Muscle fatigue/twitching/aching - worried about serious disorder

[Dougie242]

This is great thread for a newbie, I have been stuck in the ALS/MND mindset for well over 6 months now. Twitches, pops, zaps, jolts, despair, tears and now buzzing!
Been at my GP ore than once, every time feeling like a fraud. Each time it is the same thing....Anxiety without a doubt.
So hard to take in when your mind tricks you down this dark road.

[bulan]

Thanks for all the comments here. They really are a big help. It is great to know you are not alone - not that i would wish it on anyone!

To add a little more detail (i don't know about you but i could write/talk about it for hours, so have to hold back a little!) I have been to docs and pyschiatrist a number of times. I had a full medical/physical back in late Nov which was absolutely fine - as have been the last 3 blood tests i've had. The doc has not even entertained it being anything other than anxiety. She doesn't want to have/or think i need any other tests, such MRI's etc. She says there's no need and it will only fuel my anxiety as i will treat it as confirmation that she thinks i need an MRI - she doesn't!

My problem is when these shakes, pains, aches occur when i feel relaxed and happy. My anxiety doesn't take the usual much written about form of heart palps, chest pain, sweating, breathlessness - although i have had this stuff at times. Mine is more the subconscious head related symptoms affecting the nervous system - pressure in the head, tight band around head, shaking, wobbly aching legs/arms, feeling like you are about to fall over/collapse. This is likely because my greatest fears seem, for an unknown reason, to stem from things like MS, ALS and Parkinsons. I should note my gran died from a major stoke/resulting bleed (i witnessesed her death), and my dad had a TIA which i also witnessed a couple of years ago (fine now!). This also started about 2 weeks after my gran died. Yet that was 16 months ago and now i forget this fact because the symptoms are so strong and current - i am alway focusing on my body right now!

My problem, and what really bothers me, is when this starts unprompted when i am happy/relaxed/mentally occupied elsewhere. Something small can make me start feeling wobbly, muscle fatigue etc and that scares me because i think - why would this happen when i am fine!!! My symptoms start without anxiety and then naturally i get anxious about them because they scare me. To date no one, medical or otherwise, has managed to really explain when this happens, what causes it and why it's totally fine and i don't need to worry. My thinking, and part of the reason i have this problem because this isn't how the medical world/body works, is quite black and white. If i can understand how something works, what's causing it and what the resulting effect is, i can then process it and essentially label it (mentally) as something i needed worry about - i hope that makes sense!

Long note - apologies - it's very hard to articulate i find.....

screddie, I can relate to so much of this. I've been able to get over my fear of twitching for the most part, thanks to a thread in this forum and other things I've read that describe the connection between twitching and stress, and how common it is. But muscle weakness, clumsiness, and muscle fatigue still scare me. My muscles also feel a strange kind of ache, which triggers intense fear. It's impossible to live with this. As I type, my jaw aches and my tongue feels a bit useless, and I'm not able to help my body relax. If you found any answers, I'd love to hear them.

[Fishmanpa]

This thread is from 2010. I would have to imagine it wasn't sinister as he was last online here in Feb. of this year.

Positive thoughts

[bulan]

Thanks, Fishmanpa.

[Downtherabbithole]

I'm going through similar problems, and I'm having a rough time with everything. I'm really having some intense physical symptoms, and I'm spiraling out with anxiety. It's helpful to know I'm not alone.

[ferun]

I finally lost my fear of ALS when I looked at the statistics in the stickied ALS thread:


Chance of getting ALS: 0.002%
Chance of getting ALS before the age of 30: 0.0001%


I know that the irrationality of health anxiety causes us to rarely find comfort in statistics, but both of these percentages are so incredibly small that even my irrational mind just couldn't justify worrying about it anymore. And with that, of course, my symptoms suddenly and miraculously disappeared as well.
I still get muscle twitches or perceived weakness from time to time, but it just doesn't bother me anymore. I sincerely hope the same will be true for all of you other ALS worriers out there