I am unraveling with these twitches

[FreakOutQueen]

I am losing my marbles. It all started as some stupid eye twitch 5 weeks ago and now I literally have twitches all over my body all day long. My physician performed a neuro exam on me yesterday and told me he does not think it is ALS as I have no weakness. However, I do feel like I have cramping and pain. I really want an EMG to rule it out. Since last night the arch of my foot and big toe have been twitching continuously and I feel it in my calves. I am so scared :(

[jojo2316]

So sorry you are suffering with this. I am down the rabbit hole with you and know how AWFUL it is! I might be wrong, but I think eyelid twitches are never a symptom of als. I think with spinal onset the twitches are below the neck, and bulbar onset doesn't effect the eyes. I'm no doctor but.... from what I've read....
Sounds like classic benign twitching to me: which gets EVERYWHERE (including eyes).
Xx

---------- Post added at 14:18 ---------- Previous post was at 14:15 ----------

My freak out began with a stupid thumb twitch, and now I too get them everywhere, including my left eyelid (which twitched for three days straight!)

[axolotl]

Have you read the opening post on this thread? http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=196071

I mean really read it? Properly?

It's hard to find new ways of typing this, but twitching isn't an early-onset symptom of ALS. ALS is dramatic. It's not little subtle things. It's muscles suddenly and debilitatingly stopping working. And it almost never happens in young people. It should not be on our radars as something to worry about.

[Josh1234]

"FreakOutQueen" :shades:

[FreakOutQueen]

Hi there, yesterday I went to examine my throat because it hurt and when I stuck out my tongue it was shaking like crazy, which got me freaked out about bulbar onset ALS. Things have been so good with me. Most of my other twitching has stopped, but i'm very very worried about this. I looked at my friends tongue and hers shakes too when she sticks it out, but my wife's doesn't. I am freaking out :(

[au Lait]

Most people can’t hold their tongues still. I literally couldn’t stop my tongue from twitching to save my life. It’s always twitching and moving, no matter how hard I try to hold it still.

Tongues are not a finely tuned muscle. Very few people can stop their tongues from moving completely. Think about when you go to the dentist and have to keep moving your tongue out of the hygienist’s way because it keeps moving around. That’s normal. If that were the only bulbar indicator than every single person ever would need to be tested and that’s just not reality.

ALS is extremely rare and the odds are a million to one that you or anyone else on this forum has it.

You know what also causes really bothersome and persistent twitching? Anxiety. And that’s what you know you do have, and you CAN do something about that. Read the link that axolotl posted. You don’t have to live in a constant state of anxiety. But you must break the cycle by challenging your anxiety fears. It takes time to retrain your mind but you can do it.