atam90
08-01-15, 22:20
Hello all!
I am very new to this forum, but let me begin by saying that I am so incredibly happy to have found this website. I have been battling moderate to severe health anxiety for the past four months or so, and I'm having immense difficulty putting my fears to rest. The focus of my fears has been the possibility of having a motor neuron disease. To sum everything up, my fears essentially began after noticing some widespread muscle twitching roughly four months ago. I thought it was fairly innocuous, but I was curious as to the reason and made the biggest mistake in the world: searching Google. Of course, the first few websites listed indicated muscle twitching as a symptom of some horrendous neurological diseases. I have been spiraling out of control ever since.
I eventually went to see my general practitioner about this, who didn't seem terribly concerned but wanted to look into things regardless. I had been taking a particularly strong antibiotic at the time (Flagyl), so he thought it could potentially be neuropathy presenting as a rare side effect of the medication. However, he sent me for loads of blood work anyway. The first batch of blood work showed normal electrolytes, thyroid levels, etc., but was positive for Lyme Disease. My doctor thought the Lyme could be the culprit, as it can cause neurological symptoms such as muscle twitching. However, the twitching did not cease after taking the appropriate course of antibiotics. The second batch of blood work also actually showed a positive ANA and a positive antibody panel for an autoimmune disease called Sjogren's Syndrome. I am still awaiting an appointment with a rheumatologist to discuss this; according to several resources, it can also cause peripheral neuropathy and such, but I didn't see anything specific about muscle twitching. So needless to say, with no resolution my fears have not been put to rest.
I learned that there is a condition called Benign Fasciculation Syndrome, but it is a diagnosis of exclusion, and quite frankly, I am too terrified to go see a neurologist. I am just hoping my relatively young age (I am a 23 year old female) and the length of time I have been twitching are weighing in my favor for something benign like that. Some days are certainly better than others regarding the twitching, and it is very sporadic and widespread (as in head to toe). Anxiety also tends to make it worse, I find that it either occurs less, or I simply notice it less, during the few moments when I am not actively worrying.
I have still been continuing on as normal since onset of symptoms and have maintained my 2x/week gym routine of cardio and weight lifting...possibly even overdoing things at times to compensate for my fears. However, I still continue to have extreme anxiety over this. Oddly, the anxiety seems to manifest itself in different ways. Most recently, I have been feeling a tight, constricting feeling in my neck and throat, making swallowing seem more difficult than usual, singing feel fatiguing, and my mouth just feel...weird. I don't know how to describe it. My jaw has also been aching at times, making opening my mouth wide feel difficulty, but my boyfriend states that I have been grinding my teeth a lot lately so that may be the cause. It has been persisting for the past week even during periods when I feel relatively calm. Of course, this has exacerbated my anxiety and causing me to think that I have symptoms of MND again.
I really just want to know if anyone here has any strategies for overcoming this. It is really beginning to affect my life in multiple ways, and I feel like I am on a downward spiral. Truthfully, I would like to see my doctor regarding my anxiety. I am just a little hesitant.
Thank you so much!
I am very new to this forum, but let me begin by saying that I am so incredibly happy to have found this website. I have been battling moderate to severe health anxiety for the past four months or so, and I'm having immense difficulty putting my fears to rest. The focus of my fears has been the possibility of having a motor neuron disease. To sum everything up, my fears essentially began after noticing some widespread muscle twitching roughly four months ago. I thought it was fairly innocuous, but I was curious as to the reason and made the biggest mistake in the world: searching Google. Of course, the first few websites listed indicated muscle twitching as a symptom of some horrendous neurological diseases. I have been spiraling out of control ever since.
I eventually went to see my general practitioner about this, who didn't seem terribly concerned but wanted to look into things regardless. I had been taking a particularly strong antibiotic at the time (Flagyl), so he thought it could potentially be neuropathy presenting as a rare side effect of the medication. However, he sent me for loads of blood work anyway. The first batch of blood work showed normal electrolytes, thyroid levels, etc., but was positive for Lyme Disease. My doctor thought the Lyme could be the culprit, as it can cause neurological symptoms such as muscle twitching. However, the twitching did not cease after taking the appropriate course of antibiotics. The second batch of blood work also actually showed a positive ANA and a positive antibody panel for an autoimmune disease called Sjogren's Syndrome. I am still awaiting an appointment with a rheumatologist to discuss this; according to several resources, it can also cause peripheral neuropathy and such, but I didn't see anything specific about muscle twitching. So needless to say, with no resolution my fears have not been put to rest.
I learned that there is a condition called Benign Fasciculation Syndrome, but it is a diagnosis of exclusion, and quite frankly, I am too terrified to go see a neurologist. I am just hoping my relatively young age (I am a 23 year old female) and the length of time I have been twitching are weighing in my favor for something benign like that. Some days are certainly better than others regarding the twitching, and it is very sporadic and widespread (as in head to toe). Anxiety also tends to make it worse, I find that it either occurs less, or I simply notice it less, during the few moments when I am not actively worrying.
I have still been continuing on as normal since onset of symptoms and have maintained my 2x/week gym routine of cardio and weight lifting...possibly even overdoing things at times to compensate for my fears. However, I still continue to have extreme anxiety over this. Oddly, the anxiety seems to manifest itself in different ways. Most recently, I have been feeling a tight, constricting feeling in my neck and throat, making swallowing seem more difficult than usual, singing feel fatiguing, and my mouth just feel...weird. I don't know how to describe it. My jaw has also been aching at times, making opening my mouth wide feel difficulty, but my boyfriend states that I have been grinding my teeth a lot lately so that may be the cause. It has been persisting for the past week even during periods when I feel relatively calm. Of course, this has exacerbated my anxiety and causing me to think that I have symptoms of MND again.
I really just want to know if anyone here has any strategies for overcoming this. It is really beginning to affect my life in multiple ways, and I feel like I am on a downward spiral. Truthfully, I would like to see my doctor regarding my anxiety. I am just a little hesitant.
Thank you so much!