Undiagnosed Muscle Cramps, twitches, and spasms. Need relief...

[queenlian]

Hello,

I am a 22 year old female. My illness started just under a year ago. I woke up in the middle of the night with a severe "charlie horse" cramp in my right calf. It lasted 15 mins, and returned again for a second time half an hour later. The next morning i had sever bruising where the cramp was from what appeared to be torn muscles. I was fine for a few days, but then began experiencing a shooting pain whenever i stepped on the outer pad of my right foot. This lasted a week, and from then on my symptoms began to expand.

I started feeling a constant twitching in my right calf muscle, like when you're tired and your eye twitches. It was not visible to the naked eye as it was far enough under the skin to not be seen. I began to notice that any strain on the muscle at all would cause it to seize into a charlie horse cramp. I slowly over the next month began to notice this up my entire right side. A yawn would cause my neck to seize up. Bending over would cause my side to seize up. Writing too long would seize my hand up. And even the slightest movement of my foot would send my leg into the most severe of cramps. When my calves cramp up it looks as though there is water boiling under my skin. It bubbles, pops, ripples, and spasms in an utterly painful and disturbing display.

I had bloodwork done which revealed everything was normal and I was sent to a neurologist. My neurologist preformed an EMG and NCS, which came back normal. I was then sent to have a c-spine MRI done. It revealed that my spine was begining to curve in the wrong direction which i'm told is common for people presenting with muscle cramps. I had an MRI done, with and without contrast, revealing nothing. I had an angiogram done which also revealed nothing.

I was sent to physical therapy which only proved to make my condition worse. By this time the sypmtoms had progressed through my entire body, not just my right side. they tried several medications, none of which helped. I also began to notice rapidly decreasing vision, incontinence, abnormal hair growth, difficulty swallowing, inability to concentrate, ringing in my ears, exhaustion, inability to fall asleep, and stiffness in my joints.

I saw a neuro-muscular specialist at a large presitigous medical college who suggested i inject botox into my legs to stop them from cramping. I have seen so many neurologists now that i'm beginning to feel its hopeless. This illness has comepletely taken over my life and I am so tired from fighting it 24/7. It affects every decision i make and follows me everywhere relentlessly. I am currently on a trial of baclophen which seems to be making things worse, as did most the muscle relaxants i was put on. My new neurologist told me that my best bet is to simply try medications untill i find one that treats the symptoms well enough to make it from one day to the next. This was the most devistating blow yet. I cannot accept that i may suffer from this for the next 60 years of my life with no answers. It cant be normal for a 22 year old to pray to god every night that they find something in her blood work or MRIs... so that the mystery can be solved.

Please, if you have any notion as to what may be causing these ailments, or if there is another doctor i should be seeing, please let me know. I am so despirate for answers.

-Adriane

[Ali28787]

Hi Queenlian,

About two years ago I started having the exact same issues with my legs. Woke up one night while on vacation with a "charley horse" cramp in my calf. I've never been the same since. Constant twitching in my muscles, not visible to the eye. Not being able to hardly walk come evening, scared to sleep for fear of waking up with another "charley horse." I've had every blood test known to man done, MRI's of my spine and brain, everything normal. Doctor after doctor, medication after medication, ER visit after ER visit, and nothing. My neurologist has me on Gabapentin and Baclofen, which I have found relief from...they are the only medications that get me through the day. I too, found myself on the floor of stores not being able to move from a full body seize up, scared to drive because I am scared to cause an accident, scared to do anything. It has taken over my entire life. People say I just need to exercise, that only makes it worse. At around the same time the muscle cramps started, my bladder was having issues too. They diagnosed me with IC (Interstitial Cystitis) but I feel like I was wrongly diagnosed. My grandpa has MS and I know that MS usually tends to skip a generation so I figured it was that. They ruled that out after all of my neurological tests came back normal. The doctors thought it was all in my head too, and when they told me I may live with this for the rest of my life, it was the most horrifying day of my life. I balled my eyes out for hours. I too, am beginning to hate doctors. I am 24 (22 when this started) and I live a life of a 90 year old because I cannot move around. My grandpa who has MS, was diagnosed at my age, with the exact same symptoms, we are on the exact same medications, except mine are STRONGER. Some days I feel like maybe I do have MS and it was just too pre mature to detect through MRI's etc...as stupid as it sounds, some days I wish they would find that I have MS so I can at least have a diagnosis. I quit following up with doctors because it was becoming so overwhelming getting normal results over and over again when I knew something just wasn't right. Please, if you get any leads or any diagnosis, let me know. I am also glad to know that  I am not alone with this in the world, although I would not wish this on my worst enemy. If you get any updates, please email me personally at  ***@****

Thanks

[gulfwalrus]

For myself, all these issues were caused by eating grains. Weakness, pain, cramps, muscle wasting, skin rashes, twitching, dizziness, balance, sinus problems, low energy, depression, bowel issues....the list goes on and on. Eliminate ALL GRAINS from your diet for 4 weeks, drink enough water and take a pro biotic to get you gut working properly again.
This is not easy at first, no corn, rice, wheat, oats, barley, soy.......there is plenty of info out there once you get past the whole "grains are good for you" mentality.
Within a few days, I began healing and feel better then I have in 25yrs.
Our model of fast, cheap and preserved food is poison, you should also eliminate all oils except for virgin cold pressed olive and coconut oils and soak any beans or nuts you eat.  
Good Luck!

