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Avatar universal

I am really worried

A am a 32 year old male. I started having twitches in my head and left leg muscle spasms since 2002 and it reooccured in 2005 after a stressful period. I have now been experiencing the same symptoms after another stressfull period but this time it is worrying as it has lasted for over 4 months now (since september 2007). It started after a bout of restructuring exercise at my office. I was so afraid that I could feel my heart twitch also and must nights it feels as though my heart was breathing. I realise it occurs just on the left side of my face and head. i sometimes have this painful cramps between the left side of my jaw and neck. I have also noticed spasms on my left limb and sometimes mild wealness. In september, I realised that my head will usually jack while sleeping but that did not last for long I also noticed this pain when I touch the area behind my left ear. I also had bels palsy on the same left side of my face in 1991(17 years ago).
I have taken on prescription Neurozan and afterwards Amytripitline for 6 weeks. They have not helped in anyway. I have no problem with my wigth as I still way a littkle above what I used to weigh.

Please advice on what this is as back here in Nigeria it is difficult to get good neuro doc or physicians.

I forgot to add that iaddition to all of the above, I have had mild headaches on the same left side of my head.

Please can someone respond.
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Avatar universal
Thanks man!

This is all looking and sounding scary, but, will try out what you have suggested. There is a national hospital in the Capital city and I hear they have good equipments.

Thanks again.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
One thing to consider is getting a CAT scan of your brain and upper body at an emergency hospital center, to make sure there's no unusual findings related to a growth, to obstructed blood flow, or to a nerve problem.  In the country you are living in, you could always travel to a larger city that has one of those machines in their hospital, and try to get some immediate help there, on the basis of possible stroke symptoms needing quick diagnosis.

There is also a remote but conceivable possibility you have wrenched some shoulder and spinal muscles on the left side of your body.  This would explain why stress is making it worse...muscles get bunched up and can cause all sorts of head pain, arm pain, and so forth, they get hard and stiff, and it takes a long time for them to work themselves out, so when you get stressed out, the body clenches itself into a fight-or-flight response position, and makes already tense muscles even worse.  Therefore, you may want to seek the services of a massage therapist, you can find one at any resort location within traveling distance, and after three or four visits a week for a month, you might see vast improvement.  It could also be something is impinging on your spinal nerves, all the way from those bunched muscles, or some inflammatory and swelling process from an injury of some kind, up to a bulging or slipped disk, which that CAT scan would show, and would require possibly physical therapy, which massage therapy may help all that a little bit, too.

To find a neurologist in Africa, I can suggest three things:  There is an "Ask The Doctor" section in this forum, located to the left of the main webpage, and you pay a small sum to see what they recommend.  You can also go online and look into neurologists who work out of the United Kingdom, and see if they have branch offices in South Africa.  Lastly, if there is an American military installation or base in the area, or even the International Red Cross, you could visit with them to have a look at you.

Those would be my ideas.  It's not much, but maybe these thoughts will at least steer you in the right direction.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks man.
The challenge over here is getting a good neurologist but I will try to scout for one. I only hope that I can get a doctor's input and advice.
Especially now that I have noticed that when I bend my face to the left side, I feel a mild pressure on that side of face and it feels like the whole blood in my system wants to flow out trhrough that side.
Please link me with a doctor if you can.

Thanks again.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Your twitches are mostly likely stress related; but it is hard to say for sure without neurological tests.  But usually extremely stressful periods in life can cause muscle twitching and spasms.  I saw a Dr. last week and he told me that stress related twiching can last for a year or more.
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Avatar universal
Your twitches are mostly likely stress related; but it is hard to say for sure without neurological tests.
Helpful - 0
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