HEALTH ANXIETY - constant muscle twitches.

[VivRic]

Hey,

I have suffered from severe health anxiety for the last 15 years. I have had so many tests - Constant blood tests, MRIs, CTs, ultrasounds, EMG, nerve studies, you name it I’ve probably had it at some point. I get one part of my body checked out, feel good for about a week after the results come back clear and then it’s almost like the anxiety shifts into a different part of my body and new and equally scary symptoms will appear causing me to go down another rabbit hole searching for the problem. I know why I have this condition. Both my mother and father’s cancers were misdiagnosed for many years and sadly resulted in my mother’s death. I have a massive mistrust in the medical system and often feel that I’m not being heard. Both of my parents were told their symptoms were ‘just anxiety’. Which is what I always get told and is probably true for the most part. However I feel like my adrenals and nervous system are finally shutting down due to the decades of stress and trauma.
I suffer from chronic muscle twitches, weakness in my arms, numbness, burning, tingling in back of head, dizziness and vertigo, weird sounds in my ear, blurred vision and other strange eye sensations, muscle stiffness, chronic digestive issues, shaking, dry mouth, dry eyes insomnia and many many more things. But lately it’s the muscle twitches and weakness that are new and really really frightening me. I have daily adrenaline rushes and I don’t sleep well at night. But I’m so very scared I have ALS. I have seen a neurologist who doesn’t think I present with typical symptoms but obviously if I’m in early stages this is hard for her to be 100% sure of. The fear about this is so debilitating. I’m working with a great shrink and mindfulness coach and I do have some good days but sadly more bad days where I see no future. The loneliness...😞

Just wondering if anyone else out there gets muscle twitches and weakness? And some positive stories about when that turned out not to be ALS would be so helpful.

Thanks 😊

[Guest_342]

Hi VivRic,

I've have bad health anxiety in the past. Sometimes it feels like the only way to stop worrying about one thing is to let it cling onto another thing. Totally relate to you there.

I still have my setbacks some days, even though I am thankfully past the worst of it. Any little sets backs I get nowadays tend to be worries about non-health related things. Thinks like, "Did I run a red light?", "did I say something offensive?", "Did I accidentally lodge my tax return with errors?", etc... Exhausting!

I can't tell you whether you have an actual condition relating to these symptoms, but my experience has been that anxiety can give me physical sensations and make my mind play tricks on me. But my mum told me to perhaps wait it out a bit each time and see if they subside. She said, it's more likely to be nothing. Sure enough, my gut pain turned out not to be ovarian cancer, my confusion or forgetfulness was not a stroke or early onset alzheimers, my headache was not a tumour, etc.

I was sure I felt tingle in my fingers a number of years ago and was sure I had MS or MND and constantly sought reassurance from others. I got blood teats and STD checks after meeting a new partner, convinced I had HIV or something even though we used protection.

COVID has also been frightening - especially in Melb - I had terrible hay fever during summer and barely left the house because I worried about giving people COVID - I thought always of worst case scenarios. E.g. what if I am the cause of someone dying or what if I am named and shamed in the news? Goes without saying it was a lonely time.

Of course, my mum can't be sure there's nothing wrong with me at any given time, but her advice gave me some perspective.

It probably is a good idea to be open to your GP about what your health anxiety is causing you to feel. Ultimately, I think the question is whether you think it's reasonable to spend as much time as you do getting checks - would you advise someone in your own situation to do this?

Of course, our bodies are complex, and sometimes things can go wrong, but we need to have faith in our bodies sometimes too. And sometimes we get funny sensations or pains for no particular reason.

If you feel something is wrong, by all means check it with a doctor, but it might be useful to also talk to your doctor in detail about what goes through your mind and they can perhaps advise you how to tell whether something might be worth checking on vs leaving something be.

Hugs.

[Keelea]

I have had health anxiety for over 10 years. I can really talk myself into having real symptoms and it really does make life very hard. I think Google has definately made it worse.

It has caused me to have high blood pressure, headaches, and feel physically sick.

A new blemish, a pain, anything really.

Tests scare me as it is more stressful waiting for results.

I am new on here, so it is good to see others who are going through the same and know I am not alone.

[Academy]

I also am scared to go to doctor for tests in case there is something really wrong with me. I have high blood pressure (controlled mostly by meds),caused by anxiety. I am now at the stage I’m fearful of leaving the house in case I have a dizziness or anxiety attack. Google is definitely not helpful as I think it has exacerbated my attacks. Hope we can both find a solution.