Twitching fear

[AriaRen]

Hey everyone

I'm sure a few people will recognise my name from another forum but I really appreciate these communities, makes me feel a lot better coming here that googling things all the time.

Anyways, just for clarity, I've been twitching for about a year and a half now. It started in my legs, then spread to my arms, and now also occasionally my face, hands, feet, and torso. I twitch everywhere, all the time.

I have seen my doctor, multiple times, and also been to a&e (not for months and months now, this was at the height of my anxiety), and no one can find anything major. I've not seen a neurologist or had an EMG, but drs have said my reflexes and strength are all okay, so there's no need to worry, but bloods have all came back clear and I am terrified they're missing something.

I know everyone says A**/M** don't present with twitching first, but I've obviously read of the rare cases that do, and it's so scary to me.

Basically just looking to find out if anyone else suffers with daily twitching, or if anyone has any tips?

Sorry for the long post, thank you

 

[bin_tenn]

Hey everyone

I'm sure a few people will recognise my name from another forum but I really appreciate these communities, makes me feel a lot better coming here that googling things all the time.

Anyways, just for clarity, I've been twitching for about a year and a half now. It started in my legs, then spread to my arms, and now also occasionally my face, hands, feet, and torso. I twitch everywhere, all the time.

I have seen my doctor, multiple times, and also been to a&e (not for months and months now, this was at the height of my anxiety), and no one can find anything major. I've not seen a neurologist or had an EMG, but drs have said my reflexes and strength are all okay, so there's no need to worry, but bloods have all came back clear and I am terrified they're missing something.

I know everyone says A**/M** don't present with twitching first, but I've obviously read of the rare cases that do, and it's so scary to me.

Basically just looking to find out if anyone else suffers with daily twitching, or if anyone has any tips?

Sorry for the long post, thank you

Hi, Aria! Yes, I also recognize you from elsewhere (I see Jonathan is here now, too). Sorry you continue to worry about the twitching, but I can assure you it's rarely anything to think twice about. Search this forum and you'll turn up countless posts where others experience frequent twitching in various places.

 

[AriaRen]

Hey! Yep, seen quite a few people are over here now, looks like a fab community! I actually just had a look through, and I'm realising day by day it's something I just need to persevere with. I kept telling myself last year, if I'm still twitching but okay after a year, I know I'm fine, it's just anxiety, but then a year came and went and I was like...2 years and I'll know it's such a pain. Promise I'm a rational person, I must seem like such an eejit on here, haha.

Thank you for the reply

 

[bin_tenn]

Haha, nah. We understand! IMO great group of people here, between the combination of folks from the other community and those who haven't been a member elsewhere.

 

[Phillies Phan]

Hey! Yep, seen quite a few people are over here now, looks like a fab community! I actually just had a look through, and I'm realising day by day it's something I just need to persevere with. I kept telling myself last year, if I'm still twitching but okay after a year, I know I'm fine, it's just anxiety, but then a year came and went and I was like...2 years and I'll know it's such a pain. Promise I'm a rational person, I must seem like such an eejit on here, haha.

Thank you for the reply

Welcome Aria!

 

[AriaRen]

Welcome Aria!

Hello, thank you!

 

[E.B]

Hey everyone

I'm sure a few people will recognise my name from another forum but I really appreciate these communities, makes me feel a lot better coming here that googling things all the time.

Anyways, just for clarity, I've been twitching for about a year and a half now. It started in my legs, then spread to my arms, and now also occasionally my face, hands, feet, and torso. I twitch everywhere, all the time.

I have seen my doctor, multiple times, and also been to a&e (not for months and months now, this was at the height of my anxiety), and no one can find anything major. I've not seen a neurologist or had an EMG, but drs have said my reflexes and strength are all okay, so there's no need to worry, but bloods have all came back clear and I am terrified they're missing something.

I know everyone says A**/M** don't present with twitching first, but I've obviously read of the rare cases that do, and it's so scary to me.

Basically just looking to find out if anyone else suffers with daily twitching, or if anyone has any tips?

Sorry for the long post, thank you

When I first went on my med i twitched a bit so i understand how our minds can work as it caused anxiety for a bit...

None the less you are ok! Your doc confirmed it and also it has been well over a year. Try your best to relax and know you are ok!

 

[JustMe]

After a stressful miscarriage i had major twitching for about 6 months straight. Once I finally stopped worrying the twitching slowly went away. I still have twitching sometimes but now I'm not worried about it and it doesn't last.

