Thank you everyone for the wonderful replies. There's nothing like crowd source medicine from people like us.
To answer the questions::
I do not think it is RLS because there is no urge to move them and it does not go away when I do. (very nice observation on antihistamines)
What i feels like is the same kind of muscle soreness one might get from say running a marathon, but as you might have guessed, I haven't been running marathons unless I sleep walk more than I thougght.
Stairs are an especial trigger, even if i do them slowly pausing many seconds between each step. Doing both up one flight and down one flight seperated by less than one hour is also a big trigger. Walking slowly on slight inclines is a trigger as well.
Its actually been worse in the past, much worse, but noticed recently its been pretty constant for last 2 or more months even though not debilitating like my past episodes.
one of my earlies symptoms of disease (besides profoudn life alternign fatigue) was exaggerated muscle soreness from a half a block walk on a slight incline.
thanks also on lactic acidosis suggestio- i thought i had seen that in a post but could not find the thread again. Do you know if this requires blood tests be "off" - e.g. an anion gap? I have not seemed ot have had any evidence of acidosis (or alkalosis) on blood tests but we all know how that goes... Is it possible blood levels can be normal but still problem with lactic acid in muscles (above and beyond DOMS that many "normal" people get)?
this gets back i guess to the thread on the "warburg" effect an inbility to use glucose properly, but that thread is like 30 pages long and by the time i get to the end i forgot what i read in the beginning and have to start all over again.
on lyme, i've tried testing over the years, including getting a test from IgeneX and nothing comes up. I also started looking for co-infections (which can occur on their own) especially bartonellosis which i had once small piece of evdiece for, but that sort of evaporated.
in terms of neural pains i get those in other places, and perhaps that contribute., but don't think its the whole issue. Hard for my to give evidence of that. maybe because its so like what one gets from phsycial use, jsut exaggerated?
on magenisum oil, I do use that and have for years, whether it would be worse w/o that I don't know.
should add its the thighs.
I think heat makes it worse, but that's based on a one time thing when i had the second major attack of it (can describe this in detail if anyone thinks it would help or is interested) and tried heat on one thigh and left the other alone. the one with the heat went on to bother me for years. could have been coincidence but reluctant to use heat since.
Anyway, know that i've clarified that likely its some kind of exaggerated DOMS (dleayed onsete muscle soreness), maybe theyll be more...
thanks again