My full story....please help.

[mamasof4]

I have posted a few questions and sorry if I'm repeating myself but I want to put my whole story up and get your opinions. Dec. 2006  I got a massage. During the massage she tried to "massage out the knots" on both sides of my back between my spine and shoulder blades. It hurt when she did it but I didn't think too much of it at the time. 3 weeks later I noticed 1 muscle in my left leg, right above my knee was twitching and I had lower back pain. After a few days of this I went to the dr. who was not concerned. I of course was and got really nervous. The next thing I know my whole body went crazy. I started twitching all over my body and I had HORRIBLE burning pain in my neck and shoulders (right where she had massaged). I got on the net and of course MS came up and I became fixated that this is what I had. Upon my request my dr sent me to the "MS" Neurologist in my area. He did an neuro exam which was normal, he did not think it was MS.  But he also did not think it had anything to do with the massage. I did have an MRI w/out contrast done which was normal. It all subsided  after a month or so except for the occasional twitching in my fingers. I had a baby in Aug. and have suffered severe anxiety since his birth. About a month ago I noticed that same muscle started twitching in my left leg, above my knee and IMMEDIATELY began to freak out. I went to my dr. ASAP and he attributed it to a virus. I then proceeded to get the twitching all over again but not nearly as bad as I had the first time. And I have the burning pain in my neck and shoulders. Dr ruled out Lyme disease but I did test + for EBV and my CRP was 1.33. I am OBSESSED that I have MS and it is taking over my life. I am a 28 year old mother of 4 young beautiful children and yet I can't focus on anything but MS. I have lost 20 lbs since the 9th of Oct, due to my anxiety level. My dr. does not believe it is MS at all (he has diagnosed quite a few people with it), so he has some experience with it. I go to a psychologist tomorrow and I have another Neurology appointment (not with the MS guy, he has since retired :( next Thursday. So my questions are...

1) Does this sound anything like MS?
2) I know you can go years between "flare ups"  but would they be the exact same symptoms both times?
3) If it were MS does it make sense that the muscle fasciculations correlate with the neck and shoulder pain?

ANY INPUT would be helpful. Thank you.

[Quixotic1]

Ahh, I get a little more info from you now.  While it's not clear what set off the origianl muscle pain and twitching, it is pretty clear that the anxiety and terror is keeping the whole mess going.

I want to talk a little about fasiculations.  these are the tiny twitches that you can feel and often see right below the skin.  Irritated or fatigued muscles can get short term fasciculations in them.  Viral infections are notorious for starting them.  this makes sense when you remember how many viral infections like colds and the flu make your muscles ache all over like you had been run ovwer by a bus.

There are a few things that make fasciculations worse.  One is fatigue.  Another and the most important is anxiety.  This is one symptom where anxiety can paly a HUGE role.  The more anxious you are the more twitchy you'll be.  Also, the more you pay attention to them the more you will notice them.  In reality all of us have a little twitchiness going one all the time.  Most of us barely notice though.  Pain is another thing that will increase the twitches, so you have a double whammy.  Caffeine and stimulants will also increase this electrical hyperexcitability of the muscles.  And Bio brought up another thing that needs to be checked.  That is how your thyroid is functioning.

It is not uncommon for fasciculations to become very widespread through the body.  People really do get very anxious over this and often come to this forum worried about MS.  I will confidently say that none of them has turned out to have MS.  They usually have a condition known as Benign (meaning not serious) Fasciculation Syndrome.  Even though it is not serious it is a pain in the *ss.  You can look up this syndrome and read about it.

The most important thing, though is to get your anxiety and OCD treated.  Many of the symptoms that terrify you so much will melt away.  Be kind to yourself and cling to the reassurances of others.  We all know that it is hard, but you have an uncommon honesty and insight here that will help you through this.

Quix

[mamasof4]

My psych appt. went well. I am definately suffering from OCD. I have to see her next week and she is going to run some kind of brain test on me. And my neurologist appt is next Thursday as well. Hopefully, he can ease my mind.

[ShadowsSister]

Hi, I tried to read you post but it all just ran together especially since I am having double vision right now.

It really helps if you brake it up at bit so the words don't just end up running together, Thank Goodness for Spell Check.
{{{{{{~!~}}}}}} DJ

[biowham]

Hi--

1. No, it doesn't.
2. Flares are unpredictable, but yes, the symptoms can be the same between flares.
3. No.

I'm glad you're getting the psych workup if for no other reason than your obviously overwhelming anxiety. Some responsible physician should long ago have addressed that. The fasciculations could easily be attributable to that or to a syndrome called benign fasciculation syndrome, and twitching in the legs is common. Lots of people test + for EBV but do not have MS, and people can have MS without testing + for EBV; it's not a clear-cut correlation either way. Your elevated CRP suggests inflammation, but that's not a marker for MS...and your anxiety could have something to do with all of that.

Have you had your thyroid tested? That can go haywire in the postpartum period, complete with anxiety and twitching.

Let us know what comes of your psychology appt. Be sure to express clearly your overwhelming anxiety. That needs to be addressed ASAP. Your kids need a mother who is not disabled by stress and anxiety. One great thing about your post is your honesty with yourself about this.

Bio

[shawnie31]

Hi there, it sure sounds like you have alot on your mind. First of all you can find good reading material in our health pages. If you do have MS it could take years of you going through many bizarre and painful symptoms before dr's take you serious.

I'm not trying to discourage you. It must be difficult with 4 kids and not feeling well. Take it one day at a time. Right down your symptoms and see if anything makes them better or worse, what are you doing at the time you are feeling them. If your anxiety is really high the dr's may prescribe an anti-depressant, this may help you to function better. I don't like to promote meds but sometimes when life is hard to cope with and we have so many unanswered questions we need a little help. It may only be temporarely. Many un-dx people need them to cope with day to day life.

Your best tool is knowledge, do some research, stay on top of your appointments. Try not to get to emotional when you see your dr's, stay focussed and get your point accross better this way.

The most important thing is your health and also having a healthy mind. Without this you and your children will not be able to enjoy each other. Try to reach out to family and friends for help when you need it. You would be surprised who will help when you ask them and tell them what is going on with you. Are you functioning day to day at home? Do you work outside of your home?

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm preaching you, I've been through quite a bit in the past few years. Listen to your body and be kind to eat, rest, eat well and you probably get plenty of exercise chasing your kids...

Take care, keep us posted

Shelley