Twitching/Tremor fingers

[Karol18]

Hi all,

First post here. Over the past year and 3 months I’ve experienced twitching muscles at different points all over my body. Started in thumbs on both hands, then they subsided, said I’d go to Doctor as my Mother has Parkinson’s and he told me that I shouldn’t be worried about Parkinson’s at this age (39). He said to cut down on caffeine and see how I got on. In passing he fleetingly mentioned about MND but only being concerned about something like that if I had twitches in arms/calf’s. Low and behold I had them here the following week and after that they appeared everywhere. He told me that I didn’t need to see a neurologist but if I really wanted to go that he’d reluctantly refer me. Letter stated ‘likely BFS but not reassured by GP assesment’ I should mention he also performed strength tests etc. and deemed all ok. I decided not to go to neurologist as the twitching became sporadic and quite honestly the fear they would find something stopped me. I’ve been suffering anxiety on and off my whole life and due to some horrific personal events its gone into overdrive since last year. Today I get long periods without twitching but as I write this my left forefinger has been at it as well as my eyelid. This is now going on over 15 months and I guess my question is at this stage could it be MND or Parkinsons or is it just my anxiety rearing it’s ugly head again. I did get a period of about 6 weeks with literally zero twitches but as soon as they start again I can’t seem to shake the thought something is wrong. I know a lot of people suffer with this so I was wondering if anyone can help with advice as to how I can move on with my life as it robs me of so much joy/wasted time and I start to feel depressed when I think about it. It’s also had a huge impact on my relationship as I’m constantly worried and at times not much fun to be around. There’s a lot of guilt attached to this even though I know I’ve done nothing wrong per se but my mind has truly become my master and it leads me down so many terrible roads and catastrophic outcomes it’s no wonder I’m constantly on edge.

Any help welcome,

Feel free to message,

Many thanks

 

[matisworried]

it's amazing how symptoms suddenly start appearing after you find out about them, isn't it? i went through something very similar not all that long ago and it all stemmed from an abnormality that was discovered during an MRI of my brain which was only ordered to look for causes of some hearing issues i have. prior to the discovery on the MRI, i'd never worried about neuro issues nor did i have any symptoms... but once that abnormality was found and my fingers took to Google, oh man, did the symptoms start coming out of the woodwork.... muscle twitches/spasms, cramping, pinprick sensations, pins and needles, clumsiness... i had so many symptoms there was no way i DIDN'T have something that was going to kill me or at the very least, cripple me. i obsessed over it. it was paralyzing, consumed me and much like you, it was damaging my marriage. my anxiety was ruining my life. luckily, in a moment of semi-clarity i realized a few things: first, i realized that the more i researched, the worse my symptoms got and my rational brain pointed out that diseases don't typically work that way. it would have had to have been quite a coincidence to develop symptoms within hours of reading about them. second, i realized that my HA was swallowing me alive, ruining my life and negatively impacting those around me and if i wanted to save any of it, i needed to get professional help.

in seeking help, i've learned a few things that have helped immensely... and the multitudes of symptoms i experienced decreased by about 90%.

the thing is, a lot of the symptoms we experience (including things like muscle twitches) are common, even normal. they're sensations that most people wouldn't pay attention to or think twice about... but people with HA are so tuned in to the sensations in our body that we notice and magnify EVERYTHING.

good for you for not going to your neuro appointment and at least physically accepting your doctor's assessment. have you ever tried therapy? it's a long road and there's no easy fix, but it is very beneficial... for me at least. in the meantime two suggestions: first and most importantly... DO NOT RESEARCH YOUR SYMPTOMS ONLINE. google is not your friend. leave diagnosing to doctors with medical degrees and years and years of experience. second, when these health-related thoughts pop into your head tell yourself in whatever way works best for you "i'm not going to think about this stuff right now." if need be, get up and find a different activity to engage in. with practice, it gets easier and easier to kick these thoughts down the road. these two things have decreased my health-related anxiety dramatically.

