twitchy...trying to fight the urge to Google.

[dittarco]

So, in an effort to focus on the TON of work I need to do today and then leave here without a panic attack... let me type out what has been going on THIS week.

Over a week ago, I had a cramp in my right foot before I went to bed and it set off the whole MS/ALS nightmare again.

Then the twitches started...the buzzing... pins and needles ... tingles... vibrating feelings. They move around the body: arches, heels, calves, my lip, eye, arms... my index finger "jerked" before and I jumped out of my seat at work.

It's so hard to calm down my body. People who have experience this, a couple questions:

1 - even if you spend some time not thinking about it, does it linger for a while after?

2 - do we think it's because we are always tense? and that even when we relax, our nerves and muscles are just shot?

.... help :-(

[popejoan]

Oh God, don't even go there, I've been there and it's hell. Everyone twitches, it is normal.

[CoraB]

Have you been to the docs with your MS worries? It is one of my worries as a few of my relatives have had it and it seems to be inherited in my family. Each ache or pain or feeling of numbness makes me wonder if I have it.

I have a bad back at the moment (at least that's what the docs say - mr google has scared me half to death) and I would say that they told me at urgent care that my anxiety was making me tense up and making it a whole lot worse.

[Cusper]

I had the same thing about a year ago for about 6 months, maybe longer. For about a month I had a twitching/vibrating right thumb. Then crazy pains in my big toe... I also had twitching on my right temple, buzzing (like this vibrating body feeling) which I really attribute to adrenals. I haven't had a twitch for maybe 6 months. I have moved on to other diseases... but for a while the twitches were often and transitory. Coffee makes it worse. I haven't had a coffee since November. It helps to be caffeine free. I hope you feel better.

[dittarco]

Hi guys -

Thank you all for the support. It's nice to not feel alone with this / these issues.

I remember about 7-8 years ago this particular issue was consuming me. I lived on MD / MS forums and even BFS forums. I was experiencing non-stop twitching, buzzing and vibrating all over for months. It was awful. I did run to a couple of doctors including a neurologist for it at that time but it still took months to resolve. Even after the fear lessened I still had twitches for a while. Guess it took more time than I thought for my body to calm itself after the mind finally decided to calm itself.

This time I'm doing my best to talk myself through the "dark" moments. I no longer have any friends who can listen to these woes. My past friends who knew of this problem either (a) aren't around anymore (life happens) or (b) made a joking comment referring to my HA.

The later usually causes me to drift away from that friend or just pretend as if it (and anxious episode) didn't happen and that I don't have hA. It's hard to pretend but out of fear of losing more friends, I do what I have to do.

I also don't feel like I can speak with my mother about it, as she usually doesn't say the right words. Sometimes she makes it worse. My husband appears to be growing tired of it as well. If you saw my last post, he made a joke about my HA and as a result I don't feel comfortable mentioning my fears to him anymore either.

I don't want to live my life like this - but being 32 and suffering for 20+ years now - I'm starting to think this is my destiny and I will need to learn to live with it or adjust.

It can feel very lonely at times... Even surrounded by people, it feels lonely, as I am always "performing"... Can't show them how "crazy" I can be .. Don't want to lose more people in my life.

I appreciate the people on this board. I know how you feel and I know you're suffering daily. Even on good days, I know it's still a struggle.

I can't promise that tomorrow this goes away and I won't move on to another set of symptoms. But what I can promise is that I'll take it one day at a time.

Thanks again.

Ps - lol anyone ever get a "tingle" / vibrating feeling on their tongue? Not sure if it's also associate with this ....

[Lilly13]

Hi Everyone,

I relate to the twitching - DO NOT GOOGLE! IT is the worst....

I also have twitching everywhere, my thumb muscle moves on its own sometimes. I have had this for a month..what worries me isn't the twitching but the stiff muscle feeling I have and also the cramping.


