Physical anxiety symptoms - muscle twitches, cramps, weakness

[Rubybleu]

The past week or two I’ve been totally ruled by my health anxiety. I started having a weak feeling in my left hand and arm and something about MND came on TV and now of course I have MND. I’ve been experiencing muscle twitches and cramps/sore muscles, mainly in my calves and forearms. I saw my Dr in relation to this and he tested my reflexes, strength and pulses and all was fine. I keep trying to reason with myself but I just can’t shake this MND idea. It’s ridiculous. My Dr only prescribed medication to take when I’m having a really bad moment but the problem is I’m having these every day for most of the day.

Is anyone else experiencing this type of physical anxiety symptoms? This is all new to me as I’ve never experienced this type of anxiety before.

[amiee2893]

OMG!

I am so happy and relieved to find this post.

This is really long so I will have to make two posts.

I have had traumatic few months.

It started with a sore stomach that led to X-rays, CT Scans, blood tests. Nothing, all clear.

Then in May I had a head ache behind my eye and I thought hmm maybe I need new glasses, so I went to the optometrist and had my eyes assessed. He freaked out and sent me straight to ED because he thought I had a lesion or tumour on my brain... Insert panic mode here.

I had to be seen by the hospital eye team and they weren’t even sure if I had anything wrong with me, but they wouldn’t sign off on an MRI and told me I had to see my own doctor and then come back. They wanted my doctor to do a referral for an MRI with contrast. My doctor done the MRI but didn’t request contrast. So I had the MRI and it come back clear but they didn’t use contrast. I went and had a second opinion from a private eye doctor and he said my eyes are perfect and he doesn’t even know how they come to that conclusion. I said I had an MRI and it was clear and he said did you have contrast and I said no and then he told me well you can’t be 100% sure that you don’t have a tumour but I don’t think that’s the problem any way. So he sent me on my way with the all clear but I still was running over in my head that I didn’t have the contrast so did they miss something? By this stage my eye was so sore. The muscles around it were so tense. I was having daily anxiety attacks.

[amiee2893]

I started seeing a new GP and told her the whole story and she was like you’ve been cleared. You’re okay. But I told her about the optometrist and she was like, right if I send you for this second MRI with contrast, that’s it. It’s done, it’s over we move on.

So she sent me for a second MRI WITH CONTRAST and it was surprise, surprise CLEAR.

I finally started to calm down but a few weeks ago I started getting tingling in my left hand and foot and I was like hmm this is weird but okay.

I mentioned it it to my doctor and she said it’s stress. She sent me for more bloods to check it my B12 was Low. It wasn’t. It was normal.
So, over the last 2 weeks, my left hand has started to feel weak and I’ve developed tremors in my left hand and leg. Sometimes all over my body. At this stage I’ve gone into complete panic mode and convinced myself I have MND and I’m going to die and leave my Son who is 2 qnd my partner with our brand new mortgage and trying to raise our son, whilst paying for everything in our life. I’m only 26 mind you and MND is rare disease in itself and even rarer for some one my age, logical self knows that by my dumb ass brain doesn’t.

I went back yesterday because I have been in such a state about the tingling, weakness and now twitches.
I told her everything, I laid it on the table. I told her how I can’t even trust her decisions and it’s not her fault but I have this feeling of dread that I’m just going to die from MND because of my symptoms.

She done muscle & reflex tests on me and all Normal. She told me that she’s 99% I am healthy and do not have MND. It’s because of the trauma I have been through with the eye and I have health anxiety and this is how it works.

She said would send me to a neurologist even though she didn’t want to because she doesn’t think I need it, but she’s going to pretty much as a gesture to try and shut me up and calm down. She is going to write a letter and try and get me in ASAP as I’ve been in a constant state of breakdowns ever since April and 3 weeks out of the month I live alone with my son as my partner works FIFO.

after reading these posts, it is giving me hope that is all self manifested. And maybe ( probably, most likely ) it is just anxiety.

