Please Respond

Hi everyone. I am 20 years old, about to be 21. I have been experiencing muscle twitching for the past year straight. And it does not show any signs of stopping anytime soon. I remember the day I woke up and my right tricep was twitching. I figured it was just a normal twitch and would go away. And by twitch I dont mean my arm would like fly around, it was just the muscle itself moving. Well it didnt go away, and soon after my tricep in the other arm began doing it too. Following those twitches many other muscles in body began doing it to. It's most severe in the tricep area of my arms, but I feel the same involuntary muscle movements throughout my body now. Biceps, triceps, shoulders, thighs, calfs, thumbs and some other muscles that I dont even know what they are. But it contantly happens in the lower tricep areas. I also cramp up very easy, anywhere. I can make my forearm cramp on command, as well as many other muscles. About 4 or 5 months after the twitching started I was playing basketball and my vision became blurry and then I got a horrible headache, followed by nausea and vomitting. This has occured about 4 times in the past year, each time after playing basketball. I hadn't had a headache in like 5 years before the twitching began, but I'm not sure if they are even related, I could have just been dehydrated after playing ball. When I was about 17 or so I was pitching(baseball) and when I turned my head towards the plate I felt a sudden fealing of numbness cover the left side of my head/brain. That has also happened a few times since the first time. Along with all of that I have had a painful back for many years, prob about 6 years now. I also hear a ringing in my right ear, which is the side of my head that hurts badly when I get the headache followed by nusea and vomitting. I feel contantly like stoned/ high now, but am actually not at all.

So with the symptoms of the twitching, cramping, headaches, sometimes blurred vision accompanied by nausea/ vomitting(but rarely), right ear ringing (constantly), back pain, feeling stoned or out of it most of the time, does anyone have an explanation?
          I get the impression it could be a muscle disease or a tumor, but can a pinched nerve or unaligned back bone cause the twitching and cramping and maybe the headaches as well?
      
            I have had blood work done but it was all good. Although I don't know if a normal blood test shows vitamin deficiency but I am pretty sure that was apart of the test. I am getting an MRI and CT scan done in a couple days. But I have been sitting here thinking the worst for over a year now, and wanted to know if anyone else had these same problems because doctor's seem a little perplexed when I describe all this to them. The headaches may just be from worrying all the time, but the constant headache didn't start until about two or three weeks ago. So if anyone has an idea as to what this could be please reply. Thanks, and sorry about writing so much.


This discussion is related to fasiculations/pain.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

Since you have headaches associated with nausea, vomiting and blurred vision, I would ask for an MRI to rule out any space occupying lesion in the brain. It could be a tumor, a venous malformation or a cyst.

What you also might be having is some disc bulging in the cervical spine. Since that event while pitching, you may have hurt your spine and the neck muscle as well. Some times when there is a neck muscle pull, the occipital nerves get stretched and the numbness comes for some minute to about half an hour.

Please keep me updated about your MRI and other reports. The twitching can be related to the cervical discs bulging.

Regards

[fieldhigh_m3]

Hullo,  it sounds as if you;ve been havign an awful time.. While I have other symptoms like tingling and numbness, I also have muscle twitching like you - it started in my right calf very early at the same time as the first neuropathy in that foot, and now I have twitchign in my LEFT calf at the same times as tingling and burning has started in my LEFT foot.

My MRI and X-rays showed NO bulging disc or brain lesions (but a slight cervical misalignment in the neck), and I thought that a bulging disc in the neck could ONLY cause symptoms in the arms and thorax - but you said that, like me, you have symptoms in your LEGS as well.

If you are told ALL your symptoms are  caused by a problem in your neck, that would be very interesting - good luck with your next lot of tests!

[PD13]

Also, I have had cramping in my feet for many years as well. The kind where my my big toe starts to be pulled down by the cramp and the rest of my toes will stay in place. Could that explain any of my other symptoms? It may just be something totally different, as I have heard many other people get those, but it seems to happen to me quite often.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

Your symptoms hint towards widespread fasciculation. And this may involve the muscles of the sole. This explains the big toe spasm.

Have you also been experiencing any tingling or burning in the lower limbs? These don't go with your symptoms, but I was just wondering if you have any lumbar disc bulging.

Regards

[PD13]

Hi. No I have not experienced and burning or tingling sensation. Just the cramping and twitching. I have experienced tingling and burning while sleeping, then I wake up and move my arm from the awkward position it was in and it goes right away, that's normal right?

What causes wide spread fasciculation?  I have been really bad about sleeping on couches a lot. And even when I do sleep in my bed I wake up with horrible back pain almost everyday. But I don't see how the back problem would cause my ear to ring and my head to hurt. Could chewing tobacco cause all these symptoms?

[PD13]

I went to the neurologist yesterday and he thinks it's something to do with my neck. But would that explain the ringing in my ear and the headaches?

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

Has your Neurologist ordered any further investigations?

There are two aspects to your symptoms. The first one is the headaches, which are possibly a result if cervical pathology, most probably cervical spondylosis (but can be otherwise). And the other aspect is the tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

As far as the headaches are concerned, we can not be sure if they are indeed due to the cervical problem. But we may consider the possibility of basilar artery migraines. Basilar artery migraine is an unusual condition, but you should give it a thought.

You may also think of neck muscle spasm causing the headache. Do you get stiff neck quite often?

Tinnitus can be caused by either an inner ear problem or middle ear problems. The small bones of the ear are controlled by innervation from the trigeminal nerve. The cervical part of the trigeminal nerve nucleus in the spinal cord runs quite a distance down into the cervical cord. Hence, a nerve impingement in this are can lead to tinnitus. Alternatively there could be damage to the autonomic nervous system at the cervical level. Irritation of the nerves at the cervical level due to spondylosis can lead to the tinnitus.

I hope I was able to clear a few thought. Let me know if you have any further queries.

Regards

[PD13]

Hi. Thank you for all your knowledge and input. The neurologist I saw ordered an MRI and some additional blood tests. He says it is most like from neck trauma earlier in my life, and he was also very interested in the cramping in my feet like you were.

As far as the ear ringing can chewing tobacco cause this in any way? I chewed tobacco for about 5 years, maybe a little longer. But I haven't had any serious mouth sores that have stayed, or not healed. I no longer use the substance but can it effect you ears like that? I also have a soreness in the right side of my jaw, around the angle and up toward the ear. It makes a grinding and popping noise when I slight push inward on it and move it around. My ear constantly pops, and thats the ear thats always ringing. If I bend my neck toward the right and downward it sounds like rice krispies crackling in my ear. If I put my finger in my ear and move my jaw around I feel something grinding around inbetween my jaw bone and ear. I went to see a maxillofacial doctor for TMJ but he said I didn't have that, so what do you think that could be??
                       I have had a pretty big overbite my whole life, but don't think I grind my teeth or anything like that. I think the ear ringing, jaw weirdness (if you will) and headaches may be a total separate issue from the muscle twitching and cramping, but not sure. But let me know what you think, thanks.