Amanda's Journey to Restful Nights: Donate Now

I can’t believe I’m doing this. I never thought I would be setting up a GoFundMe for myself. But here I am. And here’s what I need. A lot of you may already know this, but I suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome and have since my early twenties. For those not familiar with RLS, I’ll tell you a bit about it. Imagine being exhausted. More tired than you’ve ever been but your brain keeps telling you that you need to move your legs. Constantly. You can’t lay still. It doesn’t matter how tired you are, your body won’t let you sleep. The only way you get any relief from that sensation is to get up and walk around. Obviously you can’t do that while you’re asleep. It’s absolutely miserable. It makes sleeping at night near impossible. I sleep through the night once or twice a month.

I have tried almost every medication they make to treat RLS, but nothing has worked long term. With most of these medications I become so dependent that my dosage continually needs increasing. I was up to three medications (5 pills total) each night and still had no relief. Two of the three medications are controlled substances. My neurologist recommended that I wean myself off all medications since they aren’t working anyway, and we would develop a new plan. I’m off one of the controlled substances and am currently weaning from the second.

I spoke to my neurologist last week and she had just gotten back from a conference and learned about an awesome new device. It’s called Nidra. You wear these “bands” around your legs just below the knee. You sleep with them on and they give you the same relief that walking around does. There are no side effects since this isn’t another medication. The best part is that 91% of the patients who have used this device experienced improvements in RLS symptoms. 91%!!! I’ve made it my mission to get off all meds and try this device! But I’ve run into some bumps in the road.

First bump, Nidra isn’t available in Kentucky. The closest state to me where it’s available is Ohio. I can see a doctor there and they can prescribe it. I would have to have it shipped to an address in Ohio though. Thankfully, a friend from high school lives in Ohio and has agreed to let me have it shipped to her and she will then ship it to me.

Now onto the biggest hurdle. I found out today that this device is not covered by my insurance. They deem it “not medically necessary.” Obviously the one making that call doesn’t have RLS or they would know how medically necessary it truly is. That’s where you come in. I need to raise $7,500 to be able to get this device. So I’m asking all of you to help me raise money so I can get this device and finally, consistently, sleep through the night. Any amount you’re willing to give is so appreciated. I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t feel this was my only option. If you’ve read this far, thank you! If you’re willing and able to help me, I will forever be indebted to you. Thank you all again.

-Amanda