Temporalis muscle twitching

[olivia0703]

For the past five days, my left temporal muscle has been twitching. It happens when I eat, but also just randomly when I'm doing nothing. I probably don't need to tell you what I'm fearing. I went through an *** scare five years ago, and I so don't want to go back down that rabbit hole. But why this twitch? What else could it be? :weep::shrug:

[Fishmanpa]

What else could it be? :weep::shrug:

Read THIS (https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?232384-ALS-and-why-you-DON-T-have-it!) as many times as you need to.

FMP

[olivia0703]

Thanks, Fishmanpa. I have read that but it doesn't stop the fear. I don't want to go through this again :weep:

[NoraB]

Thanks, Fishmanpa. I have read that but it doesn't stop the fear. I don't want to go through this again :weep:

You don't have to go down the hole again. Challenge your thoughts instead of reacting with fear and irrationality to this very common symptom (Especially with anxiety and tensing the jaw)

[olivia0703]

You don't have to go down the hole again. Challenge your thoughts instead of reacting with fear and irrationality to this very common symptom (Especially with anxiety and tensing the jaw)

I'm trying, but the "what ifs?" are getting the better of me. Once I typed the word twitch into google, I screwed myself. I definitely have been clenching my jaw on that side lately

[NoraB]

I'm trying, but the "what ifs?" are getting the better of me. Once I typed the word twitch into google, I screwed myself. I definitely have been clenching my jaw on that side lately

And that's why you have the twitch. It's a clear case of cause (tensing the jaw) and effect (twitching) that's all.

[olivia0703]

Does anyone know if bulbar can start in the temporalis muscle?

[kyllikki]

Olivia, I don't think I can give you the ultimate reassurance you are looking for, but literally by definition, that's not bulbar onset, because the bulbar area = the bottom four cranial nerves (CN IX, X, XI, XII) and the temporalis is innervated by CN V.

The trigeminal is highly involved in TMJ and also migraines / headaches.

If I had this twitch I'd be very, very reassured as opposed to freaked out :)

[olivia0703]

Olivia, I don't think I can give you the ultimate reassurance you are looking for, but literally by definition, that's not bulbar onset, because the bulbar area = the bottom four cranial nerves (CN IX, X, XI, XII) and the temporalis is innervated by CN V.

The trigeminal is highly involved in TMJ and also migraines / headaches.

If I had this twitch I'd be very, very reassured as opposed to freaked out :)

Oh really?? I thought the temporalis was a bulbar muscle. Are you certain? I don't mean to doubt you personally, but you know how HA goes ... Thanks for your reply :)

[kyllikki]

Certain about the innervation of the temporalis? Yes. Certain that bulbar = bottom 4 CN? Yes -- as both of those things are bog simple anatomy (and you can look them up online if you do doubt me!) Certain that you're correct that it's actually your temporalis twitching, and that your temporalis would never ever be effected in so-called "bulbar onset"? Well, no, firstly because I am not a doctor and can't properly evaluate stuff, and secondly because MND is HA catnip precisely because it can have "outlier" onset scenarios. But this is where Nora's advice comes in.

Unless and until you tame your HA enough to acknowledge a more obvious (and much more benign!) cause and effect... you're always going to be able to invent scenarios in your mind in which this is "possibly" MND. What every single one of those scenarios will ignore, though, is that even other rare problems are STILL more likely than a rare presentation of an already rare disease.

All the best!!

[olivia0703]

Certain about the innervation of the temporalis? Yes. Certain that bulbar = bottom 4 CN? Yes -- as both of those things are bog simple anatomy (and you can look them up online if you do doubt me!) Certain that you're correct that it's actually your temporalis twitching, and that your temporalis would never ever be effected in so-called "bulbar onset"? Well, no, firstly because I am not a doctor and can't properly evaluate stuff, and secondly because MND is HA catnip precisely because it can have "outlier" onset scenarios. But this is where Nora's advice comes in.

Unless and until you tame your HA enough to acknowledge a more obvious (and much more benign!) cause and effect... you're always going to be able to invent scenarios in your mind in which this is "possibly" MND. What every single one of those scenarios will ignore, though, is that even other rare problems are STILL more likely than a rare presentation of an already rare disease.

All the best!!

Thanks! Have you ever heard of it started in the temporalis muscle? I haven't read of them sticking an EMG needle there. I haven't been eating or sleeping as I can't shake this worry.

[kyllikki]

I'm not going to answer your question directly because I'd just be feeding your HA dragon. :) Please do have a look at my post history, you'll see that I have been down this road for a full year myself and I've only just recently managed to fully shake myself out of it. You have at least one really obvious, much-more-likely, completely boring and non-deadly answer available to you, that exactly explain the sensations you are describing. Grab it! Believe the boring thing! And really, please do work on your HA thoughts. You can beat them!!

All the best,
K

[olivia0703]

I started reading your posts, but stopped when I got to "CN involvement is never a good thing ..." when you were talking about tinnitus :weep:

[olivia0703]

Honestly can't take much more of this. I am so scared. Can't see my GP until October 31

[kyllikki]

Well, that's the problem then, you stopped reading and didn't get to the good part because *my* HA scared *your* HA.

Has it occurred to you that maybe I was wrong about what was going on in my own body, because that's a thing we can be, about our own perceptions (wrong?) :)

The post you read was one full year ago, and I'm not only here, I'm doing way better in many ways.

I even have some answers for what was going on. They are rather boring answers... so boring that it took me a while to accept that they really were "all" that was wrong (HINT: it's not bulbar onset ALS.) :)

You really MUST tackle the fear in order to be able to fully accept and manage the solution, though. Very happy to help as best I can when you're ready to try :)

[olivia0703]

I so want to believe it’s clenching related but I don’t see how. It is relentless. Kept me awake all night and still going.

[Sar89]

I had to Google what the muscle was. It’s not often I don’t know what a body part or condition is 🤣 people get weird twitches all the time. A few years ago I developed a random twitch in my eyelid and it lasted for about 2 weeks. Constant quivering.. still don’t know what it was. I also get a random twitch in my ring finger every now and then I would say once every 6 months to a year it lasts for a few days it’s highly irritating. I know it’s making you anxious I completely understand that but you have to stop telling yourself ‘your so scared’ and engage your logical brain. You know you have health anxiety (which gives you all manner of bizarre symptoms) you know you are doing a lot of clenching and you know you are in anxious state. Put these things together and I’m not shocked you have a twitch going on.

[kyllikki]

If you're intent on keeping your medical appointment, please ask them these two questions directly: "Could this be due to TMD/TMJ? And if so, how?" and "Could this be due to ALS? And if not, why not?" and report back what the doctor says.

I could repeat and amplify the reasoning I'm using, but I don't think giving you reassurance will work longer than a few days or a week at most, until you tackle your HA.
All I can do is repeat that if this was the only twitch I had, and I also clenched, I myself would be extremely reassured.

Wishing you all the best, really I am!!!