 

[Karol18]

it's amazing how symptoms suddenly start appearing after you find out about them, isn't it? i went through something very similar not all that long ago and it all stemmed from an abnormality that was discovered during an MRI of my brain which was only ordered to look for causes of some hearing issues i have. prior to the discovery on the MRI, i'd never worried about neuro issues nor did i have any symptoms... but once that abnormality was found and my fingers took to Google, oh man, did the symptoms start coming out of the woodwork.... muscle twitches/spasms, cramping, pinprick sensations, pins and needles, clumsiness... i had so many symptoms there was no way i DIDN'T have something that was going to kill me or at the very least, cripple me. i obsessed over it. it was paralyzing, consumed me and much like you, it was damaging my marriage. my anxiety was ruining my life. luckily, in a moment of semi-clarity i realized a few things: first, i realized that the more i researched, the worse my symptoms got and my rational brain pointed out that diseases don't typically work that way. it would have had to have been quite a coincidence to develop symptoms within hours of reading about them. second, i realized that my HA was swallowing me alive, ruining my life and negatively impacting those around me and if i wanted to save any of it, i needed to get professional help.

in seeking help, i've learned a few things that have helped immensely... and the multitudes of symptoms i experienced decreased by about 90%.

the thing is, a lot of the symptoms we experience (including things like muscle twitches) are common, even normal. they're sensations that most people wouldn't pay attention to or think twice about... but people with HA are so tuned in to the sensations in our body that we notice and magnify EVERYTHING.

good for you for not going to your neuro appointment and at least physically accepting your doctor's assessment. have you ever tried therapy? it's a long road and there's no easy fix, but it is very beneficial... for me at least. in the meantime two suggestions: first and most importantly... DO NOT RESEARCH YOUR SYMPTOMS ONLINE. google is not your friend. leave diagnosing to doctors with medical degrees and years and years of experience. second, when these health-related thoughts pop into your head tell yourself in whatever way works best for you "i'm not going to think about this stuff right now." if need be, get up and find a different activity to engage in. with practice, it gets easier and easier to kick these thoughts down the road. these two things have decreased my health-related anxiety dramatically.

Thanks,

Great advice re therapy. Have done quite a bit which really helped at the time. Definitely need to get back to it. Even just posting on here and connecting with others is therapy in itself. Hope you’re doing well yourself?

 

[matisworried]

Thanks,

Great advice re therapy. Have done quite a bit which really helped at the time. Definitely need to get back to it. Even just posting on here and connecting with others is therapy in itself. Hope you’re doing well yourself?

if it worked before, there's good chance it'll work again! therapy has been a life (literally) and marriage saver for me. i definitely still have that voice in the back of my head trying to get me worried about health stuff and i deal with general anxiety on the daily but i'm learning to at least quiet the health-related stuff. best of luck to you!

 

[TDS74]

Starting mid May I went to neurologist for neck and upper back tightness . I went to chiropractor, physical therapy, massage and it came back very quickly. So during my yearly physical I mentioned to my Doctor. She referred me to a neurologist. During my appt a few weeks later, which i was NOT nervous about. My left arm started feeling weird during the exam. The Doctor said well let me check for weakness, I told her that I thought it was my anxiety. My left hand was weaker amd she said let's test for multiple sclerosis. But don't Google it, I am not saying you have it , but let's test and give you MRI. Of course I googled and literally from that moment on my life changed. I began having several of the symptoms of MS. I even began having Parkinson's symptoms and ALS with twitches and spasms. So then I swore I had a deadly neuro muscular disease. My life was horrible , I almost lost my job, blood pressure rose, lost 12 pounds. Couldn't eat or sleep or really leave my house. Had MRI which came out fine, blood work that was fine and EMG. SYMPTOMS lessened , but I still have these weird issues that I never had before I heard her say let's test for MS. I became extremely withdrawn from my family and my relationship suffered immensely. Everyone thought I was crazy and wanted me to go into a mental hospital. Best of luck and sorry for the long rant. Anxiety has ruined my life. And perhaps I just have this mystery diagnosis

