symptoms worsing

[lizbeth219]

I had a normal neuro exam and a normal emg two months after starting twitching. The neurologist said I WAS SUFFERING FROM EXTREME ANXIETY and my own GP told me I was obessive and compulsive about having ALS .Since then two and half months has passed and the twitching has trebled,  MY LEGS NEVER STOP MOVING , TWITCHING , TIGTHING,   my face never stops twitching and feels like a spiders web is stuck on it, tickly and itchy , my head my scalp is tighting and feels my hair is standing on end  AND THEN JUST MOVING BY ITS SELF also it feels like my muscles are tigtening and then undoing all the time, some times the muscles hold for a second, sometimes hours, it does not hurt, the skin feels sore, IT CAN BE ANY PART OF MY BODY, I CAN SEE THE TWITCHES BUT I also get the sensation that the muscles are moving all over the place but when I LOOK AT MY LEGS i can see no movement-its like the muscles are dancing . other time the muscles feel tickly i GET CRAMP IN MY FEET BUT LESS THAN I used to but I ALSO GET SHARP PINCHING SENSATIONS.now my right leg feels shaky at the knee and I FEEL IT IS GOING TO LET ME DOWN. i walk a few miles every day , can hop on one leg , stand on one leg and rise from a squating position, it even feels shaky and week when i am sitting down Can you give any words of advice. My anxiety level are sky high even though I am on anti anxiety medication
THANKS IN ANTICIPATION
reza

reza

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

In theory, a normal EMG and neuro exam are reassuring that this is not ALS. Weakness and muscle wasting in a certain distribution of your body is more indicative of ALS then isolated twitching in the setting of a normal workup. As your anxiety is quite palpable in your letter, it may be helpful for you to see your neuro and GP docs again and let them know what you are going through. The neuro doc could always examine you again just to make sure that nothing has changed. And if everything checks out again, consider seeing a professional to help you deal with the anxiety. A medication called klonopin may help both your feelings of anxiety and the twitching.Good luck.

[twitch_city]

My goodness!  So many people have a fear of ALS.  You are not alone my friend.  I have had two Emgs, and tons of other tests.  I have been to five neurologist and they cannot find nothing.  I am going crazy!  I hope my neurologist are right.

[Jeffro72]

I also have these same symptoms, which have been going on for 4 months now.  Lots and lots of people with similar symptoms...just amazing.

I am 29, and in very good health (or so I thought).

It started with my left shoulder muscle that turned a dull weak/numb, and within a few days my left arm and hand became dull weak/numb...very strange dull weakness/numbness, though all sensation is still there.  I started noticing it on the left side of my face afew days later, which kinda feels like Elmer's glue was rubbed onto the skin.  Within a week it spread to my right calf, and slowly began to move up my leg to my hamstring and some of my quad.  Its more of a muscle numbness (or slight weakness), as all sensation is there.  Within a few weeks I started getting incredible muscle twitches all over my body, including my face, back, shoulders, hands, forehead, temples, everywhere.  Some so bad they keep me up at night.  Mainly in the calves and feet, but it looks horrible.  And I do notice slight weakness in the affected muscles.

I've been tested for everything (Lyme, Syphillis, Hepatitis, HIV, etc), and all blood work came back normal except for very slight liver and thyroid abnormalities...so slight the docs stated it was insignificant at this time.  My neurologist is throroughly convinced its not ALS, since my EMG came back normal.  He's also ruled out other diseases like MS (normal MRI and CT Scan), MG, etc.

I did notice that the symptoms are twice as bad when my anxiety level is sky high.  At this time, they still do not know what is going on...but I've since calmed down and accepted that it may, or may not be a life threatening disease...who knows at this point.  However, the symptoms have subsided somewhat, but the muscle twitches still plague me, and on some days are horrible!
Keeping my anxiety level down (which I know is not totally under my control) really helps.

Jeff

[lizbeth219]

Thanks for your comments-- at least we are not the only ones going through hell- I THOUGHT WHEN THE EMG CAME BACK NORMAL I thought the nightmare was behind me but it just seems to carry on. how soon after your symptoms started did you both have a emg and when normal what did the neuro say was wrong with you
REZA

[lizbeth219]

see previous conmment- they posted the wrong name

[twitch_city]

I had the EMG in Oct.  I had an EEG in Oct also.  The symptoms persist.  I had visited Dr.Robert Miller in San Francisco at the Forbes Norris MDA hospital.  He belived my symptoms were not ALS.  I am still anxious but Dr. Miller is suppose to be one of the best in the world in recognizing ALS.  The Neurologist have not come up with much.  My symptoms are not getting better.

[AJ1962]

you guy's are NOT alone!  I am a 39 year old male, in good health and I have been going through the same thing as all of you!  Severe twitching, my left arm sometimes hurts for days, now I have muscle shakes (not like Parkinson's but like when you over stress them).  Sometimes my twitching is just outta control, I mean, in 4 to 6 places on my body at once, and other days I hardly notice them at all.  I also have anxiety and take Ativan for it and the shaky feeling inside goes away when I calm down.  I have had my twitching now for about 9 months and thank god for the doc's on here that help calm us all down becuase if my mother didn't find this web site .... I'd have seriously gone crazy and I'm not kidding!  I am too scared to see a neurologist and both of my GP's just think I'm an over anxious nut!  In a good way... they like me.  They laughed when I said I though I had ALS or MS.  They both did blood tests and checked me out with a basic neuro exam (touch your nose, stand on one foot... that kind of stuff) which I have no problem doing what so ever and my blood tests were great.  They know I'm the poster boy for anxiety and I've been taking Valium and Ativan (on and of as needed) for about 20 years now when I used to get panic attacks.  Now I just have generalized anxiety disorder and Paxil certainly didn't help unless you like being a zombie with incredible hot flashes!  Anyway... you guy's are NOT alone!  I was scared too and I still can't stop thinking about "what if it IS ALS or MS"... but that's just my anxiety doing the talking... I hope...  I posted another message up a few strings, you might want to look at it too as I explain in more detail my symptoms and how they started... but just keep in mind... read ALL opf the people, young and old, that have these strange twitches, muscle numbness, pains, and all sorts of other similar symptoms, heck I think even one of the doctor's on here said he has benign fasiculations too and he explained that stress and anxiety will make them worse!  We're all in the same boat and it fels good that we are NOT alone!

[jon04]

my husband is 43, about 4 months ago he said that his legs felt like they had waights on them. we gust thought that he put on to much whaught. then in nov he was gust walking down our hallway and fell. we laughed about it and whent on. then he started to get what he called musel cramp so bad that he cryed. he has had bad headaces for a long time now and said that the back of his neck was noumb. well then the end of nov he was walking up my stairs and fell down them i told him that this time he needed to go see a doctor so we did. they did a cat scan and said that his brainstim had what they called a shodow to it and did a nulogical exam and said he needed to get a mri. well we did it should that it was normal. the did do blood work and it should that his sugar was up and that he has an elivated meltal leval. but they dont seem to be concerned, but when you are heathey and then you have days that you cant get out of ben because your legs and arms-mainly right side does not let you it makes no sence at all. well i hope that some one some where can tell me what is going on with him for i gust the docters here are not wored iam