Twitching twitching and more twitching

[Fab93]

Hi all,

I have been really debating whether to post this because I understand it can be frustrating for some people to read the same thing over and over again. I apologise in advance.

My name is Fabio and I am a 31 year old male. I have been struggling with some odd symptoms since May 2024 but before I go in to them in more detail I should give you some background about myself. I have never been diagnosed with any health condition and have always been moderately active. My partner is pregnant with our first child, a baby girl due in December and I was already a slightly anxious person prone to stress but the pregnancy, which was planned, has really made it infinitely worse. The early anxiety was about the more classic dilemmas- how do I make more money, do we need more space etc.

There was a point where my anxiety transitioned from money to my health and my mortality, this is when the symptoms started. I started to experience this new pressure in the back of my head that felt like it was originating from my neck and radiating upwards. This went on a few weeks and lead me to A&E where the doctor did a full neurological exam and found everything was ok. The pressure persisted and ultimately I decided to try acupuncture. This worked but shortly after my partner went on a girls holiday to Greece for a week and I filled my time by playing an absurd amount of video games and social media scrolling. By the end of the week my right index finger was twitching, I immediately put it down to strain but given my recent anxiety I still searched finger twitching online. My life pretty much changed from that day.

I have been experiencing widespread twitching from head to toes, there really isn’t any part of me that hasn’t twitched at this point. The twitching ranges from really obvious and can last hours to more commonly really subtle where they’re gone before I can even register them. Some feel like water trickling and they’re usually more focussed in smaller muscles. They are almost nonexistent when I am active but they are daily and can be as regular as every other minute. Along with the twitching, my right leg is usually quite sore/painful and I feel muscle tightness at times in different parts of my body. I also feel like the sole of my feet are extremely tender but I also walk in steel top cap boots all day for work.

I have no clear weakness, only fatigue. I am also experiencing loss of appetite, sleep disturbances and loose stool. I know the chances that this is down to my anxiety is infinitely higher than it being a MND but nothing is impossible and the sceptic in me sometimes still has a hard time believing that the frequency of my twitching can be caused by anxiety.

All that said I know this is not an anxiety forum so I apologise again. I guess like so many others I am just seeking reassurance.

My GP has referred me to a neurologist but I have no appointment date as of yet. I have done blood tests which found lowish Vit D which I have been supplementing since but no difference noted.

 

[ShiftKicker]

Hi there-

You outline a remarkably clear case of health anxiety, which you seem aware of. Hoping you are addressing this while you wait for your appointment with the neuro. We do ask that people read here: Read Before Posting, as it pretty much addresses everything you've posted. You list completely non MND related symptoms. Twitching is so common as to mean anything- it's like a cough.

Advice is to find someone to help you find some decent tools to help you manage stress- a new baby is a gigantic life change. Reassurance seeking, while it seems constructive, is like an itch. Brief relief when it's scratched, but will return and can become chronic. Best get to the root cause and not use places like support forums for people with a terminal disease for reassurance. If you are reluctant to see a counselor or therapist, a place like NoMorePanic, a uk based peer support forum, and subreddits like r/MuscleTwitch can be helpful.

Take care and all the best with your new baby in December.

 

[Fab93]

Thank you for your reply.

I did leave out that I am on a waiting list to begin CBT for my health anxiety. I have been diagnosed with health anxiety and I accept my diagnosis. My main struggle is accepting that the anxiety can cause these symptoms and the authenticity of them.

I also appreciate that it is selfish of me to seek reassurance on this forum and for that I apologise once more. I also thank you again because you provided some anyway.

Thank you for the suggestions, I will certainly look in to NoMorePanic and appreciate your best wishes for the baby. I am naturally very excited behind all the anxiety.

All the best.

 

[Fab93]

Hello again,

In my previous post, I described my symptoms which included widespread twitching and a variety of odd sensations which if I had to I would've described as nerve pain, stabbing pain, etc throughout. I acknowledged most of what I was experiencing was being caused by anxiety brought on by my wife's pregnancy. After a holiday to Portugal at the start of the month and a real improvement in my symptoms, I was on board with it. While I was out there the twitching decreased (never truly went away), my appetite returned, I put on weight, and my energy felt great. I swam, went for walks, and even carried my 3-year-old chunky niece on a few of those walks. Things looked good. And I know full well that improvements in symptoms are a great indicator that ALS was not the cause of them.

All that said, a week after returning home I thought I would start doing some stretching routines because during a massage I had done a few weeks before going away, the masseuse mentioned my hamstrings were particularly tight. I had gone to the gym a few days before my first stretch routine and I felt great. I did an upper body weight workout and while I kept the weights generally light, I pushed myself and my muscles felt fuller for it. Anyway, I did my routine on Saturday at home, and during one of the stretches my left leg began to shake aggressively. Like really shaking. I don't quite know why but this really brought back a lot of my more unpleasant symptoms. Twitching is still around, some days less than others except for a twitch in my right thigh which only stopped the next morning after a nights sleep. Admittedly on that day I did walk 20,000 steps (checked Apple health app). My back aches, my neck aches, and my legs just feel heavy, sore and tight. I have had the odd calve cramp when stretching in bed in the morning. My tongue appears scalloped at times, my throat lumps making it hard to swallow at times. At times I feel like I am over-salivating and at others I feel like my mouth is dry.

I am struggling to even be coherent at this point when talking about this but the leg tremble/twitch when stretched really shook me up. Does anyone think that could be a sign of progression into something serious or am I still just fighting my bloody health anxiety here? A neurology appointment has been booked for October 21st at my request.

Sorry for the second post

 

[Nikki J]

You overstretched a tight muscle and it shook? No surprise there. You are not describing ALS and your admitted anxiety is ruining your life. I hope you get cbt soon

 

[lgelb]

Yes, your anxiety is running away with you at what should be a very happy period. Do get counseling so you can focus on your wife and baby's health and not your own.

 

[Fab93]

I certainly feel extremely selfish for even giving this a shred of thought during a time where my wife should be the main focus. Please make no mistake nothing stops me from supporting her and I wouldn't change anything knowing that in December I will finally get to meet my daughter. I suppose my not wanting to bring this up around family during a time like this might play a part in my coming to an ALS forum for the second time now. I know it is reprehensible and just further demonstrates my own selfishness but the neurology appointment is months away, I haven't heard back from the therapy services even though I was told I would be fast-tracked due to my situation with a pregnant wife (I have chased) and my GP has done zero follow-throughs following my blood works. The GP's in the UK can be horribly cold to people who they deem to be making symptoms up and I would hate to be in a position where I become known as they boy who cried wolf. I am in a position where I no longer recognize my body and what it is doing and just have to trust it is being caused by anxiety. Anyway, I know this is the wrong place to be looking for pity, and thank you for the replies. Feel free to block me or stop me from posting in the future, it'll probably be for the best.

 

[ShiftKicker]

I will close this thread per your request. Please take care.