First Year Medical Exams: Myoclonus?

Hey all,I'm fairly new here, but this site has already helped me tremendously. Anyways, where to start...I have my first year medical exams tomorrow. This twitching has been driving me crazy and has become an obsession for about three months now. Last night I was trying to get to sleep and kept getting all jerky (myoclonus?). It took forever to fall asleep as I convinced myself that this was some neurological disease. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing I don't have any weakness or atrophy. I also have internal tremors (very bad upon waking) and have developed a slight tremor throughout the day. Has anyone out there experienced this crazy myoclonus at night or the tremor thing? I've seen a lot of postings about palatal myoclonus, but not much about this. I would say that it is more extreme myoclonus and repetitive than the regular night jolts everyone gets when falling asleep. I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance so I can get through today and study without worrying about *** or some other rare neurological disease. Any advice would be appreciated V

I have to agree with 43RichyThe43rd on this one.Although you haven't gave a detailed desciption of your symptoms and your background, on the surface your symptoms don't fit into the frame of any neurological disease at least anything serious. After a year without any weakness or any other serious neurological problems which would stand out then you can almost forget ALS. MS rarely ever presents itself as muscle twitches, nor with anything else that comes to mind such as Fibromyalgia, Lyme Disease, CFS.I suppose there is an outside chance you could have BFS but the twitching, myoclonus and internal tremor all paint an anxiety picture especially considering you are a med student. Everybody suffers from muscle twitches, they are perfectly normal. A lot of people start researching them cause they may notice an unusual twitch which could be caused by a whole host of reasons, myoclonus or nocturnal myoclonus in the case of what you describe is extremely common and is easy to read too much into. The internal tremor through the day is a classic symptom of anxiety, especially if you are constantly worried and concentrating too much on these benign problems you are suffering from.I'm not a doctor so by all means, like 43RichyThe43rd said get an opinion from somebody you trust then put it behind you. I'm sure a few months from now you will look back on this and think "what was I worrying about?"

Yes, I have these jerks that have increased along with the recent increase in twitches. I jerk when falling asleep or a finger or hand will just twitch. The neurologist told me yesterday that this was related to sleep disorders/restless leg/periodic limb movement. His explanation to me is that the twitching and jerking can be related in the fact that if my sleep was interrupted and i wasn't fully rested, that is a common cause of twitching. And, the worry about the twitching can exacerbate the sleep problem. It's a nasty cycle. I have recently increased zoloft another 25 mg to 75mg total and it's really helping me have a more realistic and clear state of mind. (But, who knows if this is contributing to the twitching/jerking?)Hang in there...You're fine...try to get out and do some walking or something to clear your mind. Good luck with your exams!

Hi,Thanks for the replies. I do think in my case the twitching and variety of other symptoms are anxiety related/caused and they are definitely not getting better without good sleep! It is crazy what anxiety can do to your body. Your posts were what I needed to hear...that yes, this is probably all in my head and even if this is BFS, it is a benign condition, nothing serious (except a little psychologically demanding). I think for now I need to study and after exams if I still do have symptoms I will seek a medical opinion. It is sometimes just comforting to know that there are other people out there with the same problems. Thanks again, everyone on this forum is a Saint. Good luck to you,V

Its boggles the mind to think of the percentage of people who come to these forums suffer exactly from what you just described suchamess. Its a vicious cycle of stress - lack of sleep - twitching - more stress - lack of more sleep - more twitching - even less sleep - other types of twitches/tremors in different parts of body - extreme anxiety - less sleep etc etc etc etcAll of that started by some benign catalyst that most people don't even notice or get worried about.

vmarsh,I have the internal shaking/tremors every morning and night for that matter. In arms and legs. I also, at times, have a slight tremor in my left hand. I have had this condition for almost 9 months. Sometimes I feel it more and sometimes I feel it less. I try to lay off the alcohol and caffeine. I think that does help some. I've had a normal mri of the brain & c-spine with contrast. Normal ct-scan of the brain and a clean emg. I've also had three completely normal clinical exams from my neurologist. He has given my a clean bill of health and suggested I just "get healthy". Excercise, diet, etc. Hope this helps.CDC

I am experiencing similar twitches and also the jerking right before i go to sleep. My twitches began about six months ago , perhaps a couple more, as a twitch in my left calf. It would come and go. I mentioned it to a doc on a visit and they said it was bfs. I didn't think much of it. Then, about 6 weeks ago, i started twitching on the left side of my neck. I thought that it was an artery. I went back to my doc and she mentioned bfs. About 2 days after that, I began twitching all over my body. I get twitches in my upper arm,my elbow, my feet, had it in my stomach, my thighs, my eyelids--- i dont think i had a tongue twitch but i might have.....So I went to see a neurologist-- a local guy-- after I called my gp to get the name of a neuro after these twitches expanded. He gave me an exam and an EMG -- one with the pins- and also one with the wand-- This test came back negative. He sent me for bloodwork-- all fine.....I followed up with my gp and she told me to follow up with my neuro. He diagnosed bfs. I am going back to him because they are still going on after several weeks. I have also made an appt to see a neuro affiliated with a good hospital. I am still scared. I have read a lot--and I am scared because it seems no one can rule out the worst-- I am worried he tested me too early so the bad stuff didnt show up. I am worried he didnt know what he was doing. I have a young child and am scared . I just wanted you to know someone else is going through the same.

papillon58,I went through a similar thing. I have two young children; I remember praying, please God I have two kids to raise.I cannot tell when my prayers are answered and when they are not. But I am still here.There are more people who have this than do not.Hang tight; seems to always be worse at the beginning.BTW my cube at work is filled with pictures of my wife and kids. And sometimes at night I watch my kids sleeping.Works for me.-43RichyThe43rd

I've had benign twitches for many many years, (they began when I was in my early 20's and under a great deal of stress.) Along with other symptoms, they've come and gone over the years. With my current relapse I've started getting nocturnal myoclonus for the 1st time in my life, (also have been under stress). At first, it kept me up all night for several nights, (just as I'd drift off another twitch would wake me.) I had them in my arms, legs, abdomen, hands, feet, shoulders, fingers, toes and even my face, i.e. forhead, mouth, etc. My neuro says they're quite common, is not worried, but did offer me a sleep study. I'm waiting until my daughter's wedding in a few weeks before anymore testing. Best Wishes, Denise

V,I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone with the jerking. I have been experiencing this myself lately and have made several other posts about it, so please forgive me if I post pretty much the same thing that I have posted in other posts.I started getting twitches in February. Went to my family dr who had me try an anxiety medication that didnt work at all. The past 2 weeks I have developed the jerking while falling asleep. They are more frequent than what a person normally experiences. I know everyone gets a jerk now and then while falling asleep but this is different. Some nights I dont have it all, and other nights I have around 10-20 jerks before finally falling asleep. Some times I will get a violent whole body JOLT that really gets me scared.I got in to see my neuro last week and explained to him about the jerking and the twitching. He didnt seem concerned by anything, but he did have me get an EEG test today to measure my brain waves because of the jerking. I am awaiting the results and hope that everything is okay. But as I said he didnt seem overly concerned. In fact, the assistant who gave me the test said "we will call you if anything is abnormal, otherwise we will see you again in July!" I am pretty mad about that (since I have yet to receive a diagnosis) but I am trying to think positively and see that this means I am okay. If there was something wrong they wouldnt have me come in two months from now, ya know?My best guess is that this is just another crazy symptom of BFS.Good luck!