Just need a bit of support, MND trigger

[Mamaisanxious3 14]

Hey y’all, I’ve been doing a lot better with my ALS anxiety..... the twitches started after a major freak out 7 months ago!!! They have lessened/ worsened on some days but are still there. 
if I had the dreaded ALS would I know by now???

just moved back to Michigan from Texas a couple months ago and the lack of sun has me down 🥲

 

thank guys 🥰

[MARC 368]

Our daughter when she was in college a number of years ago was under a lot of stress for final exams. She developed a terrible eye twitch that could be seen by us and felt by her. Once the exams were over, the twitch stopped. Stress was the culprit, as with you too. 

[Zazz 17]

I get really wild muscle spasms with anxiety at times. Like the muscles in my leg start to vibrate (it looks really freaking weird too) and that will travel up into my spine and neck and at times I look like I'm having a legitimate seizure. I've had the nerves in my leg tested several years ago and I think they were slightly abnormal in the muscle nerve but not even bad enough to be considered pathological.

I do have a nerve issue from Psoriatic Arthritis (it's the inflammation from my arthritis presses on the nerves and irritates them, similar outcome of repetitive motion injury) and get muscle symptoms from POTS, which both contribute... but it's definitely not ALS.

I'd tell you not to worry about it, but that's not going to help you.

As counter-intuative as it seems... I'd suggest either sitting with it and letting it do it's thing (don't fight the spasms) and possibly try to distract yourself. That usually helps when I get them... trying to keep them from happening draws my attention to them and seems to make them worse (and can make them painful).

My sympathies regardless, this is definitely one of those symptoms that seems determined to drive people to fear and I can totally understand... when I started getting them through my spine I started freaking out about it too cus it's just SO WEIRD and legitimately concerning. That said: benign muscle fasciculations are actually very common and while they're freaky as heck, they're... as they say "more bark than bite".

If there's a physical component to your spasms (as opposed to purely somatic/anxiety) electrolyte drinks and lots of fluids can help (as mineral/fluid imbalance can contribute to this kind of thing). Sleep deprivation can also make them much, much worse (as is with everything).

[ZenCube 58]

Don't forget the rule: twitches without associated clinical weakness are meaningless, irrelevant and considered begnign. Ignore them. The more attention you give them the more they will take hold and pull you into the spiral. 

[alice lin 1]

As long as I know the twitches go away when the source of stress is gone. 

[Mamaisanxious3 14]

In my case thinking about it every time  it happens.......😢

 

but can everyone agree somewhat that I would have serious issues 7 months into twitching?😩

[MARC 368]

I have actually known 4 people who had ALS and none of them had any twitching. I will not go into any detail of their symptoms unless you ask me to, 

but NONE had any twitching. 

[Mamaisanxious3 14]

Thanks Marc. I’ve been in enough  forums to know symptoms. I have no weakness. Just an intense fear I will because of twitching. 
I think I would be bad off after 7 months right? 

[Mamaisanxious3 14]

I can button buttons, unscrew lids, pick up my kids, rock climb, lift weights...... sometimes I will have perceived shoulder weakness. Anxiety really sucks because logically I know I’m fine but these damn twitches everywhere make me think it could come at any time. 

[MARC 368]

The 4 people I knew who had ALS, their symptoms became noticeable pretty quickly. 

[MARC 368]

One of the people who I knew was 70 years old. He had just retired from being an attorney, when he suddenly had badly slurred speech. They thought he had a stroke, but it was ALS. I personally have never heard of an ALS symptom like this. 

[Debant 0]

You would definitely have more symptoms.  I have had a tongue twitch since June of last year.  I believe the stress of Covid brought it on.  Its still there all the time.  There are days when I don't feel very stressed it doesn't twitch much but when I am very stressed it goes to town twitching constantly.  I too have worried about ALS, but I have no other symptoms other than the twitch.  Some people do not twitch at all with ALS, but one of the first things they do notice is muscle weakness starting in the arms.  Try not to worry and maybe it will go away.

[MARC 368]

I don't mean to disagree with you, but you are not correct when you stated that one of the first things they notice is muscle weakness starting in the arms, as 2 of the people I knew who had ALS has no initial weakness in their arms. 

[Mamaisanxious3 14]

Thank you Marc, I know you have a lot of unfortunate  experience with these matters. 
I do know that clinical weakness is different than perceived weakness… If im not mistaken , if I was clinically weak I wouldn’t be able to put my arms above my head (ie) etc....

[Ironman 72]

Do these anxiety flareups occur when you are more stressed? 

It sounds like you are trying to distract yourself from something when you think about ALS. 

 

[Mamaisanxious3 14]

Ironman what do you mean exactly ? 
Yes when I’m anxious my mind goes to als 😢
Thank you for your reply 😊

[Mamaisanxious3 14]

I just wanted to say that I went to the doctor and it turns out I have thyroid disease. This impacts my muscles and twitching is really common. Wish I would have Pursued this more throughly before going on a 7 month als freak out. So many things cause twitching. Or nothing can cause them and they just happen. 99.99 percent of the time l- it’s NOT als!!!

[Ironman 72]

Anxiety tends to increase when we are stressed.

It turned out to be something completely different.  You said yourself that many things cause twitching. 

Now - you have a plan of action instead of a route to anxiety!

[MARC 368]

I hope you feel better soon and I am glad you have a diagnosis that is responsible for your twitching which is not serious I hope. 

[Mamaisanxious3 14]

Thank you Marc, not too serious, can be managed relatively easy. Thankfully. 

[Ironman 72]

22 hours ago, Mamaisanxious3 said:

Thank you Marc, not too serious, can be managed relatively easy. Thankfully. 

Use thoughts that will pull you out of the anxiety.  Reassure yourself that you now have knowledge to overcome the fear.