Really Struggling

[NovemberTrue 1]

Hello, I am a 38 year old mom with 3 kids. I homeschool them, so I’m with them 24/7 (was homeschooling before Covid). Like everyone else, the past year has turned our lives upside down. My husband lost his job and decided to start a new business in the midst of it all. My anxiety this year has been higher than ever. Five years ago, I started with a high heart rate and irregular heartbeats. They put me on Atenolol. This past July my left shoulder and neck began aching, sending pins and needles down my arm and causing my thumb to twitch. My heartbeat was also getting even more irregular. Went to the dr, she said stress was causing the muscles to tense and pinching a nerve. She sent me to PT and gave me a prescription of busperone. She also ran some labs, found out my B12 and Vit D were low and sent me home with B12 shots. I went thru 3 months of PT, started getting better, and within a month of leaving PT started getting tight muscles again. I went to a chiropractor and after a few adjustments, the twitching started all over my body. I also still get pins and needles and a heaviness feeling that moves from limb to limb throughout the day. I had an MRI that came out completely normal. That has now been going on for 2 months. The twitches are all over the place and all different. Some feel like buzzing, others are hard jerks, and others feel like the muscle is moving under my skin. It occurs more when I am sitting vs laying down or standing. The pcp has scheduled me with a neurologist but they can’t see me until June. She has rechecked my B12 and it’s up, but she said it’s just from the bulk doses she’s given me in the shots. She also said my B12 and D deficiency would not cause the twitching, that it appears to be neurological or psychological. I’m terrified this is ALS. And that I won’t be around for my kids. I just started Prozac at my doctors urging yesterday. I also am going to an acupuncturist. Anyone else experience this? 

[AriaRen 19]

Hey, I'm so sorry you're going through this, I fell down the exact same rabbithole, have a little look at my past posts. 

 

B12 and D deficiencies can 100% cause twitching, anywhere on the internet can confirm it, and doctors have told me it too, so not sure why your doctor said that. It's a super common reason, so don't pay attention to that. But even if it isn't them, the fact the twitching is now body wide is highly irregular for ALS, it usually progresses slower, and in a very clear outwards way, so for talking sake your foot, then your leg, upwards etc. It also doesn't get better, like yours did after physio. You're super young to have such a thing, and it's mega uncommon, so I'm sure you'll be just fine ❤️

 

Heightened stress has frequently been shown in conjuction with BFS, which is benign twitches bodywide. Annoying, but not deadly. Or, it could just be all the stress you're under, like mine was! I had body wide twitches constantly, I was so so scared, but when I stopped googling, got some therapy, and started my anti anxiety meds, I'm now so much better. I had some toe twitching, but I sit about 85% of my day, so I've had some physio to help and it's done wonders, so I know it was just the stress and anxiety in my body translating in a super odd way. 

 

Always a message away if you need anything, but please don't stress too much, keep your mind busy and time will fly 💕

[Ironman 198]

13 hours ago, MAK-KAMO said:

 

I had the same symptoms, I suffer from a chronic wandering mind, likely to start experiencing profuse sweating, headaches, and rapid heartbeats when anxious; it does not happen that often, but it is hard to stop when it does. I think it has something to do with stress, as it occurred to me. https://mangoclinic.com/an-ultimate-guide-towards-your-recovery-from-depression/I tried some tips that helped me to prepare for a profoundly sustaining practice, don't give up When you feel like all your energy is drained, rest. When moments become more important than a detailed plan, enjoy them. When your body changes with each season of life; listen to it, nourish it, and respect it. When you start to question your worth, remember to be gentle with yourself. You are doing the best you can, with what you have. Look how far you've come the past years, you are never starting over but instead relearning everything you've gained from experience.

Is the wandering mind a form of derealization/depersonalization when you zone out as if in a fog?

