatly appreciated.

- Warm regards, Tim

------------------------------------------- END OF LETTER TO DOCTOR ------------------------------------------

Well, she was very polite and went over the entire letter with me and immediately looked up at me and told me that I had all of the classic signs of "Restless Legs Syndrome" and as she asked me questions and I told her more, it definately looked like this is what I had. She even read to me from her PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) and I was a "poster child" for this condition - every symptom lined up just perfectly. Anyway, she said there was no cure but there were treatments so now I am on Lorazepam each night and to rule out any other causes, I had a chest X-Ray and a TON of different blood tests. I should get the results back sometime next week. I even asked her if it could be rabies or some other horrible disease and she laughed and said "believe me, you DON'T have rabies and you don't even have any of the symptoms". As far as the pain, numbness and arthritis in my right hand, she said that I had carpal tunnel syndrome with medial nerve entrapment as well as mild entrapment in the ulnar nerve canal.

Anyway, please pray for me and also for this kind, Christian doctor who has been so good to me that God will give her the wisdom to get to the bottom of my ailments/problems. Finally, does anyone else here have this condition (Restless Legs Syndrome), know of anyone who has or perhaps even heard of it? (they say it runs in families).

- Warm regards, Tim