Muscle Twitching

[blackberry1972]

Just thought I’d say hello and tell you my story if that’s ok.

In November of last year my 77 year old Father was diagnosed with Motor Neuron disease. Realising I didn’t have much time left with him I brought forward my planned wedding proposal to my girlfriend (I proposed on Christmas day) and we quickly organised the wedding for June this year.
Unfortunately my father passed away in March but the wedding still went ahead.
Just before we went on our Honeymoon I got a bit of a back ache which I quickly dismissed as I’ve always suffered with various aches and pains in my back most probably because I am quite tall.
Anyway when I got back from my honeymoon and my back was no better I decided to see an Osteopath. For some reason I started to worry about this and then I convinced myself I might have the same horrible disease that killed my father despite the fact that A) it’s very rare and B) it’s not hereditary.

Before I finally went to the Osteopath I actually broke down and told my Wife my concerns. She tried to comfort me but it seemed that everything she said was the wrong thing. Pretty soon after I started getting aches in my hands which was the first thing my Father noticed before he was diagnosed although he actually lost the use of his hands pretty quickly and also I was getting some muscle twitching all over me especially when I went to bed.

I finally went to the GP and explained my problem. She was very understanding and said that what I was describing to her sounded like Anxiety brought on perhaps by some delayed grieving over my Father as I never really had enough time to grieve due to the wedding. My hand pain slowly went away and the twitching decreased as well.
Then one day I decided to Google Muscle Twitching and Wikipedia told me that it could be a symptom of disease of the Motor Neurons. BANG I was right back where I started and in fact I felt worse.
Suddenly the muscle twitching got worse so I saw my GP and got a referral to a grievance counselor who so far I have seen 4 times.

Currently I have good days and bad days. I usually wake up with butterflies in my stomach and wait for the first twitch of the day. Sometimes I am busy at work and I realise I have gone hours without any twitching and other times I can’t stop thinking about it.

I am a fitness fanatic who works out 5 times a week including a couple of 5 miles runs. I think my Fathers disease has tapped in to my worse fear of being incapacitated.
I have told my Boss at work and so far he has been understanding and has decreased my workload when needed.

Thanks for listening

[PanicOver!!]

HI welcome to NMP yu will find loads of help and support here

[Gazman]

Hi Blackberry and welcome to the forum!

I too have muscle twitching all over, had it for a few months now, coupled with pains and aches in my hands, fingers arms etc, my doc believes it's all because of anxiety and somatization, but he has now refered me to a neuro to put my mind at ease as i told him i was worried i had MS or some other neurological disease.

You'll be suprised what the mind can do to the body!

I can have twitches really bad some days and hardly any the next, there are many theories to twitches, medically it's adrenaline stored in the body after being so stressed and anxious working it's way out.

I urge you not to google it as all you will get is the worst case scenario, i did it and it said ALS, i freaked out and that really started my anxiety.

[blackberry1972]

Hi Blackberry and welcome to the forum!

I too have muscle twitching all over, had it for a few months now, coupled with pains and aches in my hands, fingers arms etc, my doc believes it's all because of anxiety and somatization, but he has now refered me to a neuro to put my mind at ease as i told him i was worried i had MS or some other neurological disease.

You'll be suprised what the mind can do to the body!

I can have twitches really bad some days and hardly any the next, there are many theories to twitches, medically it's adrenaline stored in the body after being so stressed and anxious working it's way out.

I urge you not to google it as all you will get is the worst case scenario, i did it and it said ALS, i freaked out and that really started my anxiety.

I also had the aches and pains in my hands but they went when my mind was put at ease by my GP. I then decided to Google Muscle Twitching as I had been getting those along with my aches and BAM I was in freefall.
I guess it's been about 5 weeks since I googled and I have been seeing a grievance counsellor. Like you the twitching comes and goes. I've got to the stage now where I 90% beleive that there is nothing wrong with me but there is this nagging doubt in the back of my mind.
I usually wake up with butterflies in the pit of my stomach whilst I wait for that first twitch as I am wondering if I am cured or not.

I found this site and just knowing I am not alone made me feel so much better. Thanks so far for the kind words and support

[janni]

Like Gazman, I too got diagnosed with somatization disorder and it's true what the mind can do to the body. I have it on a severe scale, have had hand pain to chest pain and find it hard to accept this is all anxiety but I assured by experts it is. I'm sorry about your Father and that you have these fears about the same condition. Like Gazman says too don't google I made myself hysterical from doing so and ended up in a state I find it hard to get out of. You have came to the right place, lots of us have symptom/s and we worry that they are caused by something else with gps telling us its anxiety. Welcome to No More Panic, I hope it helps and good luck with your recovery. take care x

[Gazman]

I've got to the stage now where I 90% beleive that there is nothing wrong with me but there is this nagging doubt in the back of my mind.
I usually wake up with butterflies in the pit of my stomach whilst I wait for that first twitch as I am wondering if I am cured or not.

Clear indications of anxiety, this as you know is what you have got to stop, fearing the twitches, as you may know will in most cases increase them.

Good luck with your counsellor, and i hope you make a full recovery both physically and mentally

[mark1980]

Hi blackberry, I too have had twitching recently, I have been fearing a brain tumour.

Funnily enough I felt better for a few days and the twitching seemed to stop, then I recently had a bad day and felt back to square one. This coincided with the twitching returning, I still worry about it and other symptoms but I think that, deep down, it is caused by over anxiety and being too tense - hence the release of the built up muscle tension. At least that's what the rational part of my brain tells me, however the irrational side too often wins the war unfortunately.

[blue22]

Hi Blackberry,

My Uncle was diagnosed with MND in July of this year. He's 51. He seems to be doing well at the moment, but the diagnosis has come as a massive shock to my family, which is very close knit and I still haven't got my head around it at all.

Aside from all of that - which I'd guess is a fairly normal response - I have been struggling with health anxiety for about 4 years. I have spent those years being convinced that I had once serious illness after another. Most recently suffering from ectopic heart beats, which had me seriously worried for well over a year, but that the doctors put down to anxiety. As you well know, having a close family member, who is a blood relative diagnosed with an incurable disease is not only devastating but terrifying.

My mum, who is a nurse and normally helps me to reason away my anxieties is clearly suffering with her nerves too and ever since my Uncle's news both of us have been experiencing a lot of twitching all over, not to mention some cramps and aching muscles. Mum tries to hide her worries from me, but I'm really close to her and I know when she is worrying. We both keep trying to remind each other that we have only really started noticing these symptoms since July, but the anxiety keeps getting hold of us.

I've been wondering how relatives of other MND sufferers cope, so it is nice to have found you.

Blue.

[blackberry1972]

Wow, thanks for all the words of support, It's comforting to see that I am not alone.
For those of you who are also suffering with the twitching can you tell me what caused your Anxiety?

It is true what some of you have said though, once you accept the twitching and stop worrying about it it starts to ease off but then you have one bad day and it’s back with a vengeance.
I certainly don’t want to be put on any medication, but are any of you taking some herbal solutions? I’m drinking Camomile Tea which helps a bit.

[tashbarnes87]

Heya hun, my twitching started 6 months ago just after i found a lump in my boob & my anxiety went sky high. I am still twitching now but i do not let it bother me & it is less. It can take months & months for your body to reset just learn to not fear them & they will go xx