[NovemberTrue 1]

Thank you both for replying! I really hope this is all due to anxiety. The Prozac has slowly started “kicking in” and the main thing I find is that I’m not obsessing about it all day long anymore and that I’m not feeling as jumpy. I actually had several days of almost no symptoms/twitching, but all day yesterday and again this morning the twitching has come back with a vengeance. I don’t feel any more stressed this morning than I have been, so I’m not sure why they would come and go like this. I am definitely going to continue acupuncture and focus on restoring my mental health. 

[Ironman 198]

24 minutes ago, MAK-KAMO said:

Mind wandering to me is a form of both derealization and depersonalization as it brings me task unrelated thoughts, what I was experiencing were thoughts not remaining on a single topic for a long period of time or sometimes I felt like I was dreaming. 

Yep - that is the mind going too fast for the body.  That will diminish the more relaxed you become.  It is scary to go through, but it can decrease.  I remember it being quite bad for a period of time.  There is hope!

[SafeSecure 1]

The twitching you were experiencing was exactly what put me into a tailspin after an appointment with Dr. Google MD. Every search regarding muscle twitching suggested ALS. I could not get the idea out of my head, and I focused so strongly on the twitching from the instant I woke up, and throughout my work day, it was making me crazy. Called my real PCP (not Google) he told me they are very common, to take magnesium supplement and stay hydrated. Twitch continued, as did my fear of dying from a horrific illness. This health anxiety has been something I battle with since I was a teenager. Last week started 50mg of Zoloft as suggested by my PCP. I'll be frank, this 1st week has not been great, but they say it gets easier after the 1st couple weeks. I sincerely hope your situation is improving, and wanted to let you know, you are not alone. Hope your script for Prozac brings you some well deserved peace.

[NovemberTrue 1]

13 hours ago, SafeSecure said:

The twitching you were experiencing was exactly what put me into a tailspin after an appointment with Dr. Google MD. Every search regarding muscle twitching suggested ALS. I could not get the idea out of my head, and I focused so strongly on the twitching from the instant I woke up, and throughout my work day, it was making me crazy. Called my real PCP (not Google) he told me they are very common, to take magnesium supplement and stay hydrated. Twitch continued, as did my fear of dying from a horrific illness. This health anxiety has been something I battle with since I was a teenager. Last week started 50mg of Zoloft as suggested by my PCP. I'll be frank, this 1st week has not been great, but they say it gets easier after the 1st couple weeks. I sincerely hope your situation is improving, and wanted to let you know, you are not alone. Hope your script for Prozac brings you some well deserved peace.

Thank you! I am glad to know I am not alone, though I hate anyone else to be going through this as well. Right now the Prozac I was prescribed is 10mg. It was really helping. But yesterday, my anxiety ramped up (after allowing the news to stay on in the background...this seems to be a trigger for me). This morning I woke up and my neck and shoulders were hard as a rock and my tingling and numbness were back. I’m starting to wonder if maybe my tense muscles, obviously from stress, are not pinching something in my spine causing the twitching and tingling. 

[NovemberTrue 1]

I wanted to update. Twitching has slowed considerably. But I do notice it ramps up when my shoulders/neck muscles are tense. Weekly acupuncture seems to help with that. It’s also helped me SO much as a mother and a wife. I feel present, where before I felt like I was watching them behind glass and struggled to be fully present. I do notice that when I have been stressed and I attempt to fully relax/sleep my muscles have pretty gnarly jerks. I got an earlier appt with a neurologist so I will ask about that as well. 
 

I do have a new symptom though. I’m one month into the Prozac and for the past two days, I’ve been exhausted. I do still take my b12 shots once a month. I time it with my monthly cycle starting, so I’m due to get another shot on the 14th. I don’t know if it’s just that shot wearing off, or if the Prozac could cause sleepiness after a month. Or maybe my body is even attempting to fight off a cold. Anyone experience this before?

[Jessi 24]

I’ve had similar symptoms.  Muscle twitching and even eye twitching.  Was convinced I had MS or a brain tumor.  It was just my anxiety.  Unfortunately anxiety can do many things to our bodies.  It causes so many symptoms, it’s crazy!!