View Full Version : ALS/MS fears triggered by muscle twitching :-(
I cannot believe I have succumbed to this. Last March when I was originally diagnosed with anxiety, I thought I had heart troubles. Then a tiny worry was cancer which faded eventually, then uneven pupils and so on. I never in a million years thought I would get this fear! But now I have!!!
Basically a few months ago I noticed a twitch/spasm thing in my upper right calf, always in the same place. It never really bothered me and I thought nothing of it but this last week I have perceived weakness (I hope its perceived) and the twitching is back! It's always in that same spot (which I happen to have a cluster of spider veins too), I do get the odd one in different places of the same calf and occasionally in that thigh but it is usually in the one particular area.
I am freaking out beyond belief, I have read past posts a few minutes ago and they all seem to point out that twitching in different areas is a good sign, does that mean that twitching in the same are is a bad sign?
I came off meds 13 weeks ago (Paroxetine) and went on a website named PaxilProgress, on their they discussed withdrawal saying it can cause all types of Neuro symptoms and I am wondering if this weakness is all in my mind due to reading up on there? The twitching definitely happened before that.
Also, I think my right leg muscles look smaller than my left and my left leg is my weaker one. I may just be imagining it, or it may be because my right leg is ever so slightly fatter that the muscle is just under fat.
My jaw even aches when I swill mouthwash in it though and I dont know what to do anymore. I went to the doctors almost 3 weeks ago for what I thought would be the last in my almost 5 weekly cycle for the last 15 months.
I have been googling symptoms which is naughty but I don't feel any better or worse - just confused and fed up.
Serenity1990
05-08-14, 12:54
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=157366
Twitches are never the presenting symptom of MS. Some neurologists say they aren't even a symptom of MS, some say they can occur when the disease is very progressed. Clearly this isn't you.
Twitches like this come after very obvious clinical weakness in ALS. ALS is a disease almost exclusively of late middle-aged men.
"Also, I think my right leg muscles look smaller than my left and my left leg is my weaker one. I may just be imagining it, or it may be because my right leg is ever so slightly fatter that the muscle is just under fat."
We're asymmetrical. Fact. I take it you're right handed? ;)
Postiive thoughts
Thanks for the replies, yes I am right handed. That is one of the reasons why my right leg being less muscly (maybe, I'm not really 100%) worries me as the right side of my body is dominant.
My right leg is slightly thicker and I'm guessing if I had muscle wastage it would be at least the same size but not bigger.
I just can't shake this feeling. I know weakness is the biggest symptom, but I am not so sure I don't have it, certainly not all the time but whenever I go out my limbs feel weird. I also have noticed these last few days very minor twitching in my lower stomach, it even happened after I sneezed, would this rule it out even more as it is a different area altogether?
Serenity1990
05-08-14, 13:14
Sounds like functional/somatic symptoms of anxiety to me.
In ALS it isn't the case that your limbs feel "weird". One day you can lift a kettle, the next you cannot, and that ability never returns.
Hi Serenity, thank you again. So basically, if you get even slight weakness it would deteriorate and never improve?
What about with MS?
I have had a few twitches in my left leg today too, very, very mild but at least having them in both legs (still had lots in that one spot on my right calf though) means ALS is very unlikely.
Hey Im having similar symptoms to you, only I have burning and such. I'm worried too I have MS, by the sounds of your symptoms it's defintely caused by anxiety. Can you perform all activities you could before?
Yes I still feel the same way physically (other than perceived weakness on certain days), but I am quite inactive as I have social anxiety and will not go out alone so am worried that even if I was weaker I probably wouldn't notice as I do nothing anyway.
I have been walking on my tip toes and heels (silly I know - I read that it would be difficult if you had muscle atrophy) and that is fine.
Anxiety cause all sorts of weird symptoms, including what I would consider to be hallucinations or perhaps a hyper awareness that causes you to see things no one else does.
There was a post where someone swore they were losing fat in their hands and another losing fat only on one side of their stomach. These are physiologically impossible. Another thinks one eye is smaller than the other etc.
Again, human beings are asymmetrical. We have one side more dominant than the other and it only makes sense that muscles on the dominant side are stronger and larger.
Worry if you must. Visit your GP if you must but IMO, the issue here is anxiety. After, all, you're posting in a HA forum on an anxiety site! Stop chasing a diagnosis and start treating the real illness.
Positive thoughts
I do think it is probably anxiety, I just can't get my head around it. I am spending a lot of time in the house lately and have literally all day to sit and worry.
When my rational side kicks in I also say to myself, when have I read that an anxiety sufferer actually gets diagnosed with the particular illness they are worried about - never! (Not from what I have read on here anyway).
Also, I have no idea how to treat this anxiety, I have been on meds, tried CBT and am now awaiting counselling, but the counselling is for my depression rather than HA. I have very little support from family, my partner has actually been out all day and has not answered his phone once today in 9 hours. I am very anxious and have nobody at all to quell my fears (other than you lot who truly do help, however it would be nice to have a loved one help me for once in my life).
I just keep thinking that if I did have ALS/MS, not including the obvious fears about it, I just feel I would suffer alone and nobody would truly care. My partner and I have always had a difficult relationship I don't believe he could cope with somebody with such a serious and eventually debilitating illness.
Thank you for replying again.
Most of us eventually have this ALS fear. I have mucsle twitching all the time.
Thank you for replying RoseEve.
When I first came on here last year I saw a lot of posts in regards to these and never even worried about them. I also remember saying to myself at least I have no physical symptoms (other than palpitations which I am accepting of now and rarely get them).
I cannot believe I now have this fear, I really think it is possible that it is due to me reading that Paroxetine withdrawal is usually horrendous and causes all sorts of neurological symptoms, weakness being one of them. I did get these twitches (in the exact same spot) for a while some months ago and they actually never bothered me. I wish I had that same mindset right now.
SheilaH921
20-10-16, 17:52
My left leg is twitching all over. I am terrified. I cant stop googling. Im so so scared about this :(
My left leg is twitching all over. I am terrified. I cant stop googling. Im so so scared about this :(
I no longer fear these twitches. At all. I know it's scary, but they are so common, both for people with anxiety and also for people without.
SheilaH921
20-10-16, 21:07
Did you get tests? Do you still have the twitches?
---------- Post added at 21:07 ---------- Previous post was at 21:06 ----------
If you get a chance will you read my post and tell me what you think. I really am going crazy :(
No I didn't get tests, I don't think any doctor will send you for tests for regular muscle twitching. I'll have a look at your post but can only comment based on my own experience
If you must Google anything, Google "benign fasciculation syndrome". Totally harmless and very common, and fits all that people describe, whereas MS and ALS are huge leaps of logic that are very rare (especially ALS) and would manifest with very obvious debilitating symptoms before anything that resembles muscle twitches.
I'm speaking as someone whose calf muscles look like worms are in them most of the time, and I've been through these fears. But they're harmless and probably anxiety-related.
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