I agree, I have been under ALOT of stress because or my eye trauma / miss diagnosis. It has fueled my health anxiety like nothing else and it’s just continuing on because I haven’t had time to relax.

Thank you to every one for sharing your experiences.

[amiee2893]

Hi Ashy,

How are you feeling now?

[Zakoza]

Amiee2893 How are you feeling??

If you read back through my comments on this post you will see that my experience has been almost identical to yours!!!!

Symptoms- MRI- eye test- referral to Neurologist!!

Where my story differs is that the wait list to my closest neurologist is 18 months for non-urgent cases!!!!!!

However, I am pleased to report that my GP (who is also a psychologist) has put me on a mild anti-depressant to trial for 6 weeks before she escalates my referral to the neurologist as ‘urgent’ and it has done wonders for me! I’ve been taking it for 2.5 weeks now and my tingling and numbness and weakness and twitching have almost gone completely!!!!! I feel as though I can breathe again!

I have also been seeing a chiropractor regularly and she has me taking magnesium which has helped hugely with the muscle twitching!

I am also taking restavit at night to help me sleep. My horrible dreams have stopped and I feel half human again.

I am still not certain WHY I developed this horrible health anxiety yet!?!? I’ve never had it before and always been a very ‘level headed’ person in my belief! But I’m pleased to report I’m doing soooo much better than I was 3 months ago!

Keep us posted on how you’re feeling!! I like reading these posts and seeing that I’m not alone with these symptoms!

[amiee2893]

Hi Zakoza,

Don’t you think it’s weird that we assume that it’s the worst thing possible when it’s one of the most rare and not common diseases, especially for my age? I don’t know how old you are but I’m only 26.

The waitlist yo see a neurologist here is probably similar. I rang today and they said they will call me back once they read my referral. My doctor said she’s going to write a big letter to him, hopefully to get me in sooner just to put me at ease.

My partner works away 3 weeks of the month so it’s just me and my son here. I can’t take anything that heavily sedates me as I have to be on the ball for my little boy who isn’t two yet.

My rational mind says that it’s my anxiety my my anxiety keeps saying, what if, what if, what if, what if you’re the unlucky one.

I wasnt even even worried about MND until started reading these threads and that’s where my fear come from and then I started developing symptoms. I have had the tingling for a while but the twitching and what I feel like is weakness has only been the last two weeks since I’ve been reading all these posts with people thinking they have it.

It it blows my mind that your brain can do this to your body.

I go go to a Chiro once a week. I try and take magnesium when I remember. I’ve been tested for low B12 and it’s not that. I have low iron but I don’t think it’s that either.

Ive had 2 bad reactions to medication & my doctor has just prescribed me a third at a small dose to get it into my system and then we see how we go from there.

If I’m active and busy, I don’t notice things. But if I’m sitting at home I notice them. It always gets worse when I have a panic attack or at night time. Which makes me think that it is anxiety because MND doesn’t come and go. Once it’s there, it’s there. Like my symptoms are always there but they increase and decrease.

i have a big social event on the weekend and I am holding off starting the meds until then because I don’t want to drink and take them.

I will start next week.

Glad some one replied to me. I’ve been checking each day!

[TheAnxiousOne]

Amiee and Ashleigh,

I can’t even tell you how relatable your stories are to mine. I’ve had weakness and twitching on the right side of my body for a couple of months now. Ofcourse I’ve had health anxiety for some time now and am on meds.

How long has this been happening to you? Are you noticing any changes/improvements?! Would love to hear from you as I’m desperate to find answers. This sensation is not preventing me from doing anything, but it’s always there. And as someone mentioned before, it increases and decreases in intensity. I’ve started taking magnesium (about 3 weeks now) but should probably look at increasing the dose to 2 tablets a day.

TIA

[amiee2893]

Hi TheAnxiousOne!

ive only had it for 2 weeks, if that. But as you can see I have a long list of other symptoms.

I try try to remember to take magnesium but depends on what mood I’m in! I get twitching all over my body and the weakness swaps sides all the time.

