Very Bad Day!

[codya13105]

Ok, so I woke up this morning to my thumb going off like an alarm...or the thenar as everyone like to call it....its been twitching rapidly since 9 am, now 5 pm. Now I know what everyone is going to say, (twitching is not ALS) I know this. But I hate how my twitching has gotten progressivly worse...i dont think there is a spot on my body that doesnt twitch daily. Im going to include a video as soon as its done uploading. Thanks for listening everyone.

 

[awieleba]

cody~

I know how you feel. My thenar muscle started to twitch about 5 days ago and keep hoping it will stop. It is annoying. My twitching seemed alomst gone for awhile, then it will speed up. The last 2 weeks it has been awful, in my knee area (above knee, lower thigh) and even my tongue a little. Mine are not rapid or constant, maybe like one every few hours in my thumb pad.

BUT, if you are not noticing any real weakness by now, I would think it could be bfs? I do have weakness, it would not be considered clinical but weak to me none the less. My hands are the weakest and then the twitching, but I did have that hand emg'd on the outer part of thumb and it was clean as a whistle less than a month ago. so I am trying not to get overly worried. I am not worried about twitching but that that hand is weak AND has twitching.

I guess I am saying that I have that also and had it emg'd and was told no ALS. so hang in there!

~april

 

[codya13105]

^^ yeh i know ..i hear ya...today its just particularly bad...its twitching like 3 times per second at different intensity

 

[Al]

The more you worry, the more you twitch. Guaranteed.

AL.

 

[codya13105]

heres the video..they really get going after the first 10 seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<obj...e" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

 

[codya13105]

there you go

 

[Al]

Those sure do look like fasic's but I don't see any atrophy.

AL.

 

[codya13105]

yeh....its still pretty bulky...but the right thenar is def. lacking compared to the left.

 

[lydia]

I know it is hard, but try not to let the duration of twitching in one spot send you off the deep end. I once had a huge thumping twitch in my thigh that went on for 13 hours straight. At that time (twitches for only 2 weeks) I was of the "WTF?!" frame of mind and I left work and had to go home and sit on couch with hand over thigh, just feeling it and imagining the worst, while watching an entire season of Buffy to keep from completely flipping out (while I have never been quite the same since....10 hours of slayer drama will do that to you!). That was 27 months ago. I have been a 24-7 twitcher since then. By that I mean not 60 seconds goes by without twitches. I have had countless additional episodes of twitches localized to one spot for hours at a time. Please believe me: Extended duration and increased frequency of twitches does not equal MND. It does not mean you and whatever it is that plagues you is getting worse. I know it is easy for me to say, after all it has been over two years for me and my twitters, but try not to let it get to you even if you just have to tell yourself, "hey there is that lady that posted who had this for 2 years and she is fine (translation: fine=no MND)."

Take care,

Lydia

 

[hopingforcure]

I know exactly how maddening that fasic's can be. UGGH.. but without profound weakness and or atrophy, then they are most likely not as ominous as they look. I want you to think what April said, she has them in that area with a clean emg. Again meaning that they are not so ominous as they may seen. So sorry your having a bad day, sending a virtual hug your way.. Vent anytime, we are here.. I am of the belief that fascis can come from any kind of motor neuron, issue, although most of the medical community thinks just LMN.. My thought is they can twitch for UMN it is just not a dying, it is inflammed..

 

[codya13105]

Thanks you guys..I appreciate all your comments...its soothing to know there are others like me.

 

[Marjorie R. Wilcox]

I'm nearly 61 and I don't have ALS. I am the CALS. But I have had these twitches now and again (say several times a week) in all places on my body.

It's one of those cases where if you have ALS you could have them, but having them doesn't mean you have ALS.

Whenever I overexercised I got them in an arm or leg when I was young and was training for cheerleading. So if you lift weights, for instance, or are a runner,you will get them.

I get them in one eye or the other at times, and they are visible to other people.

I get them on my arms or in my armpit, or on one shoulder.... wherever. They last a few minutes or sometimes all day. Then the next day I'll have one somewhere else.

I never give them a thought of panic. I just say "There it goes again" and consider it a part of aging. THEY ARE COMPLETELY NORMAL HAPPENINGS and are just a nerve jumping.

Have you ever watched a newborn's eyes flutter in their sleep. Or watched a newborn flare its arms up in the air from being startled? The baby's nerves are immature yet.

If you had twitches that were a sign of ALS, you would have muscles weakening and disappearing. I hope I've made you feel better, not worse!

 

[Ronelle]

Question from a new member: I have twitching all over my body and face including my tongue. Dayand night. The more tired I get, the more I twitch. Does it mean that I have atrophy all over? I don't understand the twitching thing so well.

 

[lydia]

Ronelle,

No, twitching all over does not mean you have atrophy all over; it doesn't even mean you have any atrophy at all. Atrophy is a completely different symptom, commonly described as muscle wasting, and if you had it you would know. If you use the search feature on the forum you can read a considerable amount about twitches and atrophy, as they are both common topics that people regularly try to make sense of when they first land here.

Lydia

 

[planningguy]

Again, hopefully I am not "overeading" anything...

Lydia - Ronelle mentions in her sidebar and profile that she has been diagnosed with ALS already. I think she is looking for information specifically on whether or not areas of her body where she is twitching are those where she can expect to see weakness and atrophy in the near future.

Ronelle - You might want to post your question in the "People With ALS - "PALS"" or "General Discussion About ALS/MND " sections of the forum. Many of those who post regularly in the, "Do I Have ALS? Is This ALS?" section do not have ALS and so the responses might not be very specific. Discussions here tend to be more focussed on neurological diseases generally.

Take care,

Robert