 

[AriaRen]

I feel like my anxiety is getting a little better, buty right arm has been sore for a while, I have a referral to an ortho for it (9 month waiting list ), been told strength and reflexes are okay, but specially my right bicep has started twitching loads over the past few days, and I'm noticing my right leg twitches waaaay more than my left. It's probably just lack of activity, but I've read so much about the diseases I'm scared of before, and I always remember stories of people saying they were misdiagnosed with a pinched nerve, or how it started by them struggling to lift things for prolonged periods etc, and not completely failing. I know it's not that, my arms and legs are still basically identical in size, I'm not failing to do anything, it's probably some sort of nerve thing in my elbow because I constantly lean on it at my desk when I'm working, but man, it scares me.

Sorry, I'm just rambling away, it's just the easier thing to do when I get the urge to Google things come here instead and type out how dumb I am, haha.

 

[Jonathan123]

Hi, Aria. I do remember you from the other site, and few other old friends are turning up on here. I have recently posted another post about twitching. It may not always be realised but the epidermis, the skin, is the largest organ in the body. Yes, it is an organ and is subject to all the problems other organs have. Is it surprising that it can be badly affected by anxiety/fear? All the physical tests will not show anxiety. It's why so many medics get frustrated by us sufferers when we disbelieve them so much. You are obviously Googling. A VERY bad thing to do in anxiety. I do know how tempting it can be to look for reassurance, but all it usually does is cast more doubt in your mind. Be guided by your doctors. And believe them. Twitching is so common in anxiety, but it passes as and when we stop worrying about it and accept it for the moment.

 

[AriaRen]

Woke up with a super tight calf today, think they're called a charley horse? Always terrifies me when that happens. I've actually been feeling pretty good the past few days, yet here we are.

 

[ThankfulJen]

I was having that issue. Waking up with them. Actually getting horrible cramps lasting ten or more minutes in my ribs! It was freaking me out! Started eating bananas and almonds and drinking more water. Haven't dealt with that now for a while! Maybe it would help you?Anyways, sorry for your anxiety coming back after doing good.

 

[AriaRen]

Yeah, I went through a phase last year of getting maybe 1 a week, but I think I was just so tense because of my anxiety, and I wasn't leaving bed either, so really inactive. Felt better since I hadn't had one in a long time, but now I'm super scared again. Will drink loads of water and hope for the best. I hate this, it's so draining.

 

[AriaRen]

Closer it's getting to bed time, the more anxious I am that I'll wake up tomorrow and it'll have happened again. My calf has been so tight today, stretched a bit and drank loads of water, but absolutely terrified. Hopefully tomorrow is a bit better.

 

[Jonathan123]

By going to bed in a fearful and apprehensive way lays the foundations not only for a possibly bad night but a bad day. You are terrified by something that is perfectly normal in the Circumstances you find yourself in now. Your physical symptoms do not cause anxiety. It's more the other way round.
Being terrified, a very strong word, you increase your adrenaline flow so that you enter the fear/anxiety/symptoms/fear cycle. The chain has to be broken. This downward spiral can be stopped by accepting, for the moment, that this is how it will be, FOR THE MOMENT! You will not always be this way, honest, provided you make the effort to accept it all.

 

[Doug97]

Yes my calves started twitching all of a sudden 3 months ago. I started googling, then freaking out, panic attacks, insomnia, the works ... then I started twitching everywhere, and I freaked out even more. Spent a few weeks utterly terrified, testing my strength 10 times a day, googling a hundred different variations of keyword combinations.

But I eventually realised through reading about it that ALS just doesn't start with only twitching. I think it was seeing how many threads there were on anxietycentral.com (honestly about 50% of them) were from people with muscle twitching who were bricking it over ALS. It struck me that there must be about ten thousand times more people with twitching muscles freaking out about ALS than people who actually had ALS.

Also, Benign Fasciculation Syndrome is a thing and the calves are most commonly affected.

When I finally realised all that, my twitching stopped. Except in my calves admittedly. Unfortunately, after spending week after week with my adrenaline, heart rate, cortisol and blood pressure turned up to 11, I started to get skin pain. Also not a symptom of ALS, but it led to another round of googling until I found a horrible disease even rarer and harder to diagnose than ALS. This is the kind of disease my hypochondria can really get its teeth into - the prospect of spending years in genuine, life-changing agony while all the time being disbelieved by doctors and labelled a loony is right up my alley. Some twitching calves became the least of my worries.

But then someone on that other site explained to me that she gets the exact same pain, as do many other members, and it's 100% definitely caused by anxiety. The next day, I woke up pain free.

(OK I'm a bit sore right now but just the fact that it can go away at all proves it's not what I feared).

PS My neurologist said that if there's no weakness, numbness or back pain the twitching is nothing to worry about, she doesn't even want to see me. And you're not even the right sex or age!

PPS there was a story about ALS in the paper today, there's not even so much as a mention of twitching, first thing she knew was her hand stopped working.