Im booked in to see a neurologist but that’s 2 months away and was the first available appointment for what I’m assuming I’m listed as non urgent - even though my doctor assured me I’m fine.

i haven’t started my meds yet, will start next week again.

i haven’t noticed an improvement but I keep monitoring everything to make sure it doesn’t get worse!

[Zakoza]

Hi Aimee2893,

My Mum is an avid John Laws listener and she told me that his useless fact for the day a few weeks ago was that the subconscious mind is 30,000 x more powerful than the conscious mind!!!! That blew me away. But also comforted me. I was the same as you, didn’t develop most of my symptoms until after I had started reading up about MND online. Even now, I still can’t tell what’s real and what’s being manifested by my silly mind!!

My first symptom, dizziness, started almost 4 months ago now. The other symptoms, tingling, perceived weakness, twitching, clumsiness (the more I focus on one side of my body the more I tend to drop things) started about 7 weeks ago now. I’ve had no progression and like you, my symptoms disappear when I’m busy and distracted so I’m slowly convincing myself that there is nothing wrong with me.

However, I still don’t understand WHY my body is doing this to myself?!?!

I’m very similar to you, have a partner who works away a lot, especially at night, and I’m home with my 3 young children all the time. I work 3x days per week so I do get some respite but I work from home so I still spend a lot of time alone. Which doesn’t help with my anxiety.... I constantly think about how my family are going to manage if I die! And it spirals me into full panic mode.... I’m only 33, so a bit older than you. Still, the chances of me having MND are still very slim.

What type of medication has been prescribed for you just recently? Mine is a low dose beta-blocker and it seems to really be helping. Only side effects so far are shaky/trembling arms just after I take it. I’ve found that if I take it with a meal it helps reduce the trembling.

Look forward to hearing back from you. I can’t believe how similar our experiences are.

[amiee2893]

I tried to put my email address in so you could email me directly but it didn’t allow me to do that.
i can’t remember what it’s called, but I’m worried to take it as the other two medications that I’ve tried have given me bad side effects. The first one made me suicidal & the second one made me feel really weak & zoned only after one tablet.
it stresses me out because it’s mainly only on my left side. It started on my left side and now today my hand feels really weak and it’s stressing me out even more just thinking when is the morning I’ll wake up and wont be able to move. I also have a tremor in my left hand. You can’t see it moving but I can feel it and if I hold paper at work I can see it - that makes me really anxious and I could vomit. This has all just started happening in the last few weeks.
I cant stand to google things because it puts me into a panic if I have anything that is linked to what I have. I seen that the original poster made a comment on how it starts and twitching is an end symptom not a start.
I honestly just go day to day hoping that it is my anxiety. I have an neurologist appointment on the 28th of October, which is now giving my anxiety thinking about it. I just want it to all go away. i realise my chance of it being MND is like 1 in 11,000 and then less again because of my age.

I just need a break from all of this. It’s exhausting for my family and my poor partner who has to deal with it whilst away and then when he comes home for RNR.

[amiee2893]

I also wanted to ask, does any one else feel like they’re not actively thinking about it, but they still are if that makes sense?

Ive had another really bad night, waking up in a hot sweat and not being able to get back to sleep. Woke this morning fearing the absolute worst and I have to go to work today.

I get bad pins and needles in my left hand at night time a) because of how I sleep on it and b) because my son also sleeps on my arm. That’s how this part of my “illness” started when I was in the midst of the eye issue.

I don’t understand how this can possibly be anxiety & how it’s only effecting me on one side. I’m really scared today and anxious also dreading Sunday when my partner flys back out for another 3 weeks.

I wanted my doctor to send me for and EMG or what ever they are and she said no because she doesn’t believe I need it & she didn’t even want to send me to a neurologist because she just said it will cause more stress that isn’t needed. But I need answers. I can’t be calm until I have a result. So waiting another 2 and a half months is going to have me near dead if things don’t start to get better on their own.

I don’t know what to do at this point. Today is going to be a really bad day.