[Angellgirl3]

I know these posts are many years old but if anyone is reading this, please give me an update. I have been going through the same problems with the muscle twitching and spasms which occur all of the time. Sugar definitely increases this problem but its not always the cause as I have checked my sugar during these attacts and almost always my sugar is normal. I CAN tell you how to stop them instantly which will make you all cringe but it works for all people who have tried it......here goes....Salt. I do not suffer from high blood pressure and to back up this issue, I went to a Natural Practitioner who told me within five minutes that I suffered from low sodium. She recommended 3 tsps of sea salt per day and yukkkk, I can't get that much in me. Ergo the salt shaker near me all the time which I shake onto my hand a lick it off...then I take a drink of something..Anybody who has had those spasms, would agree...they would swallow anything to stop the pain so fast....I almost throw up from pain. Spasms in my toes or fingers don't even faze me next to the pain i feel when my inner thighs, entire fibula area start. Recently I began getting the same problem as queenlian posted above. If I turn or even slightly twist, I get a terrible spasm and I am getting a breathtaking spasm type pain in my upper abdomen which goes through to my mid back. I have hypothyroidism (med dose was increased a couple mons ago and I'm due for repeat labs) Was clinically borderline low on sodium which made me feel confident with the holistic practitioner and I had vita d deficiency twice but ok now) My father was diagnosed with ALS but went on to live until in his 80s so I'm just not sure. He claims the process was slowed by his daily "potion" of herbs and vitamins which he drank every single day including while on vacation. Eventually he was coughing and choking a lot and in a wheelchair but wish I knew. Always wondering about that. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis by U of M, Henry Ford Hospital docs and three family docs....all felt it wasn't real aggressive in my case but it completely disappeared in approx 9 yrs....only took Naprosyn. Nobody knows why but it did. Those thought are in my head on my bad days .....wish I knew what to do. Living in pain. Angellgirl3

[cat0143]

Hello love, my name is catrina ,I'm 32 year-old and I've had the same happening to me since I was 24 after I had my son . So for 8 years I have been living with the same thing you are describing . For the 1st 5 years doctor's keep taking tests and find nothing,they thought I was lying but just giving me pain meds to get me through the day ,I moved states and brought my empty med bottles to my new doctor and she got these big eyes and said why do you take these . I honestly told her I didn't know but I'm in pain in my back all the time and get major flare ups that migrate to different parts of my body ,my leg cramps for months move to my neck and shoulder then my toes and so on , doctor took all same tests as all the others and everything negative results finally got a MRI done and she tells me "I'm so sorry,this is something you're going to have to live with for the rest of your life " she said that I had degenerate disc disease where the discs in my spine are deteriorating so the vertebrae are almost bone on bone and you're spine is connected to all you're nerves causing pain constantly inflammation cramps muscle spasms not able to move when inflamed every body part hurts ,the chiropractor just makes it worse everything pops ,can't stand or sit to long I feel bruised all over I take muscle relaxant pain meds to get me throughout the day ... I do yoga ,that seems to help a little and nobody took right test cause they all thought I was to young ,once I had inflammation in my wrists and ankles at the same Time n had to crawl on my elbows n knees to get to the bathroom ... so all my symptoms sound just like yours,the doctor wants me to do surgery and everyone that I know that has done this tells me they still hurt n still have to take meds also she suggested cortisone shots in my back every 3 months but I would still have to take pain meds and if the doctor that does the shot mess up at all they can paralyze me permanently,so I just live with the pain and cramps n everything making sure I have my meds and every so often when it becomes really inflamed I have to call in to work like today.I have also asthma,alleges and a few other conditions that just add to my misery but at least I know what's going on now even though I have to live with this forever..I hope this helps!!! Forever feeling you're pain ,catrina

[nursekat79]

I'm an RN (Registered Nurse) that also has MS. And I'm here to tell you, it sounds like MS. It also sounds like you may have to find a good doctor that will actually Listen to you.

Also, you can have MS without the lesions showing up on a scan on your brain or spine. Do not agree with your physician just because he/she says you don't know what you're talking about. This is Your Body and Your Health. Being as such, only you know when there is something wrong with you.
Good luck and God Bless.

[LindyDi]

You need to get a Western Blot through iGenX lab to test for Lyme Disease.  It is a hidden epidemic & you have every symptom.