Muscles tight cramps, twitching, fatigue

[BenO]

Hi all Im 37/m I work out a lot and know my body pretty well.9 days ago I suddenly developed spasticity in both of my arms where they will cramp whenever I exert too much force with them. it was literally suddenly like what the heck, noticed it opening and closing windows in my house. 2 days later this feeling then went into my calves and my chest , shoulders , neck and I started experiencing muscle twitches pretty much all over. I have always had twitches but typically after a long walk or something like that.
1 day later my left leg then began to act up and it felt like really bad sciatica that actually almost made it impossible to walk at all it was so painful and the fatigue set in so fast that condition has seemed to go away and come back depending on how much walking or moving around or sitting Im doing.
2 days after that I began experiencing dizziness and what almost feels like the flu where my entire body feels week and aches. I also had some loose bowel movement But that flu feeling also seems to come and go.
Today I started noticing my joints are seeming to pop more it used to be just my knees and ankles since probably ten years. But now my shoulders crack my elbows seems like all my major joints.
I have no perceived weakness really I can lift the same amount of weight just not as many reps because of the cramps and I notice no atrophy. Everything also still works. No failures or anything.
Been to the ER twice this past week almost passed out last night maybe from anxiety IDk but i became very fatigued to the point of not wanting to move or speak.
Blood tests are normal as well as a CT scan that was done.
This is all in the span of 9 loooooong days with little sleep because I had to start googling and of course started to go to the worst of places.
Trying to get into neurology but they are all backlogged, how long should I wait?
Please help calm my fears!! I need to sleep! I need to interact with my wife and kids without this feeling of doom constantly in my head! Everyone says to relax but you all know how that is! I have talked with people that were caregivers of people with ALS and been on ALS forums to describe these things and so far everyone has said this sounds absolutely nothing like it. But I cant stop thinking that this is some kind of precursor to something worse!

 

[URfine]

I’ve obsessed over ALS over the years and your symptoms certainly do not fit. Much of what you have going on like the twitching are 100% anxiety related. Relax

 

[BenO]

Thanks for the feedback, trust me im trying, the thing that really bothers me is the spasticity in my arms and upper torso and legs from everything i have read this comes from some type of nervous system damage which really gets my mind going. Not being able to work out is driving me nuts.

 

[TenLettersRap]

hmm finally someone with twitches and the excessive joint popping, i been dealing with this for over a year, it started with a dull ache in my inner thigh, headaches, dizziness, then one day my rotator cuff hurt like hell when i lifted my arm to drink water... then i got stiff muscles, muscles releasing slowly after tensing them, extreme fatigue, tired all the time for about three months with muscle twitching...i thought i had ALS, started a plant based diet...didnt help a lot, moved to modified paleo, that helped a lot, now im full carnivore and im doing the best ever. but my shoulders crack still when i rotate them, my spine pops loud when i get out of bed, my wrists pop a lot, and my feet..and i twitch mostly at rest...

 

[BenO]

Hey tenletters did you end up getting any testing done at all? And wow over a year ?! Thats a long time to be dealing with something like this. Yes the twitching is mostly at rest I think but that could just be that I dont notice it moving around maybe? I too switched my diet two days ago so Ill have to see how it goes, this is the most mental stress I think Ive ever had to deal with in my life, just the not knowing and wondering if everyday Im going to get worse since I dont seem to be getting any better.

 

[Worriedmama]

Hey tenletters did you end up getting any testing done at all? And wow over a year ?! Thats a long time to be dealing with something like this. Yes the twitching is mostly at rest I think but that could just be that I dont notice it moving around maybe? I too switched my diet two days ago so Ill have to see how it goes, this is the most mental stress I think Ive ever had to deal with in my life, just the not knowing and wondering if everyday Im going to get worse since I dont seem to be getting any better.

My anxiety started with twitching so I think I can say I have experience in this. You do not have als, please do not worry. Stop going on the als forums, it will just make things worse. Mine was due to overexertion. I was working out 6 days a week with heavy weights. I added vitamin d and magnesium (I did in the form of lotion, look up mo Maggie on Amazon, it’s amazing) and it all went away. Sometimes deficiencies will cause it.

 

[BenO]

Hey thanks for the feedback, yea i need to stop the worry it is driving me deepee and deeper. How long did it take for your symptoms to go away? I think what is most worrisome to me is the sudden spasticity in my arms, from what Ive read that usually indicates some type nervous system damage so its like Im just waiting for something to get worse. I know that does nothing to help me it just builds the anxiety. I also know that I need a neurologist to do proper testing to put this to rest.

 

[Worriedmama]

Hey thanks for the feedback, yea i need to stop the worry it is driving me deepee and deeper. How long did it take for your symptoms to go away? I think what is most worrisome to me is the sudden spasticity in my arms, from what Ive read that usually indicates some type nervous system damage so its like Im just waiting for something to get worse. I know that does nothing to help me it just builds the anxiety. I also know that I need a neurologist to do proper testing to put this to rest.

It took 2 months. I started taking oral magnesium and I would still twitch. Then I started taking 5k iu of vitamin d and in 2 weeks all the symptoms were gone.