 

[matisworried]

Starting mid May I went to neurologist for neck and upper back tightness . I went to chiropractor, physical therapy, massage and it came back very quickly. So during my yearly physical I mentioned to my Doctor. She referred me to a neurologist. During my appt a few weeks later, which i was NOT nervous about. My left arm started feeling weird during the exam. The Doctor said well let me check for weakness, I told her that I thought it was my anxiety. My left hand was weaker amd she said let's test for multiple sclerosis. But don't Google it, I am not saying you have it , but let's test and give you MRI. Of course I googled and literally from that moment on my life changed. I began having several of the symptoms of MS. I even began having Parkinson's symptoms and ALS with twitches and spasms. So then I swore I had a deadly neuro muscular disease. My life was horrible , I almost lost my job, blood pressure rose, lost 12 pounds. Couldn't eat or sleep or really leave my house. Had MRI which came out fine, blood work that was fine and EMG. SYMPTOMS lessened , but I still have these weird issues that I never had before I heard her say let's test for MS. I became extremely withdrawn from my family and my relationship suffered immensely. Everyone thought I was crazy and wanted me to go into a mental hospital. Best of luck and sorry for the long rant. Anxiety has ruined my life. And perhaps I just have this mystery diagnosis

perhaps your anxiety is heightened still and that's causing or at least contributing to what you're experiencing? the mind is insanely powerful. every physical symptom i experienced was very real. the cause was mental, however. as HA sufferers, we do have the tendency to be hyper-focused on the physical sensations we have in our bodies.

a negative mri is EXCELLENT news. a negative EMG is even MORE EXCELLENT. add to that you've had no concerning labs and I'd say the chances of it being anything sinister are fairly small. until your follow up try and stay positive. remember that worry is literally worthless. it does zero good and will not change the outcome so why do it?

 

[TDS74]

Thank you I hope!! The symptoms have decreased, when anxiety is high the symptoms worsen. But wayyy better than this summer. I literally thought I was losing my mind and dying, it was terrifying. I try to not focus on those symtoms as much anymore and I stay away from Google!!!

 

[matisworried]

Thank you I hope!! The symptoms have decreased, when anxiety is high the symptoms worsen. But wayyy better than this summer. I literally thought I was losing my mind and dying, it was terrifying. I try to not focus on those symtoms as much anymore and I stay away from Google!!!

i have been where you have been... just be glad they didn't actually find anything on your mri. they did on mine... and i had to wait an entire year for a follow up to make sure no new spots were discovered (hence it's name "multiple" sclerosis.) luckily, nothing was found and it was determined the spot was more or less nothing, but that year of "what ifs" was HELLISH. it consumed me. even after getting the official all-clear i still had symptoms and i really think it was because my brain couldn't process the thought that I was fine. and all that worry and a stained marriage... did it make a difference in the outcome? nope. i would have gotten the same results whether i spent every waking second paralyzed by anxiety or not.

the fact that your symptoms have decreased since your anxiety decreased should be very reassuring since most actual physical diseases don't work that way! that was one of the things that helped me reel my anxiety in regarding this stuff.

 

[TDS74]

i have been where you have been... just be glad they didn't actually find anything on your mri. they did on mine... and i had to wait an entire year for a follow up to make sure no new spots were discovered (hence it's name "multiple" sclerosis.) luckily, nothing was found and it was determined the spot was more or less nothing, but that year of "what ifs" was HELLISH. it consumed me. even after getting the official all-clear i still had symptoms and i really think it was because my brain couldn't process the thought that I was fine. and all that worry and a stained marriage... did it make a difference in the outcome? nope. i would have gotten the same results whether i spent every waking second paralyzed by anxiety or not.

the fact that your symptoms have decreased since your anxiety decreased should be very reassuring since most actual physical diseases don't work that way! that was one of the things that helped me reel my anxiety in regarding this stuff.