Twitching everywhere, all the time, but with no weakness, just isn't ALS. It just isn't. And you've been twitching for a year and a half! Amateur! I'd have worried my way through at least a dozen diseases by now ...

 

[AriaRen]

Yes my calves started twitching all of a sudden 3 months ago. I started googling, then freaking out, panic attacks, insomnia, the works ... then I started twitching everywhere, and I freaked out even more. Spent a few weeks utterly terrified, testing my strength 10 times a day, googling a hundred different variations of keyword combinations.

But I eventually realised through reading about it that ALS just doesn't start with only twitching. I think it was seeing how many threads there were on anxietycentral.com (honestly about 50% of them) were from people with muscle twitching who were bricking it over ALS. It struck me that there must be about ten thousand times more people with twitching muscles freaking out about ALS than people who actually had ALS.

Also, Benign Fasciculation Syndrome is a thing and the calves are most commonly affected.

When I finally realised all that, my twitching stopped. Except in my calves admittedly. Unfortunately, after spending week after week with my adrenaline, heart rate, cortisol and blood pressure turned up to 11, I started to get skin pain. Also not a symptom of ALS, but it led to another round of googling until I found a horrible disease even rarer and harder to diagnose than ALS. This is the kind of disease my hypochondria can really get its teeth into - the prospect of spending years in genuine, life-changing agony while all the time being disbelieved by doctors and labelled a loony is right up my alley. Some twitching calves became the least of my worries.

But then someone on that other site explained to me that she gets the exact same pain, as do many other members, and it's 100% definitely caused by anxiety. The next day, I woke up pain free.

(OK I'm a bit sore right now but just the fact that it can go away at all proves it's not what I feared).

PS My neurologist said that if there's no weakness, numbness or back pain the twitching is nothing to worry about, she doesn't even want to see me. And you're not even the right sex or age!

PPS there was a story about ALS in the paper today, there's not even so much as a mention of twitching, first thing she knew was her hand stopped working.

Twitching everywhere, all the time, but with no weakness, just isn't ALS. It just isn't. And you've been twitching for a year and a half! Amateur! I'd have worried my way through at least a dozen diseases by now ...

Came back to this thread there as I'm panicking a bit due to twitching a lot in my legs, but I think it's down to inactivity, being laid up in bed ill isn't doing me any favours. This message helped a lot, thank you <3

 

[LotusTree]

Hi all, coming back on again.
yup, twitching.
was diagnosed with paresthesia last spring after the Covid vaccine. Mostly on my right side. It seemed to settle over the months, and along came some of my regular dizziness lately. But now the tingling is back:right hand outer toes (a bit numb too), outer right calf midway, behind right side of knee, midway up outer thigh and in right butt cheek. A little up left hand outer calf, midway too.
terrified as usual, thinking it could be worsening by day, but I might be imagining that as I am hyper aware.
had a bit of chest tension this morning too.
Now telling myself I’m gonna stop breathing at any moment, throat muscles will just crumple. Which I kind of also know is ridiculousbecause I wouldn’t be able to type this if it were the case. Suffering right now.
I forgot to mention that last week I got a painful little bite from some kind of small black fly on my outer right calf, little bit of blood. I am wondering if this could have aggravated the paraesthesia again. Took an antihistamine and put a cold compress on it as per doctor’s orders, but didn’t really need either. Just left a red mark. Of course I googled all kinds of bug bites ha - and couldn’t find anything.
Right calf also feels kind of tense as do toes.

 

[Doug97]

Hi LotusTree, what did you make of my post?

 

[AriaRen]

Hi all, coming back on again.
yup, twitching.
was diagnosed with paresthesia last spring after the Covid vaccine. Mostly on my right side. It seemed to settle over the months, and along came some of my regular dizziness lately. But now the tingling is back:right hand outer toes (a bit numb too), outer right calf midway, behind right side of knee, midway up outer thigh and in right butt cheek. A little up left hand outer calf, midway too.
terrified as usual, thinking it could be worsening by day, but I might be imagining that as I am hyper aware.
had a bit of chest tension this morning too.
Now telling myself I’m gonna stop breathing at any moment, throat muscles will just crumple. Which I kind of also know is ridiculousbecause I wouldn’t be able to type this if it were the case. Suffering right now.

If it's any help, I get my twitches in the places you just mentioned, haha, outer part of my right calf, behind my knees, I get them in my thighs aswell just above my knees, and also in my left buttock, but they're so weird, it's not like, normal twitching. I always describe it like stutters? It's 4 or 5 quick bursts then back to normal, it's super strange. I don't notice it when I'm busy though, working etc...I think it's a lot to do with my lack of activity, I live a pretty sedentary lifestyle.

Keep busy, keep your mind off it, and you'll be right as rain soon!