I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Spouses and Caregivers => Topic started by: ODAT on October 01, 2008, 11:13:43 AM
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At mom's diabetic and neurologist appointments, we are going to be sure to ask about Akathisia. I stumbled upon this in my desperate attempt to figure out what is going on. Has anyone ever heard of this?
Akathisia (or "acathisia") is an often extremely unpleasant subjective sensation of "inner" restlessness that manifests itself with an inability to sit still or remain motionless, hence the origin of its name: Greek a (without) + kathesis (sitting).
Akathisia may range in intensity from a mild sense of disquiet or anxiety (which may be easily overlooked) to a total inability to sit still with overwhelming anxiety and severe dysphoria (manifesting as an almost indescribable sense of terror and doom). In the most severe cases, dysphoria can be so severe that the patient is literally compelled to take action, leading, possibly, to suicide attempts. It is not unknown to have patients literally run out of a hospital or emergency room.
Partially due to the fact that the condition (and its attendant feeling) is difficult for the patient to describe, it is often misdiagnosed and can lead the patient to commit suicide in or outside the hospital. Furthermore, many clinical definitions of akathisia, as studied by psychiatrists and psychologists, may downplay the true psychological gravity of this symptom and simply refer to its psychological effects as "a subjective inner restlessness".
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ODAT, Believe me, sometimes you have to be the doctor. I'd be asking. Let us know what he says. :cuddle;
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What a great find. Obviously I don't mean, oh great your Mom has that, but at least if that is the problem an answer might be nearer at hand. Let us know what the doc says. :grouphug;
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Is that what happens when RLS goes to extremes? Restless leg syndrome is pretty common for dialysis patients, so it makes sense to me that some patients might have even more problems than others.