Multiple Continuous Facial Faciculations

[wendyhum]

My left cheek on my face started "twitching" about 3 weeks ago - it started by lasting about 2 hours and then stopping every evening for about 4 days - then on the 5th day it became continuous, but weaker, and hasn't stopped since.  I saw my GP and he said that all of my facial muscles were strong/even and appeared to be working fine - they drew blood to rule out dehydration and kidney function - blood work was normal.   I am still waiting for the result of a magnesium level test.

This morning, when I woke, there was a new spasm in the muscle that runs across the lower lip - I am scared that whatever this is has progressed and will continue to progress further - my GP says to wait for a month to see if it goes away - or he said that I could go ahead and have an MRI to investigate.

I am just very worried and found this website hoping that someone might know what is going on - the only things that I have done differently lately is started  taking Yo-Lates and started bio-identical hormone therapy (estrogen/progesterone) and wondered if this may have any relevance.  I am a 46 year old female and take regular vitamin supplements rich in antioxidants.   I did read about oxidative stress due to exercise, but I have been taking good amounts of antioxidants.

I appreciate any information!

[wendyhum]

I will definititely consult a neurologist and have an MRI - and probably won't wait for a month as suggested by my GP.

I wasn't familiar with everything that you mentioned, so I researched Chorea and interestingly enough, there is a form of this that can be caused by endocrine disorders - which makes me wonder if my hormone therapy is causing this (I have only been trying this for a few months, and my levels have been way out of balance after testing - we have had to re-adjust several times and it still isn't right)... do you think this could be a possibility?  I have been very healthy up to this point of the hormone inbalance.  I did have T3 and T4 checked in July - they were in the normal reference ranges, but the T3 was very close to the low end.

Thank you for your replies!

[painkiller99]

All of the conditions I mentioned, as well as your physician's mention of a cranial nerve disorder secondary to a tumor, are only speculative and are meant to provide you with possible causes for your condition. It would, however, be premature to offer any diagnosis at this point without any proper neurological assessment as well as diagnostic procedures.

It would really be advisable for you to consult a specialist, in this case, a neurologist, to assess these symptoms you are experiencing, and whether there is any need for an MRI to be done, as I know this can be costly.

[wendyhum]

I don't have headaches - and really no other direct symptoms related to this continuous twitching - I do tend to have a little anxiety - I am a naturally "high strung" person, but I have never had this symptom before.  Of course, one of the things that is worrying me is the possibility of a tumor pressing on the cranial 7 nerve (my Dr. mentioned this) - so perhaps that is causing more anxiety.  It doesn't seem logical to me, though, that if it were anxiety, the spasms would be continuous throughout the night when I am relaxed - if I wake up at night, it is still happening.

I sincerely appreciate your reply - it is wonderful to be able to discuss this with others.

[painkiller99]

Do you experience any other symptoms, such as headache or numbness? Facial twitching can be caused by many disorders, including migraine, tetanus, chorea, anxiety, hypocalcemia.  However, your symptoms are non-specific for any of these conditions.

If you are concerned about your condition, you could consult a neurologist to assess your symptoms.