laserlight92
New member
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2015
- Messages
- 4
- Reason
- Other
- Country
- US
- State
- California
- City
- Belmont
Hello all,
After reading the sticky posts I think it's worth acknowledging that they do address some of my concerns. I'm posting because I experience intense, chronic anxiety and hope that sharing will help me leave behind some of the compulsive forum-reading and symptom-googling.
I am 23 and a 1st year graduate student in applied physics. Typically I have been very active, participating in running, dance, lifting/conditioning as well as academics. This June I developed a small but insidious lower back injury that persisted through inconclusive exams and MRI's as well as months of physical therapy. The injury only slightly impedes my everyday function but forced a cold stop to all my physical activity.
In early November I noticed strange feelings of tightness in my right leg- the leg felt a bit different while walking, perhaps a bit sluggish and tight in the calf. This developed over 1-2 weeks or so. Then I started to get fasciculations in my right tricep area and right calf, which started to freak me out. I also felt some slight tingling and numbness in my right arm, and eventually a slight numbness encroaching down my face.
I saw my primary physician, who told me "it's not early ALS or MS," and recommended I focus on the anxiety component. I had been experiencing sudden rushes of dread, feelings of impending doom, sadness, or occasional excited tingly happiness, each of which happened at strange times not necessarily associated with thoughts. I also developed some symptoms that my primary attributed to "panic attacks". She prescribed me Clonazepam (a benzodiazepine) to be used in small doses as needed, e.g. to help me get to sleep in the face of anxiety and persistent fasciculations. The fasciculations now occur in many places across my body, left, right and abdomen, though feelings of tightness remain stronger on the right.
I saw a neurologist in late November, had an extensive talk and a physical exam. He told me that he was not concerned about ALS or a brain tumor, though he couldn't quite rule out MS.
For this reason he ordered a brain MRI which came back "stone-cold normal" (I felt fortunate). At the next appointment I told him about intermittent feelings of stiffness and weakness in my hands, and he did another quick examination. I told him i was still worried about ALS; his words were roughly, "I don't say this if I have 1% or 2% doubt. I don't think you have ALS".
Meanwhile, taking Clonazepam more regularly helped me calm down some and also quieted the fasciculations a bit. Then I started taking Celexa (an SSRI/antidepressant) intended to help my anxiety. The morning after the first dose I felt a resurgence of twitching and stiffness, which persisted throughout the following 2 weeks (leading up to now). I was prescribed Temazepam to replace Clonazepam, in order to help me get more quality sleep– but anxiety attacks returned with a vengeance this weekend and my symptoms seem to increase with it. My face has begun to feel stiff as well, particularly around the mouth. I'm hypersensitive to my eating, speaking and breathing function and seem to be overreacting to little mishaps.
So I wonder: why am I so preoccupied with worry about ALS, how much should I worry about hand/face/leg stiffness progressing to clinical weakness, and so on.
I have tentative diagnoses of generalized anxiety (needs to be specified by psychiatrist), Tourette's, and Benign Fasciculation Syndrome.
Thanks so much for reading– any and all thoughts are much appreciated!
After reading the sticky posts I think it's worth acknowledging that they do address some of my concerns. I'm posting because I experience intense, chronic anxiety and hope that sharing will help me leave behind some of the compulsive forum-reading and symptom-googling.
I am 23 and a 1st year graduate student in applied physics. Typically I have been very active, participating in running, dance, lifting/conditioning as well as academics. This June I developed a small but insidious lower back injury that persisted through inconclusive exams and MRI's as well as months of physical therapy. The injury only slightly impedes my everyday function but forced a cold stop to all my physical activity.
In early November I noticed strange feelings of tightness in my right leg- the leg felt a bit different while walking, perhaps a bit sluggish and tight in the calf. This developed over 1-2 weeks or so. Then I started to get fasciculations in my right tricep area and right calf, which started to freak me out. I also felt some slight tingling and numbness in my right arm, and eventually a slight numbness encroaching down my face.
I saw my primary physician, who told me "it's not early ALS or MS," and recommended I focus on the anxiety component. I had been experiencing sudden rushes of dread, feelings of impending doom, sadness, or occasional excited tingly happiness, each of which happened at strange times not necessarily associated with thoughts. I also developed some symptoms that my primary attributed to "panic attacks". She prescribed me Clonazepam (a benzodiazepine) to be used in small doses as needed, e.g. to help me get to sleep in the face of anxiety and persistent fasciculations. The fasciculations now occur in many places across my body, left, right and abdomen, though feelings of tightness remain stronger on the right.
I saw a neurologist in late November, had an extensive talk and a physical exam. He told me that he was not concerned about ALS or a brain tumor, though he couldn't quite rule out MS.
For this reason he ordered a brain MRI which came back "stone-cold normal" (I felt fortunate). At the next appointment I told him about intermittent feelings of stiffness and weakness in my hands, and he did another quick examination. I told him i was still worried about ALS; his words were roughly, "I don't say this if I have 1% or 2% doubt. I don't think you have ALS".
Meanwhile, taking Clonazepam more regularly helped me calm down some and also quieted the fasciculations a bit. Then I started taking Celexa (an SSRI/antidepressant) intended to help my anxiety. The morning after the first dose I felt a resurgence of twitching and stiffness, which persisted throughout the following 2 weeks (leading up to now). I was prescribed Temazepam to replace Clonazepam, in order to help me get more quality sleep– but anxiety attacks returned with a vengeance this weekend and my symptoms seem to increase with it. My face has begun to feel stiff as well, particularly around the mouth. I'm hypersensitive to my eating, speaking and breathing function and seem to be overreacting to little mishaps.
So I wonder: why am I so preoccupied with worry about ALS, how much should I worry about hand/face/leg stiffness progressing to clinical weakness, and so on.
I have tentative diagnoses of generalized anxiety (needs to be specified by psychiatrist), Tourette's, and Benign Fasciculation Syndrome.
Thanks so much for reading– any and all thoughts are much appreciated!