"Billie" Bartley worked for 30 years for the Canadian Ski Association. She also golfed on the B.C. team and was an international official for skiing. Now that she is retired she is as active as ever. Along with golfing and skiing she teaches weight training and aqua therapy at the gated community where she lives and she quilts.

But her golf handicap isn't the only one in her life. She always had to get up and move around if she was in a movie or visiting, but 15 years ago this situation accelerated to the point where she couldn't sit down and wasn't getting any sleep because she had to pace the floor at night.

"I was in tears a lot at one point," she said. "When we were traveling across the country I had to have Bob pull over so I could get out and walk. We haven't been to a movie in years and years and we have twin beds because of it."

Official recognition for the symptoms that affect Bartley is a recent thing. Restless Leg Syndrome now refers to a creepy, crawly sensation, much like elastic bands tightening in the legs, which Bartley calls "not life-threatening, but life altering." Countless people prior to this have suffered silently or confided in their doctor only to be told that it was "in their heads."

Bartley said, "I was very fortunate to have a doctor who worked with me." She has tried exercise, dietary changes, visiting a naturopath and visiting a sleep clinic. She tried one medication designed for Parkinson Disease patients which made her aggravated all the time and is now effectively controlling the symptoms with Requip, a medication which targets RLS specifically.

It has been found that RLS affects ten per cent of adults. It is not muscular, but neurological in origin and gets worse with age. There is a correlation with anemia that is presently being researched. It seems that iron is blocked from reaching a critical part of the brain. But basically both the cause and the cure are unknown.

It is similar to a condition known as Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD), which is characterized by involuntary twitching or jerking movements during sleep and is triggered by periods of inactivity. If a person has an associated condition they tend to develop more severe symptoms rapidly.

Bartley can see looking back that she was affected by similar symptoms since childhood. "I remember lying on my stomach in bed at 12 years of age moving my legs back and forth," she said. "I also remember in my late teens not being able to get to sleep because my legs were bothering me and having sensations in both arms and legs when I was pregnant."

Bartley also believes that her mother was afflicted because she recalls watching her move her feet back and forth while knitting.

A neurologist suggested to Bartley that she start a support group, which she did four years ago under the auspices of the Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation. The local group presently meets twice a year and is advised by Dr. Jennifer Takahashi, a specialist in involuntary movement disorders based in Kamloops.

"The Foundation is very professional. They provide a Medical Bulletin and a CD about RLS to be given to a person's doctor," she said. She has had people contact her from as far away as Nova Scotia and they often don't have doctor support or any control over the symptoms at the point when they call. There are only four groups in Canada, with a fifth she is assisting to get started in Victoria.

The next meeting is scheduled for the People Place in Vernon on Saturday, March 18 between 10 and 12. For further information see www.rls.org or phone (250) 549-2280.

2006-03 Lynn Dewing