I'm affraid

[ziggy28 0]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum. I have allways worried about my health but two months ago my left thumb started twitching. I ignored it. Since the last month the twitching has spread to my whole body. And i started feeling weak, tired and my hands started shaking. I have also had three seizures in the last two years. They all happened at different times and places about 6 months apart.Since the seizures i think i have a little trouble speaking and recently i have experienced short term memory impairment. I am so affraid that i might have ALS. Please help.

PS: Sorry if my english isnt perfect. I'm from Slovenia.

[Gilly 1086]

Hi ziggy, welcome to AC. What do the doctors say? ALS is very very rare and twitching can be from stress. I have twitched all over my body on and off for the past 3 years. Mine is benign and a result of stress and anxiety. Obviously the seizures are worrying for you but it doesn't mean you have ALS, let me guess, you googled your symptoms to get to that conclusion? Also don't underestimate what worrying about your health can cause, everything apart from the seizures can be caused by anxiety and worry, do you have a diagnosis on what caused the seizures?

 

And your english is very good

[ziggy28 0]

Thanks, my neurologist said its anxiety and put me on zoloft. The seizures could be epilepsy sice it runs in the family. And yes I googled my symptoms.

I've also lost 10 kilos (that is about 22 lbs) in the last month. Can this come from anxiety?

[Gilly 1086]

Aha there you go! You have to trust your neurologist ziggy, they are very well trained and know what they are doing. Yes anxiety can cause you to lose weight, mess with digestion and appetite. It is scary, I went to dr google in the beginning, had never even heard of ALS before but convinced myself I had it, along with other things too. I don't. 

 

I have had some symptoms go away overnight when told it was anxiety, and I have had some, like the twitching that linger longer, it's just how my body reacts to stress. Hopefully the zoloft will help in time to ease your symptoms and your mind.

[jonathan123 2368]

Hi ziggy.Welcome. I have said before but it is worth repeating. Health anxiety can mimic any disease especially if we Google and really set our minds on it. There is a thread on twitching on this site that it may well be worth having a look at. This is very common but we have to realise that it is just another symptom of this complaint. Don't second guess your medical advisers. Believe them then set about convincing yourself you are OK .WHATEVER YOU DO keep away from Dr.Google. In health anxiety we are so susceptible to suggestion that someone only has to tell us we don't look well and that  can upset us for the day. Yes; again, weight loss is common in anxiety. I lost a lot of weight initially but regained it as I recovered. This is usually down to the poor appetite we have.  Keep off the scales!! The more you keep checking your weight the more apprehensive you become. Believe me; your English is a darn sight better than some of those whose native tongue it is so don't give that another thought. Slurred speech is another anxiety symptom. It is as if we have trouble forming words and when they do come out they don't sound right. This is just another of the worrying symptoms but harmless. Try to accept how you feel at the moment without adding fear to fear and thus perpetuating the problem. You will be Ok but it does take time.  Believe me.     Jon.

[ziggy28 0]

Thanks for all of your kind words. I have another question: There is some sort of a clicking sound in my throath when i eat and drink and my jaw feels weak. Id that just another symptom of anxiety? And also, I think that the left side of my body is bigger than the right side. I guess thats because I'm lefthanded. My muscles still twitch. Can twitching be caused by leaning on the elbows too much?

OK, I think that's all i need to know. Is there anybody here experiencing the same symptoms?

[MrsCollMom84 2]

Hello! I do not have the same symptoms that you do but I understand what you are going through all too well. There is a list of 100 anxiety symptoms on this site. You should check them out. The clicking noise that you have described is in fact on that list! I understand how you are feeling but if your doctor has said it is anxiety then you should trust that! Good luck!

[jonathan123 2368]

Yes Mrscoll, you are right. Once we have been told that we have no physical problem then we have to believe the medics. We have no alternative neither do we need one. Dr.Google is NOT an alternative. We are not diagnosticians and, frankly, don't know what we are taliking about whan it comes to medical matters. You are suffering because you have got into the habit of looking for symptoms. Now I am not for one moment suggesting you are doing it on purpose. Far from it. But habits can be broken. As soon as you experience what you think is a disease symptom. STOP. Take deep breaths and let them out slowly and at the same time say to yourself "I have beeen told I am OK. This is the anxiety talking and I am not going to be bluffed by anxiety". Then carry on with what you are doing and ACCEPT the feelings for the moment. Do this over and over if necessary and eventually your brain will get the message.In answer to your question, yes, I have had all the symptoms you describe and am still here! It is the constant worry you put yourself through that is making you feel rotten.     Jon.

[ziggy28 0]

It's getting worse every day. Now I am experiencing shortness of breath and have trouble swallowing. I am also itchy all over.

It's like every time I read about a symptom of ALS I get it. DAMN YOU GOOGLEEEEE!!!!!!! I know I should stay away from it but it's the first thing I see when i open my web browser lol.

[jonathan123 2368]

Thern delete it from your browser! You really must ziggy it is doing you nothing but harm. ALL the symptoms you  just descibed are anxiety. We have all had them and we will go on having them all the time we give them so much attention. They thrive on attention. Read my last post and try and do what I suggest. I reckon on this site we should charge £1.000 pounds for charity from everyone who mentions that curse of the medical world, Dr. Google. I should imagine that GP's the world over must get sick of people who self diagnose aided by the dear doctor. I know; I used to do it but now I have arranged for my computer to self destruct if I log in to him!!! And no last minute reprieve as in Star Trek!  I know ziggy; not easy but it can and must be done before you get any peace of mind.    Jon.

[ziggy28 0]

Hello!

I have an appointment with my psychiatrist tomorrow. I hope we will sort something out. Also, Thank you guys for the positive words and reasurance(not sure if I spelled it right). I'm sorry for bothering you with my problems, I know you all have problems of your own.

I have another question; I was thinking of trying self-hypnosis. Have any of you tried it and did it work?

[jonathan123 2368]

Hi ziggy. I have just replied to your other post but this deserves answering. Don't ever think you are 'bothering' us.  Heaven forbid we should ever feel bothered about a fellow sufferer's problems. Self hypnosis. I can only give a detached  view on this as I have not attempted it myself but I have known people who have.  To me, any sort of hypnosis should only be carried out under the supervision of a trained practitioner. When dealing with the mind one must proceed with extreme caution. I hope all goes well with your therapy tomorrow.   Jon.

[ziggy28 0]

Thanks Jon! And others ofcourse

[Gilly 1086]

I agree with Jon ziggy, hypnosis must be only considered with the supervision and expertise of a professional. BUT you could try self affirmations. Something like this -

 

A qualified neurologist says my symptoms are anxiety

Googling symptoms causes more anxiety

I must not google, it makes them worse

If I google and I get new symptoms, always remember anxiety works like this

Shortness of breath and swallowing problems are classic anxiety symptoms

I have anxiety and these are symptoms of that anxiety

I am OK, I must trust the neurologist

 

I used to keep a journal of all my symptoms, it helped to look back and proved they were anxiety, if I got them again and I sure did! It was reassuring to know they didn't turn out to be what I feared and had gone away in the past.