I have a neuro appointment in two weeks ...very worried.

Since there are so many of us though, its hard to believe it is sinister!

[Sam123]

Hi everyone, I suffered from muscle twitches constantly for 2 years. When i tell people about my experience i can understand why they think i'm exaggerating, so did my gp.

I went to the extent of recording my twitches, yes recording them so i had video proof to show my doctor :D i wouldn't advise this however lol!

My muscle twitches started out as just a foot/leg thing, and over time i swear to you all i had constant twitching ALL over my body, i can't think of a place where i didn't experience the twitches it was the most surreal experience.
I was convinced i had ALS or some motor neuron disease or a brain tumor. 4 years later and i am still here, still alive and breathing and thankfully i do NOT suffer anymore, i get the occasional twitch every now and then.

It is a scary and hard cycle to break, i used to always say " I'm not anxious or stressed so it can't be that causing it" Well it can! you may not even feel anxious, you may be relaxed happy and having a ball but health anxiety and worry doesn't just disappear your subconscious has it programmed.

I visited a neurologist and had scans/tests done ect, nothing.

My advise for muscle twitching would be, if there is no extreme weakness(inability to use your limbs) then think of it like this, your nervous system sends signals all around your body, when you have anxiety and too much adrenaline in your system these signals get all messed up, the twitches are just your muscles/nerves.. drunk! :roflmao:

What really helped me and i honestly believe i would still be twitching if it wasn't for this..

Changing my diet, deficiency can make you more prone to twitches. I increased my intake of fruits and vegetables, potassium magnesium iron ect.
More water! I've never been one for drinking much water(bad choice) as it can cause a whole host of problems, try increasing your water intake slowly and be consistent.

Where possible, exercise, even if it's very small just increase your activity. When ever you get twitches try and do something, get up walk around do a stretch or do something to keep your mind occupied for a while, this will not make it go away but is far better than sitting there watching and feeling them as i used to do! lol
Hope some of this helped and anyone suffering from twitches YOU'RE NOT CRAZY although it can make you feel like that sometimes :hugs:

[swajj]

Yes to both your questions. I had the twitching, numbness, tingling, pins and needles... You think you aren't thinking about it but you are. It goes like this "but I was so interested in that show, book, conversation shopping trip etc etc that I was 100 percent distracted so the symptoms must be real". But its there lurking in the shadows so you are never truly distracted. Thinking that you aren't thinking about it means that you are thinking about it. I've been convinced that I have been suffering so many different serious conditions that to list them would take forever. Acknowledging that I am always thinking about it and that is why the symptoms keep happening is probably what has helped me most.

[Toby2000]

Just try and ignore the twitching. Everyone twitches. The corner of my eye always twitches, as does my foot.

[dittarco]

It is definitely hard to stop thinking about it. Even when you do try (as said by another member), the fact that you are trying means it's still in the back of your head.

My husband and I went for a run yesterday. I did 3 miles.. felt pretty good.

Later in the evening, my muscles were twitchy and I spazzed a bit.. he says to me "feel my thigh, it's twitching"

He says "I don't notice it unless you bring up twitching as a worry"

As I sit here at my desk, stress level from work rises - my hands feel a bit strange... vibrating... my face feels tingly...

rather then getting to panic.. I took one of my klonopins... I don't resort to the medicine unless I am really afraid of a full fledged panic attack, which I can't afford right now.

[Serenity1990]

I have BFS, diagnosed via positive EMG. It's strongly related to anxiety, the direction of causality is not known though I have my own opinions.

Twitching is not an MS symptom. In fact there is a document out there which even advises neurologists to reconsider the diagnosis of those with MS if fasciculations are present, as they point away from MS.

Twitching in ALS comes after swathes of other serious stuff, it isn't a presenting symptom.

You do not have either of those. Or rather you don't have any higher a chance of having them than any other chap walking down the street, and they're certainly nothing to do with your twitching.