 

[TenLettersRap]

Hey tenletters did you end up getting any testing done at all? And wow over a year ?! Thats a long time to be dealing with something like this. Yes the twitching is mostly at rest I think but that could just be that I dont notice it moving around maybe? I too switched my diet two days ago so Ill have to see how it goes, this is the most mental stress I think Ive ever had to deal with in my life, just the not knowing and wondering if everyday Im going to get worse since I dont seem to be getting any better.

yea i've had 5 blood tests, clear CT scan, Nerve conduction test which showed i had "mild mixed polyneuropathy" stemming from both my neck and lower back.. then i had as SSEP test which is more to test the brain but it showed my neck and lower back.. then i had an MRI which showed nothing in my brain or neck as far a lesions.. after that i told my neuro im done seeing doctors... my diet helped more than these doctor visits which made my anxiety worse... so i dont have a full diagnosis.. just polyneuropathy.. i eat a diet of only grass fed, pasture raised, wild caught meats, organ meats, nose to tail..before, my diet included organic leafy greens, cruciferous veggies,and low glycemic fruits.. i avoided high omega 6 foods, legumes, nightshades, grains, starchy foods, carbohydrates and plant oils except coconut oil because of its high smoke point..and this is how i got my energy back.. and i stopped taking workout supplements and taking any caffiene. i stopped lifting heavy weights. i bench only close to my body weight, i use a lot of resistance bands, pushups, jumprope and jogging. and so far im making better gains than i was before. I also got worse before i got better, it was getting difficult to walk because of my lack of energy and the fatigue

 

[BenO]

nice! Man idk if i could handle all that yea getting neurology appointments is a pain and I think the thought of it actually stresses me out more but I have to know whats going on.How about the stiff muscles when did that all subside?

 

[TruthHurts]

BenO, I would limit sugar intake, eat more potassium and stay hydrated and see if that helps any.

 

[TenLettersRap]

nice! Man idk if i could handle all that yea getting neurology appointments is a pain and I think the thought of it actually stresses me out more but I have to know whats going on.How about the stiff muscles when did that all subside?

took about 3 to 4 months, but i had no advice at the time, i was learning everything right then on how to manage everything... one important thing was not to get lazy over it, stretch the muscles out and work them.. i had days where i could hardly pick up items off a countertop one by one without my hands tensing up...i also worked out while wearing a tens unit on the muscles i was working

 

[BenO]

BenO, I would limit sugar intake, eat more potassium and stay hydrated and see if that helps any.

BenO, I would limit sugar intake, eat more potassium and stay hydrated and see if that helps any.

Hi yea i have been rehydrated twice at the hospital ER even though i was fine on the electrolytes Im pretty certain its something else though

 

[TruthHurts]

Hi yea i have been rehydrated twice at the hospital ER even though i was fine on the electrolytes Im pretty certain its something else though

How much caffeine do you drink in a day? That could play a big part in it. Have you had your blood sugar tested?

 

[BenO]

I actually cut out all caffeine as soon as the cramps started 11days ago. I also had my blood sugar tested at ER twice these past 11days.That was good. Yea its basically total body cramps and muscle twitching/spasms with exertion and boughts of severe exhaustion where I feel like I cant even take another step. Muscles all feel generally tight especially in arms and legs and twitch mildly at rest. Doesn't seem to be worse in any body part. Also seems to be worse when I havent eaten. Yes something is wrong. Something is suddenly causing my muscles to be fatigued I just dont know what .

 

[TenLettersRap]

i was on workout supplements and close to 1000mg caffeine a day before all this started... im starting to think i had some serious negative affects to all that, since caffeine does restrict bloodflow to the brain

 

[URfine]

Thanks for the feedback, trust me im trying, the thing that really bothers me is the spasticity in my arms and upper torso and legs from everything i have read this comes from some type of nervous system damage which really gets my mind going. Not being able to work out is driving me nuts.

There could be 100 reasons and 99 are treatable. ALS is about loss of function . You are good. Sounds like you are having panic attacks too. There are scary but won’t kill you . Trust your doctors and for gods sake stay off of Google

 

[BenO]

So three weeks have gone by and Im still having symptoms. I have like I have a nasally voice now no one seems to hear it though but i can because I notice it when i talk its more of an internal sinus feeling , it feels as though I am congested and I have like post nasal drip going on but I blow my nose and nothing happens this is a daily thing. Also the most fatigue I have been experiencing is in the back of my neck it has got so bad some days that I just rest my head every 20 minutes or so but some days its not bad until the end of the day. So with these two things going on of course I start thinking bulbar onset ALS that for some reason is affecting my legs , my abdominals and my arms all at once . I am walking fine and everything else seems ok except foe some moments of being very shaky and jittery.
On the plus side I have been to two neurologists that are not concerned about ALS at all. The first one actually started an ALS section in 2016 at the VA where I go. The second neurologist performed an EMG 4 days ago that came out completely normal he checked calves , thighs arms, back of neck , sides of neck, trapezius muscles, and chin. Everything was normal so following up in a month. I have heard BFS, CFS thrown around but when I asked the neuro what this could be he says maybe idiopathic or stop worrying so much! I was also bunped from the ALS support forums because theyre in the same line of thinking , that this isnt ALS. IDK what to think anymore ......

 

[Caecus]

You have benign fasciculation syndrome like me. I have it for 16years.it is idiopathic condition but it's probably from anxiety too, there was few speculations it was from uncured lyme disease that was walked through or some metal toxicity, but not.
I did everything i could. 5MRI'S, 3EMGS, COLOR DOPLERS, VEP, EEG, ANA, RF, A-CCP, 2LYME TESTS(ONE FROM GERMANY) AND BUNCH OF OTHER BLOOD TESTS..
Only vit. D low. I was hypochondar from all of that.
Twitching still persist all the time in both feets, sometimes with tingling and like electricity going through and also sensations on top of head.
Maybe if i did byopsy for small fibre neuropathy, but i decided not go to neurologist, because 3emgs was enough.

I did all private, waste pretty much good amount of money. Fears what about ms and chronic lyme.

I tried some ssri but didn't heloed much. From osychiatric view it is psychosomatic.

Now i'm on nootropics and vitamins. 5-htp and l-tyrosine helps.

 

[BenO]

Is the cramping part of BFs too?