Very true!! I'm so glad that you are okay! Years ago I had an MRI and the Docs office told me I had scattered foci of white matter disease. In which i found no real info on what that was . They told me I had a brain disease that would be debilitating such as MS etc. I was beyond terrified and went ro 3 neurologist because i didn't trust any of them. My Doctor said I had a brain disease so of course I did. She started my health Anxiety, they never found anything. But ever since then, I always feel like in the back of my head that they were right. What the docs staff neglected to tell me, was that it could have been Lyme's, sinus issues, frequent headaches etc. Ever since I live in fear of my health.

 

[matisworried]

Very true!! I'm so glad that you are okay! Years ago I had an MRI and the Docs office told me I had scattered foci of white matter disease. In which i found no real info on what that was . They told me I had a brain disease that would be debilitating such as MS etc. I was beyond terrified and went ro 3 neurologist because i didn't trust any of them. My Doctor said I had a brain disease so of course I did. She started my health Anxiety, they never found anything. But ever since then, I always feel like in the back of my head that they were right. What the docs staff neglected to tell me, was that it could have been Lyme's, sinus issues, frequent headaches etc. Ever since I live in fear of my health.

some doctors are really careless with how they speak. i work with a lot of doctors in my profession and I've heard them throw "could be cancer" around more times than I could count. it's almost like some of them forget how jarring those words can be to their patients.

 

[TDS74]

some doctors are really careless with how they speak. i work with a lot of doctors in my profession and I've heard them throw "could be cancer" around more times than I could count. it's almost like some of them forget how jarring those words can be to their patients.

Yes!! Just like in May when I went to neurologist for neck tension and left hearing her words let's check for MS! Now the tension is gone for the most part , but I began a whole new slew of symptoms all related to neurological disorders that I never experienced before .
I don't think I'll ever feel " normal" again. I was just fine a few months ago

 

[matisworried]

Yes!! Just like in May when I went to neurologist for neck tension and left hearing her words let's check for MS! Now the tension is gone for the most part , but I began a whole new slew of symptoms all related to neurological disorders that I never experienced before .
I don't think I'll ever feel " normal" again. I was just fine a few months ago

i'm sorry you are dealing with that. i am not a doctor, but having done plenty of MS research and having been to neurologists because they found something that was actually concerning, it seems incredibly irresponsible to be tossing that sort of diagnosis around because you had neck tension.

 

[TDS74]

i'm sorry you are dealing with that. i am not a doctor, but having done plenty of MS research and having been to neurologists because they found something that was actually concerning, it seems incredibly irresponsible to be tossing that sort of diagnosis around because you had neck tension.

I know!! It was my all of sudden left arm weakness while in her office. All of the sudden it came on while talking to her , and that's when she said let's test for MS. Meanwhile I just told her I had severe anxiety!

 

[matisworried]

I know!! It was my all of sudden left arm weakness while in her office. All of the sudden it came on while talking to her , and that's when she said let's test for MS. Meanwhile I just told her I had severe anxiety!

so she decided to drop the MS bomb AFTER you told her about your anxiety? wow.

also... what are the odds that the onset of a symptom will take place in the office of a doctor that deals with said diseases? seems like you'd have better odds winning the lottery.

 

[TDS74]

so she decided to drop the MS bomb AFTER you told her about your anxiety? wow.

also... what are the odds that the onset of a symptom will take place in the office of a doctor that deals with said diseases? seems like you'd have better odds winning the lottery.

I KNOW that's the crazy part. The reason my family and friends wanted me admitted into a mental hospital

 

[matisworried]

I KNOW that's the crazy part. The reason my family and friends wanted me admitted into a mental hospital

that's HA for you, though. people that don't suffer from it, especially if they aren't interested in educating themselves, will never understand. don't get down on yourself!

 

[TDS74]

that's HA for you, though. people that don't suffer from it, especially if they aren't interested in educating themselves, will never understand. don't get down on yourself!

Thank you! And yes you are absolutely right!! I wouldn't even understand me, if it wasn't. Me LOL! Even when I think back 5 weeks ago I can't believe what I was going thru. Thanks again!!